Online learning is one of the fastest growing internet resources in the world today and it is expected to become the third most common use of the internet after email and searches. However, whilst the spend on online learning is in the tens of billions of dollars in countries like the United States and the United Kingdom, is this true in South Africa in general and in KwaZulu-Natal in particular? In order to understand the attitude and factors influencing the use of online learning in KwaZulu-Natal, a sample of decision makers was selected from relevant companies in KwaZulu-Natal to provide responses to an online questionnaire. Their responses helped to understand the factors that affect the acceptability of online learning and qualifications in IT departments in KwaZulu-Natal. Relevant companies were identified as those companies that were of medium to large size and had a staff complement of at least one hundred people. The size of the company relates to the total staff complement, not just the staff who make up the IT department. Relevant respondents were also identified as those people who were decision makers within their business with regards to the recruitment and training of IT staff. As limited research has been conducted in KwaZulu-Natal this study was a pilot study using a purposive sample of approximately fifty participants. Respondents were encouraged to suggest other possible candidates to answer the questionnaire. All in all, invitations to complete an online questionnaire were sent to fifty five participants. Of the fifty five participants invited to take part in the study, forty five started the questionnaire and thirty nine completed it. Although there were six people that did not complete the questionnaire their answers to the questions they did answer were deemed relevant to the study and were included in the result set. In analysing the responses of the sample it is interesting to note that online learning is still quite unknown in KwaZulu-Natal. In fact, although the respondents were all decision makers in their organisations, some of them had not considered the use and benefits of online training within their organisations. There also seems to be a systemic misunderstanding of what online training is. One of the main goals of this study was to ascertain what can be done to increase the awareness and understanding of (not necessarily the use of) online training in KwaZulu- Natal. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

Information Technology (IT) is revolutionizing every sphere of human interaction. IT has changed the way individuals communicate. In the healthcare system, information technologies are considered the key to addressing challenges to healthcare delivery such as shortages of healthcare professionals, and networking. Therefore, healthcare providers need to possess information technology skills, knowledge, and resources to communicate and manage information effectively and efficiently and also to be able to perform their duties adequately in such an information technology age. Nurses, the largest group of healthcare providers who spend the most time with patients, are also frontline healthcare managers and need to have access to IT and should be computer literate in order to perform their duties quickly and adequately. In South Africa, the health system has been slow in integrating IT into healthcare delivery, particularly in rural and remote areas where such services are most needed. A "digital divide" exists, by which access to computers and the internet remain a privilege, and many nurses are unable to use a computer even after completing the computer literacy courses. This study aims to investigate the challenges faced by professional nurses to access and use information technology in healthcare facilities after being trained. Data was collected through focus group discussions conducted with professional nurses from two regional and four district hospitals. Participants who had received computer training offered by the Department of Health were selected to ensure that issues beyond a lack of training could be explored. Focus group discussions were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Content analysis was used to identify themes from the transcriptions. Results show that professional nurses had little access to information technology. Reasons given were a lack of hardware and appropriate software, insufficient training and lack of support, irrelevance of the computer courses, and negative attitudes towards computers. Despite previous computer training, the professional nurses interviewed felt they lacked the skills to use computers confidently in their daily activities. The quality of the training was perceived as inadequate and irrelevant with a lack of ongoing support to cement new skills and build confidence. The provision of training workshops for nurses is not sufficient to ensure that IT will be used for healthcare delivery. On-going support an motivation, among others, are needed to encourage nurses to use IT efficiently. / Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This research attempts to find the ideal ratio of IT staff to end-user at the University of Natal. It also examines the organisational structure of the Information Technology Division of Natal University. This study first examines available literature to establish the suggested structure and ratio. Next the IT function of a small sample of universities around the world is examined. The structure and ratio found at the University of Natal will be compared to the suggested model and to those of the other universities examined. From this study will emerge the ideal structure and ratio for the Information Technology Division of the University of Natal. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health highlighted in the 2005-2009/2010 Strategic Plan many challenges. One of the major challenges was an inadequate management information system at Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS). It was further stated that decision-making becomes risky in the absence of reliable and accurate information. EMRS provides an ambulance service to the citizens of KwaZulu-Natal. This research will focus on EMRS in eThekwini District. In order to provide the best possible service to the citizens there has to be effective information management. The questionnaire survey used in this research project attempted to reach a broad cross-section of the various groups of people (management, operations and administrative staff) who take part in information work, and hence develop a broad sense of their perceptions and beliefs about how information is managed and used at eThekwini EMRS. The answering of questions varied between the groups. This showed that managers, operational staff and administrative staff have different perceptions on information management. Some of the recommendations included: EMRS has to adopt information as a strategic resource; information must be used in addressing problem areas; staff must have access to information that EMRS gathers; and further research has to be conducted at EMRS to address the challenges the organisation faces. / Thesis (MPA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

