scholarly journals Effectiveness of governance towards digitalisation at eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirmala Govender ◽  
Purshottama S. Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Technological Progress ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
National Government ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Governance Framework ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Governance Processes

Background: South African cities have been facing challenges since democratisation to meet the expectations of the citizens. The challenges have included fraud and corruption, financial constraints, lack of service delivery and technological progress, amongst others, which were underpinned by weak leadership and governance processes. This article explored eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality’s technological progress and identified that inefficiencies in good governance and the lack of a governance framework have limited digitalisation.Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the progress towards digitalisation and review the effectiveness of the governance processes within the eThekwini Municipality in contributing towards the fourth industrial revolution.Setting: The study was based on the processes at the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa.Methods: A qualitative research approach was used, and the study is exploratory in nature.Results: The study identified that there was limited digitalisation at eThekwini Municipality. Furthermore, governance processes and an overall governance framework were lacking within the municipality. There was also limited support from the national government to address the fourth industrial revolution at local government level.Conclusion: The implications of a lack of a strong public governance framework, and not being supported sufficiently by the national government, mean that the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality cannot compete internationally within the digital economy. The national government must co-ordinate a collaborated effort towards digitalisation, especially at municipal level. A multilevel governance framework, identifying collaboration between the various levels of government and the public, has been identified as the key response in embracing and enhancing the fourth industrial revolution within municipalities.

Zimbabwe's E-Government Readiness and Adoption of Cloud-Based Records Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

2021 ◽  
pp. 272-292
Author(s):  
Godfrey Tsvuura ◽  
Shepard Mutsau ◽  
Kudzai Dorcas Mbawuya
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
Records Management ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Vision 2030 ◽  
Implementation Guidelines ◽  
Key Drivers ◽  
The Government ◽  
Government Records

Zimbabwe is one of the developing countries striving to reach a middle economy status by year 2030. In its bid to achieve this vision, it has adopted an electronic government strategy (e-government strategy) where government business is done electronically. An e-government strategy is a plan for e-government systems and their supporting infrastructure, which maximises the ability of government to achieve its objective of Vision 2030. An e-government strategy must give direction where the government is going, its goals, vision, mission, and some implementation guidelines. In order to reach this objective, the government has to become more accountable and transparent on its journey to Vision 2030, and one of its key drivers is proper records and archives management. Properly managed electronic government records bring about accountability, transparency, and good governance.

scholarly journals HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS’ NEED TO INITIATE CHANGE TO THE ACCOUNTING CURRICULUM DURING THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION (4IR)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaun Peens ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Further Education ◽  
Accounting Students ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Accounting Profession ◽  
Apparent Lack ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Social ◽  
History Of ◽  
High Degree

In South Africa, the Further Education and Training phase (FET) in Accounting faces a major decline in learner numbers. The current format of FET Accounting serves little purpose in preparing learners for Accounting courses at tertiary level, if FET Accounting is not a precondition to Professional and Chartered Accountant courses. This study followed a qualitative research approach, from five Focus Groups at five Secondary schools in the Motheo Educational district, comprising of 16 FET Accounting Teachers to consider possible reasons for the decline of learners in FET Accounting. As result, uncertainty exists regarding the future of FET Accounting and the Accounting profession, when guidance teachers are presumably advising learners to take less suitable subjects, like Mathematical Literacy, History of Geography to enhance school reports. These findings influence the social responsibility of teachers; and it also results in many Accounting students having to spend two or more additional years at university due to their apparent lack of basic Accounting skills. Additionally, the negative perception towards FET Accounting might impact learners’ choices who might not plan a career in Accounting, thereby limiting their ability to secure any career in the financial sector. Collaborative social change is required from the Accounting profession and university alike, especially in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, where a high degree of ethics and transparency are required.

scholarly journals Surviving and thriving in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Digital skills for education and society

