Theses and dissertations (Accounting and Informatics)

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The development of a method to assist in the transformation from procedural languages to object oriented languages with specific reference to COBOL and JAVA
(2002) Wing, Jeanette Wendy
Computer programming has been a science for approximately 50 years. It this time there havebeen two major paradigm shifts that have taken place. The first was from “spaghetti code” to structured programs. The second paradigm shift is from procedural programs to object oriented programs. The change in paradigm involves a change in the way in which a problem is approached, can be solved, as well as a difference in the language that is used. The languages that were chosen to be studied, are COBOL and Java. These programming languages were identified as key languages, and the languages that software development are the most reliant on. COBOL, the procedural language for existing business systems, and Java the object oriented language, the most likely to be used for future development. To complete this study, both languages were studied in detail. The similarities and differences between the programming languages are discussed. Some key issues that a COBOL programmer has to keep in mind when moving to Java were identified.
A systematic framework for the evaluation of rural telecommunications infrastructure
(2002) Nepal, Thiruthlall; Petkov, Doncho
The evaluation of telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas is a complex and messy problem that involves many tangible and intangible factors. Some of them are technical in nature while others are soft, involving social, cultural and political aspects of the problem. The evaluation requires, inter alia, societal intervention, and since societies reflect a multiplicity and diversity of values and goals, the intervention should confront these realities
Community development through information communication technologies in Ward three of Durban metro
(2004) Majola, Pretty L.
This topic was initiated because of love of community development and information communication application by the researcher. It was further strengthened by taking part during the International Wowen University (Ifu) practice in 2000. The main theme of the study was Information Age. Ifu is well known as the virtual university, which is based in Germany at the University of Hamburg. The researcher, together with eight other women from different countries, designed and developed a model for community development by using ICTs. The model can be used as a basic guide for similar projects. The work, therefore in this thesis is based on personal experiences shared experiences, and research as well as by reading others experiences. This study provides ideas for potential community development by using Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) in rural areas with special reference to Ward Three of Durban Metro. The results of the study confirmed the saying “If you can’t beat them join them”. This study reported on research conducted in two different rural areas known as Bamshela and Ward Three. The results from the first area Bamshela, illustrated the way forward for Ward Three. Since the ICTs center exists in Bamshela the author received more information about the centre’s utilisation than its establishment. The focus on the second area emphasises the necessity, awareness and participation in community development. The three specifics focuses on whether there is a need for the ICTs centre for community development. Further more the study focused on areas where ICTs played prominent roles, such as in policy making, education, globalisation, ICTs, community development and participation of community members in community development projects.
An investigation of the management and maintenance of an online subject directory with particular reference to the South African Literature Online resource
(2004) Rakoma, Pamela Portia Thembeka
The aim of the study was to investigate management and maintenance procedures that were used by other sites and how these could be used as a basis for formulating management and maintenance procedures for the SALO subject directory.
An investigation into the factors that affect change in the attitudes of managers in higher educational institutions on reaching positions of authority
(2004) Naidoo, Tigambery
This study aimed to identify the factors that affect change in attitudes of managers reaching positions of authority in Higher Educational Institutions. Traditionally, managers sat in their office and managed organizations. Today the market place demands something different and there is greater emphasis on leadership qualities for those in positions of authority. Today, leaders are needed who have sound principles, ethics, sound values, integrity, human and communication skills. Individuals in leadership positions who lack the skills listed, experience problems leading and managing a modern organization.
A modelling approach to elephant and tree population dynamics for a small game farm
(2005) Stretch, Anne-Marie
Throughout Africa, growing human populations and resulting loss of wildlife habitat is a critical issue for most animal species. It is more and more common for privately owned small or medium sized farms to reintroduce wildlife on their land and such protected areas are fast becoming the only refuges available to wild animals. However a comprehensive understanding of the complex ecological processes taking place is vital for the effective management of restricted areas and the conservation of biodiversity. Due to the enormous complexity of an ecological system and the long periods of the related dynamics, it is very difficult to analyse the interaction between animals and plant populations without suitable computer models. In this thesis, the dynamics between elephant and trees (a major food source) are considered using computer simulations.
An investigation into performance testing for e-commerce web-based applications
(2005) Mhlabane, Michael J.; Petkov, Doncho
This thesis investigates the applicability of certain software testing methodologies as the basis from which the new field of Web-based application testing can arise. In particular, it concentrates on performance testing issues and Web application testing, as these are responsible for ensuring the survival of a business organization in the new global competitive age presented by the Web and Internet technology.
