M. Tech. (Department of Information Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The impacts of information systems (IS) are often indirect and influenced by human, organisational, and environmental factors, therefore measurement of information systems (IS) success is both complex and elusive. Researchers have created models for success emphasizing the need for better and more consistent success metrics. This study endeavoured to measure IS success in SMEs in Gauteng, South Africa in order to find out its impact on these businesses. This research proposed a comprehensive multidimensional model of measuring success of information system in SMEs which suggests that system quality, information quality, service quality, intention to use, user satisfaction, use, self-efficacy, individual benefit/impact, use and organisational benefits/impact are success variables to be used. Online survey questionnaire was distributed to one hundred and twenty-six (126) participants. The data collection instrument fulfilled the reliability and validity tests. The hypotheses were tested using regression analysis. The results enabled the derivation of a generic formal measure of IS success in SMEs with organisational benefits/impact variable as the subject of the formula. The formula can be used by SMEs to measure the success of IS in their respective organisations.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Technology Degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2014. / This study reports on the design of a framework for measuring e-government readiness. Particular attention is paid to providing a measurement framework that is feasible for municipalities and supports their efforts to utilize e-government for the benefit of the society and the economy. The evaluation of e-government readiness for municipalities can provide a useful barometer to measure the critical needs of citizens. In addition, it can be useful for improving the effectiveness of government services and could assist information communication technology industry to access information for implementing efficient infrastructures to support the delivery of e-services. The model of e-government readiness measurement as reported in this dissertation is based on heterogeneous factors of supporting e-services, individual citizens, technological infrastructure, government and supporting industry. The readiness measurement process utilized data obtained from a survey of 219 government employees from 4 municipalities in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The partial least square method was used to determine the relationship between the measured factors. The study results revealed the measurement factors to be significant determinants of municipality e-government readiness with an overall goodness of fit performance of 0.81 and predictive power of 0.68. In addition, a response based segmentation approach of finite mixture partial least squares is applied to uncover unobserved heterogeneity in government employees. The study findings show that the main difference characterising the two uncovered segments of population heterogeneity lies in the internet accessibility using computers. The impact of government readiness and technology readiness on predicting e-government readiness is stronger for the first segment than for the second segment. The segment specific analysis clearly shows that the impact of factors that influence the readiness of e-government can differ vastly, depending on the background of participants. The study findings generally provide a foundation for policymakers and technology practitioners who are interested in propagating e-government readiness awareness across the country. In addition, factors that determine the e-government readiness could provide new insights for future studies on e-municipality service improvement evaluations.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Master of Technology Degree in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / One of the fundamental characteristics of technology is its ever-changing nature with the continuous release of new models and products almost on a daily basis. It is interesting to note that these new technologies seem to appeal more to the youth than to the old. This might explain why the content of some Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), such as films, TV, and games, are sometimes released with well-defined age ratings, in order to provide guidance to parents and guardians on the suitability of such content for their children. What is surprising is that there are age restrictions for the content presented by ICT devices, but devices themselves do not have any defined age restriction. For example, movies which can be played on computers, have a well-defined age restriction; but computers themselves do not have any defined age restriction. This non-definition of age ratings for ICT devices is certainly a general concern, but it is also a major concern for the education domain which needs to determine the minimum age from which learners should be allowed to use ICTs at school. This problem of the non-definition of age ratings for ICT devices serves as a motivation for this study, whose aim is to determine the factors affecting educators’ perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to use ICTs at school. The research objectives unfolding from this aim are: i) To select appropriate theories and models on the factors affecting educators’ perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to use ICTs at school; ii) To design a conceptual model of the factors affecting educators’ perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to use ICTs at school; iii To empirically test the above conceptual model of the factors affecting educators’perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to use ICTs at school; and iv) To make recommendations on the design of eLearning initiatives in schools based on the results of the current study. These four objectives were achieved as follows through the content analysis of existing literature and a survey of 70 primary and secondary school educators from the Camperdown magisterial district in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa: i) Specific personality and child development theories were selected as the theoretical foundation of this study; ii) The conceptual model proposed in this study gave rise to the following hypotheses: The demographics of an educator affect the full functionality, the health, and the self-actualisation of his or her personality as well as his or her perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school. The full functionality, the health, and the self-actualisation of the personality of an educator all affect his or her perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school; iii) The empirical testing of the above hypothesized model yielded the following results: the grade or class taught by an educator is the only demographic factor that affects the full functionality, the health, and the self-actualisation of his or her personality; the subject specialisation of an educator is the only demographic variable that affects his or her perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school; the full functionality, the health, and the self-actualisation of the personality of an educator all affect his or her perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school; and iv) One of the recommendation of this study is that eLearning pilot projects be designed in ways that clearly consider differences between educators from various subject specialisations. This study identified the need for more research on the effect of personality on the perceptions of educators on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs, not only at school as it is the case for this study, but also at home. The main contribution of this research is to have found that educators’ personality has an effect on their perceptions on the age from which learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school, compared to the literature reviewed by this study which seems to be silent on the relationship between the personality of educators and the determination of the age when learners should be allowed to start using ICTs at school.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In today's technologically advanced business environments, Information Technology (IT) has become the centre of most, if not all businesses' strategic and operational activities. It is for this reason that the King III report has dedicated a chapter to IT governance principles, in effect making the board of directors and senior management responsible for implementing such principles. King III's guidance on these principles is only described in broad terms and lack sufficient detail as how to implement these principles. Though various guidelines, in the form of IT control frameworks, -models and -standards exist, it remains highly theoretical in nature and companies tend to view these control frameworks, -models and -standards on an individual basis, implementing them in an ad hoc manner, resulting in the implementation of an inefficient IT governance system, that does not address the key strategic areas and risks in a business. The purpose of this study is to develop an IT best practices integrated framework which can assist management in implementing an effective IT governance system at both a strategic and operational level. The integrated framework was developed by performing a detailed literature review of a best practice control framework, -model and -standard, including its underlying processes. By combining and aligning the relevant processes of the control framework, -model and -standard to the business' imperatives, a framework was developed to implement IT governance principles at a strategic level. The integrated framework is extended to provide guidance on how to implement good IT controls at an operational level. The control techniques, of the applicable processes identified at a strategic level, are implemented as well as the controls around a company's various access paths, which are affected by a company's business imperatives. These access paths are controlled through the implementation of applicable configuration controls. By making use of the integrated framework which was developed, an effective and efficient IT governance system can be implemented, addressing all applicable IT risks relevant to the key focus areas of a business. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In vandag se tegnologies gevorderde besigheids omgewings het Informasie Tegnologie (IT) die middelpunt geraak van die meeste, indien nie elke onderneming se strategiese en operasionele aktiwiteite nie. Dit is vir hierdie rede dat die King III verslag 'n hoofstuk aan die beginsels van IT korporatiewe beheer wy. Dié verslag hou die direkteure en bestuur verantwoordelik vir die implementering van hierdie beginsels. Die King III verslag verskaf egter slegs in breë trekke leiding in verband met die implementering van hierdie beginsels en 'n gebrek aan meer gedetailleerde beskrywings bestaan. Alhoewel verskeie riglyne, in die vorm van IT kontrole raamwerke, -modelle en -standaarde bestaan, bly dit steeds teoreties van aard en is maatskappye geneig om hierdie riglyne op 'n individuele vlak te hanteer en op 'n willekeurige wyse te implementeer. Hierdie proses lei tot die implementering van 'n ondoeltreffende IT korporatiewe beheerstelsel. Die doel van hierdie studie is om 'n geïntegreerde beste praktykraamwerk te ontwikkel wat deur die direkteure en bestuur van 'n onderneming gebruik kan word om op beide 'n strategiese en operasionele vlak 'n doeltreffende IT korporatiewe beheermaatstelsel in plek te stel. 'n Geïntegreerde raamwerk is ontwikkel deur 'n volledige literatuurstudie uit te voer, gebaseer op 'n beste praktyk IT kontrole raamwerk, -model en -standaard en die gepaardgaande prosesse. Deur die toepaslike prosesse van hierdie kontrole raamwerk, -model en -standaard te kombineer en te belyn met 'n besigheid se besigheidsimperatiewe, word IT korporatiewe beheerbeginsels op 'n strategiese vlak in plek gestel. Die geïntegreerde raamwerk sluit riglyne in om goeie IT kontroles op 'n operasionele vlak te implementeer. Die kontrole tegnieke, wat verbind word met die gepaardgaande prosesse wat tydens die strategiese vlak geïdentifiseerd is, word geimplementeer asook die die toepaslike konfigurasie kontroles oor die verskeie toegangspaaie wat beïnvloed word deur 'n besigheids se besigheidsimperatiewe. Deur gebruik te maak van die ontwikkelde geïntegreerde raamwerk kan alle geaffekteerde IT risikos nou aangespreek word en 'n doeltreffende IT korporatiewe beheerstelsel in plek gestel word.

