Trends in foreign agricultural trade and its impact on households in South Africa

2020 ◽  
pp. 003072702094955
Author(s):  
Roscoe Bertrum van Wyk ◽  
Bianca Flavia van Wyk ◽  
Katleho Daniel Makatjane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Causal Relationship ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Agricultural Trade ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Vector Autoregressive ◽  
Foreign Agricultural ◽  
Agricultural Imports

This study examines the trends in foreign trade in agriculture focusing on imports and exports for different sub-sectors and the identity of agricultural trade flows with specific regions and countries. Secondly, to understand how agricultural imports and exports improve the living standards of households in South Africa. The study uses a quantitative research approach by analysing trade data from the South African Revenue Services (SARS) and household data from the World Bank and OECD. The threshold vector autoregressive (TVAR) model is employed to establish a nonlinear causal relationship. The Diks-Panchenko nonparametric causality test revealed no causal relationship between the foreign agricultural trade and household consumption and household income in South Africa. However, with the increase of exported agricultural goods from South Africa, there are many significant benefits to South African households.

scholarly journals Adoption of e-marketing tools by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – fad or future trend?

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 454-461
Author(s):  
Melanie Gopaul
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Future Trend ◽  
Marketing Strategies ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
Self Administered Questionnaire

E-marketing is considered as one of the fastest growing fields in e-business, which has the potential to become a platform for SMEs to compete with larger enterprises even though they may not have adequate infrastructure and resources. Over the years SMEs have struggled to compete on some sort of equal footing with larger organisations and with the advent of technology and the growth in the use of e-marketing, the playing field is becoming more equal. The literature on the use of e-marketing tools by SMEs in South Africa, however, is limited. The purpose of this paper was therefore to investigate the extent to which South African SMEs utilise e-marketing tools. The author feels that the findings will be universally applicable to SMEs in most countries. Through providing a clearer understanding of e-marketing and its use, this paper may assist SMEs and entrepreneurs to improve their existing marketing strategies. The study followed a quantitative research approach, whereby a self-administered questionnaire was distributed to SME owners. The results indicate that SMEs utilise e-marketing tools moderately and that the utilisation will increase in the future.

scholarly journals An exploration of women's workplace experiences in the South African mining industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 120 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Mangaroo-Pillay ◽  
D. Botha
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Mining Industry ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Workplace Experiences ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
The Government ◽  
Practical Recommendations

SYNOPSIS Historically, the mining industry, on a global level, was male-dominated, as many governments had prohibited women from working at mines, particularly underground. In South Africa, the government introduced the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (No. 28 of 2002) (MPRDA) and the Broad-based Socio-economic Empowerment Charter to address the imbalances and rectify previous inequalities in the mining industry. Since the inception of MPRDA, women's representation in the South African mining industry has increased, from 3% in 2002 to 15% in 2018. Although government has good intentions, gender equality in the mining industry remains a challenge. Research on women employed in South African mines revealed that women still face barriers to some extent. This research explores women's current workplace experiences in the South African mining industry. A literature review and an empirical study were conducted. The study followed a positivistic research approach, and a quantitative research design was used. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed at the 8th Annual Women in Mining Conference in February 2017. Based on the data obtained, it became evident that several aspects must still be addressed to successfully accommodate women in the mining workplace. The study offers practical recommendations that can be implemented by mining organizations to improve women's workplace experiences in order to encourage and foster transformation in the mining industry. Keywords: gender, mining industry, mining legislation, South Africa, women in mining.

scholarly journals South African Generation Y students’ intention towards ecopreneurship

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen Strydom ◽  
Natanya Meyer ◽  
Costa Synodinos
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
University Students ◽  
South African ◽  
Generation Y ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Managerial Implications

Orientation: It has been argued that the solution to the deteriorating state of the natural environment should not simply be one of regulation but rather of innovation. As such, entrepreneurship or, more specifically, ecopreneurship has been identified as a possible solution.Research purpose: This study’s primary objective was to determine Generation Y students’ intention towards becoming ecopreneurs within the context of South Africa.Motivation of study: Research regarding ecopreneurship is still scarce within academic literature both globally and in South Africa. This study aims to address this research gap.Research design, approach and method: A quantitative research approach was followed using a descriptive, cross-sectional research design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 522 students across three Higher Education Institutions in South Africa. The statistical analysis used to analyse the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive analysis, and correlation analysis.Main findings: This study’s findings indicate that university students belonging to the Generation Y cohort in South Africa display positive intentions towards becoming ecopreneurs. The students’ intentions were, however, lower than their reported knowledge and concern for the environment. All constructs used yielded positive results, albeit to varying degrees and a positive correlation between them were noted.Practical/managerial implications: Generation Y university students in South Africa display positive intentions towards becoming ecopreneurs. Thus, support to assist them in starting such ventures should be prioritised by incubation programmes and governments funding opportunities.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the existing literature on entrepreneurship, ecopreneurship, environmentalism and Generation Y students in the South African context.

