scholarly journals The influence of selected factors on the perceptions of managers of medium business firms regarding legal firms

2000 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 166-170
Author(s):  
M. Tait ◽  
M. Tait ◽  
S. M. Van Eeden
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Environment Factors ◽  
Relative Value ◽  
Drastic Increase

The South African service provider is faced with an increasingly turbulent and complex competitive environment. Factors which impact specifically on the environment of service firms include the growing importance of consumerism and a drastic increase in competition. A factor that impacts directly on the growing competition amongst providers of legal services is the increase in law graduates and commensurate increase in qualified attorneys and advocates entering the market. This article represents an exploratory study establishing the relative value attached by medium business in South Africa to certain factors pertaining to firms providing legal services.

The Interplay of Agents in Improvising Telecommunication Infrastructures' Services to Rural Community of South Africa

2015 ◽  
pp. 208-225
Author(s):  
Sharol Mkhomazi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
South African ◽  
Service Provider ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Telecommunication Network ◽  
Structuration Theory ◽  
Telecommunication Service ◽  
Network Service Provider

The deployment of telecommunication infrastructures is a challenge in many parts of South Africa particularly in the rural areas. The challenge has impact of communities' members as they do not have network coverage for Internet in some areas. The challenge gets worse with individual telecommunication service provider. Hence there is technological proposal for sharing of infrastructure by the service providers. However, the sharing of infrastructure is not as easy as notion by many individuals and groups institutions included. The article presents findings from a study on how a South African telecommunication network service provider could deploy shared infrastructures in the country's rural communities. The sharing of infrastructure is described by the structure and actions of agents within the infrastructure sharing process. Structuration theory was employed as a lens in the data analysis. The key findings include insufficient distribution of infrastructure, ownership responsibility, competitiveness, infrastructure deployment cost, and signification of regulation.

scholarly journals Acceptance of the eletronic method of filing tax returns by South African taxpayers: An exploratory study

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphael W. Jankeeparsad ◽  
Thanesha R. Jankeeparsad ◽  
Gerhard Nienaber
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Perceived Usefulness ◽  
Manual Method ◽  
Tax Returns ◽  
Primary Determinant ◽  
Substantial Investment ◽  
Information System Technology ◽  
Facilitating Conditions

The South African government has benefited to date from information technology in many ways. The importance of understanding and influencing South African citizens’ acceptance of E-Government services is critical, given the substantial investment in government communication, information system technology and the potential for cost saving. One of the most successful E-Government initiatives, the electronic filing system (eFiling), allows tax returns to be filed electronically. Despite many taxpayers adopting this method, a large number are still using the traditional manual method of filing tax returns. This study utilised the decomposed theory of planned behaviour with factors adjusted specifically for South Africa as a developing country to identify the possible determinants of user acceptance of the eFiling system among taxpayers. This exploratory study was conducted by means of a questionnaire survey. For taxpayers using the manual method, lack of facilitating conditions such as access to computer and internet resources was the most significant barrier to eFiling usage, while taxpayers using the electronic method reported perceived usefulness as the primary determinant in their decision to use eFiling. Understanding these acceptance factors can extend our knowledge of taxpayers’ decision-making and lead to better planning and implementation of future E-Government initiatives in South Africa and other developing countries.

scholarly journals Climate change threats to a floral wedding: Threats of shifting phenology to the emerging South African wedding industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (45) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Mazozo N. Mahlangu ◽  
Jennifer M. Fitchett
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Natural Environment ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Adaptive Strategies ◽  
The World ◽  
Phenological Shifts ◽  
Method Approach

AbstractWedding tourism is a fast emerging niche market both globally and in South Africa, as destination weddings are becoming increasingly popular. Wedding industries across the world, and specifically in South Africa, are increasingly dependent on the natural environment. Wedding venues with floral gardens, farms, orchards or forests are particularly popular. Beyond the venue, flowers are important for the bouquets and decoration, with popular blooms changing year on year. Shifting phenology – the timing of annually recurrent biological events – has been identified as one of the most sensitive responses to climate change. This poses a threat to the sustainability of floral wedding venues and the floral industry relating to weddings. This exploratory study utilizes an interdisciplinary mixed-method approach to record the importance of flowers in South African weddings and the perceived threats of climate change to this subsector. The respondents reveal the importance of flowers and the outdoors in both symbolism and the enjoyment of the wedding day, and had organised their wedding date to align with flowering. Destinations highlight a lack of awareness regarding phenological threats and are relatively unperturbed about the threats of climate change. Comparison to global phenological shifts reveals that these are misplaced. There is, therefore, a need for such wedding venues to adopt adaptive strategies to preserve their environment which drives wedding tourism.

