Faculty of Management Sciences
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Item Playing with identity : fan role playing on Twitter(University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2015) Jeewa, Zakia; Wade, Jean-PhilippeThe participatory internet has revolutionized fandoms, making possible de territorialized virtual fan communities with enormous global memberships. The article draws on Fiske’s notion of the autonomous ‘cultural economy’ produced by ordinary ‘active’ audiences, Jenkins’ notion of an emergent ‘participatory culture’ spearheaded by popular culture fans, and Huizinga’s seminal study of ‘play’, to analyse two fan communities of Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries on the social media platform, Twitter, focusing on fan role-playing, where fans either parodically masquerade as fictional characters while commenting on usually topical events, or interact in dramatic dialogues in the guise of fictional characters. The role-playing can be seen as a ludic playing with identity that foregrounds subaltern agency.Item Creativity in marketing communication to overcome barriers to organic produce purchases : the case of a developing nation(Elsevier BV, 2019-09-13) Mkhize, Sandile; Ellis, DebbieThe change from conventional to organic foods has been found to have benefits for environmental sustainability and for consumers’ health. Although a market for organic fresh produce has been found to exist in South Africa, consumption levels are low and there is incomplete understanding of the barriers to organic consumption. In this qualitative research interviews were conducted with participants who were aware of organic products but were not regular consumers of organic products. Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants to the study to better understand barriers to organic purchases. Qualitative data obtained from interviews was transcribed and thematic analysis conducted. Generally, participants appeared to be concerned about the environment, however, their concern for the environment does not lead to organic consumption. Furthermore, participants had positive attitudes toward organic products, are not influenced by friends and family but are deterred by issues such as price, availability and labelling of organic products. The recommendations include initiatives that will assist marketers with communicating organic benefits to consumers thereby explaining the reasons for higher prices and leading to consumer trust. Creative communication strategies present an opportunity to overcome barriers to consumption.Item The entrepreneurial mind-set of university students : a cross-cultural comparison between Namibia and Germany(Inderscience Publishers, 2011) Haase, Heiko; Lautenschlager, Arndt; Rena, RavinderThe objective of this article is to set a cornerstone to compare and understand the phenomenon of graduate entrepreneurship in developing and developed countries. Our central research questions are: Are there differences in the entrepreneurial intentions of university students? What are the factors that might explain potential differences in their entrepreneurial mind-set? In response to these questions, we performed a cross-sectional study exploring the prospective career paths of 2,353 university students from Namibia as well as from Eastern and Western Germany. We found that Namibian students have a higher entrepreneurial intention compared to their German counterparts. We detected several differences between both countries and revealed explanatory factors. However, they are not sufficient to explain the ‘regional dimension’ of the higher entrepreneurial intentions in Namibia. Several implications are presented.Item Challenges for quality primary education in Papua, New Guinea : a case study(Hindawi Limited, 2011) Rena, RavinderThere is an urgent need to reform the educational system to achieve universal primary education in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Even after 35 years of independence, PNG has been struggling to educate an estimated 2 million elementary- and primary-aged children and faces numerous challenges in providing Education for All (EFA). This study was conducted in four primary schools of Buma Yong area of Lae district of Morobe Province, PNG. The study revealed that the quality of education has been deteriorated over the past few decades. Many schools in PNG do not have classrooms, teachers, and basic facilities. As a result, the children are losing interest in going to school. The children dropped out of school so as to assist their families in the household and agricultural activities. It also reveals that the dropout rate of girls is more than that of the boys due to the gender disparity in the country. The study recommended that budgetary allocations should be increased so as to improve the infrastructural facilities and encourage the children to attend primary school and thus achieve the Millennium Development Goal/Education For All in PNG.Item Perceptions of retail managers and consumers of green products at select Pick & Pay stores in Durban(2018-01) Mncwabe, Silungile Brightness; Meintjes, CornéGreen marketing is about marketing products and services based on environmental factors or awareness. Consequently, companies involved in green marketing make decisions relating to the entire process of the production of the company’s products, such as methods of processing, packaging and distribution. Green marketing focuses on the green marketing efforts companies use, including corporate social responsibility plans and sustainability efforts. Most consumers are environmentally conscious, seeking eco-friendly products and services from companies that are socially responsible. Green marketing is aimed at encouraging consumers to buy products which are less harmful to the environment, to help save the planet. This study aimed to investigate this from both a retailer and consumer perspective. Selected Pick & Pay retail managers and their consumers in Durban were asked their views on product quality, price and availability of information (advertising). A mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) strategy was adopted. Participants and respondents were purposefully selected, while their participation in this study was voluntary and confidentiality was maintained. The research included interviews with the five retail managers of the selected stores and a survey of 200 consumers. In the survey, 250 questionnaires were despatched and 200 were returned, which constituted a response rate of 80%. Content validity ensured that the survey focused on concepts and constructs that emerged from the review of literature on the awareness of green products. Cronbach’s alpha index was used to confirm the reliability of the instrument. The findings suggest that the awareness of green products varied among South African consumers. Furthermore, the data obtained from the quantitative instrument indicated that the location of the consumers (rural, urban, and sub-urban) as well as the ethnic group (African, Coloured, Indian, and White) identified by the consumers strongly correlates with their use of green products. In addition, the quantitative results showed that more consumers, particularly white South Africans living in urban or sub-urban areas, will adopt green products irrespective of the price of green products.To further support the quantitative findings, interviews conducted with five retail managers, were recorded and transcribed to ensure credibility. The results were interpreted and analysed against existing literature using thematic content analysis. The interviews conducted revealed that retail managers are of the view that most South African consumers do not understand what green products are. This was largely attributed to a lack of adequate information on green products. The salient feature of this study therefore suggests that the use of indigenous languages will help educate the South African consumers on the benefits associated with the use of green products. Ultimately, adopting green products by South African consumers will add a positive benefit to the environment as well as encouraging future generations to adopt green products. In view of the above, and to ensure proper awareness and marketing of green products, it is highly recommended that government and non-government companies should play an important role in encouraging consumers to go green and embrace green purchasing behaviour. This could be in the form of creating effective marketing campaigns or environmental-related activities, and developing a policy that will issue grants to companies implementing green marketing, which will encourage companies to utilise their resources to provide environment-friendly products.Item The effectiveness of ward committees and community participation in influencing service delivery in eThekwini Municipality(2019) Duma, Sikhumbuzo Sikhosiphi; Mabusela, Maria SewelaThe study focused on evaluating the role of Ward Committees relative to encouraging community participation in the eThekwini Municipality. It must be noted that the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa highlights the importance of public participation as an essential element of successful good governance. The wave of service delivery protests in the country prompted the desire to explore this study. The Municipal Structures Act (Act No. 117 of 1998) provides for the establishment of Ward Committees. The Act provides clear guidelines for Ward Committees hence, Section 72 states that the objective of a Ward Committee is to enhance participatory democracy in local government. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of Ward Committees and Community Participation in influencing service delivery in eThekwini Municipality. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Ward Committees and community participation in influencing service delivery in eThekwini Municipality. The study used both the qualitative and quantitative research approaches for this research. The interview participants of the study were the Ward Councillors in Wards 95, 96 and 105 and the respondents were from the above wards. The study revealed that the Ward Committee members did not entirely understand their roles. Furthermore, the study revealed that the Ward Councillors tend to overshadow the Ward Committee members to the extent that the general community members end up dealing directly with the Ward Councillor even on issues that otherwise would have been handled by the respective portfolios of the ward committee. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended, amongst other things, that training and development of the residents on when, how and why they should participate in municipal affairs must be provided on a regular basis. Furthermore, the qualitative interviews with participants revealed the need for a review of the system of Ward Committees because the Structures Act contradicts itself at times. For example, the Act requires that, in addition to a fair representation of genders, the Ward Committee must represent a diversity of interests within the ward and limits the number of the Ward Committee to ten. In real life, interests may exceed the limit of ten as prescribed by the Act.Item Community engagement and volunteerism : preparing DUT students as volunteers for a Child and Youth Care Centre in Durban(2019) Doorsamy, Kristena; Maistry, Savathrie; Lortan, Darren Brendan; Grobbelaar, Hendrina HelenaThe purpose of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a training programme to prepare Durban University of Technology (DUT) students as volunteers to work in a partnership relationship with a Child and Youth Care Centre (CYCC) in Durban. Community Engagement (CE) was introduced as a function of higher education, to enable universities to contribute to the reconstruction of South Africa post-apartheid. As one of the many forms of CE in South African higher education institutions (HEIs), volunteerism has the potential to contribute to transformation and social justice in South Africa. Research and literature on the practices of CE, generally, is limited in the South African context and even more so for volunteerism as a form of CE. The majority