A guide to improving the e-commerce user interface design
(2005) Singh, Alveen
This study examines the efficiency, ease of use and ease of understanding of user interface designs implemented in current e-commerce websites. Four South African based e-commerce websites formed the test cases of this study. Selection of the test cases was based on the results and conclusions of previous surveys conducted by an independent research institution. The outcome of that survey identified the most popular e-commerce websites among South African internet users.
A modelling approach to elephant and tree population dynamics for a small game farm
(2005) Stretch, Anne-Marie
Throughout Africa, growing human populations and resulting loss of wildlife habitat is a critical issue for most animal species. It is more and more common for privately owned small or medium sized farms to reintroduce wildlife on their land and such protected areas are fast becoming the only refuges available to wild animals. However a comprehensive understanding of the complex ecological processes taking place is vital for the effective management of restricted areas and the conservation of biodiversity. Due to the enormous complexity of an ecological system and the long periods of the related dynamics, it is very difficult to analyse the interaction between animals and plant populations without suitable computer models. In this thesis, the dynamics between elephant and trees (a major food source) are considered using computer simulations.
An investigation into the digital scanning of photographs in archival collections
(2006) Somers, Nellayselviekumarie Subramany
This study was aimed at investigating the digital scanning of photographs in archival collections with a view to highlighting some of the key issues in the provision of a digital imaging service.
Membership of the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) among library and information service workers in KwaZulu-Natal
(2007) Khomo, Musawenkosi Phumelelo
The objectives of the study were: 1) to investigate the extent to which workers in library and information services in KwaZulu-Natal are members of LIASA; and 2) if there are substantial numbers of LIS workers who are not currently members, then what are the possible reasons for this? The study surveyed three types of library services in KwaZulu-Natal, namely, academic, public and special libraries with 330 LIS workers participating in the study. A census was done of LIS workers in special libraries and in academic libraries of public higher education institutions in KZN. Simple random sampling was used in selecting public libraries in KZN for participation in the study. All staff in the selected sample of public libraries were surveyed. The research instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire. It was established that a significant number of LIS workers in all three types of libraries surveyed in KZN are currently not members of LIASA for various reasons. LIASA has been unable to draw significant membership from the support staff category in LIS services despite its constitution claiming to embrace all LIS workers. The study recommends that LIASA market itself more aggressively to increase membership levels particularly in the public library sector and among support staff in all LIS services. It also recommends that LIASA should consider involving itself in the industrial concerns of the LIS sector.
Understanding the influence of a second language on the academic performance of learners in information technology : a case study of isiZulu-speaking English second language learners in KwaZulu-Natal
(2007) Njobe, Mandisa Purity
Over the years, computers have been introduced to many South African classrooms in an attempt to improve education, and this is true for Previously Technologically Disadvantaged (PTD) schools in Kwazulu-Natal with learners whose first language is isiZulu. However, frameworks of computer learning vary widely and there is a crucial need to understand how specific situational conditions either facilitate or constrain the implementation of computer-supported learning in these schools. This thesis discusses research undertaken to document the process of introducing localised OpenOffice.org.za software with an isiZulu interface into Information Technology education at PTD schools in the KwaZulu-Natal province. The thesis also documents the process of introducing a dual language medium in Information Technology at the Durban University of Technology. The study investigates the English language as one of the possible causes of the lack of understanding of computers by English second language learners.
An investigation of the impact of human cognition on the acquisition of computer programming skills by students at a university
(2008) Ranjeeth, Sanjay
This study aimed to explore the impact of cognitive ability on the understanding of computer programming by students enrolled for a programming course at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The rationale for this study is provided by the general perception held by the academic community that computer programming is a difficult faculty to master. This assertion is corroborated by reports of high failure rates in computer programming courses at tertiary institutes. A literature review was undertaken to investigate the contribution of other factors on the ability to achieve competence in computer programmer. Based on the outcome of the literature review, this study argues that cognitive ability warrants a higher priority relative to the other factors. As a strategy, cognitive science theory was consulted to establish a framework to quantify competency in computer programming. On the basis of this endeavour, two protocols were identified to facilitate the quantification process. The first was the “deep and surface” protocol used in previous studies to ascertain students’ cognitive style of understanding for computer programming. The second was an error analysis framework which was developed as part of the current study. These protocols were used as frameworks to underpin the data collection phase of the study. This study found that at least 50% of the students enrolled in a computer programming course adopt a superficial approach to the understanding of computer programming. In order to explain this phenomenon, a cognitive ability test was administered. Here it was established that at least 39% of these students have not reached a level of cognitive development that will enable the invocation of abstract thought. The study also found that this inability to handle abstractionism, an essential requirement for success in computer programming, is reflected in the severity of errors made in computer programming assessment tasks.
