Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Master of Management Science: Tourism and Hospitality Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / The advent of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) coupled with sophisticated network channels and applications have unveiled new avenues for small organizations and those in the hospitality industry must be included. However, there is limited industry specific research activity on the impact of adoption and utilisation of ICTs on business specifically with regard to the hospitality industry in developing countries. This report records the findings of an analysis into ICT and e-commerce adoption and use in small remote hospitality establishments in the Natal Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research used a mixed methods approach involving questionnaires, observations and interviews. The participants were drawn from three case areas namely Curry’s Post, Nottingham Road and Lions River. From each case area, two restaurants, two wedding venues, two lodges and two curio shops participated. The findings indicate that most establishment acknowledged the need to adopt and utilise ICT and e-commerce. The links between ICT adoption and level of business success were marked. The challenges to adoption and utilisation of ICT were found to centre on cost, owners’ lack of familiarity with ICTs, and a corresponding lack of ICT skills amongst staff. The inability of imported software packages to suit local needs also emerged as a significant issue. Recommendations involve targeted sponsorships of ICT courses, language accessibility initiatives, and adaptation of software packages to local needs, along with advantages in starting small and adopting more sophisticated ICT as the business grows. / M

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Management Sciences in Library and Information Science, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This study investigates the preparedness of subject librarians to meet the challenges of information technology in higher education institutions in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The objectives of the study were to identify different technologies that subject librarians use, also to investigate the preparedness of subject librarians to meet the challenges of information technology as it changes rapidly. Furthermore to determine the areas in their technological skills that subject librarians need to improve or strengthen; and to investigate whether the surveyed institutions are providing training and development programmes to re-skill and update subject librarians on new technologies. The target population for this study was subject librarians from major academic institutions in Kwa-Zulu Natal. Electronic questionnaires were administered to subject librarians for data collection purpose. The study revealed some weaknesses in the use of some technology as well as challenges being faced in skills transfer using technology. Recommendations were made on support from the management of universities in re-skilling subject librarians and pro-active actions from subject librarians should they encounter something new in technology. / M

D. Litt. et Phil. / South African academic information services realise that they can no longer rely on their own information resources to provide in the growing information needs of their users, especially after access to the Internet and the vast number of information sources of the World-Wide Web have become available. Access is needed to digital full-text, sound, graphics, images, multimedia and hypermedia documents in national and international organisations. Cooperative resource sharing between the different organisations proved to be the only solution to the growing information problem. Academic information services are required to assist in creating digital study material, and in the transfer of digital text, multimedia and hypermedia for research, instruction and distance education. By implication, the development of an information technology infrastructure within the organisation, as well as nationally and internationally, has become essential. The purpose of this research was to examine what the current circumstances and futuristic information technology developments and events are under which South African academic information services have to develop an information technology infrastructure for resource sharing. To gather information on the current circumstances, a survey was done on initiatives taken by South African academic information services towards the development of an information technology infrastructure for resource sharing. Questionnaires were mailed to 37 South African academic information services, to which 34 responded. The Delphi interviewing technique was used to scrutinise future information technology developments and events that may influence the planning and development of an information technology infrastructure. A panel of 10 experts was selected to take part in the interviews. Scenario building was applied to show how planning and decisions by management could influence the outcome of an academic information service. The focal issue was the timely development of a digital academic information service within an information technology infrastructure. General conclusions of the study are: • Current organisational and national information and telecommunications network infrastructures cannot cope with the transfer of information sources, such as sound, image and digital full-text documents. Insufficient bandwidth for the effective transfer of information is a major problem. A flexible infrastructure which conforms to set standards, can adapt to new information technology developments and supports the business and information technology strategies of the host organisation, must be developed for resource sharing. The main recommendations of the research are: Access should be provided to all digital resources of national and international organisations irrespective of time or location. Electronic text centres can be employed to provide continuous access to digital resources. Development of an infrastructure for resource sharing should be a collaborative effort between the organisations towards acquiring and employing the essential and most suitable information technology. All academic information services should participate in a regional or national resource sharing cooperative. The value of cooperation and consortium membership lies in the availability of information sources in all formats to all users of the member organisations. Standards should be improved and maintained to ensure communication, retrieval and transfer of information sources. Information services should plan for larger bandwidth to cooperate within an international information infrastructure.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Unlvcrslty of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, ill partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Mastel' of Commerce / The aim of this research is to determine and analyse the 1110st important critical issues facing Information Technology (IT) Management at a major financial institution in South Africa, namely. First National Bank of Southern Africa Limited (FNB). Much has previously been written and researched on this subject. However, the information and findings has been based largely on international issues and trends. What is of particular relevance and IS emphasised in this research, are facton. influencing the local IT industry trends and critical issues in South Africa. Not only nrc we faced with the traditionally accepted industry-wide challenges, but there are certain issues and market conditions that could be considered unique to the local IT industry. Conclusions derived Iron' this research will provide factual data detailing what is currently considered as the 1110stimpcrtant critical issues at this particulnr financial institution. These will be ranked in order of importance as rated by a respondent group. The information analysed was obtained by means of questionnaires and interviews with a group of IT professionals from FNB. Although this qualitative information was obtained from one particular institution. the findings arc considered as having relevance and benefit to all participants in the local IT industry.

