A feedback loop model to facilitate communication between citizens and local government in a smart city
- Authors: Gopeni, Amanda
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Communication in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Electronic government information -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2205 , vital:27705
- Description: In recent years, an increasing number of people move into cities to search for better opportunities for themselves and their families. This movement is known as urbanisation and makes it difficult for the local government to fully understand citizens’ needs particularly pertaining to public safety matters. During the first phase of the Public Safety Smart City project, it was identified that there is a need for feedback loop to facilitate effective communication of public safety issues between citizens and local government. This means that EL citizens do not have a better channel in place to address their public safety issues to the local government. This could lead to the decisions made by the local government in public safety not fully communicated back to the citizens. The primary objective of the study is to develop a feedback loop model that will assist in more effective reporting of public safety issues between citizens and the local government. The study followed an interpretivism paradigm and the research methodology employed is the qualitative approach. This was influenced by the existing De Fleur model of communication, secondary data and also semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with eleven citizens and four managers from the Department of Public Safety. It was ascertained that the lack of a feedback loop about public safety issues between citizens and local government is likely to increase public safety issues. Findings revealed that this is because citizens are not continuously updated about their reports and also about the state of public safety matters. Furthermore, the methods of communication utilised lead to poor communication of public safety issues. The study concludes that the introduction of an Information and Communication Technology enabled feedback loop between citizens and local government can help in reducing public safety issues and make public safety officials proactive rather than reactive.
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A model to enhance the perceived trustworthiness of Eastern Cape essential oil producers selling through electronic marketplaces
- Authors: Gcora, Nozibele
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Security measures -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Essences and essential oils -- Marketing , Internet marketing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2194 , vital:27672
- Description: Eastern Cape Province farmers in the natural essential oils industry are yet to fully realise the use of electronic commerce (e-commerce) platforms, such as electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces) for business purposes. This is due to the issues that include lack of awareness, poor product quality, untrusted payment gateways and unsuccessful delivery that are associated with e-marketplaces. As a result, farmers do not trust e-marketplaces and therefore hesitate to engage in e-marketplaces for business purposes. This is further complicated by natural essential oils buyers‟ tendency of preferring face-to-face interaction with a supplier rather than online interaction as they need quality assurance. As such, this research proposes a model to enhance the perceived trustworthiness of natural essential oil producers in the Eastern Cape Province selling through e-marketplaces. The model constitutes the factors that could be considered in assisting essential oil producers to create a perception of trustworthiness to buyers in e-marketplaces. These factors were evaluated amongst five organisations involved in the production, retail or processing of essential oils using a multiple-case study methodology. The study‟s use of multiple-case study was applied within the interpretivist paradigm and five cases were considered. Interviews, document analysis and observations were used for data collection. Data analysis was done using within-case analysis followed by cross-case analysis to establish factors of trust. The essential oil producers based in the Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal and Western Cape provinces were cases that had been successfully using e-marketplaces for a notable period of time. Accordingly, factors that contributed to the successful use of e-marketplaces informed the proposed model of this research. The model proposes that perceived trustworthiness of enterprises in e-marketplaces can be achieved through following the uncertainty reduction stages (Entry, Personal and Exit) and applying uncertainty reduction strategies (passive, active and interactive).
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Occupational stress and intrinsic motivation as determinants of job engagement in the South African Police Service in Greater Kokstad Municipality
- Authors: Jojo, Avela
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Police -- Job stress -- South Africa Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/1995 , vital:27592
- Description: Occupational stress, intrinsic motivation and job engagement are areas of importance for today’s management. The main objective of this study was to explore the combined effect of occupational stress and intrinsic motivation in determining job engagement in the South African Police Service. Moreover, the study investigated the relationship between occupational stress, intrinsic motivation and job engagement. The study also sought to enquire into the effects rank and gender has on the study variables. A quantitative approach was adopted. A structured self – administered questionnaire comprising of four sections: biographical information, police stress questionnaire, intrinsic motivation inventory and job engagement scale was used to collect data. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse data, and both descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized. The results revealed a negative relationship between occupational stress and job engagement. A positive relationship between intrinsic motivation and job engagement was also found. There was no combined effect of occupational stress and intrinsic motivation on job engagement. Lastly, no significant differences in the way police experience stress were found among rank and gender. The researcher concluded that even when police officers are under great amounts of stress they are still engaged in their jobs. Where levels of intrinsic motivation were high for the police officers, so were the levels of job engagement. Demographic variables did not yield any significant relationships to the study variables. These findings are of significance in creating a police force which is productive and meets the goals and objectives of the South African Police Service.