scholarly journals Measurement properties of the construct of the code of ethics content: The South African experience

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mercy Mpinganjira ◽  
Mornay Roberts-Lombard ◽  
Goran Svensson ◽  
Greg Wood
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Code Of Ethics ◽  
Codes Of Ethics ◽  
Measurement Model ◽  
Measurement Properties ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Sampling Frame

Background: Many organisations develop codes of ethics to help guide business conduct. However, not much is known about the contents of codes of ethics. Objectives: This article aims at investigating the code of ethics content construct and its measurement properties using a sample of firms from South Africa. Method: The study followed a quantitative research approach. The sampling frame consisted of the top 500 companies in South Africa. A structured questionnaire was administered using the telephone survey method. The respondents consisted of company secretaries and heads or managers responsible for ethics in the respective companies. At the end of the data collection period, a total of 222 usable responses were obtained. Results: The findings show that South African top companies have comprehensive codes of ethics as evidenced by the high mean values obtained from all of the content items under investigation. The findings also support the notion that the code of ethics content construct is multidimensional. Seven different dimensions were confirmed in the analysis. The measurement model of the ethics content construct was found to be valid as evidenced by the goodness-of-fit measure and measures of validity. Conclusion: The study shows that the code of ethics construct is multi-dimensional in nature. The framework provided in this study can also be used in developing, evaluating and strengthening existing codes where such need arises. This study contributes to theory on business ethics and presents the first tested measurement model of the code of ethics construct in South Africa.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) To Domestic Employment Levels in South Africa: A Vector Autoregressive Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1(J)) ◽  
pp. 110-121
Author(s):  
Bongumusa Prince Makhoba, ◽  
Irrshad Kaseeram
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
South Africa ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
South African ◽  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Series Data ◽  
The South ◽  
Vector Autoregressive

Several empirical works have yielded mixed and controversial results with regard to the effects of FDI on employment and economic growth. The primary focus of this study is to investigate the contribution of FDI to domestic employment levels in the context of the South African economy. The analyses of the study were carried out using the annual time series data from 1980 to 2015. The macroeconomic variables employed in the empirical investigation include employment, FDI, GDP, inflation, trade openness and unit labour costs. The study used secondary data from the South African Reserve Bank and Statistics South Africa database. The study estimated a Vector Autoregressive/ Vector Error Correction Mechanism (VAR/VECM) approach to conduct empirical analysis. However, the study also employed single equation estimation techniques, including the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) and Canonical Cointegrating Regression (CCR) models as supporting tools to verify the VAR/VECM results. This study provides strong evidence of a significant negative relationship between FDI and employment levels in the South African economy. Empirical analysis of the study suggests that the effect of economic growth on employment is highly positive and significant in South Africa’s economy. The study recommends that policymakers ought to invest more in productive sectors that aim to promote economic growth and development to boost employment opportunities in South Africa.

scholarly journals Factors influencing the adoption of free and open-source software for electronic records management by municipalities in Gauteng Province, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 43-54
Author(s):  
Mahlatse Shekgola ◽  
Jan Maluleka ◽  
Antonio Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Open Source ◽  
South African ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Electronic Records ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Records Management ◽  
The South ◽  
Proprietary Software ◽  
Electronic Records Management

The South African cabinet adopted policy recommendations from the Government Information Technology Officer's Council pertaining to Free and Open-Source Software (FOSS). Even though the South African Cabinet has shown support for the use of FOSS through the enactment of a policy, the adoption of open source software in electronic records management seems to be slow. Proprietary software continues to be adopted and used by most public institutions, including local and provincial municipalities in South Africa. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors that may influence the adoption and use of FOSS for electronic records management by South African municipalities. The study adopted a qualitative research approach to collect data from 10 purposively selected municipalities in Gauteng. Data were analysed and presented thematically to address the research question. The findings of this study suggest that municipalities in Gauteng are not adopting FOSS for electronic records management as expected. This study established that top management support, reliability, affordability of the software, inadequate capability, contracts with proprietary software providers, organisational culture and organisational support are some of the factors that contributed to the low uptake when it comes to the adoption of Free and Open-Source Software by the municipalities.

