Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-113).

Modernization and advancement in technology have contributed towards the increased use of mobile phones in South Africa. The increased demand for services and energy has resulted in the increase in generation of electricity to meet the country's need. Consequently, South Africa now possesses the highest greenhouse gas (GHG) emission per capita relative to other developing countries. Conservation organizations in South Africa argue that the first step towards reducing carbon footprint is through its measurement. In spite of the high penetration of mobile phones and the alarming GHG emission, there is hardly any research to investigate the fit and performance impacts of mobile carbon footprint calculators in South Africa. In fulfilment of this gap, the rationale of this study was to (1) investigate factors that are suitable to determine the fit of mobile technology for carbon footprint tasks, (2) adopt an existing model from the vast base of theories and models on technology usage and impact, (3) test the research model based on a South African sample within a mobile technology and carbon footprint context in order to determine the performance impacts on individual carbon footprint tasks. Sample data were collected, through a survey instrument, and was analysed quantitatively. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis was used to evaluate the study's outer and the inner model. The study revealed that only task-technology fit was the cause of performance impacts on individual carbon footprint tasks. In addition, there was no significant difference in the estimation and offsetting of carbon footprint between the users and non-users of mobile technology. In conclusion, this study established that performance impacts on individual carbon footprint tasks are only determined by the fit of the mobile technology. The insignificant difference between users and non users of carbon calculators, in performance impacts on carbon footprint tasks, was an unexpected result but yet relevant to practitioners. Further implications to practice and theory are outlined in conclusion to this study.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Different authors have reported on the problem of cybercrime and other concepts that are associated with it. The studies looking at the area of ICT and cybercrime are examined and assessed to identify gaps that exist. Nevertheless, most of these studies focused more on developed countries, and did not emphasise on the public sector. Therefore, their findings might not be appropriately applicable to governments in developing countries especially within the Africa context. This study seeks to investigate factors that are necessary to enable the Botswana public sector to properly report on cybercrime attacks. The ICT environment of Botswana government is explored to determine the extent of ICT utilisation in the public sector. Based on the literature survey, a research framework for reporting cybercrime for the Botswana public sector is formulated.

Includes bibliographical references. / The purpose of the study is to explore the perceived factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction between Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) downstream supply chain management (SCM) Vendors and Value-added Resellers (VARs) in South Africa. In addition, the study investigates the motivation for Vendor-VAR relationships as this exposes the antecedent and consequences of the perceived factors. By exploring and exposing the relationship quality in an under-researched industry and country context, the study shall illuminate the challenges faced in these critical dyads. ICT is integral to South Africa's social, economic and technological progress. The successful diffusion and adoption of ICT in South Africa hinges on Vendor-VAR relationships.The dissertation pursued qualitative research methods in which relevant experts from both ICT Vendors and VARs were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. This allowed deep and underlying thoughts and feelings to be exposed without restrictions. The study draws on existing knowledge in SCM, interpersonal and business relationships. Importantly, the study utilises existing theory, which is the Interaction Approach (IA). IA is suitable for the research as it concentrates on business interactions and the outcomes thereof as they are influenced by individuals, organisations, networks and the environment. The findings of the study indicate that the four-relationship satisfaction factors contained in the "atmosphere" variable within the theory is not comprehensive enough when interpreting business relationships in the ICT industry in South Africa. There are some critical factors, which emerged, such as profitability, communication and value, that are antecedent and consequent factors to other perceived relationship satisfaction factors. For these reasons, the IA model is extended to reflect interesting and important factors that emerged from the study. In addition, the findings revealed that the "environment" variable within IA does not sufficiently represent the ICT industry in South Africa. The South African context exposes unique "environment" issues such as Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) that has a bearing on relationship satisfaction in the ICT industry. An unexpected finding is around the deep influence ICT customers have on SCM .This inquiry minimises the gap in knowledge and is intended to encourage discussions between stakeholders and be a catalyst for further research.

Includes bibliographical references.

Bibliography: leaves 124-128. / This research aims to develop a framework within which to analyse and discuss the "e-tailing partnership" - a "horizontal" partnership model in which e-taiIers promote, sell and even bundle one another’s goods in a mutually beneficial partnership. At the core of the framework is the concept of "value". The research draws on marketing theory to structure value into a "value block" which enables firms to quantify gains or losses in e-tailing projects. The paper discusses e-tailing partnerships within the value block framework. The partnership contract and the distribution of value between partners are both analysed. Design requirements for theoretical partnering systems are deduced and reported. Risks and implications for related systems are considered. Finally, three commercial software candidates are empirically evaluated in terms of the partnership models presented. From this research it is apparent that the e-tailing partnership is worth serious contemplation and may prove to be a significant business model for firms in the New Internet Economy.

This study sets out to investigate how South African Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Dynamic Capabilities (DCs) to achieve competitive advantage in a changing business environment. The study explores the purposes for which South African SMEs use ICT in a changing environment, as well as the types of organisational capabilities or DCs that can significantly impact on competitive advantage within the SMEs. This study examines the contingent effect of firm size and age on the ICT capabilities, ICT utilisation, and absorptive and innovative capabilities of South African SMEs.

Broadband Internet access promises a number of socio-economic benefits to citizens of developing countries like South Africa (SA). However poor policy outcomes of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), particularly in the area of poverty alleviation are evident in SA. This study utilizes Citation Analysis and Habermasien Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) for understanding media discourse on the SA Broadband Policy formulation process and focuses on the impact and implications of the discourse. Highlighting distortions in these discourses will enable the general public and decision makers to formulate a better informed opinion and should facilitate better understanding and decision making on the costs, need and relevance of broadband access.

The aim of this study was to assess how knowledge transfer through community engagement and public participation can be used to support the sustainability of VIP latrines, and hence address the negative perceptions that people have of the VIP latrine. In South Africa, the basic minimum acceptable level of sanitation is a lined Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrine. Some sanitation projects utilising VIP latrines have, however, been unsuccessful as a result of the poor construction and design practices, and insufficient buy-in from latrine users. Successful VIP latrine sanitation projects have shown to use effective knowledge transfer through community engagement. The study comprises of a review of literature on community engagement, public participation, sustainable sanitation, VIP latrines and the transfer of knowledge in sanitation projects. The fieldwork study was a comparative assessment of two VIP sanitation projects implemented in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality: a project coordinated by an NGO appointed by the Department of Human Settlements as part of the Rural Household Infrastructure Programme; and another where the project was run by a project management firm appointed by the local municipality which used funding from the municipal infrastructure grant. For the NGO co-ordinated project, a community engagement approach was adopted, whilst the Project Management Firm co-ordinated project used a public participation approach. The projects were implemented in two villages both situated 10km North East of the town of Bushbuckridge. The comparative assessment was two-fold: an assessment of the sustainability of the VIP latrines, using the Integrated Assessment of Sustainable Development which was developed by Krajnc and Glavic (2004), and a Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH-developed by Ulrich in 1983) (Reynolds, 2007) analysis of the public participation and community engagement methods used in both projects.

Word processed copy. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 106-112). / Information Systems research is, for want of a better word, inadequate. Whilst there is nothing wrong with the quantity of the output or the abilities of the researchers themselves, the irrelevance (to practitioners) of much of the research has rendered if largely incapable of serving and supporting the Information Systems industry, a task that should be considered its primary objective. This dissertation aims to partially address this issue by analysing the role that methodology and epistemology has to play in the production and publishing of Information Systems research. It does this by analysing the different epistemologies (positivism, interpretivism, and critical research) and then estimates the effect their respective selections will have on Information Systems research by measuring their impact on a consolidated measure created in this research.