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The impact of human capital investment on economic growth : the case of South Africa
- Authors: Mutambirwa, Edward
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Human capital -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8272 , vital:32155
- Description: A country which prioritises in investing in human capital is believed to be a wealthy nation, meaning that the amount devoted to education and health sectors cannot be considered too much. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of human capital investment on economic growth, the case of South Africa. The study used time series data covering the period 1984-2014 to assess the impact of human capital investment on the economic growth of South Africa. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model and the error correction model (ECM) were employed in estimating the long run and short run relationship among variables of the study. The results of the study concluded that there is a positive long run relationship between total human capital investment (THCI) and South African economic growth. The results were in line with the hypothesis of the study and some empirical literature used. However, in the short run the results proved that there is no relationship between total human capital investment and economic growth in South Africa. Moreover, FDI and gross fixed capital formation proved to have a long run relationship with economic growth except exchange rate. The study recommends that the government should continue to devote most of its budget to human capital investment as it positively accelerates the economic growth of the country.
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The impact of inflation on financial development in South Africa
- Authors: Muzvanya, Kudzai Fungai
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Economic development Monetary policy Consumer price indexes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13045 , vital:39440
- Description: Growing theoretical and empirical studies have predicted different influences that inflation has on financial development in different economies. This dissertation observes the impact South Africa’s inflation has on financial development over the period between 1990 and 2012. Monetary policy framework in South Africa has, to a greater extent, assisted in monitoring the movement of the consumer price index. Although inflation does affect financial sector performance, the study also looked into other variables that have an effect like private credit, money supply and gross domestic product. To test for stationarity to avoid spurious regression, the ADF test and the PP test were used. To determine the long- and short-run relationship, the Johansen Maximum Likelihood test and VECM models were used. Results of the study indicated that money supply and inflation have a negative effect on financial development. In addition, apart from money supply and inflation the findings revealed that private credit and gross domestic product play a significant part in financial sector performance. The study recommends that the South African Reserve Bank should keep the inflation rate within its target range (3-6percent). This would ensure price stability and restore investor confidence in the financial sector, which then improves financial sector development.
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The impact of monetary policy announcement on financial markets in South Africa
- Authors: Chipfunde, Memory
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Johannesburg Stock Exchange Monetary policy Money market
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12193 , vital:39195
- Description: Monetary policy announcements are among the major decisions that affect the economy as a whole. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of monetary policy announcements on equity markets in South Africa during 2014-2015 financial years. That financial period is a unique year for analyzing the impact of monetary announcements on stock returns because the Reserve Bank Governor was changed in the last quarter of 2014. Moreover, interest rates were changed in four monetary policy announcements over the course of two years. This provides a good opportunity to investigate how monetary policy announcements can affect financial markets. The study used an event study methodology whereby a 15-day event window is used as well as a 45-day estimation window. Around the event window, abnormal returns were calculated using the market model and capital asset pricing model (CAPM) was used to calculate expected returns. The results are mixed; (both significant and insignificant) impact of monetary policy announcements on JSE stock returns. Of the 12 interest rates announcements, only four seemed to be significant. It was observed that of the four significant results, three of them were because of a hike in interest rates. The results show an asymmetric response by the market to interest rate changes. The results also suggest that the market anticipated the relative volatility arising from the change of the minister of the reserve bank governor. Following the appointment of the new Central Bank‟s governor in the last quarter of 2014, the first interest rate announcement seemed to have been anticipated by the public thereby rendering it insignificant. Inorder to improve the strength of the results in future, it is important that that there should be the absence of signalling effect in the market. It is recommended that the markets are efficient and the announcements should not be highly anticipated by the public.