of adopted literature is from the Global North, which does not always fit the South African context. This study asked the following research question: what kind of training and preparation do students of a University of Technology (UoT) need prior to volunteering in a community-university partnership project? In order to answer this question, an exploratory and developmental design, qualitative methodology and participatory approach were adopted for this study. The researcher, UoT academic staff and students and the CYCC staff worked together to plan, develop and implement the student volunteer training programme. On completion of the training programme, the students implemented a volunteer task in the form of a holiday programme, which was jointly planned and developed by the student volunteers and staff of the CYCC. The study comprised the following three phases: Phase One: orientation; Phase Two: planning and implementation; and Phase Three: monitoring and evaluation, in order to show the benefits of implementing the participatory approach towards partnership development between a UoT and Child and Youth Care Centre. The orientation phase, included the recruitment and orientation of the participants and highlighted the principles of a community-university partnership (CUP) formed between the UoT and the CYCC. Data collection through focus group interviews in Phase One revealed that participants had ambiguous knowledge about the concepts and theories relevant to CE, volunteerism and CUP. The training programme consequently covered concepts and theories related to CE and volunteerism. Participants’ recommendations for the training programme contributed richly to the study. Phase Two focused on the participatory planning of the volunteer training programme and implementation of the volunteer task. The content for the training programme was derived from literature reviewed and participants input generated in the first phase. Students then completed a three-week training programme. On completion, students conducted the volunteer task, which was a holiday programme with the children at the CYCC. Phase Three monitored and evaluated the prototype of the volunteer training programme in order to provide suggestions for a comprehensive volunteer training programme. Only the student volunteers participated in this phase. The findings showed that the students’ knowledge and skills regarding aspects of CE, volunteerism and CUP increased in both critical and variable ways. Additionally, self-awareness and development of students were also evident and areas of improvement were identified for inclusion in future volunteer training programmes. The findings of this study also affirm the need for in-depth training to facilitate processes that encourage experiential learning and critical thinking prior to students engaging or interacting with communities.Item Influence of self-motivation and intrinsic motivational factors for small and medium business growth : a South African case study(AOSIS, 2018-05-29) Ncube, Thandukwazi R.; Zondo, Robert Walter DumisaniBackground: This study investigates the influence of intrinsic motivational factors for small and medium enterprise (SME) growth in the eThekwini District Municipality in South Africa (SA). Aim: It examines whether self-motivation of business owners operating in the furniture manufacturing sector has an influence on SME growth. Setting: Of the 127 SMEs operating in the eThekwini District Municipality, 112 participated in the study representing 88% of the target population. Methods: Descriptive, chi-square and correlative analyses were used to test the two objectives. That is, to determine the influence of self-motivation of business owners for SME growth, as well as to establish the intrinsic motivational factors that stimulate creativity for SME growth. Results: The study revealed that the intrinsic motivational factors of business owners do influence SME growth in SA. These factors include exerting effort for business growth interest, finding new solutions to business problems to achieve growth, growing business for recognition, belief to produce the desired outcomes, taking responsibilities for business expansion, the need for advancement, and growth aspiration that enables the business owner to take risks in order to grow the business. Conclusion: The outcome is that a self-motivated business owner has the ability to grow the business. The study provides valuable data relating to intrinsic motivational factors. Such factors are the enablers of creativity and business growth. It provides initial baseline data upon which to base future work.Item Long-term preservation of digital records at the University of KwaZulu-Natal archives(Journal of the South African Society of Archivists, 2018-09-29) Matlala, Mpubane EmanuelThe long-term preservation strategies used for digital records are significant in that they can ensure access to records and archives. This study examines the strategies used for the digital preservation of records at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Archives. It describes how care is taken in order to ensure that the various plans of action that are adopted are appropriate for the university archives. A qualitative research design with an interpretivist world view was used in this exploratory study. In this study, interviews, observations and document analysis were employed as data-gathering techniques. The research sample was purposively selected from members of the archivist staff at the university archives. Findings revealed that staff members had started a data preservation project; however, it became clear, that there was no decisive policy framework for the preservation of digital records for the UKZN Archives. Therefore, it is recommended that these issues be dealt with via the implementation of an Information Communication Technological (ICT) infrastructure and the devising of policies and strategies to help ensure the long-term preservation of digital records.Item 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, RavinderThe 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.