From a global perspective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been highlighted by business and society alike as essential. However, there is a growing concern surrounding the misalignment of funded and failed projects between business and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Literature indicates that often projects are initiated by the corporate donor without taking into consideration the need and long-term impact their investment might have on the selected NGO and the community that NGO supports (Blowfield & Frynas, 2005; Blundin, 2012; Kanter, 1999; Salang & Molebatsi, 2012). Furthermore, there is little emphasis on the role the NGO could play in the CSR granting process. The current research explores the role of CSR in business, the role of NGOs and the problems arising from the misalignment between the two. This paper questions the strategic alignment of CSR between business and NGOs and argues that something needs to change to form a cohesive and mutually sustainable model of engagement. A combination of phenomenology and Grounded Theory were used as the methodological frameworks for this research in order to understand how strategic alignment might result in a cohesive and sustainable match for the business and the NGO in the grant making and grant requesting phase. Justification for the use of blended methodologies is discussed in the study. The research examined the role of Dell South Africa's CSR processes and two of their NGO beneficiaries namely Christel House South Africa (CHSA) and Students Health and Welfare Centre Organization (SHAWCO). Staff from various levels within each of the above mentioned organizations formed part of the sample group. Semi-structured face-to-face and telephonic interviews were used to gather the research data, which was then analyzed and developed into codes using NVivo. The validity, reliability and justification surrounding the research have also been addressed. Eight key categories namely goal and vision alignment, strategic intent, communication, value creation, relevance and ROI, harsh realities, sustainability and impact and monitoring and evaluation, emerged from the data analysis and a model, based on the traditional Business Model Canvas, was developed. This model acts as a visual tool for corporates and NGOs when going through the CSR granting process and suggests that it should form the basis for a strategically aligned and cohesive fit between the two entities. Implications for corporates, NGOs and academics as well as areas for future research have also been outlined.

Includes bibliographical references. / IT governance is a highly researched field with a majority of the literature focusing on structural (form) and processual (contingency) mechanisms. The theoretical foundations of agency theory, which has a strong focus on control, predominantly underpin the current IT governance practices. The field is lacking in research contributions on relational mechanisms of IT governance and how they influence governance outcomes. Despite the amount of prescriptive models and “best practice frameworks” available in the field, achieving key IT governance outcomes remains amongst the highest ranked management concerns. This paper seeks to explicate the disharmony between current practices and espoused theory through a case study within an organization in the pursuit to understand multi-stakeholder perspectives as to their impression of governance, its purpose and relevance in the organization; for the purpose of attaining a systemic, multi -perspective view on governance as a practice within organizations, as opposed to those prescribed in mainstream theory. A key objective of this research is to provide more insight on the existing gap between the various stakeholders' perspectives on IT governance in the multiple echelons of an organization, with particular emphasis on the alignment of mental models and the process of sense making; revealing a deeper understanding of current governance practices from the social/relational, structural and processual mechanisms within an organization and highlighting the as-lived perceptions on IT governance purpose, objectives, important IT mechanisms for effective IT governance and perspectives on current IT governance effectiveness within their context. The culmination of the findings from this research reveal in a need for organizations to engage in a sense-making process that enables the inclusive conceptualization of IT governance within their context. At the core, it is about IT governance vision- purpose- practice alignment, and as a (important) consequence, about business and IT alignment.

There is a growing need for businesses to shift toward a more sustainable strategic focus if they are to positively impact the societies within which they operate and remain viable businesses in the future. This is becoming increasingly acknowledged amongst South African organisations, however the challenge they face is in refocusing their strategic goals to be sustainably oriented. In order to tackle this challenge many organisations internationally and locally are starting to utilise information technology based tools and technological platforms as a mechanism for embedding sustainability into their business – tracking their impact and linking sustainability goals to their performance management structures using dashboards to visually represent this data. The intention of this research has been to explore the drivers of this organisational shift towards sustainability, internally and externally, the changes that are being implemented (the content of these strategic changes) and the processes organisations are implementing to become more sustainable. The specific focus is on the tools and technology they are utilising to enable this shift towards sustainability. This research takes the form of a qualitative cross case analysis of six organisations and utilises Pettigrew's framework for strategic change that looks at three parts of a change process: the context, content and process, to attempt to answer the question: How do technology platforms, and the ability for organisations to gather, monitor and manage organisational data relating to sustainability indicators result in more sustainable strategic decision-making within South African organisations? The results of this research demonstrate the link between quantifying activities and deeper integration of sustainable activities within the organisation. The role technology plays, based on the analysis of six South African companies, is frequently dependent on the driver of the quantifying activity and the degree to which the data has an effect on the broader business targets.