Text in English / There is general consensus about the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) security in South Africa. This consensus is evident from initiatives related to the formulation of legislation and policies like the Electronic Communications and Transactions (ECT) Act and the National Cyber Security Policy. A number of South African academic institutions have also come on board with initiatives aimed at enhancing ICT security awareness all over the country. In fact, ICT security awareness has been classified as an important component of South Africa’s national security. Many countries use ICT to improve and enhance the standard of their education systems. A number of scholars in South Africa have conducted studies with the aim of proving that ICT can play a major role in improving the quality of education in the country. The research in hand investigates the lack of integration of ICT security awareness into the South African education system. The literature review that was conducted reveals that there is a huge problem especially when it comes to the integration of ICT security awareness into the South African schooling system. The advancement of technology has come with a number of advantages and disadvantages. The easy access to information via the internet, coupled by unsupervised access to instant messaging applications (Skype, MXiT) and social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and many more), hugely increases the vulnerability of school learners to ICT security attacks and ICT-related crime. The current research therefore investigates the vulnerability caused by the lack of ICT security awareness among school learners as one of the main disadvantages of the advancement of information technology. An analysis of existing models and frameworks in the two spheres of ICT, namely education and ICT security was conducted. The aim was to determine any similarities or overlap between these spheres and to determine whether the existing ICT models and frameworks are relevant to South Africa. The analysis showed a significant disparity and inconsistency between the two spheres and proved that there is a definite need for a framework (relevant to South Africa) that can be used for the integration of ICT security awareness into South African education. Hence, the researcher proposed a more integrated approach in the form of a framework that is directed at South African school learners, based on an in-depth literature review of past scholarly work, models and frameworks. Having reviewed a number of existing models and frameworks, and identifying the potential gaps, the researcher proposed a framework to address the lack of integration of ICT security awareness into the South African education system. The proposed framework, called the South African ICT Security Awareness Framework for Education (SAISAFE), was reviewed for its potential applicability in the South African context, and the results of the literature review analysis are reported to support the analysis of models and frameworks. / School of Computing / M. A. (Computing)