In 2004 the South African Department of Education released a White Paper on e-Education in which it outlined its intention to introduce Information Communication Technology (ICT) to deliver e-Education in South African schools by 2013. The White Paper prompted this study on the attitudes, perceptions and competencies of educators in rural schools of KwaZulu- Natal towards this policy with the aim to establish whether they would be willing to adopt e-Education and whether they would be ready to implement the policy in the classroom. A study of educators' perceptions about e- Education and their willingness to adopt this form of education delivery enables one to establish their level of e-Readiness. The researcher conducted a literature review and formulated e- Readiness as the theoretical framework of the study. This was followed by a quantitative research involving a suitably representative sample of educators in rural schools of KZN. It aimed at establishing educators' use of basic and advanced electronic communication technologies as indicative of e-Readiness. A follow-up survey was conducted which intended to establish educators' use of cell phones as an indication of e-Readiness. Both surveys were conducted by means of structured questionnaires. Data processing and analysis were done using analytical program SPSS 13. The major findings of this study are that educators in rural schools of KwaZulu-Natal are not ready for the rollout of e-Education. Among the factors limiting their e-Readiness are: a lack of exposure to advanced electronic communication technologies emanating from lack of technological infrastructure as well as resources in the majority of schools in the rural areas. Another factor is inadequate computer skills needed for effective teaching in an e- Education setting. Those with computer training have not been able to utilize their skills at the poorly equipped schools where they teach and would therefore require retraining. The study, however, revealed positive attitudes among educators and willingness to adopt and implement the e-Education policy should these problems be addressed. Finally comparison of the results of PC based e-Education survey and the cell phone survey indicate that while educators in rural communities are ill-equipped to use computers, they are sophisticated cell phone users, leading one to surmise that they would readily adopt emerging and converging technologies that are set to make available powerful multi-functional communication-computation devices. / Thesis (M.Admin.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

The purpose of this study was to explore the deployment of Information Communication Tech-nology to rural communities of KwaZulu-Natal from the perspective of the State Information Technology Agency (SITA), the technology implementers of government. SITA‘s regional of-fice in KwaZulu-Natal is relatively small, with a total of 52 employees who have a direct and indirect role to play with regards to ICT deployment. A quantitative research methodology was utilised in this study. Data was gathered with the aid of a questionnaire. Fifty-two questionnaires were sent out to the targeted employees of SITA and forty-seven responses were received. The response rate was ninety percent. The results of the survey revealed that sixty percent of respondents felt that rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal were not prepared to participate in e-government. When asked to indicate the importance of Information Communication Technology policy and regulatory frameworks that specifically address technology deployment to rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, sixty per-cent of respondents acknowledged the importance. Over two thirds of respondents indicated that lack of infrastructure was a hindrance to technology deployment while less than one third did not know if this was a hindrance. The study also revealed that the main motivation for ICT de-ployment was social inclusion and to improve digital inclusiveness. Based on the empirical evidence, the researcher recommends that government take these per-spectives of the technology implementers into consideration when formulating Information Communication Technology policies and legislative frameworks that will be used as a basis for technology deployment to these rural communities. It is also recommended that government do more in terms of training and sensitizing technology implementers and end users, and developing support infrastructure, such as the electrification of rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to create an enabling environment for new ICT initiative deployment and to enable com-munity members to be adequately prepared to participate in ICT initiatives such as e-governance, which was identified as a priority area. Due to the limitations of this study, particu-larly the fact that it is based on one province, KwaZulu-Natal, it is recommended that further research be carried out into deployment of ICT to rural communities. / Thesis (M.Comm.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

This study identifies problems and competencies, with the aim of establishing whether educators would be willing to adopt e-Education; and be ready to implement the policy in the classroom, as well as the acceptance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in public secondary schools in urban and rural communities of KwaZulu-Natal. The focus of the study is on basic as well as emerging technology that teachers need to use for a range of educational applications. The quantitative research methodology was used to conduct the study, using a questionnaire as data gathering survey instrument. The sample of the population consists of 300 respondents in the rural and urban communities of KwaZulu-Natal. The data was analysed and processed using SPSS and MS Office Excel application software. The study forms part of a coordinated research project in which a group of researchers measured the degree of readiness (e-Readiness) of educators and learners to effectively use Information and Communication Technologies for e-Education, as proposed in the South African Government’s 2003 White Paper on e-Education. The results of the present project indicate that teachers in KwaZulu-Natal are willing to implement e-Education and ready to use emerging technologies for the effective learning and teaching environment, but that their skills at using Information and Communication Technologies need upgrading to advance electronic communications and computer equipment. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

This research project incorporates the theory that global integration is shaped by national, regional and local dynamics South Africa's integration into the globa arena is affected by its attempts to enhance empowerment, restructure the labour market, remove discrimination and increase participation. In this case study, the factors that encourage the retention of skilled IT professionals and graduates in KZN were investigated, to explore the reasons why despite opportunities for global advancement in the IT sector, skilled Individuals choose to remain in localities that are assumed to be " skill-exporting" areas This study has revealed that innovation is the key 10 a dynamic and successful IT sector in KZN. The formation of technology-intensive organizations is vital in order to develop local capabilities and 10 compete effectively in the global economy. They are also necessary to reinforce the relationship between academia, industry, and government and to encourage technological innovation. Innovation will not only contribute to the growth and development of the SMME sector, but also attract and retain skilled IT professionals and graduates in KZN. The potential of KZN to develop a successful IT sector can be significantly improved by employing a "cluster based approach" to attend to its development needs. The establishment of the Innovation Support Centre in KZN, therefore, can be regarded as a significant tool to promote regional development, and foster innovation and the development of a successful SMME sector in the province, which will in turn contribute to the retention of the skilled IT workforce in KZN. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.