Validating cohesion metrics by mining open source software data with association rules
(2008) Singh, Pariksha; Eyono Obono, Seraphin Desire; Petkov, Doncho
Competitive pressure on the software industry encourages organizations to examine the effectiveness of their software development and evolutionary processes. Therefore it is important that software is measured in order to improve the quality. The question is not whether we should measure software but how it should be measured. Software measurement has been in existence for over three decades and it is still in the process of becoming a mature science. The many influences of new software development technologies have led to a diverse growth in software measurement technologies which have resulted in various definitions and validation techniques. An important aspect of software measurement is the measurement of the design, which nowadays often means the measurement of object oriented design. Chidamer and Kemerer (1994) designed a metric suite for object oriented design, which has provided a new foundation for metrics and acts as a starting point for further development of the software measurement science. This study documents theoretical object oriented cohesion metrics and calculates those metrics for classes extracted from a sample of open source software packages. For each open source software package, the following data is recorded: software size, age, domain, number of developers, number of bugs, support requests, feature requests, etc. The study then tests by means of association rules which theoretical cohesion metrics are validated hypothesis: that older software is more cohesive than younger software, bigger packages is less cohesive than smaller packages, and the smaller the software program the more maintainable it is. This study attempts to validate existing theoretical object oriented cohesion metrics by mining open source software data with association rules.
A comparative study of the job functions of university and university of technology graduates and diplomates in special libraries and engineering firms
(2008) Rajagopaul, Athena; Raju, Jayarani
This study investigated the job functions of university and university of technology graduates and diplomates in the staff structures of special libraries and engineering firms in KwaZulu-Natal. The objective of the study was to draw on possible trends and best practices in the latter for the Library and Information Services (LIS) work environment, as engineering like LIS draws its personnel from both traditional universities and universities of technology (UoT). Hence, the main target population for the study was university and UoT graduates and diplomates in special libraries and engineering firms in KZN. Graduates and diplomates were chosen for inclusion in the study using a census because of the smallness of the staff complements in these organizations. Two sets of self-administered questionnaires were distributed, one to graduates/diplomates and the other to employers in the selected organizations. Data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings of the study revealed inconsistencies with the National Diploma: Library and Information Studies (ND: LIS) where these diplomates occupy paraprofessional as well as professional positions in special libraries whilst engineering graduates and diplomates tend to occupy job titles according to their highest academic qualifications. In both special libraries as well as in the engineering environment there is much task overlap and downshifting of job functions between paraprofessional and professional university and UoT graduates and diplomates. This study has revealed a valuable best practice from the engineering discipline for the LIS profession, which is that of professional registration. Professional registration of engineering staff with the Engineering Council of South Africa is a statutory requirement in the engineering profession and allows for the growth and development of those in the profession. It is recommended that the LIS profession, and the Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) specifically, investigate a mechanism for professional registration of library and information workers.
An investigation into the nature and extent of the adoption of RFID in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa
(2008) Thakur, Surendra
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) allows for the wireless transfer of data between a small electronic transmitting tag and a reader without the necessity of line-of-sight. A feature of RFID, is that this read operation may occur over long distances and that multiple reads may occur. The aim of this study is to analyse the nature and extent of RFID adoption in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The study fits within the theory of innovation diffusion and is concerned with issues around technology diffusion, adoption rates, and its associated critical success factors. The estimation of RFID diffusion rate in the study is based on a telephonic survey of 140 companies. The respondents were chosen from a marketing database that had extensive information on South African companies. Size was determined to be the selection criterion as the literature indicates that size is the most compelling concomitant to innovativeness. In this study, size was deemed to be companies that had more than 50 PC’s in one geographic unit, of the company, in KwaZulu-Natal. The key research result locates the RFID diffusion rate in KwaZulu-Natal to be around 19% which corresponds to points beyond the “chasm” as defined by innovation diffusion theory. The second phase of the study comprised the administration of a questionnaire to two groups of IT professionals with the aim of comparing perceptions and other characteristics between the two groups. The 140 respondents were asked to submit as many professional staff as they could for an in-depth interview. The result was that 21 companies submitted 30 candidates. This yielded the two groups: the Adopter sample with 14 respondents, and the non-adopter sample with 16 respondents. The analysis of results shows the two groups have similar views on many strategic factors such as privacy, security, cost and standards etc. Adopters perceive that the following factors impacts RFID adopting decisions more (than non-adopters): Turnover, Having labour cost savings, RFID ubiquity, It will take as long for my company to adopt RFID as it did for barcode, RFID cost awareness. On the other hand non-adopters felt that the following factor impacts non-adoption of RFID Technology unproven or immature, Human skills non-availability, Implementation costs, Corporate resistance, and, Support Concerns.
