scholarly journals Two passions, one goal, and a pandemic: the future of medical education in South Africa

Author(s):  
C Quan

Medical education in South Africa is experiencing two major disruptions: the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic. I will explore the effects these events have had on our education and possible solutions in the context of our country.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. Schultz

Orientation: The world of work is evolving at an alarming rate, and human resource (HR) practitioners need to familiarise themselves with the future of human resource management (HRM) in order to add value to their organisations.Research purpose: This article presents South African HR practitioners’ views about the future and the role of HRM in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) from a qualitative perspective.Motivation for the study: Human resource practitioners play a central role in the 4IR, but theories on how their role is enacted remain insufficient.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative survey design was used to study the views of 105 HR practitioners affiliated with the South African Board of People Practices. Three open-ended questions were sent to participants by means of a SurveyMonkey link. Deductive and inductive coding were used to thematically analyse the data.Main findings: The following themes were identified: technology-driven, data-driven, ethically driven, change driven, business-driven, human–machine collaboration and presilience.Practical/managerial implications: South African HR practitioners should be prepared for the future world of work. If these HR practitioners are not technology-driven, data-driven, ethically driven, change driven, business-driven, human–machine collaboration and presilient, they may have difficulty to add value to the organisation in the 4IR.Contribution/value-add: This study extends the body of knowledge about the future world of work and the role of HRM in South Africa by founding that HR practitioners must have presilience and respect ubuntu. The study also extends contemporary scholarship by using an open-ended qualitative review design to investigate the future of HRM in South Africa during the 4IR.


The process of change from a crude, agrarian economy to one dominated by industry and heavy machineries has taken a new facelift in the fourth industrial era. This era has in it a fusion of technologies in the physical, digital and biological sphere which can have profound impact on all industries and cause a shift in the models of business globally. There is a shift in the order of events and the fourth industrial revolution has with it velocity and exponential rate, breadth, and depth of convergence and its attendant import on industries, firms, government and the society at large. This research was framed as a qualitative study and a theoretical approach was used in providing support for the major thematic areas in this research article. A review of relevant pieces of literature in line with the topic under consideration was done to address the topic critically. This study reveals that there is a need for change along engineering lines since the traditional development models that have contributed to growth in the past might not be appropriate to maintain growth in the future. Exposing the need to have new techniques and business models that will influence present and future processes, this study recommends a rapid adaptation to global breakthroughs by South Africa, in order to ensure that all stakeholders vital to the educational, political and economic policies in South Africa, synergize to have in place factors that will ensure rapid uptake and local development of this emerging innovations.


Libri ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenrose Jiyane

Abstract The fourth industrial revolution (4IR) marks the new, advanced era of development in humankind, and globally countries are in the process of ensuring their citizenry’s readiness. In South Africa, various governmental departments, organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organisations (NPOs) are making efforts, through their plans, talks and actions, to attain this status for all her people, particularly women in rural areas. However, the development of women in the rural areas for empowerment remains a concern in developing countries. Consequently, there is a dire need to ensure the developmental status for women in rural areas in the advent of the 4IR, and this paper seeks to demonstrate that information and knowledge may be instrumental in empowering women in rural areas to strive in the 4IR. Accordingly, information and knowledge are a critical resource contributing to the empowerment of women in rural areas for their development. An exploratory question is raised to determine whether South Africa is ready for Fourth Industrial Revolution. The outcome of this paper will contribute to the body of knowledge advocating the importance of information and knowledge in the empowerment of women in rural areas. Significantly, it will generate insights for policymakers on the important role of information and knowledge for women’s development.


Author(s):  
Yelyzaveta Snitko ◽  
Yevheniia Zavhorodnia

The development of a modern economy, in the context of the fourth industrial revolution, is impossible without the accumulation and development of human capital, since the foundation of the transformation of the economic system in an innovative economy is human capital. In this regard, the level of development and the efficiency of using human capital are of paramount importance. This article attempts to assess the role of human capital in the fourth industrial revolution. In the future, human talent will play a much more important role in the production process than capital. However, it will also lead to a greater division of the labor market with a growing gap between low-paid and high-paid jobs, and will contribute to an increase in social tensions. Already today, there is an increase in demand for highly skilled workers, especially in high-income countries, with a decrease in demand for workers with lower skills and lower levels of education. Analysis of labor market trends suggests that the future labor market is a market where there is simultaneously a certain demand for both higher and lower skills and abilities, combined with the devastation of the middle tier. The fourth industrial revolution relies heavily on the concept of human capital and the importance of finding complementarity between human and technology. In assessing the impact of the fourth industrial revolution, the relationship between technology, economic growth and human resources was examined. The analysis was carried out in terms of three concepts of economic growth, technological change and human capital. Human capital contributes to the advancement of new technologies, which makes the concept of human capital an essential factor in technological change. The authors emphasize that the modern economy makes new demands on workers; therefore it is necessary to constantly accumulate human capital, develop it through continuous learning, which will allow the domestic economy to enter the trajectory of sustainable economic growth. The need to create conditions for a comprehensive increase in the level of human capital development is noted.


2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-48
Author(s):  
Andrzej Sokołowski ◽  
Małgorzata Markowska

The aim of the paper is to propose a composite indicator characterising the level of development of Polish NUTS 2 regions with respect to the implementation and results of the changes the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) entails, and to present a ranking of regions illustrating the degree to which enterprises have adjusted to the requirements of Industry 4.0. Data used for the calculations have been based on the results of an experimental research conducted by Statistics Poland (GUS) in 2019. Two methods for constructing the composite indicators have been used – classical and iterative which is to assess the indicator’s resilience to the influence of any potential outliers. 10 sub-criteria, covered by 21 variables have been taken into account. Opolskie region appeared to be the best NUTS 2 region in Poland in terms of the implementation of the requirements outlined by Industry 4.0. The evaluation of the proposed composite indicator will be possible when comparing it with the results of similar surveys carried out by GUS in the future.


Author(s):  
Idris Olayiwola Ganiyu ◽  
Ola Olusegun Oyedele ◽  
Evelyn Derera

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has resulted in the disruption of the world of work whereby technological innovation such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics. These disruptions may be creative in that as some jobs are lost due to the development of artificial intelligence, new ones are created. This chapter explored the impact of disruptive technological innovations on the future of work. The skill gaps brought about by the emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution was also explored in this chapter.


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