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charalambos Tsekeris
Keyword(s):  
Technological Progress ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Collective Intelligence ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Digital Skills ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
Education And Society ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth ◽  
And Control

This concise article maintains that, in times of structural and persistent crisis, Europe needs to effectively tackle the multiple challenges and existential fears by cultivating a strong and dynamical digital skills ecosystem, based on collective values and the fundamental liberal principles of co-creation, co-evolution, and collective intelligence, over against the obsolete principles of optimisation and top-down administration and control. This will arguably result in upgrading humanism (humanism 2.0) and democracy (democracy 2.0), and in boosting responsible innovation and, therefore, adaptiveness, as well as in translating technological progress into inclusive and sustainable economic growth, and risks into creative opportunities for all citizens.

Fourth industrial revolution and India's “employment problem”

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (7) ◽  
pp. 851-866
Author(s):  
Sujatra Bhattacharyya ◽  
Arup Mitra
Keyword(s):  
Productivity Growth ◽  
Technological Progress ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Employment Growth ◽  
Capital Intensity ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Employment Problem ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims at assessing the impact of innovation on productivity as sustainable development can be attained primarily through non-resource-driven growth. Secondly, it also proposes to reflect on the rising capital intensity in the Indian industries as technology advancement, particularly in the light of the fourth industrial revolution, is expected to reduce the labour absorbing capacity of the industrial sector.Design/methodology/approachBased on panel data for different Indian firms in various groups of industries, this paper estimates TFPG and TE (following Cornwell et al. methodology) and assesses the impact of R&D expenditure on the performance indices. Secondly, it measures the capital intensity across various groups of industries to reflect on the “employment problem”.FindingsInnovation does not seem to enhance the performance index in a very significant manner across industry groups considered in the study. The lack of extensive evidence on impact of innovation on total factor productivity growth suggests that innovation does not necessarily result in technological progress while the need of the hour is to experience non-resource-driven growth on the one hand and employment growth on the other. The positive impact of innovation on efficiency as seen in the paper can be interpreted as the expenditure incurred to realize the potentiality of the technology which is possibly imported. However, capital accumulation is resulting in rapid productivity growth at the cost of employment.Research limitations/implicationsCapturing technological progress in terms of TFPG can be subjected to criticism.Practical implicationsPolicy implications for employment generation and inclusive growth are derived.Social implicationsThe study cautions us about the adverse implications in terms of employment growth.Originality/valueAssessing the impact of innovation on performance such as TFPG and TE is rather rare in the literature, and this paper tries to reflect on this aspect using the Indian firm-level data. Secondly, the trade-offs between productivity growth and employment growth are brought out distinctly in order to highlight the declining labour absorbing capacity of the industrial sector. This enables us to reflect on the adverse consequences of the fourth industrial revolution.

Opening the ‘black box’: Challenging traditional governance theorems

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Erakoviç ◽  
Joanna Overall
Keyword(s):  
Good Governance ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Board Dynamics ◽  
Holistic Research ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
Behavioural Aspects ◽  
Traditional Governance

AbstractThis article presents both theoretical and empirical support for moving from a traditional governance research paradigm towards a more holistic research approach. This includes taking into account behavioural, contingency and evolutionary theories, in an effort to better understand governance processes and effective board behaviour. Specifically, the authors highlight the importance of three groups of relationships (board dynamics, board–management relationships and board–stakeholder relationships) as contributing to good governance practice. Whilst historically researchers have largely ignored the behavioural aspects of corporate governance, the authors have made an attempt to open the ‘black box’ of governance processes and practices, and illustrate with examples from three New Zealand companies how the development of these relationships are important for effective board functioning.

scholarly journals The impact of multinational enterprises on public governance institutions in areas of limited statehood

