No abstract available / Economics / M. Comm. (Economics)

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 in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation March 2015 / Guth and Ginsberg (1990) stressed that Corporate Entrepreneurship (CE) encompasses two major phenomena: new venture creation within existing organisations and the transformation of on-going organisations through strategic renewal. Zahra (1991, p. 262) observed that Corporate Entrepreneurship may be formal or informal activities aimed at creating new business in established companies through product and process innovations and market developments. The research study was quantitative and data was collected through an online questionnaire, which used closed-ended questionnaires. The questionnaires entail assessing the degree of CE within the telecommunications industry in South Africa. The analysis involved 172 samples of responses to the online questionnaire. The research indicated that that there is a correlation between the dependent variable (entrepreneurial orientation) and the independent variables (innovation, performance, risk taking, and pro-activeness). The findings of the research contribute to the South African telecommunications industry in terms of innovation, regulation, external collaboration and entrepreneurial orientation literature and studies. / MT2017

No abstract available / Economics / M. Comm. (Economics)

Most government owned telecommunication operators across the world have to deal with a number of regulatory, technology and service challenges, as the industry is liberalised in co-ordinance with worldwide trends. Telkom SA will be facing a number of strategic challenges that will test its ability to survive as a telecommunications company over the next number of years. To remain competitive, Telkom must develop strategies to assure survival in a competitive environment. To assure the long-term survival of Telkom SA when moving into a competitive environment, the organisation must build a sustainable competitive advantage. In the face of increasingly fierce competition, the adoption of collaborative alliances between firms is becoming more and more common and the adoption of a world-class supply chain will be an ideal scenario for Telkom SA. A worldclass supply chain goes beyond the scope of the internal operations of an organisation, therefore the material distribution process was chosen for this study, which involved the internal operations in the organisation. The study included the availability of material up to the transportation of the material to the staging areas. The aim of this research was to identify the inefficiencies of the material distribution process of the Southern Region of Telkom SA to become worldclass. A quantitative technique was used to identify the inefficiencies. It was found that the availability and transportation of material were the inefficient categories, preventing the customer to receive the product or service on time. Communication, inaccurate forecasting and inefficient transportation of material were some of the reasons for not delivering material on time. Some of the recommendations included developing a model that could overcome the current inefficiencies in transportation, improving the communication channels, training and the development of employees at all levels.

M.B.A. / The currently available literature regarding Strategic Alliances, (SA's), is vast and fragmented, based on differing views, perspectives and academic bases. The literature certainly suggests, as a common theme, the importance of partnering type relationships as becoming more and more important as a source of competitive advantage as markets become more uncertain and risky and as finns battle to acquire all the resources necessary to compete effectively for the future in an industry. While rends have shown a huge increase in the number of SA formations, studies have also shown that many of these alliances fail. A commonly cited reason for alliance failure is that SA's are not understood properly upfront in terms of exactly what an alliance is and what it can do in terms of the alliance value creation logic. Lack of trust is another commonly cited reason for failure of SA's. The aim of this research was to establish the feasibility of the SA concept in terms of...

The global media landscape has undergone fundamental changes. South Africa is one of the countries that has been part of the global media revolution, and it is therefore not surprising that the broadcasting and the telecommunications industry in South Africa finds itself in the midst of critical and rapid changes. From a technological and legislative viewpoint, the industry is grappling with the meaning and implications of the convergence of broadcasting (Sentech Annual Report, 2002). Sentech Limited is used as a case study for this dissertation. The present study examines the nature of Sentech's transformation as a service arm within the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) to a fully-fledged, profit driven, state-owned enterprise. The advent of technological convergence and the introduction of new digital technologies afford Sentech exciting new opportunities to expand in the communications arena. The first chapter entails the methods of data collection used, as well as the analysis of data collected from the interviews and surveys. It is worth reviewing the challenges that Sentech faces as it operates independently of SABC, as well as how its transition into a digital oriented enterprise has developed and necessitated the possible access to information. Chapter two discusses and outlines Sentech's history and its structure. The two issues raised guide the reader towards a better understanding of the 'old Sentech', and its transformation to a 'renewed entity'. The history surveys Sentech's establishment from the initial stages when it was a mere division of SABC, focused on technological aspects of analogue terrestrial signal distribution. The new technological revolution introduced and transformed Sentech into a digital transmitter. The 'new Sentech's outfitted with new technological platforms for distribution and transmission. For instance, IP Wireless mobile broadband and other new technological structures contributed to reshaping Sentech into a digitally oriented transmitter. The design of the company tracks different developments in which Sentech has engaged over the past ten years, and are dealt with the following sections. The third chapter deals with Sentech's transformation as an outcome of the liberalization wherein the effects of this process need to be looked at including the role of the government, market structure, issues of competition with Orbicom and Telkom, the new competitive strategies and ICASA's role as a regulator. The fourth chapter covers the concepts and theories that may help inform the discussion in the dissertation. Three theories will be used in the discussion to help to analyze and evaluate the data collected. The theories are very important as they motivate this study. They are concerned with the concept of political economy. Political economy signifies "the production, distribution, and consumption of the more general interest in the process of control and survival in social life" (Mosco, 1996: 17). These will exemplify the opportunities that Sentech faced as an independent commercial enterprise. Furthermore, the section explains technological components. Sentech is a signal distributor, which underwent transformation. Concepts such as 'convergence' produce a vivid explanation of how Sentech was allowed to undertake an aggressive business transformation, from being traditional signal distribution to international telephony and multimedia service. Chapter five entails the performance of Sentech. This part discusses the revenue, public interest on matters relating to access and some of the key challenges. There is also a discussion on globalization, digitization and convergence which Sentech has engaged in. The last chapter will be concerned with a conclusion and will recommend a way forward. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of donors in the establishment, implementation and sustainability of donor-funded telecentres in Africa. This was achieved by looking at success factors and reasons of failure at three donor-funded telecentres across three countries on the continent. The projects in question were Nakaseke Telecentre in Uganda, Bhamshela Telecentre in South Africa and the Malawi Rural Telecentre Project (MRTP) which, in the end, was never implemented in Malawi. To achieve the objectives of the study, both secondary and primary sources of data were used. The population of the study consisted of senior officers within the organisations that pledged financial and technical support for the MR TP and those that funded the Bhamshela and Nakaseke Telecentres. However, since there was no response from the donors of the Nakaseke Telecentre, all the data relating to the case was solely sourced from the literature (both print and on-line). Data collected dealt with various aspects of telecentre establishment, implementation and sustainability. The study found that Africa depends heavily on external finance and expertise to establish and implement telecentres due to financial incapacity, lack of expertise and poor infrastructure. The various experiences from the three cases have also demonstrated that donors cannot apply a single model of implementation uniformly across the region due to various political and socio-economic factors existing in different areas of the continent. Finally, the study highlighted the fact that if project sustainability is to be achieved, donors need to constantly improve the training and management component of telecentres. Therefore, rather than trying to draw a standard blueprint for project success, donors need to be ingenious and learn from shared experiences in the field, creatively adapting the solutions that work in one context to others. In conclusion, the findings identified in the present study potentially open up a window for the possibility of future research in terms of the success of donor-funded telecentres in Africa. / Thesis (MIS)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

