<p>Product innovation and its efficient diffusion are important to enhance factor productivity, market access, job creation and trade. Innovative firms remain competitive in an increasingly global environment. Product innovation add maximum economic value when the new knowledge and technical know-how are spread through the economy. Standardisation of products is regarded as a vital tool to enable the diffusion of product innovations. The economic rationale for standardisation is based on the theory market failure that requires some sort of correction. Standardisation is regarded as a public good, a form of technical infrastructure. It reduces transaction costs and information asymmetries / increased the willingness of consumers to pay, which in turn increases the success and diffusion of innovation. Lower transaction costs result in reduced production and distribution costs. For consumers it also results in reduced search and testing costs as well as reduced time and effort to evaluate quality. Studies on the impact of standardisation were done for some developed countries, but not for developing countries. Unlike most studies that have a narrow industry-focus, this report has a broader focus on the impact of various types of standards on product innovation, market access and trade. It presented specific case studies for various industries in South Africa as well as studies on the impact of standards internationally.</p>

M.Tech. (Operations Management) / The South African manufacturing sector is considered the main driver of economic growth, but is falling behind in adopting and adequately using information and communication technology (ICT) to improve productivity and competitiveness. This is creating a constraint that hinders the manufacturing sector, adversely affecting its ability to access the global market and produce high value-added goods, and also to compete globally. Thus, the main objective of this dissertation is to gain an in-depth understanding of the impact of ICT on service design and operations to address barriers to manufacturing sector growth and to improve productivity and competitiveness. This study proposes an ICT-based service design model to increase productivity and competitiveness in the South African manufacturing sectors. It argues that the challenges faced can be addressed and that some of the solutions lie in the integration of ICT into service design and operations processes. The research adopted an interpretive approach through qualitative methods and, was carried out as a single case study using ArcelorMittal South Africa for which a purposive sampling technique was considered appropriate. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews, and tape recorded and analysed through descriptive procedures. The findings suggest that ICT diffuses rapidly, creating opportunities and challenges for manufacturing companies. In addition it was found out that the adoption and adequate use of ICT depends on the implementation phase. This is when most challenges and impacts are experienced: for example, technological capability, technical skills, resources and ICT infrastructure capabilities. In addition, the findings suggest that a more educated workforce possesses the capability to acquire the necessary skills, in the form of self-education to overcome any challenges encountered. Evidence also shows that companies are facing challenges in relation to the selection and integration of the right technologies due to lack of ICT expertise. Therefore, this research proposes an ICT-based service design model to increase productivity and global competitiveness in the manufacturing sectors in South Africa.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation. Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (March 2017) / Innovation is one of the core and key characteristics of entrepreneurship, which stimulates operational and financial success of a firm. Innovation is ambidextrous in nature, characterised by exploration and exploitation. This report is concerned with exploitative innovation, which is characterised by new; products, services, and processes. This Research Report investigates how human capital investments (years of schooling and years of work experience of telecoms firms’ senior managers and executives) relate to innovation performance. This paper uses the human capital theory and the resource base theory to understand the perceived impact of human capital investments on performance and also its perceived moderation effect on the nexus between innovation and performance. Research findings from 81 senior management and executives of four major telecoms firms in South Africa indicate that innovation has a perceived direct impact on the perceived success of the firm. However, a counterintuitive relationship of human capital investments with performance is observed. Furthermore, human capital investments have a counterintuitive moderating effect on the nexus between innovation and performance. Therefore, this research report discusses human capital variable configurations that are more likely to have a perceived impact on a telecoms firm performance, and human capital variable configuration that are likely to have a moderating effect on the nexus between innovation and performance. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Occupational Social Work, August 2017 / Technology is ubiquitous and presents an opportunity for the psychosocial profession to explore and expand the platforms through which counselling and support for employees is offered. The aim of the research study was to explore the perceptions of counsellors regarding the use of online text technologies as a medium for intervention in the workplace environment. Mobile technology globally and in South Africa is growing rapidly, people are connected to information and services more than ever before. More services are being offered and marketed through the use of online technology mediums; these include professional services for mental wellbeing counselling support. Recognising that this is a relatively new field of study, it is valuable to gain insight from experienced counsellors regarding the use of online text based technologies for counselling specifically for workplace environments. Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) is used as a framework that it explains how the object of study being text based counselling technologies are used currently characterised by highly mobile social media use. This study employed a qualitative approach and was contextualised to a specific organisation, the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) because it offers online counselling interventions which include specific programmes for workplace environments on mental health. Purposive sampling was used to select a total of eight counsellors with experience using online text based mediums and two key informants representing management of the organisation. Individual face-to-face interviews were conducted using two semi- structured interview schedules. Thematic content analysis was used for interpretation of the data. The findings show that counsellors do not prefer to use text based online counselling technologies for serious mental health issues. Results indicate that though online text based technologies are relevant as part of employee wellness services in the workplace, the platforms are more suitable for containment, information and referral purposes. Recommendations from the study are for further research to inform standards of practise and formalised and structured training is required for counsellors. / XL2018

