A Masters Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Commerce in the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management August, 2016 / Online activity through the Internet and mobile phones has dramatically increased over the last five years in South Africa (Nyirenda-Jere & Tesfaye , 2015). Lower costs for Internet and mobile phones are the main reasons for more and more people being connected (Price Waterhouse Cooper South Africa, 2012). But discrepancies exist, namely between the people who are connected and those who are not. This discrepancy is referred to as the digital divide and contributing factors towards it include income, education, age and other factors which were discussed in this paper (Nievhaves, Gorbacheva & Plattfaut, 2012). Free Wi-Fi is one of the solutions to bridge the digital divide to a certain extent and it is also a very valuable tool to marketers and business owners. This research study was aimed at understanding the impact of free Wi-Fi on consumers’ purchase intentions and likelihood to return in townships in South Africa. People in townships are an important group to analyse, because of the millions of inhabitants. Infrastructure in terms of the Internet is not as good as the infrastructure standards in suburbs or in the city. The purpose of the study was to find out the impact of free Wi-Fi on the likelihood of customers to return and their likelihood to purchase something at a location where free Wi-Fi is offered. For the purpose of this research a quantitative approach was used to investigate the impact of free Wi-Fi and factors leading to return and intention to conduct purchases. Non-probability sampling was used in the form of convenience sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to investigate behaviour. Four hundred questionnaires were distributed to people living in Soweto. The analysis indicated that the four access variables, namely - material, mental, usage and skills access - have an influence on the intention to use free Wi-Fi which, in turn, has an influence on the likelihood to return or purchase something. Implications for marketers and businesses is: the marketers have to consider the digital divide when marketing to consumers in South Africa and that offering free Wi-Fi at a commercial place has positive implications for both customers and businesses. / MT2017

Instances of fraudulent acts are often headline news in the popular press in South Africa. Increasingly, these press reports point to the government tender process as being the main enabler used by the perpetrators committing the fraud. The cause of the tender fraud problem is confidentiality breach of information. This is accomplished, in part, by compromising the tender information contained in the government information system. This results in the biased award of a tender. Typically, the information in the tender process should be used to make decisions about a tender’s specifications, solicitation, evaluation and adjudication. The sharing of said information to unauthorised persons can be used to manipulate and corrupt the process. This in turn corrupts the tender process by awarding a tender to an unworthy recipient. This research studies the generic steps in the tender process to understand how information is used to corrupt the tender process. It proposes that conflict of interest, together with a lack of information confidentiality in the information system, paves the way for possible tender fraud. Thereafter, a system of internal controls is examined within the South African government as well as in foreign countries to investigate measures taken to reduce the breach of confidential information in the tender process. By referring to the Common Criteria Security Model, various critical security areas within the tender process are identified. This measure is assisted with the ISO/IEC 27002 (2005) standard which has guiding principles for the management of confidential information. Thereafter, an information security policy,the Chinese Wall Model will be discussed as a means of reducing instances where conflict of interest may occur. Finally, an adapted Chinese Wall Model, which includes elements of the tender process, is presented as a way of reducing fraud in the government tender process. Finally, the research objective of this study is presented in the form of Critical Success Factors that aid in reducing the breach of confidential information in the tender process. As a consequence, tender fraud is reduced. These success factors have a direct and serious impact on the effectiveness of the Chinese Wall Model to secure the confidentiality of tender information. The proposed Critical Success Factors include: the Sanitisation Policy Document, an Electronic Document Management System, the Tender Evaluation Ethics Document, the Audit Trail Log and the Chinese Wall Model Prosecution Register.

A Research Report submitted in fulfilment with the partial requirements for the Master of Management in the field of Strategic Marketing, in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. 2016 / Over the past few years, mobile marketing has generated an increasing interest among academics and practitioners. While numerous studies have provided important insights into mobile marketing, our understanding of this topic of growing interest and importance remains deficient. Therefore, the objective of this literature is to provide a comprehensive framework intended to guide research efforts focusing on mobile marketing via SMS/MMS as well as to aid practitioners in their quest to achieve mobile marketing success. The literature is built around brand equity and awareness and whether this form of direct marketing enhances the brand. It begins with a brief background to the research situation. Mobile marketing is also defined and the researcher also looks at mobile marketing in South Africa. The researcher also outlines mobile marketing from marketing communications mix perspective and provides a comprehensive overview of the benefit of mobile marketing. The literature concludes with a detailed description of, what’s in it for companies, along with speed and simplicity of this form of direct marketing. / GR2018