<strong>Nature and Scope of the Study</strong><br /> Constant organisational change can be attributed to many factors, including competition among peers in the same markets, globalisation, privatisation of public sector organisations, technological advances, and operational requirements. These factors almost always lead to organisations reducing headcount. One such organisation is Telkom, which bi-annually embarks on large-scale retrenchments. Service organisations within the company were chosen at random to participate in this study. Telkom&rsquo / s Human Resource Management, Legal Services, Employee Relations, and the organisation&rsquo / s recognised unions participated in this study.<br /> <br /> <strong>Purpose and Objectives of the Study</strong><br /> Through an evaluation of Telkom&rsquo / s staff reduction process, the study seeks to:<br /> 1. Find out what measures Telkom has in place to ease the necessity of retrenchment within the organisation.<br /> 2. Review whether Telkom has looked at other alternatives before planning staff reductions.<br /> 3. Investigate whether a social plan within Telkom exists to help incorporate retrenched employees back into the economy.<br /> 4. Investigate and examine Telkom&rsquo / s compliance with labour legislation, specifically the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Submitted to the Information Technology (IT) Department in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Technology, Durban University of Technology. Durban, South Africa, 2016. / This doctoral research introduces an integration of satellite systems and new stratospheric platforms for weather observation, imaging and transfer of meteorological data to the ground infrastructures. Terrestrial configuration and satellite communication subsystems represent well-established technologies that have been involved in global satellite sensing and weather observation area for years. However, in recent times, a new alternative has emerged based on quasi-stationary aerial platforms located in the Stratosphere called High Altitude Platform (HAP) or Stratospheric Communication Platforms (SCP). The SCP systems seem to represent a dream come true for communication engineers since they preserve most of the advantages of both terrestrial and satellite communication systems. Today, SCP systems are able to help, in a more cost effective way, developments of space Earth sensing and weather observation and weather sensing and observation. This new system can provide a number of forms ranging from a low altitude tethered balloon to a high altitude (18 – 25 km) fuel-powered piloted aircraft, solar-powered unmanned airplanes and solar-powered airship.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Engineering, University of the '\Vitwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy / THIS STUDY identifies and evaluates factors that affect call connections in the South African public data networks, modelling these factors to aid data network planning. The research shows the relationship between the economic rank of each region served and the data communication resources required for that region. Moreover, it shows the resources required between regions. THE THRUST of this thesis is that the volume of cans from a region can be estimated from its economic ...k and more than 75% olthe variation in the volume of calls between regions can be explained using the ranks of the originating and terminating regions. To prove this, records of more than four million calls are accumulated for all regions of the South African packet switched data network. An appropriate filtering and aggregation method is developed. EXISTING growth models including the gravity model are separately examined. Based on probability and dimensional arguments, the Bell System growth model is selected. It is revealed that the success of this model depends on one premise being satisfied: this model tacitly anti implicitly assumes that the originating and terminating calls are statistically independent. RETURNING to the data network, it is found that the call connections (after filtering and aggregation) display dependence of destination on origin. Reasons for the dependence are discovered. Multiple linear regression reveals the nature of this dependence. Surprisingly, distance is not a factor. The importance of regional ranks and an inter-regional indicator variable are also discovered. FINALL Y, call volume from a node is shown to be directly linked with the weighted Gross Regional and Industrial Product of the region. This quantity, in tum, is inversely related to the rank of the region. Call connections are then modelled to be equal to the call connections within the first tanked region divided by the product of the originating region's rank and the terminating region's rank. This simple and economical model explains 76% of the variations that occur in call connections. It has proved its use by being included in the data transfer services product-line report. / Andrew Chakane 2018