A SCORM compliant e-learning content prototype for the training of OBE mathematics educators in the context of developing countries
(2010) Piyose, Xolisa; Eyono Obono, Seraphin Desire
The main purpose of this study was to examine how e-learning can help resolve some of the most acute problems that are specific to the nature of the outcomes-based education (OBE) system in developing countries. This was accomplished by investigating the relevant literature on OBE and by designing an e-learning content prototype for the South African version of OBE, with the focus on the training of Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy educators. OBE is an education system centred on the theory of mastery of learning introduced by Bloom in the 1950s. It has been implemented worldwide in primary and secondary schools and also in tertiary institutions. Some studies have shown that OBE is problematic, and that both educators and learners are opposed to this system of education. Existing research also reports that the quality of education in OBE is very poor as compared to that of the traditional education system. This study was an attempt to identify the most acute problems experienced by educators and learners in the OBE context and to design a prototype for e-learning content that can be used in courses in an attempt to solve these problems. The research population of the perceptions survey consisted of Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy educators and learners from the 6 000 primary and secondary schools of the KwaZulu- Natal (KZN) province of South Africa. Eighteen schools formed part of the research sample, with an average of two schools per region (the KZN province is divided into nine regions). Both private and public schools were included in the study. Data for the study were collected from March 2007 to August 2007 in the form of a perceptions survey of 104 educators and 288 learners, yielding an average of six educators and sixteen learners for each randomly selected school. Results from the perceptions survey show that educators and learners do not understand OBE terminology. In addition, educators claim that they are not sufficiently trained for OBE. Research iii participants also report that schools’ basic infrastructure is unsatisfactory, and that their classrooms are overcrowded. Mathematics is perceived as the most difficult subject by both educators and learners. The survey also reveals that most public schools do not have computers and that neither educators nor learners have access to computers in their public libraries. A SCORM- (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) compliant e-learning course was developed in this study to address the most acute problems identified by the survey, based on the Software Engineering Unified Model. The designed e-course contains OBE terminology such as learning outcomes, OBE principles, assessment standards, assessment methods, national curriculum statement and learning fields. The e-learning course content also contains the Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy curriculum for grades 11 and 12. It was constructed using 16 documents extracted from the National Department of Education’s website: 7 documents under Further Education and Training, 4 under Teacher Guide, and 5 under General Education and Training. The evaluation of the e-learning content prototype was conducted through a survey among 36 educators from different primary and secondary schools of the Mnquma Municipality of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. They were trained in the SCORM-compliant e-learning course content at the Walter Sisulu University’s Butterworth campus. The training took place from 10 to 13 November 2009. After the training, educators filled out a questionnaire on their perceptions of the effectiveness of the proposed e-learning content prototype with regard to the practice of OBE. Results from the SCORM e-course evaluation survey showed that the proposed SCORM software artefacts allow educators to have a better understanding of OBE terminology. The proposed software artefact is user-friendly and educators recommended its use not only for Mathematics but for all subjects.
The impact of the digital divide on information literacy training of Extended Curriculum Programme students at the Durban University of Technology
(2011) Naidoo, Segarani; Raju, Jayarani
This study investigated the impact of the digital divide on information literacy (IL) training of Extended Curriculum Programme (ECP) students at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). There are students entering the tertiary education environment in South Africa who have never used the Internet or have little or no knowledge of technology. Hence South African higher education institutions have a heterogeneous mix of both digitally advantaged students and digitally disadvantaged students. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the digital divide on IL training of ECP students at the DUT and to recommend guidelines for teaching and learning of IL that would accommodate both digitally advantaged and digitally disadvantaged students. The sub-objectives of the study were: to identify in what ways the digital divide impacts on the IL training of ECP students; to identify innovative teaching and learning methods to accommodate the diversity of students in the IL classroom; and to recommend guidelines for teaching and learning of IL in the ECP that accommodates the digital divide among participating students. Hence, the three population sets for the study were: DUT ECP students of 2010, Subject Librarians teaching IL to ECP students and the DUT ECP Coordinator. The study employed a mixed method approach in its research design. Data was collected from ECP students by means of a questionnaire, an interview schedule was used to collect data from Subject Librarians involved in teaching of the IL module to ECP students and lastly, a separate interview schedule was used to collect data from the ECP Coordinator. Qualitative data that was collected from the survey questionnaire was analysed using SPSS (Version 18.0) whilst qualitative data collected from the interviews and from the questionnaires was analysed thematically using content analysis. The findings of this study reveal that the digital divide does impact on IL training in ways such as, slowing down the progress of IL lessons; basic computer skills need to be taught in the IL classroom and that disadvantaged students find it difficult to follow online lessons while advantaged students already have the expertise to access online information. Based on these findings the study recommends that computer literacy training precede IL training; that various creative teaching and learning methods, such as, group work, games, online tutorials and interactive websites be incorporated into IL training to accommodate both digitally advantaged and digitally disadvantaged students in the IL classroom.