There is no more significant threat to a prosperous South Africa than the persistent socioeconomic exclusion and continuous spatial segregation of South African society. Social housing and digital inclusion both play a critical role as inclusionary interventions for the socioeconomic advancement of the previously disenfranchised and the reintegration of apartheid-era segregated communities. Access to ICTs provides marginalised communities with platforms and tools to amplify their voices, gain access to information and reaffirm their citizenship, thereby allowing for more vigorous participation in the national discourse. “The goal of ICTs is not to necessarily solve the digital divide but rather to further the process of social inclusion.” (Warschauer, 2003) Furthermore, these technological platforms provide access to life chances, capital enhancing activities, information and the possibility of building networks outside of individuals' modest social networks. This study seeks to understand how digital exclusion influences the experience of overall inclusion in South African social housing. This dissertation is a qualitative study employing a mixture of phenomenological and ethnographic methods to document and make sense of the lived experiences of participants in relation to their exclusion. The study uses of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys to explore participants' adaptation and integration into local formal institutions and the host community of Blue View Terraces, a mostly white, middle-income neighbourhood located in Cape Town. The study discovered the coexistence of many different and competing forms of exclusion. Firstly, a key finding during the process of residential desegregation or spatial inclusion was participants' pervasive experiences of power dynamics. These power dynamics manifested as discrimination and marginalisation that was partly caused by the absence of relocation support, public awareness programs about social housing and a failure by the social housing institution to adequately address more forms of inclusion than just spatial. Secondly, the findings showed the design of the housing development to be hopelessly inadequate to support newcomers' actual lives. Necessary infrastructure was omitted in favour of a lower build cost. This led to a higher cost of living that is unaffordable for social housing residents and negates the benefits of lower cost rental accommodation. Lastly, findings showed that digital exclusion negatively influences the adjustment of low-socioeconomic status children into high-socioeconomic schools and leads to forced assimilation when learners come into daily contact with schools in their locality. The findings signify that social and economic inclusion efforts and even building projects can and should not be considered in isolation. Each form of exclusion competes with another, often exacerbating its effects. Also, of significance is the default approach to integration in South African schools of assimilation rather than multiculturalism. The outcomes of this study highlight the importance of considering multiple forms of exclusion together rather than in isolation, especially in the context of social inclusion projects.

This study is an exploratory attempt to develop theoretical insights into the organisational capacity for social innovation, utilising a qualitative inquiry into the internal and external practices of a socially focussed organisation. By appreciating the lived experiences of engaging in these practices, the research looks to surface elements that contribute to the social sensitivity required to engage the complexity of social systems. Based in the social constructivism of Berger & Luckman (1966), and the associated institutional theory, seeing the structures which "enable and constrain agents" (Cajaiba-santana, 2014), the research contributes to the fields of collaborative experiential surfacing (W. Nilsson & Paddock, 2013) and resilience within social innovation (Westley, 2013). Through an autoethnographic data collection process, the findings of this study come to witness the different elements of how experiential practises can bring to an organisation a deep connection to social nuances, and challenge traditional structures of authority. The emerging nature of the social innovations developed and the dialogical relationships that support this, are found to be key elements in the context of this study.

The global economic operating system of capitalism is incongruent with the values required to sustain life on a planet with a growing population and finite resources. Living in marginalized communities the impoverished are the most negatively affected by the current system, as they are the most vulnerable to the vicissitudes of climate change, resource extraction, labor exploitation and wealth concentration. Our way of life needs to be reimagined to align with principles that are in accordance with the ecological worldview. Aspects of an effective strategy rooted in the ecological worldview - especially Biomimicry, Biophilia and a Living Labs approach - are being created in silos but lack application at a systems level. The objective of this research is to bridge the disparate streams of these concepts into a community-based model, with the aim of replicating the emergent system in order to build alternatives to the current model. The research question to explored is the following: how can the principles of Biomimicry, Biophilia, and Living Labs be integrated and systemically applied in communities? Investigating this question will bring forth the Principles for Transition Infrastructure - an approach to building a resilient, self-sustaining, regenerative model for an alternative way of living. This research concludes that there is an opportunity to dismantle the mechanistic worldview of isolating problems in silos and rather observe the multiple points of interconnectivity that weave together a solution that transcends the parts of the whole. In doing this, we draw from multiple disciplines and find the synergies to construct a reality that is conducive to building new systems and structures to support a harmonious life on this planet.

Post-apartheid South Africa has been criticized for failing to satisfactorily achieve its election promise of redistribution and poverty alleviation. While success has been noted in the provision of affordable housing and subsequently home ownership for lower income households, housing demand continue to far outstrip delivery capacity. Those excluded from homeownership include key public sector workers and laborers who face common, but divergent constraints. They are either too rich to qualify for housing subsidy, or too poor to afford homes in the prime market. They constitute the 'gap market'. Utilizing qualitative data from in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with banks, property developers, government and residents in Khayelitsha (a state-subsidized housing settlement in the city of Cape Town), this thesis sought to understand the current challenges faced by the housing market in addressing the needs of the gap market in Cape Town, South Africa. The research identifies the major impediments to meeting the current housing demand in urban South Africa and points to new policy directions that could address the housing gap. Key findings indicate that the major obstacles to home ownership in the gap market include affordability constraints, over-indebtedness, poor credit ratings, and inadequate supply for this income bracket. While these obstacles show little indication of abating, this research's findings and recommendations suggest new pathways for formulating new housing policies that address the housing backlog in the gap market. This also suggests that government policies are critical in developing a healthy and inclusive housing market.