A thesis submitted to the Wits School of Education, Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 / This thesis reports on the first year pre-service teaching students’ development of digital competence at a South African university in 2013 and 2014. The aim of the study was to investigate the students’ levels of digital competence as they commenced their first year of study. I also examined the barriers and enablers, as identified in the literature, and their impact on the students’ successful engagement with Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). In addition to this, the possible influence of computer attitude and a belief in one’s own ability (self-efficacy) supplement the research findings in this area. I present quantitative and qualitative data that explore the students’ digital competence levels and their understanding of what it means to be digitally literate. A definition particular to this group of students is proposed. In their definition of digital competence, the majority of the first year pre-service teaching students perceived digital competence to be a functional skill. This is the ability to operate digital devices and their relevant applications in the quest to learn and become self-reliant. This definition is aligned to Covello’s (2010) description of an understanding of how to use computers and application software for practical purposes. This ability to functionally operate various devices (FutureLab, 2010), the ability to use computers and other technology to improve learning, productivity and performance (JISC and Mc Hardy, 2013), links to one part of Ferrari’s (2012) digital competence definition as the knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and awareness required when using ICTs and digital media. After completing a baseline digital competence test as they entered the HEI, I found that 43% of the first year pre-service teaching students failed the test. I identified three main factors that impacted negatively on a first year pre-service teaching student’s engagement with ICTs and ultimate development of digital competence. These include inexperience with ICTs, access and user-unfriendliness of software. Four main enablers to the effective use of ICTs include previous experience using ICTs, previous and current access to ICTs, userfriendliness of software, and finally, support in the form of support material or people. Using quantitative findings obtained from the completion of the Loyd and Gressard Computer Attitude Scale (CAS), I ascertained the students’ computer attitudes. Through the application of the Murphy’s (1989) Digital Self-Efficacy test, the current levels of the students’ digital self-efficacy (DSE), or beliefs in their own abilities, were established. I found no correlation between computer attitude and a student’s digital competence. The majority of students who failed the baseline test had a positive computer attitude. I also found the majority of students surveyed had a strong or very strong belief in their own ability. The majority of the students who passed the test had a very strong DSE and the majority of students who failed had an average to strong DSE. Students who passed the test tended to have higher DSE levels than students who failed the baseline test. A strong belief in one’s own ability was found to be a strong determiner in learning to become digitally competent. A unique application of Actor Network Theory was employed in the data analysis. The analysis methodology was informed by an adaption of Barab, Hay and Yamagata-Lynch’s (2001) node components. The use of Actor Network Theory as an analytical lens in the data analysis, confirmed the importance of zooming in on and unpacking a student’s network of learning to better understand the hidden processes at work. Through an analysis of six students’ networks of learning, I found that each student’s learning network was unique. Using actor network theory to scaffold my analysis it became apparent the differences in the students’ learning networks told a more important story than the few commonalities. The only commonalities evident between the six students in the moment I unpacked each learning network were that they were both initiators and participant in their networks. They interacted with digital devices and were not first time ICT users. These commonalities seem quite immaterial when compared to a minimum of 16 differences. A few of the identified differences include the digital resources the students relied on, their computer attitudes, levels of digital self-efficacy and their baseline test results. My study contributes to knowledge in four ways. Firstly, I establish the digital competence skills of first year pre-service teaching students. Secondly, I identify the barriers first year pre-service students encountered when using ICTs. Thirdly, I look at the possible impact of computer attitude and digital self-efficacy on the development of digital competence. Finally, I detail the networks of learning to be digitally competent. Through this expansion of students’ networks of learning, the connections between the various nodes and actants at work become apparent. This gives readers insight into what nodes are at play within these networks and what the pre-service teaching students identify as significant in their learning. In this study, I confirm the necessity for a first year digital competence or ICT course. My study shows that the students entered the HEI with low levels of digital competence and encounter multiple barriers when accessing ICTs. While literature suggests computer attitude impacts on the development of digital competence, in the reality of my study, I found digital self-efficacy to have a higher statistical correlation with digital success. Studies such as mine provide detailed descriptions and analyses of the practice of coming to be digitally competent. The identification of, and investigation into the possible factors impacting on a pre-service teaching student’s development of digital competence better assists Higher Education Institutions and course designers alleviate possible barriers, while increasing enablers. / XL2018

Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Arts Faculty (Industrial Psychology), 2002 / The aim of this research was to investigate the career paths of individuals working in an Information Technology (IT) environment. The focus of the study is on the career history, subjective career views and career expectations and aspirations of these individuals. The study is exploratory and involved in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine individuals working in an IT environment in one financial institution. Results indicate that the career paths of these individuals no longer follow the traditional approaches to Career Development (CD), but rather amalgamate aspects of the traditional with the less traditional CD approaches. The results also indicate that the emphasis of CD is increasingly becoming the responsibility of the individual themselves, thereby requiring a more proactive and self-directed Career Management (CM) style. The results are discussed and interpreted in light of the literature reviewed. / AC 2016

Thesis (M.A.(Media studies ))--University of Limpopo, 2007 / There is gross uneven access and utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) between developed and underdeveloped communities in South Africa. As a result the majority of the underdeveloped communities which are mainly found in rural areas fail to participate in the global ICT arena. Rural communities’ especially rural women are subjected to deprivation, poverty and isolation. Government sought to reverse the situation through the provision of Telecentres and Multi-purpose Community Centres (MPCCs). To understand the plight of the rural women, different theories ranging from capitalism to socialism were reviewed in an attempt to trace the mode of South African production which caused the problem and some understanding of the solution possible. The theory of oppression by Paul Freire (1970) serves as the main point of focus on how rural women fail to utilize Telecentres and MPCCs. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted in order to present the perceptual views of these women. Various methods of collecting data were used in order to have a wider perspective of how Telecentres and MPCCs are utilized by rural women. This includes a profound investigation through which a pilot study, participant observation, focus group, interviews and questionnaires became instrumental to the whole research. The findings of the pilot study conducted in Mogalakwena Hewlett Packard inclusive of community (HPi-community) reflected that there are discrepancies and deficiencies which exit between Mogalakwena HPi-community and the three Telecentres Botlokwa, Mankweng and Mohodi. The tripartite marriage between Government Hewlett Packard and the municipality enable the Mogalakwena HPi-community to provide better ICT facilities. The other three Telecentres fail to meet the standard of the Mogalakwena HPi- community due to the fact that they lack financial support. Participant observation assisted in discovering that ICT access created a good relationship between Botlokwa Telecentre and its neighbouring institutions. It was also discovered that most youths come for computer-skill acquisition. Focus groups interviews were conducted using English and the local language (Sepedi) in order to meet the rural women’s level of understanding. Through in depth analysis, the study indicates that poverty, unemployment, limited funding, illiteracy, and unavailability of ICT facilities for the disabled are the main issues that contribute to the low impact of Telecentre and MPCC utilization. Apart from this analysis, ICT access has a significant impact on the lives of rural communities especially women. However, there is still a need for an accelerated growth in ICT utilization. It is recommended that effective mechanisms be put in place to assist improve the situation in ICT provision. This must involve the people themselves taking initiatives, of course with the active support of government.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Leveraging information technology (IT) is important to maximise business value. For this to be possible, companies must ensure that IT objectives are supportive of business objective. Business needs to take the responsibility in ensuring that IT capabilities support, enable, and, where appropriate, lead business strategy. Such alignment will maximize the effective, efficient and economical use of IT resources in a strategic context. One of many challenges facing organisations is that IT strategy appears to be separate from business strategy, maintaining a common direction with business strategy but at a distance. Furthermore business unit leaders do not consider IT as a key strategic enabler for them achieving their strategic business unit level objectives. This study established the perceptions of senior managers and executives of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) regarding the alignment of IT strategy and the business strategy. It also determined which of the alignment factors (people, processes, organisational infrastructure, etc.) are most important for strategic alignment at the AGSA and how successfully they have been implemented.

