Thesis (M.A. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / This study examined the effect of digital news reporting on professional journalistic practice focusing on fake sport news websites. It evolves from the fact that, despite the progressive benefits of the digital revolution, the rise of fake news websites has become common practice associated with the clickbait that spreads rumours posted on unofficial accounts often with a journalistic pretext. The aim of this study was to examine how fake digital sport news reporting impacts on professional journalistic practice. The objectives of the study were: to describe the nature of internet-based fake sport news stories and websites; to assess the credibility of sport news disseminated through fake news sites, and to determine the implications of fake sport news stories and websites on standard news practice. The descriptive design within the qualitative interpretive paradigm was used to determine the negative effect that fake sport news has on professional journalistic practice. Qualitative content analysis of ten sample news excerpts and in-depth interviews with sixteen expert informants were complementarily used to collect data. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was applied to generate discursive themes which yielded the study outcomes. The data from screenshots and interviews were collected, corroborated and analysed, using content and thematic analysis techniques. After analysing both the screenshots and the interviews, a total of eight themes emerged from the study. The study notes how fake sport news and its associated litany of misinformation and/or disinformation has contributed to the creation of false hypes about sports news to the detriment of professional journalism practice. The study revealed that fake sport news is prominent on social media and poses a major challenge to journalistic integrity and credibility. From the various screenshots, fake headlines were identified as a contributing factor to the rise of fake news stories. It was also found that fake sport news has a negative effect on journalism practice, as it spreads lies, makes people more interested in emotional stories and forces credible news agencies to also use sensational headlines to gain the attention of an audience. The interviews revealed that characteristics of fake sport news stories are exaggerated, misleading, have no source or attributions, no by-lines or unknown authors and misrepresent so-called facts. iv vi The study recommends that research, fact-checking, naming and shaming people/websites that popularize fake sport news should be made known to the public; proper training and assertion of certain rules, regulations and ethics for new reporters and journalists to follow and stick to; there must be thorough research and cross checking of information gained from a secondary source; a governing body to possibly monitor and crack down on serial propagators and spreaders of fake sports news stories; sport journalists should alert readers of fake sport news and fake sport news websites, as these are common in sport due to the popularity of sport news sites; and sport journalists should stay away from reporting/re-writing and sharing fake news in order to maintain credibility and ethics in sport news reporting.

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This study investigates the usability of the South African Super 14 Rugby franchise web sites. Web site usability is a measure of a web site user’s experience when visiting a web site. A web site user’s experience will determine how well a web site’s goals are achieved. The relevant web site goals are, having as many visitors as possible, both unique visitors and repeat visitors, and ensuring that those visitors stay on the web site for as long as possible. This study uses data generation method triangulation to enhance the validity of the findings. The data generation methods are an e-mail questionnaire survey and an expert group consensus method called the Delphi Method. This study shows that within each web site and across all five web sites, there is poor usability consistency. Management guidelines and recommendations for improvements to these web sites are presented, so that the web site goals can be achieved. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

E-commerce is the current approach for doing any type of business online, which uses the superior power of digital information to understand the requirements and preferences of each client and each partner, to adapt products and services for them, and then to distribute the products and services as swiftly as possible.

This study investigates the usability of the South African Super 14 Rugby franchise web sites. Web site usability is a measure of a web site user’s experience when visiting a web site. A web site user’s experience will determine how well a web site’s goals are achieved. The relevant web site goals are, having as many visitors as possible, both unique visitors and repeat visitors, and ensuring that those visitors stay on the web site for as long as possible. This study uses data generation method triangulation to enhance the validity of the findings. The data generation methods are an e-mail questionnaire survey and an expert group consensus method called the Delphi Method. This study shows that within each web site and across all five web sites, there is poor usability consistency. Management guidelines and recommendations for improvements to these web sites are presented, so that the web site goals can be achieved. / Computer Science / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

This project was created for third grade teachers who use the Houghton Mifflin Language Arts series and want to integrate computer software into their writing curriculum. The website created includes all the writing assignments that the students are to complete and the required software used to complete the assignment.

E-commerce is the current approach for doing any type of business online, which uses the superior power of digital information to understand the requirements and preferences of each client and each partner, to adapt products and services for them, and then to distribute the products and services as swiftly as possible.

This study develops and applies a conceptual framework that can be used to evaluate dynamic Web platforms in order to determine a platform for teaching Web application development in tertiary institutions. The framework is specific, yet comprehensive and supported with theory and empirical experimental programming results. We first identify the concepts of Web application development and the constraints to be satisfied by a platform for teaching identified concepts. Then we establish various criteria that will enhance the teaching of the concepts. We also establish qualities and experiment that will ensure that a selected platform is easy to use, fast, portable and affordable. A spreadsheet tool is developed to apply the framework and enable users to customize the framework by varying the criteria's weights. The developed framework is tested by the evaluation of the suitability of Java Servlets, JSP, ASP and PHP with PHP emerging as a suitable platform. / Computing / M.Sc. (Information Systems)

We investigate whether usability aspects affect the design and development of the browsing experience in electronic commerce applications. The study is limited to the generic electronic commerce activities and does not address the financial perspective. As background we studied the electronic commerce domain, interaction design and information systems development methodologies. Within a quasi-experimental research design we then developed two experimental websites to test our hypotheses that the usability principles of consistency, structured information and navigation affect the users of a website: one adhering and one violating these principles. Respondents were required to record their perceptions of both using a questionnaire. We found that usability issues had a minimal influence on the perceived success of the websites. It is thus only one of many factors that needs to be considered in the design and development of a successful electronic commerce website, and cannot be treated as an isolated add-on. / Kotzé, P. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)

We investigate whether usability aspects affect the design and development of the browsing experience in electronic commerce applications. The study is limited to the generic electronic commerce activities and does not address the financial perspective. As background we studied the electronic commerce domain, interaction design and information systems development methodologies. Within a quasi-experimental research design we then developed two experimental websites to test our hypotheses that the usability principles of consistency, structured information and navigation affect the users of a website: one adhering and one violating these principles. Respondents were required to record their perceptions of both using a questionnaire. We found that usability issues had a minimal influence on the perceived success of the websites. It is thus only one of many factors that needs to be considered in the design and development of a successful electronic commerce website, and cannot be treated as an isolated add-on. / Kotzé, P. / Information Science / M. A. (Information Science)