scholarly journals Knowledge management according to organisational size: A South African perspective

2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cornelius Kruger ◽  
Roy D. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Knowledge Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Urban South ◽  
Embedded Knowledge ◽  
Personal Approach ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Insight Into

Background:To date, few studies have focused on how embedded Knowledge Management (KM) is found in the roots of an organisation. Specifically, not much is known whether employees and managers hold similar perceptions regarding KM or if organisational size plays a role in the establishment of KM maturity.Objective: The objective of this article was to determine what role organisational size plays in the establishment of KM maturity and how different managerial levels viewed their organisations KM maturity.Method: The authors gained insight into KM maturity in different industry groupings over a five-year period from a large urban South African University engaged in numerous collaboration programmes with industry. In total, 434 employees were interviewed over three grouping levels (operational, middle and senior management).Results: The findings support arguments that irrespective of organisational size, knowledge orientated issues are applicable to all organisations. However, with significant differences in scores recorded over all maturity sections in South Africa, the findings indicated that different sized organisations address knowledge-orientated issues differently.Conclusion: Findings challenge the argument that the manner in which knowledge-orientated issues are addressed differ only slightly depending on organisational size. Smaller-sized organisations prefer a more personal approach, whilst larger-sized organisations prefer knowledge transfer via technology. Irrespective of organisational size, commitment holds the key to KM success. Commitment shown by middle management regarding KM is a differentiator.

scholarly journals Preparedness of banks to be compliant with the criteria for the advanced measurement approach: A South African perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (2, Special issue) ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Jacobus Young
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Operational Risk ◽  
Basel Accord ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Role Players ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Measurement Approach ◽  
Insight Into

The New Basel Accord proposed qualitative and quantitative criteria for banks to use the Advanced Measurement Approach to calculate a capital charge for operational risk. The question now is how prepared are banks in South Africa? This article provides insight into relevant criteria, indicating the level of preparedness of banks for the Advanced Measurement Approach. An analysis based on results of a questionnaire, aimed at junior and middle management levels, indicated that banks are more compliant with qualitative than quantitative criteria. It also indicated a general lack of understanding of certain criteria. Should a bank want to implement the Advanced Measurement Approach, it is imperative that criteria be clear and that all role-players be knowledgeable about relevant systems and processes.

scholarly journals The In-Betweeners: Racio-ethnic and Masculine Identity Work of Indian Male Managers in the South African Private Sector

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasima M. H. Carrim
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Private Sector ◽  
South African ◽  
Middle Management ◽  
Identity Work ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Masculine Identity ◽  
Indian Men ◽  
Career Ascendancy ◽  
Indian Male

This article examines the extent to which minority Indian male managers engage in identity work in their efforts to gain career ascendancy in the private sector in South Africa. Indian male managers occupying diverse management posts at middle management and senior management levels in various sectors were interviewed. Results indicate that Indian men worked and reworked their managerial and cultural identities to form coherent identities which they were comfortable enacting in corporate South Africa. Race hierarchy in some workplaces placed Indian males at a disadvantage related to promotional opportunities. There is no simple solution to the problem as race hierarchy still dominates corporate South Africa, and Western norms still prevail.

The CEO’s route to the top: The South African experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-120
Author(s):  
Chris Van Melle Kamp ◽  
Karl Hofmeyr ◽  
Mandla Adonisi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Senior Management ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Chief Executives ◽  
Leadership Challenges ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Depth Interviews

In this study we draw on a series of in-depth interviews with chief executives of some of South Africa’s most prominent businesses, to investigate how their careers unfolded as they rose to the top of their organisations.Twenty-seven CEOs of South Africa’s top companies were interviewed. Eleven of these companies are listed among the top 50 South African companies.We trace the evolution of leadership, from its embryonic beginnings in childhood and adolescence, through the different stages of a developing career to the crucial transformation of an operational mindset into a strategic one.We examine the circumstances that led to these CEOs being appointed and describe the difficulties of transitioning from a senior management role into that of chief executive. We look at the competencies and experience necessary to be effective as the leader of an organisation, as well as the role played by motivation and self-belief. Finally, we identify the unique leadership challenges faced by chief executives in South Africa and pass on their advice to the country’s next generation of leaders.