scholarly journals Academics Perceptions of Electronic Resources at the University of Venda, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 424-428
Author(s):  
Alugumi Samuel Ndou ◽  
Wanyenda Leonard Chilimo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Public Access ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Plagiarism Detection ◽  
Electronic Resources ◽  
Federated Search ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
The University ◽  
Structured Questionnaire

This study examined the perceptions of academic researchers regarding electronic resources (e-resources) provided by the library at the University of Venda (UNIVEN), South Africa. The quantitative research approach and survey research design were adopted to conduct the investigation. Data was collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire randomly distributed to 45 UNIVEN academics. The findings of this study revealed that although academics at UNIVEN find e-resources easy to use, believe the resources improve academic performance, and frequently encouraged postgraduate students to use them, the majority of them had plagiarism concerns and were only moderately satisfied with available e-resources at UNIVEN. This study recommends that the university library should train academics on plagiarism detection. In addition, the library should adopt innovative ways of improving e-resource services, such as providing an Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) with advanced and federated search capabilities.

The use of social media by South African organisations

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 198-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nomusa Nomhle Dlamini ◽  
Kevin Johnston
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Media ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Main Research

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present how organisations in South Africa are using social media. The paper further explores the value of social media to South African organisations and if it is important for an organisation to have a social media presence. Design/methodology/approach The study used quantitative research methods to answer the main research question and sub-questions. Findings The data collected revealed that most organisations in South Africa are using social media for free advertising, CRM and marketing. The popular social media sites used by these organisations are Facebook and Twitter, with LinkedIn increasing in popularity. The data further revealed that social media is important in organisations for relationship building, contact keeping advertising, marketing, attracting customers, brand management and information gathering. Research limitations/implications The role of social media is changing, it was initially a marketing tool, but the findings revealed that majority of organisations are using social media for free advertising, CRM and marketing. Social media is an easy CRM tool that offers effective and efficient capabilities. Practical implications It is important to use integrate social media with the organisations processes to market and advertise new products, it is an instant and cost-saving way of communicating with customers, and helps in reaching and attracting new customers. Social implications Social media is important for keeping contact and building relationships with customers, advertising and marketing, way to attract customers, brand management tool and gathering information. Originality/value The study provides guidance to how organisation can use social media, identifying the value of using social media and highlighting the importance of social media in an organisation in the South African context.

Doing More With Less

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Jonathan Mukwevho ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe ◽  
Patrick Ngulube
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Deep Insight ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa ◽  
Public Archives

Providing access and usage are the reason for existence of memory institutions such as archive repositories. Despite the importance of the visibility and accessibility of public archive repositories, various scholars concur that these repositories in eastern and southern Africa are not known and are accessed by few people. This chapter utilises the concept of soft power as a framework to examine the visibility and accessibility of public archives repositories in South Africa. A quantitative research approach utilising questionnaires, interviews, content analysis and the observation of landmarks were employed as data collection tools. The findings revealed that collaboration, especially with civil societies, is a key for successful public programming at the lowest cost. It concludes that the concept of soft power can provide deep insight and better understanding on how to develop inexpensive visibility programme, yet capable of attracting a large number of people in a sustainable manner.

scholarly journals The Nexus of Service Quality, Student Satisfaction and Student Retention in Small Private Colleges in South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 179
Author(s):  
Chukuakadibia Eresia-Eke ◽  
Nokulunga Ngcongo ◽  
Tumelo Ntsoane
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Retention ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Private Colleges ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Business Success ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Context Specific

Small private colleges provide an important service to society while operating in a dynamic and competitive environment. The inability to operate in a manner that delivers desirable levels of satisfaction to students can prove fatal, more so given the relatively small size of their student populations. So, for these colleges, student retention is a critical condiment of business success and so the pursuit of service quality becomes amplified. In acknowledgement of the subjective nature of service quality that makes service quality studies very context specific, this empirical study takes a quantitative research approach to investigate the extent of association, if any, between service quality dimensions, student satisfaction and student retention in the specific context of small private colleges in South Africa. Study findings indicate the existence of statistically-significant positive (though moderate) associations between dimensions of service quality and student satisfaction as well as between student satisfaction and student retention. Though results ought not to be generalized, the study’s findings nonetheless, bode useful lessons for small private colleges, if the quest for improved business performance, based on student retention, is to be realized.

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