A Dissertation in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Commerce by Research in Information Systems / Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems aim to provide an integrated solution to a number of hospital processes, including supporting administrative functions such as patient billing, providing clinical guidelines, and allowing clinicians to order and view lab reports. Yet with all these possible benefits, like many other types of information systems and technologies, their impact on hospital performance has been a key area of interest and a source of debate. This study examines the extent to which EMR systems are available across South African hospitals as well as how well they have been integrated into the processes of the said hospitals. The diffusion of EMR systems means they are available in the relevant clinical units whilst their infusion suggests they are comprehensively embedded into the processes that they are meant to support. The most important question answered in this study was whether the diffusion and infusion of these systems had any impact on the performance of hospitals. Answering this question would aid decision makers on whether more effort is indeed needed to ensure their availability across units and their embedding into hospital processes. The study collected data from a number of hospitals in the private and public sector with multiple informants providing data on diffusion and infusion of these systems as well as on hospital performance. Performance measures included the hospitals’ economic efficiency, their clinical effectiveness, patient safety, and patient satisfaction. Key findings were that while there are performance benefits in the diffusion of EMR systems across units, the impacts are not always positive for some hospitals. Large hospitals were less likely to benefit from the diffusion of these systems. However the comprehensive use of these systems provided benefits for all types of hospitals, suggesting that while availability may be important, it is the comprehensive embedding of the EMR system into the hospital’s processes that is more beneficial to all types of hospitals. These results present further opportunity for research into why the impact of EMR systems is not always positive for some hospitals. / MT2017

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017 / Globally, information communication technologies (ICT) have experienced rapid growth since the 1990’s. In South Africa, information communication technology now accounts for a larger percentage of the Gross Domestic Product than other sectors. Thus, ICT is an important driver of entrepreneurship, employment creation and economic development in SA. As such, one of the critical questions is how to ensure the competitiveness and performance of ICT firms. Entrepreneurship studies argue that the performance of entrepreneurial firms is affected by, amongst other things, the firms’ social capital such as formal networks. This study, therefore, examined the impact of formal networks on firm entrepreneurial performance of ICT firms in SA, paying specific attention to weak ties as well as the moderating role of the environment. The study adopted a positivist paradigm which relied on quantitative data, using a descriptive survey method. Applying probability sampling, a sample of 120 firms were surveyed from an industry database, achieving a 14% response rate. This response rate is adequate for the generalisation of the results (Urban & Sefalafala, 2015). In analysing the data, factor analysis to reduce several variables into latent factors was performed. Thereafter, statistical linear regression modelling was performed using the continuous dependent variable – Firm Entrepreneurial Performance indicated by: Growth in Sales and Market Share, and Profitability; and the continuous independent variable of Formal Networking indicated by: Network Tie Strength and Relationship Quality and Nature sub-constructs. The results demonstrate significant correlation between formal networking and firm entrepreneurial performance as well as weak ties. However, the results indicate no evidence for the moderating role of the environment. At a theoretical level, this shows that formal networking and weak ties are beneficial to ICT firms but the environment is a contingent factor. At a practical level, managers and firm owners should consider joining formal networks that promote weak tie relationships in order to access complementary assets and valuable information. Policy makers and other stakeholders should devise policies and programmes that support entrepreneurial ICT firms to engage in formal networking. The limitations of the study include the following: first, the study was cross sectional and limited to ICT firms on an industry database; second, the control variables did not include firm size. Future research should consider a longitudinal study to test the long-term impact of firm entrepreneurial behaviour as well as firm size to inform firm specific research. More studies should test the moderating role of environment. / MT 2017