The South African mining sector faces growing expectations from the academic, political, and regulatory spheres to play a greater role in facilitating development in communities affected by mining operations. The facilitation of affordable decent housing for lower-income employees is one of these expectations. In the South African platinum mining sector, the growth of informal settlements around mining operations presents various socio-economic challenges in need of innovative solutions. To date, mining companies have implemented various initiatives to improve housing and living conditions for lower-income mine employees. Yet these initiatives have not resulted in major improvements, arguably due to the complex nature of the housing market around mining operations. This complex housing market demands a greater understanding and consideration of inclusive business models such as the adaptation of collaborative consumption business models. In addition, scholarly literature on community development and corporate social responsibility has not given enough attention to the complex housing market in the platinum mining sector. I thus ask, what characterises the supply and demand of rental housing in the platinum mining sector, and how do suppliers and customers currently connect? I conducted 18 interviews with rental housing providers, migrant mine workers, and company group housing managers. Archival information in the form of company documents supplemented the interviews. Based on a case study of Anglo American Platinum's Amandelbult mining operation, I find that the low-income rental housing market is characterised by a critical shortage of rental housing stock, and suppliers and customers generally connect through informal peer to peer networks. This characteristic of the rental housing market shows that mining companies initiatives are constrained due to a limited understanding of complexities in this market, and it suggests an innovative financing approach to building rental housing stock as a more immediate opportunity than adapting a collaborative consumption based business model.

Stokvels are South Africa's version of Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) or Accumulating Savings and Credit Associations (ACSAs). There are over 820 000 stokvels with a combined membership of 11.4 million people and handling over R44 billion per annum. It is well documented that the majority of the funds that stokvels handle are spent on consumables. This research sought to determine how to transition these stokvels from pure consumers to investors. In order to answer the research question, phenomenology was used as a research method. Focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used as the research instrument. After spending six months with 36 stokvels, the research findings show that there are six factors that influence the current consumption patterns of stokvels. These also provide key insight on how stokvels can be transitioned from consumers to investors. Of the six factors, two of them were identified as key inhibitors to this transition. One being financial institutions, specifically banks, which have built their entire product offering to stokvels based on a small aspect of their governance (constitution and key roles). Second is members' reliance on the stokvels funds for livelihoods. This makes them risk averse as they cannot afford to lose their money nor delay their expenditure. The research also shows that financial education is central to the transition from consumers to investors, specifically seeing, reading or hearing of the financial successes of other stokvels.

Due to competing strategic demands and limited resources, small-to-medium sized enterprise (SME) managers struggle to integrate sustainability comprehensively into their firms' strategy, while increasingly being targeted as significant contributors of unsustainable practices that compromise environmental services and societal wellbeing. Studies on why managers struggle to integrate sustainability strategies into their firms suggest managers face interrelated yet competing demands that surface a diversity of sustainability tensions that go beyond the traditional triad of economic, social and environmental agendas. The literature has primarily focused on the conscious cognitive sensemaking processes of managers in larger corporations as they face sustainability tensions. This lens does not surface the range of other inner experiences like emotions, values, and intuition that influence individuals' sensemaking process. The resulting research question for this study asks how SME managers' experience of strategic sustainability tensions influences their sustainability decision-making process. This research aimed to surface the full range of conscious and unconscious inner experiences managers had during their sustainability sensemaking processes. SMEs were a favourable research context in which to delve into the significance of managers' internal experiences because managers have a high degree of decision-making control in their firms, and there is scarce empirical evidence on what leads SME managers to make sustainability decisions. Over a one-year period in an inductive qualitative and exploratory research process, I interviewed twelve SME managers from the Western Cape's metals and manufacturing sector twice through two rounds of interviews. This study finds that SME managers undergo a range of emotions that influence their sustainability sensemaking experience. Conflicting emotional sustainability triggers cause unconscious internal sustainability tensions for managers between their personal values and managerial responsibilities. The SME resource-constrained context causes managers to instinctually prioritise managerial responsibilities to keep their firm afloat and maintain their pride through the legacy of the company. This study contributes to the literature by unearthing and legitimising the range of experiences and tensions that influence SME managers' sustainability sensemaking processes. It prompts further examination into managers' experience of sustainability tensions in the SME context and what experiences lead to integrative sustainability decisionmaking in highly volatile SME environments.