A call taker is the first point of contact in the emergency service system and thus the interface between the caller and ambulance dispatch. Misunderstandings in an emergency call have implications for the survival of patients. Using an applied conversation analytic approach this study examined participants’ use of conversational repair as an interactional strategy. Data included 101 calls from a South African emergency medical services call centre. The data set was comprised of two distinct subsets, namely: the 107 and public corpora. The 107 corpus (53 calls) contained calls from a general emergency call centre. The 107 caller thus served as a mediating party on behalf of the public caller. The public corpus (48 calls) comprised calls received directly from members of the public. The data subsets afforded a unique opportunity to analyse ways in which participants to an emergency call manage asymmetries of knowledge. Differential patterns of the type and purpose of repair were tracked across both data sets and similarities and differences were explored. Both data sets showed that participants’ choice of interactional strategies was customized based on an ongoing assessment of knowledge asymmetries. However, whilst knowledge asymmetries posed some constraints an overriding interactional constraint, inherent within the institutional nature of the emergency call, was a rigid adherence to routinized protocols. The call taker’s dilemma was thus identified as the management of these constraints through the frequent use of conversational repair. Although a level of responsiveness is required to glean quality information from callers, high volumes of emergency calls would not be possible without routinized protocols. However, increased orientation to routinized protocols led to a decreased orientation to responsiveness. This research therefore showed that knowledge symmetry is not necessarily more advantageous but that successful call trajectory is reliant on the call taker’s ability to maximize the collaborative nature of the interaction and effectively negotiate through the judicious use of repair and other relevant interactional strategies. This has important implications for call taker training.

Research is presented for the degree of Masters of Management in Public and Development Management to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management of the University of the Witwatersrand , March 2016 / The study examines the GCIS strategic planning process of 2012/13-2016/17 Strategic Plan that failed the requirements of the National Treasury Frameworks (NTF). This is in accordance with the 2012/13 AGSA report (Department of Government Communication and Information System, 2013). Although the strategic plan covers the period of five years, the financial years discussed are from 2012/13-2015/16 because the 2016/17 has not been implemented. A qualitative research approach was followed in identifying challenges in the GCIS strategic planning process; the purpose of the study is to offer recommendations to the GCIS management on improvement of the planning process. The South African public sector introduced an outcome-based planning approach in 2009, and developed the long-term plan which is the National Development Plan: Vision 2030 (NDP). In addition, NTF were drawn up and implemented to support the outcome-based approach. This approach to planning shifted the focus of government from outputs to outcomes and to the impact of service delivery on the lives of South Africans. The GCIS was mandated to ensure that there was a constant flow of information between the government and its citizens. The GCIS is responsible for providing strategic leadership in government communications within national, provincial and local government. In order to do this, it embarks on two planning processes, one to develop the National Communication Strategy and the other to develop the strategic plans of the GCIS. The NCS, in particular, guides communication within the government-wide communication system (GWCS). This study was conducted to answer the primary research question: (1) To what extent does the GCIS meet its strategic planning process? The literature review focuses on strategic planning processes in general and within the public sector in particular. The strategic planning process of the South African public sector gives context to the GCIS strategic planning process. A qualitative research design is followed, with in-depth interviews with the GCIS management, government communicators, members of the oversight bodies and a journalist. The findings from the research illustrate that the GCIS strategic planning process is not effective and does not meet the requirements of the NTF. It is not institutionalised as a management tool to improve the performance of the organisation. The challenges with the GCIS strategic planning process were identified as follows: (1) inadequate application of research to inform the strategic planning process, leading to poor formulation of strategies; (2) failure to set appropriate performance indicators and targets for the organisation as well as within the GWCS; (3) misalignment between the strategic plan and the National Communication Strategy (NCS), causing poor implementation of both documents; (4) prolonged acting leadership within the GCIS, which has caused instability in the organisation and unclear strategic direction; and (5) the need to identify planning approaches that are suited to addressing the dynamic and fluid communications environment. The study concludes with recommendations for the improvement of the GCIS strategic planning process to produce a credible strategic plan to meet the NTF requirements. The implementation of such a plan could enhance the efficient functioning of a GWCS. / MT 2018