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The impact of oil price variability on the exchange rate in South Africa
- Authors: Ngonisa, Phillip
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Foreign exchange -- South Africa -- Econometric models Petroleum products -- Prices -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8261 , vital:32108
- Description: Economic theory asserts that exchange rate is a critical variable in the performance of exports and the economy at large. Equally important are variables that affect the exchange rate. In particular, economies that rely on commodity exports are vulnerable to fluctuations in commodity prices. Price volatility of such commodities can lead to significant fluctuations in exchange rates, a phenomenon referred to as commodity currencies. South Africa‘s currency has fluctuated significantly since 1994. Anecdotal evidence suggests that commodity prices may have a significant effect. Of interest is fluctuations in the oil prices, which in themselves have fluctuated greatly over the same period. This study uses a GARCH(1.1) model to investigate the impact of oil price variability on the South African exchange rate by employing the monthly data for a period spanning from January 1994 to December 2014. The results show that oil price variability affects both the level and volatility of the exchange rate. Informal evidence suggests that sovereign credit ratings are an important factor affecting the South African rand. This is supported by the results of this study. Accordingly, both variables carry important information for markets and policy makers at large.
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The influence of physical service recovery and online service recovery on trust and relationship retention
- Authors: Dube, Langelihle
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Consumer complaints Customer loyalty Customer services
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12766 , vital:39359
- Description: Service mishaps remain a profound topic in business due to their inevitability and detrimental impacts they bring about. As a result of this incessant detrimental effect, service recovery has been initiated into business exchanges to curb such. Moreover, service recovery programmes have been embarked on both in the offline and online delivery systems to retain this diverse need market consisting of the technological averse and experts in trading. This study therefore has to pinpoint the difficulties experienced in offline and online service recovery procedures and demarcate which of the two is the preferred channel. Service failures cut across all sectors and industries, and banking has not been spared in turn. Clients tend to choose a service recovery method based on various factors such as the panel of occurrence, technological skills and awareness, personal behaviours and available options provided by the service provider. Clients tend to choose a service recovery method based on various factors such as the panel of occurrence, technological skills and awareness, personal behaviours and available options provided by the service provider (Buttle, (2009); Clark & Melancon, (2013). The panel of occurrence depicts the method of service delivery that resulted in failed services, thus, an online service delivery is likely to attract an online resolution. Customers who transact online are highly likely to choose the same recovery method due to the associated innate benefits. Technological skills and awareness deal with the client’s articulateness in navigating the business’ website in effort to resolve the encountered problem. Personal behaviours explain that introvert clients would prefer to interact with the system and assistants online to resolve the issue while extroverts will choose the offline methods so as to experience facial interactions. Organisations sometimes detect the panel of solution based on the severity of the problem. Thus, for example, serious problems to be handled using physical means. Assessments of the degree of impact on retaining relations and gaining trust that presently employed recovery strategies pose were unearthed in this study. For physical service recovery, contact, empathy and politeness were assessed on the significance they have in recouping failed services. Responsiveness and the state of the bank’s websites will also depict the degree to which failed clients can be restored in online service delivery. Physical service recovery received greater apprehension by clients during a service error with empathy and politeness emerging as the most customer required successful strategy to enhance relations and trust thereafter. Despite its less preference, online service recovery strategies such as responsiveness and website interface resulted in significant correlations affirming their importance during service delivery and recovery. The measurement model fit quite well with sound goodness of fit indices results as per the comparison with the recommended thresholds. Moreover, the Structural Equation Model fit well with data collected.
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The relationship between financial crises and South African bank lending activities
- Authors: Madikizela, Mfundo
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: South African Reserve Bank Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 South Africa -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15398 , vital:40404
- Description: Financial assets, and particularly fiat money, play a critical role in the prosperity of an economy. Its health therefore becomes the cornerstone of an economy, as asserted by modern financial intermediation theory. Fundamentally, as established by literature, crises affect bank balance sheets and subsequently banks’ ability to provide credit, thereby restricting investment, capital and asset growth, aggregate output, and eventually national income. This study conclusively establishes the relationship between financial crises and the South African bank lending activities. It describes this relationship, concluding that crises and bank lending have a negative short run relationship and positive long run relationship. The study gives a brief background of recent crises that were experienced by different economies in the world. The study uses South African quarterly data for the period 1996 to 2015, where it employs a VECM model that gives empirics to the effect that lending is indeed negatively affected by financial crises, but only in the short run. This is due to the South African Reserve Bank, through its monetary policy, cushioning the banking sector against the detrimental effects of economic distress. The study recommends that given the indebtedness of South Africa relative to GDP growth, to avoid credit downgrades and disinvestment in the long run, government should focus on improving GDP growth rather than debt; and should establish a policy framework that centralises operational transactions in order to reduce the effect of crises on real output.