scholarly journals Barriers to the practice of benchmarking in South African restaurants

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 255-265
Author(s):  
Carina Kleynhans ◽  
Joseph Roberson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
South African ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Restaurant Industry ◽  
Competitive Environment ◽  
Food And Beverage

The main purpose of this study is to find the barriers of benchmarking use in independent full-service restaurants in South Africa. The global restaurant industry entities operate in a highly competitive environment, and restaurateurs should have a visible ad¬vantage over competitors. A competitive advantage can be achieved only if the quality standards in terms of food and beverage products, service quality, relevant technology and price are comparable to the industry leaders. This study has deployed a descriptive, quantitative research design on the basis of a relatively large sample of restaurateurs. The data was collected through the SurveyMonkey website using a standardised questionnaire The questionnaire was mailed to 2699 restaurateurs, and 109 respondents returned fully completed answer sheets. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. The main findings were as follows: 43% of respondents had never done benchmarking; only 5.5% respondents considered themselves as highly knowledgeable about benchmarking; respondents thought that the most significant barriers to benchmarking were difficulties with obtaining exemplar (benchmarking partner) best-practice information and adapting the anomalous (own) practices to derive a benefit from best practices. The results of this study should be used to shape the knowledge about benchmarking practices in order to develop suitable solutions for the problems in South African restaurants.

scholarly journals Consumer socialization agents for young children: An exploratory study

2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 274-285
Author(s):  
Ernest North ◽  
Brenda Poggio
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Consumer Socialization ◽  
The Past ◽  
Buying Behaviour ◽  
Socialization Agents ◽  
Broad Overview

Although marketers in South Africa are beginning to realise that the youth market is a segment that cannot be ignored, only a limited number of studies have thus far been conducted to examine the consumer behaviour of children. The relevance of this topic to South African marketers suggests the need for research in this field. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of an exploratory study conducted to determine the role or influence of consumer socialization agents in the buying behaviour of primary school children, 9-11 years of age. A broad overview of the nature and processes of consumer socialization is provided, as well as of research conducted in this field over the past few decades. Some important marketing implications are also suggested.

scholarly journals The Precariatization of Zimbabwean Engineers in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Splagchna Ngoni Chikarara
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Data Collection ◽  
South African ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Engineering Profession ◽  
South African Universities ◽  
Group Interviews ◽  
Relevant Work

This paper discusses how occupational closure of the engineering profession in South Africa left Zimbabwean migrant engineers amongst the precariat ranks. It aims to answer the following research question: what is the nature of precariousness experienced by immigrant engineers in South Africa. An exploratory study of the experiences of Zimbabwean engineers is used test out Standing’s (2011) notion of the precariat as an emerging social class. Semi-structured and group interviews were used as data collection tools. The findings reveal that bureaucratic challenges in obtaining relevant work permits from the department of Home Affairs, South African universities’ reluctance to acknowledge Zimbabwean qualifications at par with local qualifications as well as a host of insecurities in the workplace left migrant engineers in precariat ranks.  

scholarly journals Formal Regulation of Third Party Litigation Funding Agreements? A South African Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Mpho Justice Khoza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Code Of Conduct ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Voluntary Regulation ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Legislative Initiative ◽  
English Law