D.Ed. / This research is particularly concerned with the lack of communication skills, such as reading, writing, conversing, listening, and the implementation of the language medium in an effective manner, displayed by the prospective management assistant. The management assistant is a frontline staff member, and as such should be fully competent in the aforementioned regard. Cognizance is taken of the controversy around outcomes-based education, as well as of the radical and sometimes unrealistic criticisms against this approach. For the purpose of this research and with regard to the education and training of the prospective management assistant a moderate and sober approach to curriculum renewal is advocated. The research questions hereunder formulate the problem with which the relevant study is confronted and address the issue of greater relevance regarding the education and training of the prospective management assistant. The issue of greater and more diverse skills in communication, including critically important attitudes and values not only for this particular learner, but for all people, is stressed: Which communication skills and knowledge, as well as underlying attitudes and values are demonstrated in the execution of the management assistant's task? In which way can a curriculum framework be designed to accommodate the aforesaid skills, knowledge, attitudes and values? The acquisition of skills in communication (including reading, writing, conversing and language skills) for all persons has already been addressed. The importance of communication skills for the prospective management assistant is the focus of this study.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The term “wireless network” pertains to a very comprehensive field and at different points in history, meant different things. For example, in 1901 it would have meant Marconi’s first transatlantic communication and later, to the walkie-talkie in the Second World War. Since the late 1940’s, large companies and emergency services have used wide area private networks which could also be catergorised as wireless networks. However, public consciousness of wireless networks only arose in the 1980’s through the commercial distribution of cellular mobile radio. The telecommunications industry is experiencing a phenomenal revolution in which; the driving factors are innovative technologies, deregulation and globalization. Innovative technologies introduce dynamic changes in the way that telecommunication business is conducted. Deregulation is the liberalization of telecommunications which significantly increases the telecommunications market, while also allowing for strong competition amongst mobile service providers. Globalisation is the breakdown of legacy barriers which forces monopolistic service providers to compete in the international arena. With service delivery being identified as one of the key components for a successful telecommunications service provider, along with the Quality of Service of their network, both components are evaluated to determine how efficient the organisation is within the mobile telecommunications industry. Telecommunications service delivery is a way of ensuring the Quality of Service delivered for outsourced and retained services. The responsibilities of the mobile operator include monitoring, analyzing and reporting on service delivery performance in order, to ensure that customer satisfaction is met or even exceeded by the mobile operator. The South African mobile telecommunication industry is experiencing phenomenal growth, just like the rest of the world. Over the last two decades, the South African mobile telecommunications industry has experienced dramatic changes. Fixed line service providers have expanded into the mobile arena. Mobile operators are trying to form mergers and purchase fixed line companies. This study investigates the challenges faced by a mobile service provider in meeting internal customer needs. The Quality of Service (QoS) of the mobile network was evaluated and the various elements which contribute to challenges experienced by the service provider were identified. A mixed methods data collection method was employed for this study. To obtain the qualitative data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with management staff. Quantitative data was obtained through the use of questionnaires and an existing discourse analysis was conducted to identify characteristics on existing reports which were generated from within the organisation, for data collection. The results showed that the mobile operators had to be innovative and competitive simultaneously. Mobile operators face various challenges. The increased level of competition amongst service providers ensured improved QoS and service delivery to consumers. The mobile operator’s network foot print has to increase to provide its own network availability to clients. In order to avoid or reduce network sharing or roaming of network services as this comprises the client network coverage on the network. The mobile service provider should actively analyse network traffic to avoid potential disruptions and, to ensure that customers have a seamless connection. This study concludes that the changing environment of communications forces organizations to consistently re-evaluate their strategies and necessary re-align their strategies to the business needs of the organisation. The initial planning entails making technology choices to meet the overall business goals. However, technology is changing at an exponential rapid rate; therefore the organization should reach the completion of the product life cycle to ensure that this product is still required in the market. The main finding of this study reinforced the contention that planning is the most critical part of mobile network strategy. The organisation’s strategy may change to accommodate environmental changes. However, these changes should not affect the life cycle of the blueprint design. / M

M.Cur. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Please read the abstract in the 00front part of this document / Thesis (DPhil (Information Science))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Information Science / unrestricted

It is sincerely hoped that this work will motivate other researchers and in particular my colleagues to do further research in the field of cellphone technology, especially how it can be mapped to enable it to be utilised as evidence in our courts. This research aims to develop the mapping of cellphone technology as an aid in the investigation of crime. The mapping of cellphone technology refers to how cellphone technology can be utilised in crime investigation and in particular how a criminal can be placed at the scene of a crime, as a result of a cellphone call that was either made or received. To place the suspect at the scene of a crime as a result of a call made or received, cellphone records and technology of the relevant cellphone company, as well as present computer programmes can be utilised. Shortly, it can be said that a criminal can geographically be placed within a space some where on this earth. / Criminology / M.Tech. (Forensic Investigation)