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The relationship between household debt and consumption spending in South Africa (1994 - 2013)
- Authors: Nkala, Patience
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Finance, Personal Financial services industry Consumption (Economics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14022 , vital:39798
- Description: Consumption has been and remains the main contributor to gross domestic product (GDP) growth in South Africa. Household debt on the other side has remained high over the years. This study examined the relationship between household debt and consumption spending, for the period between 1994 and 2013. The Johansen cointegration technique and the Vector error correction model (VECM) were utilised to test the long run and short run relationships between the variables. The Granger causality test was also employed to test the direction of causality between the variables. Results from this study have revealed that a relationship exists between household debt and consumption spending in South Africa and they have also showed that this relationship flows from household debt to consumption spending. The implications of these results are that consumption spending may be increased through other measures rather than through increasing debt. The study therefore recommends that policy makers avail more investment opportunities for households and to also create employment in a bid to increase the income of households which can then be used to increase household consumption rather than the use of debt.
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Weak form market efficiency of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange : pre during and post the 2008 global financial crisis
- Authors: Futshane, Olwetu
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Global Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 Efficient market theory Random walks (Mathematics)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11895 , vital:39116
- Description: The importance of the efficiency of the stock market cannot be underestimated, given that it brings together those who demand and supply development finance. It is against this background that this study focused on analysing the weak form efficiency of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange for the period 2005 to 2016. The study reviewed the theoretical and empirical literatures which have tried to examine the market efficiency of the Johannesburg stock exchange and whether the JSE follows that random walk. Based on the review of literature, several methodologies such as (unit root tests, autocorrelation test) were employed in the study obtaining robust results that the JSE price indices (All Share, Resources and Financials) follow the random walk process. To further confirm the findings in this research, the variance ratio test is conducted under heteroscedasticity and homoscedasticity it also strongly verified that the existence of a random walk process cannot be rejected in the JSE. The empirical results from all the various tests reveal that the null hypothesis of random walk cannot be rejected. These results thus suggest that the JSE is efficient in its weak form. This commends all the measures which have been carried out to ensure that the market is efficient.
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Workplace bullying and job engagement on the intention to leave among nurses at selected hospitals in the Chris Hani district, Eastern Cap
- Authors: Ngamani, Theolin Busisiwe
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Bullying in the workplace -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Harassment -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Intimidation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12700 , vital:39300
- Description: Orientation: Workplace bullying and job engagement influence the degree of employees’ intention to leave their jobs. Research purpose: The overall objective of this research was to establish the relationship between workplace bullying and job engagement and how they impact on the intention to leave. Motivation for the study: Nursing turnover seems to be one of the challenges facing health care sector in South Africa. Workplace bullying and job engagement need to be examined in order to retain best nurses as they influence the degree of employee’s intention to leave. Research approach, design and method: A quantitative research design was used to investigate the degree to which workplace bullying and job engagement predict on the intention to leave. The data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire from a simple random sample of 228 nurses. Pearson correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were employed to test the relationship between workplace bullying, job engagement and the intention to leave. Main findings: Four hypotheses were extracted: There is a significant relationship between workplace bullying and the intention to leave, there is a significant relationship between job engagement and the intention to leave, there is a significant relationship between workplace bullying and job engagement, and there is a significant combined effect of workplace bullying and job engagement on prediction of the intention to leave. The results highlighted a significant combined effect of workplace bullying and job engagement on prediction of the intention to leave. Practical Implications: Based on the findings, the study concludes that workplace bullying and job engagement in nursing are prevalent and have a negative impact on the intention to leave as most of the victims are thinking of quitting once bullying has taken place. Contribution: This study provides a holistic understanding of workplace bullying and job engagement and how they impact on the intention to leave. The findings reflect a significant combined effect of workplace bullying and job engagement on prediction of the intention to leave. It was indicated that workplace bullying and job engagement influenced the extent of employees’ intention to leave.
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