In South Africa third party litigation funding agreement as a tool that provides access to justice is not legislated with regard to non-lawyers. This article is based on research conducted to determine whether regulating this type of agreement would facilitate in fostering the policy that favours access to justice. A brief comparative study showed that English law permits third party litigation funding agreements in the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990. However, unlike in South African law, English law also has a body that regulates the conclusion of third party litigation funding agreements. The Association of Litigation Funders introduced a voluntary Code of Conduct for Litigation Funders in 2011 and an updated one in 2016, which regulates the conclusion of third party litigation funding agreements. The Code of Conduct protects the litigant against abuse by the funder and the funder against non-compliance by the litigant. Despite being a "self-regulatory" legislative initiative that governs most of the funding agreements in England, this Code does not bind non-members of the Association. In South Africa there is no such voluntary regulation of third party litigation funding agreements. Consequently, litigants may be prejudiced by the litigation funder in instances where a funder receives a disproportionate percentage of the capital award. The study on which this article draws investigated whether there is a need for an effective legislative response that regulates third party litigation funding agreements in South Africa. It was found that there is a need for formal regulation with regard to third party litigation funding agreements because there are no clear guidelines on the conclusion of the agreements in South Africa.       

scholarly journals An evaluation of the functionality and delivery of websites of political parties in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Crossland ◽  
Wallace Chigona
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
South African ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Information Dissemination ◽  
Party Competition ◽  
The Political ◽  
Communication Environment ◽  
Internet Penetration

The political communication environment worldwide has been transformed by the Internet with websites providing opportunities for affordable information dissemination and reception. Internationally, a party contesting an election without a website seems impossible today. This exploratory study examines the use of websites by political parties during the 2009 South African elections and investigates the functionality offered by the websites as well as how effectively this functionality is delivered. The study analysed the websites of both large and small political parties. It is worth noting that in spite of the lower Internet penetration rates in South Africa, the majority of political parties contesting the 2009 elections had websites. The study shows that the websites of the larger parties generally offer more functionality than those of the smaller parties, supporting the view of ‘normalisation’ of party competition in cyberspace. However, an analysis of the delivery of the content does not confirm the normalisation effects.

scholarly journals Pro Bono in South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thabang Pooe ◽  
Alice Brown ◽  
Jonathan Klaaren
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Legal Profession ◽  
Access To Justice ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
The South ◽  
Legal Representation ◽  
Civic Duty ◽  
Pro Bono ◽  
African Context

This chapter explores issues related to the state of pro bono legal services and access to justice in South Africa. As is made clear in this book, what is referred to as “pro bono” comes from the Latin pro bono publico, meaning “for the public good.” It describes legal work undertaken by legal practitioners without remuneration or at significantly below-market rates as a public service for individuals or organizations who cannot afford to pay. In the South African context, the concept of pro bono must be understood alongside specific constitutional provisions as well as against the structure of the legal profession. In our view, increasing access to justice for the poor, marginalized, and indigent individuals and communities should be seen by members of the South African legal community as an essential component to fulfilling not only their civic duty but also their constitutional obligations. Our understanding of pro bono includes aspirations of access to justice with the legal profession playing a part in its realization. This can only be made real for all people living in South Africa if they have access to legal representation, and much of the private legal profession understands and acknowledges that it has anobligation in this regard. Pro bono practice is therefore a necessary institution for addressing access to justice. It is not, however, sufficient. Pro bono practice must be augmented by the work of paralegals and extended to the particular South African vision of community service, which itself does aspire to implement and achieve access to justice.

scholarly journals Exploring South Africa’s ‘black diamonds’ at live music performances

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martinette Kruger ◽  
Melville Saayman
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
South African ◽  
Key Management ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Market Segments ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Live Music

Problem under investigation: This exploratory study fills a gap in the literature by profiling ‘black diamonds’, the South African up-and-coming middle-class market, at live music concerts. Design, methodology and approach: A destination-based survey at five concerts in South Africa in 2012 extracted a sample of 164 black diamond attendees from the rest of the audience. The attendance motives of this sample were used to identify different market segments within the sample.Findings and implications: Factor analysis identified five key motives and five key management factors for a memorable experience, and a cluster analysis found three types of black diamond concertgoers: Enthusiasts, Sentimentalists and Novices. The three clusters differed significantly in terms of their socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics, and especially in terms of what they regarded as important for a memorable experience at a live concert. These results will enable managers to package live concerts accordingly in order to develop this market in South Africa. The research emphasises that attendees at live concerts cannot be regarded as homogeneous in terms of their profiles, needs and preferences.

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