scholarly journals Contaminant organisms recorded on plant product imports to South Africa 1994–2019

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Davina L. Saccaggi ◽  
Melanie Arendse ◽  
John R. U. Wilson ◽  
John S. Terblanche
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
International Trade ◽  
South African ◽  
Plant Products ◽  
Important Resource ◽  
Plant Product ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Multiple Contaminants ◽  
Propagation Material

AbstractBiosecurity interception records are crucial data underlying efforts to predict and manage pest and pathogen introductions. Here we present a dataset containing information on imported plant products inspected by the South African Department of Agriculture’s laboratories between 1994 and 2019 and the contaminant organisms found on them. Samples were received from border inspectors as either propagation material (e.g. plants) or material for immediate use (e.g. fruit). Material for immediate use was further divided into two sample categories, depending on if contaminants were seen/suspected by the border official or not: intervention or audit samples. The final dataset consists of 25,279 records, of which 30% tested positive (i.e. had at least one contaminant) and 13% had multiple contaminants. Of the 13,731 recorded contaminants, fungi (41%), mites (37%) and insects (19%) were most common. This dataset provides insight into the suite of taxa transported along the plant import pathway and provides an important resource for analyses of contaminant organisms in international trade, which can inform strategies for risk assessment, pathway management and biosecurity protocols.

Fatigue-management strategies among women with endometriosis in South Africa: a qualitative study

2021 ◽  
pp. 008124632110201
Author(s):  
Zamafiso Nombulelo Sibande ◽  
Rizwana Roomaney
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Psychosocial Intervention ◽  
Public Hospital ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Cognitive Strategies ◽  
Secondary Symptom ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Fatigue Management ◽  
Insight Into

Fatigue is a common, secondary symptom of endometriosis that has not been qualitatively explored. We conducted individual, face-to-face interviews with 25 women in South Africa about their experiences of endometriosis-related fatigue. Participants were recruited at a public hospital in Cape Town and through several South African endometriosis organizations. Interviews were conducted in English and Afrikaans and ranged from 30 min to 1 hr 16 min in duration. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. We found that both the experience of fatigue and fatigue-management strategies were highly personalized. Participants reported using a variety of cognitive strategies, such as planning, pacing, and pushing through their fatigue to reduce the levels of fatigue. Participants also employed physical strategies such as rest, dietary changes, using supplements, and exercise. We found that while participants often tried fatigue-management strategies suggested to them by others, they struggled to maintain these strategies even when they were successful. There are currently no interventions aimed at reducing endometriosis-related fatigue. The findings of this study provide insight into the management of fatigue in women with endometriosis and may be used to develop a psychosocial intervention for fatigue among women with the disease.

scholarly journals NOTES ON SPATIAL-STRUCTURAL CHANGE IN URBAN SOUTH AFRICA -THE 1990s

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermanus S. GEYER
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Informal Sector ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Structural Evolution ◽  
Business Sector ◽  
Urban South ◽  
World Class ◽  
Urban Business ◽  
South African Cities

Informal businesses used to be something that was only tolerated in the former black townships during the years of apartheid. Since then the informal business sector has become an integral part of the central business setup of cities in South Africa. It not only serves to widen the security net of the urban poor in cities, it also represents the outcome of the democratization process in the country over the past fifteen years. Yet, there has been a tendency amongst local authorities to take steps to reduce the footprint of this sector in the urban environment in recent years. This trend ties in with the new approach of government to transform South African cities to become ’world class’ centres - a step that is aimed at making the cities more visually acceptable to visitors from abroad. In this paper an attempt is made to demonstrate the importance of the informal sector within the urban business makeup and to show what role it played in the spatial-structural evolution of the urban economies during the 1990s. The paper analyzes the structure of the urban business sector as a whole and structurally links the formal and informal sectors, demonstrating the importance of both sectors in the economic makeup of the cities. It analyses the structure of the informal sector and shows how different layers of the sector potentially relates to the formal urban sector.