A critical component of software development is the process whereby the software requirements of users and stakeholders are established. This process is referred to as the Requirement Elicitation (RE) process of software development. The high rate of failed, cancelled or unsuccessful projects due to not meeting user requirements may be attributed to insufficient focus on the RE process. This case study investigates the relationship between the type of RE technique used and the success of an information system at a global petrochemical company based in South Africa. The end user involvement during the software development life cycle (SDLC) and the acceptance of the resultant information system was also examined. Three information systems (IS) projects that employed different RE techniques were selected for the purpose of this study. An electronic questionnaire was disseminated to a randomly selected representative sample from the user community for each system in order to obtain feedback with regards to the success of the system from the user’s perspective. The study adopted the strategy of focusing on end user acceptance of each information system as a pivotal contributory factor to information system success. In this regard, the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) model was used to operationalize user acceptance of each information system that formed the focus of the study. For each IS project, the quantitative dimension was extended to include a qualitative aspect that entailed structured interviews with the business analyst (BA) and project manager (PM), with the primary purpose of ascertaining the RE strategy used for the development of each system. The interviews also served the purpose of providing the researcher with an opportunity to obtain a deeper insight into the logistics of system development. The results of the study indicated that planned, user intensive RE techniques resulted in greater system acceptance by the end users of the respective systems. A significant outcome of the study is that there is a strong correlation between the amount of end user involvement in the SDLC process and the success of the information system. A converse of this trend was also noted. When users have systems imposed on them, this results in lower satisfaction levels as a consequence of poor system usability and a lack of confidence in the value that the system provides for the end users. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to assess the state of developments of Information Communication Technologies (ICT's) in the Gauteng Province as a driving factor for evolution into informational economy. Throughout the world the convergence of telecommunications, computing and publishing industries has changed the way in which the world economies and society at large are organized. It is important for every part of society to adapt to these changes. Since 1996 a number of institutional developments at a global, national, provincial, industrial, municipality and community levels have taken place to prepare society for the digital revolution. These institutional initiatives took form of policies and programs that would have an impact on the Gauteng Province. Therefore, it is necessary for Gauteng Province to develop a planning framework that is informed by these changes and initiatives. The theoretical basis of the study was Critical Multiplism. This approach employs multiple perspectives, methods, measures and data sources to arrive at plausible conclusions. The study concludes that the Gauteng Province has reached a critical point for rapid growth of ICT's to take place. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studie fokus op die evaluering van die ontwikkeling van die Informasie Kommunikasie Tegnologie in Gauteng as 'n dryffaktor vir die evolusie na 'n informasie ekonomie. Internasionaal het die integrasie van telekommunikasie, rekenarisering en publisieteit industrieë die manier van organisasie van wêreld ekonomie en die samelewing verander. Dit is belangrik vir die sameling se voortbestaan om aan te pas by hierdie veranderinge. Sedert 1996 het verskeie institute en organisasies op globale, nasionale, provinsiale, industrieële, munisipale en gemeenskaps vlak reeds met voorbereidings begin vir die digitale revolusie. Hierdie inisiatiewe het die vorm van voorskrifte en programme aangeneem wat 'n definitiewe impak maak op Gauteng. Dit is belangrik vir Gauteng om 'n voorskriftelike raamwerk op te stel in lyn met hierdie inisiatiewe. Die teoretiese basis van hierdie studie was Kritiese Vermenigvuldiging. Hierdie metode maak gebruik van verskeie sienings, maniere en inligtingsbronne om by 'n werkbare oplossing te kom. Hierdie studie beklemtoon die feit dat Gauteng 'n krietiesie punt bereik het vir vinnige groei in Informasie Kommunikasie Tegnologie.