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the document delivery service (DDS) at an open distance learning institution (ODL). A quantitative survey was conducted using a convenience sample (N=107) of the students registered in the Master’s programme with the College of Education (CEDU) at the University of South Africa (UNISA). Pearson’s correlational analysis was used to determine the students’ perceptions of the relationship between the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the DDS at an ODL institution. The results indicated a negative relationship between computer literacy and communication channels. Furthermore, the results indicated that information literacy skills positively and significantly predict the means of access to the Internet and library skills training predict access to information. The findings of this study show a need for future research in exploring the association between the use of ICTs and document delivery services. In order to rectify the challenge in an ODL institution, it is suggested that ODL institutions should ensure that both librarians and students possess the required skills and competencies. It is recommended that future research takes into consideration the limitations of this study. / Information Science / M. Inf.

M. Tech. Entrepreneurship / This study examined the practice of corporate entrepreneurship within K.C. Auto Technology (K.C. Auto Tech), a company that specializes in auto electrical service and parts in South Africa, serving the entire automotive, heavy-duty, construction and agricultural industry. Corporate entrepreneurship is a top-down process, which originates with and filters down to employees. It is a management strategy to foster workforce initiatives and efforts to innovate and develop new business. An assessment of the corporate entrepreneurial environment is cardinal to the successful implementation of an intrapreneurial strategy which may assist K.C. Auto Technology in gaining a competitive edge. The researcher aimed to explore the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is practised within K.C. Auto Technology.

<p>Product innovation and its efficient diffusion are important to enhance factor productivity, market access, job creation and trade. Innovative firms remain competitive in an increasingly global environment. Product innovation add maximum economic value when the new knowledge and technical know-how are spread through the economy. Standardisation of products is regarded as a vital tool to enable the diffusion of product innovations. The economic rationale for standardisation is based on the theory market failure that requires some sort of correction. Standardisation is regarded as a public good, a form of technical infrastructure. It reduces transaction costs and information asymmetries / increased the willingness of consumers to pay, which in turn increases the success and diffusion of innovation. Lower transaction costs result in reduced production and distribution costs. For consumers it also results in reduced search and testing costs as well as reduced time and effort to evaluate quality. Studies on the impact of standardisation were done for some developed countries, but not for developing countries. Unlike most studies that have a narrow industry-focus, this report has a broader focus on the impact of various types of standards on product innovation, market access and trade. It presented specific case studies for various industries in South Africa as well as studies on the impact of standards internationally.</p>

M.Com. (Strategic Management) / Computer technology is a phenomena that has impacted on each and every sphere of life. The business world, in particular, has had to take cognisance of this fact. This study focused on how South African banks have made use of computer technology, more specifically CBIS. The study concentrated on the four largest banks in South Africa, being ABSA, FNB, Nedcor and SBIC. Besides being rated as some of the largest businesses in the country, these banks were also extensive users of CBIS. They also regarded IS of great strategic importance to them. Technology and information resources were looked at from a banking perspective. The technology resource was narrowed down to computer technology, consisting of hardware and software components. Information, having its origin in data, is a resource that was either overlooked or neglected by businesses. Banks did recognise the strategic importance of these resources, however they rated top managements' computer literacy somewhat unfavourable, which poses a problem for them. EIS was stated as a medium for executives to obtain their information from. The integration of IS as a strategic resource into the strategic management process of a bank formed the crux of this study. The strategic management process has to address this issue at a corporate level. In banks IS was regarded as an IT matter rather than a VlJ management matter, resulting in top management not getting involved or supporting IS strategies effectively. The supporting role of IS, both in business activities and management decisions, have to be fully understood and appreciated for optimal use of this resource. The strategic management process was discussed with strategy formulation coming first. Practical ways of integrating IS activities were given by addressing the strategic fit between the organisation and IS. Banks said that they did focus on IS in their strategic management process and that IS strategies were mostly implemented by them. Strategic control has to determine whether the intended IS strategies have materialised in what they were set out to achieve. A practical framework, based on IRM, was developed for banks. Some alternate strategies for IS, related to the revamping or upgrading of IS, were also highlighted. Banking IS for the future seem to be unlimited with new technologies developing daily. IS for banks in the future has to form an integral part of their strategic management processes. A bank has to assess where they are now regarding their IS, where they would like to be and then how to get there.