2017 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1736-1748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Hanekom ◽  
John Manuel Luiz
Keyword(s):  
Multinational Enterprises ◽  
Positive Development ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
Public Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Direct Bearing ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
Governance Processes ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the interaction between multinational enterprises (MNEs) and public governance institutions in regions of limited statehood by focusing on three areas of inquiry: first, the impact of MNEs in these environments; second, the mechanisms and levels through which MNEs engage with external governance processes; and finally, the strategic motivation for the mode and level of engagement. Design/methodology/approach The authors follow an applied qualitative research approach, drawing on the principles of case study design, through interviews with executives that were involved in setting up four MNEs in Afghanistan. Findings The results reveal a relationship between the depth of country embeddedness and the level of engagement of MNEs with public institutions and this is related to issues around risk mitigation and time horizons. Deeper embeddedness in the local markets brings greater exposure to risk leading to more and wider engagement in governance processes and cross-sector partnerships in order to influence these concerns. Research limitations/implications The research contributes to institutional theory and demonstrates the interplay between organizations and the institutional surroundings. MNEs in Afghanistan are deeply affected by institutional weakness which contribute toward greater uncertainty and impact their behavior, but MNEs also have a direct bearing on institutions. Practical implications In fragile and conflict-affected states, MNEs can contribute toward peace and institution building and reinforce cycles of positive development, or they can further pathological behavior and contribute to conflict. Social implications MNEs are increasingly going to be expected to step into the gaps associated with institutional voids and this will require a different approach to doing business and their choice of approach will have a direct bearing on social outcomes in host countries. Originality/value The authors reveal two models of MNE engagement in these areas of limited statehood, namely an embedded vs autonomous model and examine their implications.

scholarly journals TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF USING THE BLENDED LEARNING APPROACH FOR STEM-RELATED SUBJECTS WITHIN THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 583-593
Author(s):  
Jayaluxmi Naidoo ◽  
Asheena Singh-Pillay
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Science Technology ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Teacher Professional ◽  
And Mathematics

Globally, as society enters the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we require a transformation in pedagogy. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related subjects are vital to succeeding within the Fourth Industrial Revolution. To provide quality STEM education, teachers’ perceptions related to the teaching and learning of STEM-related subjects is essential to understand. This qualitative research took place at one university in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa and explored teachers’ perceptions of using blended learning for STEM-related subjects. Wenger’s Communities of Practice Theory framed this research. Data were generated from workshops and semi-structured interviews. The results of this research indicated that blended learning is impeded by the lack of technology-based tools; is hampered by teacher professional development; offered the use of virtual hours for consultation and feedback and increased engagement and collaboration within STEM-related milieus. These results provide a glimpse of what teachers perceive regarding the use of blended learning for secondary school mathematics and technology. Globally, these results have relevance when considering the importance of teachers’ perceptions of using blended learning for STEM-related subjects, as society embraces the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Keywords: blended learning, communities, practice, fourth industrial revolution, mathematics teaching, qualitative, STEM-related subjects, STEM teachers, technology teaching, technology-enabled learning.

Promoting the Growth of Fourth Industrial Revolution Information Communication Technology Students

2020 ◽  
pp. 118-147
Author(s):  
Dalize Van Heerden ◽  
Leilani Goosen
Keyword(s):  
Communication Technology ◽  
Digital Literacy ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
First Year ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
Student Profiles ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Teaching Learning

The purpose of this chapter is providing readers with an overview of the content promoting the growth of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the implications for information and communication technology (ICT) open distance e-learning (ODeL) students. Preparing students for the 4IR presents important and complicated opportunities towards changing higher education. Education should be about content design and delivery for teaching, learning, and assessment, with the profile of ODeL ICT students at the core. This chapter reports on issues, controversies, and problems arising from the 4IR. The mixed-method research approach adopted involved collecting and analyzing quantitative and qualitative data obtained from first-year courses at a Southern Africa institution. The emerging picture cautions concerning students' real biographic information and digital literacy in a developing world context. The conclusion summarizes the content and informs instructors to examine their perceptions of student profiles regarding teaching, learning, and assessment in preparation for the 4IR.

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