Thesis (MTech. degree in Education) -- Tshwane University of Technology, 2010. / This study was aimed at examining factors that influence ICT integration in education at high schools in the Nkomazi sub-region of Mpumalanga Province with a view to provide efforts towards its implementation.

According to the Draft White Paper on e-Education (DoE, 2003), the objective of ICTs in education is to build digital and information literacy so that all learners become confident and competent in using technology to contribute to an innovative and developing South African society. International researchers have acknowledged that little is known about learners’ perceptions of their own learning, but that learners are aware of how technology can be used and have the potential to contribute ideas about ICTs can be used to support their learning. To add to this growing body of research, this study sought to establish secondary school learners’ experiences and perceptions of the value of integrating ICT into the curriculum and the extent to which they believe that ICT is meaningfully integrated into the curriculum. Although some of the schools do not have the necessary ICT infrastructure, this did not preclude the learners from having opinions about the potential benefits and drawbacks of ICT. The findings display the learners’ perceptions on ICT use within the curriculum and how this relates to the available infrastructure in schools.

Attempts to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural Information and Communications Technology (ICT) users have led to the deployment of ICT platforms in remote rural areas. This puts an increased demand for skilled support in rural ICT platforms to assist users in resolving technical problems that they face on a daily basis. A web based help desk system is developed and implemented to allow knowledge sharing and collaboration amongst users and experts as a way of ensuring the technical sustainability of the Siyakhula Living Lab, a remote rural based Information and Communications Technology (ICT4D) intervention. The research describes the use of Transactional and Innovation & Creative knowledge management strategies and their associated applications such as case-based reasoning (CBR) methods and collaborative knowledge approaches to develop a help desk support system for a geographically distributed multipurpose ICT centre in Dwesa, a rural remote area in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The system implemented in this study has been validated for functional adequacy and usability within the Siyakhula Living Lab. The results of the evaluation are presented in this thesis to provide the initial validation of the effectiveness of the help desk system. Keywords: ICT4D, ICT, Case-Based Reasoning; Collaborative Knowledge, Technical Sustainability, Help Desk Systems, Siyakhula Living Lab Forums, Issue Tracking, Rural Users, South Africa

Thesis (MTech (Information Technology))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012. / The wine industry is complex hence the farmers and emerging farmers who operate in it are faced with environmental, social and economic constraints. Even though various issues have been pointed out to be contributing to the slow uptake of ICT by emerging farmers (Cox, 1995), McCartney (2007) however pointed out that DSSs can enhance gains in economic, social and environmental benefits. This study investigates how wine farmers use ICTs to support decision making in order to assist emerging farmers adopt and use the ICTs for decision making. Decision making is crucial; it is one of the most important tasks of management in running a successful business (Dralega, 2007). Emerging farmers have to operate in a complex environment and ICT use can lead to the effective use of information to support decision making in the industry. Experienced farmers use ICT tools to support decision making and use information to make informed decisions in their operations. Emerging farmers are at a distinct disadvantage as they have no previous knowledge of farming and have to find their way on a day to day basis. This has the potential of reducing profitability and sustainability of the emerging farmers who have entered the industry. The main research question is: "how can emerging farmers utilise ICT for decision making in the wine industry in the Breede River Valley region in the Western Cape?" Interviews were done to gather primary data. In this case it is information about the technological and information needs of farmers which might help them in decision making. The literature is reviewed in this study to gather secondary data. The study took an inductive approach and the epistemological stance in this study is interpretivism. The case study was used as strategy for the study. The interviewees emphasised the importance of ICTs in their decision making; they mentioned that without the use of ICTs in decision their businesses will crumble. In order to prosper in their business, emerging farmers need to invest in ICTs as this will also assist in improving livelihoods of the farmers and their workers.

The development of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in rural areas has