Web search engines as teaching and research resources : a perceptions survey of IT and CS staff from selected universities of the KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa
(2011) Tamba, Paul A. Tamba; Eyono Obono, Seraphin Desire
This study examines the perceived effect of the following factors on web searching ability of academic staff in the computing discipline: demographic attributes such as gender, age group, position held by the academic staff, highest qualification, etc; lecturing experience, research experience, English language proficiency, and web searching experience. The research objectives are achieved using a Likert-scale based questionnaire for 61 academic staff from Information Technology and Computer Science departments from four Universities from the Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape provinces of South Africa. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed for data analysis from the questionnaire after performing data reliability and validity tests using factor analysis and Cronbach‟s coefficients methods on the PASW Statistics 18.0 (SPSS). Descriptive statistics revealed a majority of staff from IT as compared to staff in CS and, a majority of under qualified middle age male staff in junior positions with considerable years of lecturing experience but with little research experience. Inferential statistics show an association between web searching ability and demographic attributes such as academic qualifications, positions, and years of research experience, and also reveal a relationship between web searching ability and lecturing experience, and between web searching ability and English language ability. However, the association between position, English language ability, and searching ability was found to be the strongest of all. The novelty finding by this study is the effect of lecturing experience on web searching ability which has not been claimed by existing research reviewed. Ideas for future research include mentoring of academic staff by more experienced staff, training of novice web searchers, designing and using semantic search systems both in English and in local languages, publishing more web content in local languages, and triangulating various research strategies for the analysis of the usability of web search engines.
The impact of communication skills as a subject in the programme Cost and management accounting at the Durban University of Technology
(2014-02-18) Naidoo, Suntharmurthy Kristnasamy; Penceliah, Darry; Moodley, Viv
The aim of this research is to evaluate the communication proficiency of students studying Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) and to assess whether the subject communication, as a course, is having any positive influence on students who are lacking critical thinking and literacy skills. It is necessary to analyse the factors affecting communication because of the diversity of the Durban University of Technology (DUT) students coming from different cultural, ethnic and geographic backgrounds before evaluating the communication proficiency of students. The field of accounting is broadly quantitative in nature, but Management Accounting, although a branch of this broad knowledge is more qualitative in nature. Data analysis, report writing and decision making are fundamental to Management Accounting. The target population for the study was CMA students. This population entails students enrolled for the first time in 2007 and current second and third year students. It was necessary to follow the progress of the 2007 cohort of students to establish whether students were achieving their qualification within the specified three year period as required by the CMA course and whether communication skills were an issue if they were unsuccessful. The objective to include second and third year students registered in the Department of Management Accounting at DUT in 2012 was to acquire current and pertinent information with regard to student perception on the subject relating to communication skills. An analytical type of research approach was used to conduct the study and quantitative data was collected using questionnaires and computer reports to gain an insight into the impact of communication skills as a subject in the CMA programme. The study confirmed that gender and the location of schools played a role in the academic performance of students. The overall performance between the genders revealed that female students performing slightly better than their male counterparts. English First Language (EFL) female students demonstrated much better academic performance than the EFL male students. Irrespective of language differences, if a student had an aptitude and performed well in the English Language at grade 12 or matric, the student has a better chance of being more successful with the CMA programme The number of EFL and English Second Language (ESL) students acknowledging that the English language affected them in obtaining better grades in CMA was fifty one per cent. Since the second and third year CMA students perceive that their lecturers were unaware of their poor understanding of the English language after completing the subject Communication Skills in the first year of study indicates that the subject is not having the desired affect. Both EFL and ESL students also acknowledged the vital role that Communication Skills play in education, social and economic development. This study, inter alia, recommends a screening of new students for English proficiency and providing academic support for students who have problem with literacy skills. It also recommends increasing the subject content of Communication Skills and extending the duration from one semester to two semesters.