scholarly journals Accounting practitioners’ views on the proposed “Micro GAAP”: A South African perspective

2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hentie A. Van Wyk ◽  
Cobus Rossouw
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Financial Statements ◽  
General Purpose ◽  
The South ◽  
Reporting Framework ◽  
Accounting Practitioners ◽  
African Perspective

Even though the IFRS for SMEs does provide some relief in respect of the financial reporting burden for non-public entities, there still seems to be a need for an even lower level of financial reporting. In recent years South Africa embarked upon the development of a financial reporting framework for non-public entities and various versions of this so-called micro GAAP have been issued. However, the Accounting Practices Board raised some concerns about the then proposed micro GAAP. This article highlights the South African accounting practitioners’ views from different professional bodies on micro GAAP. They generally believe that micro GAAP will represent fair presentation and that the financial statements prepared under micro GAAP can still be regarded as general purpose financial statements. Furthermore, the majority of accounting practitioners believe that there is a definite need for a third tier of financial reporting in South Africa and indicated their preference of which entities may apply micro GAAP. Legal backing of micro GAAP is also considered appropriate by the practitioners.

A South African Perspective of Grade 9 Learners’ Experiences of Children’s Rights

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-294
Author(s):  
Lucia Munongi ◽  
Jace Pillay
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
South African ◽  
Children's Rights ◽  
Children’S Rights ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Radical Approach

This study aimed to determine children’s experiences of their rights. The sample consisted of 185 Grade 9 pupils (females = 95; males = 90) randomly sampled from 13 secondary schools from Johannesburg, South Africa, from a previous study. The participants were requested to write their responses to an open-ended question: ‘What do you think of children’s rights in South Africa?’ The data were analysed using content analysis since the data from the open-ended question was qualitative in nature. Results indicated that children were aware that they have rights, and that adults were still violating them. Based on the findings and a human rights-basedframework, several recommendations were made, such as, the need to adopt a more radical approach when dealing with children’s rights and the need to encourage schools and families to develop a culture of respecting children’s rights.

The implications of the decision in Helen Suzman Foundation v Judicial Service Commission 2018 (7) BCLR 763 (CC) 8 on the functioning of the South African Judicial Service Commission

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nomthandazo Ntlama
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
South African ◽  
Rule Of Law ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Constitutional Court ◽  
Service Commission ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Future Management

ABSTRACT The article examines the implications of the judgment of the Constitutional Court in Helen Suzman Foundation v Judicial Service Commission 2018 (7) BCLR 763 (CC) 8 on the functioning of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC). The judgment has brought to the fore a new lease of life relating to the JSC's post-interview deliberations as a disclosable record in terms of Rule 53(1)(b) of the Uniform Rules of Court. The disclosure seeks to provide an insight into the decision-making process of the JSC in the appointment of judicial officers in South Africa. It is argued that the judgment is two-pronged: first, the disclosure of the post-interview record enhances the culture of justification for decisions taken, which advances the foundational values of the new democratic dispensation; secondly, it creates uncertainty about the future management and protection of the JSC processes in the undertaking of robust debates on the post-interview deliberations. It then questions whether the JSC members will be privileged in their engagement with the suitability of the candidates to be recommended for appointment by the President. The question is raised against the uncertainty about which decision of the JSC will be challenged that will need the disclosure of the record because the judgment does not entail the national disclosure of the record in respect of each candidate but applies only when there is an application for review of the JSC decision. Key words: Judicial Service Commission, appointments, discretion, judiciary, independence, rule of law, discretion, accountability, transparency, human rights.

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