This study investigated the use and management of electronic mail (email) in Zimbabwe’s central
government. Employing a mixed method research approach, the study used a pluralist ontological
paradigm and a pragmatic epistemological paradigm within the convergent mixed methods
research design. Quantitative responses from questionnaires were corroborated by qualitative
findings from semi-structured interviews, personal observation and document reviews. The study
was restricted to Zimbabwe’s central government, focusing on head offices of 22 government
ministries situated in Zimbabwe’s capital city of Harare. The population of the study was 670. The
Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown imposed in Zimbabwe as from 30 March 2020
negatively affected data collection as some targeted respondents could not be accessed as the
researcher had initially planned, leading to an overall response rate of 37.3%. Nonetheless, 12 out
of 22 government ministries participated in the study. Quantitative data were analysed using
Microsoft Excel 2010® and descriptive statistics while qualitative data were analysed thematically
using Atlas.ti®. The study conformed to ethical standards of research as espoused in the University
of South Africa’s ethical review guidelines.
The study revealed that due to the adoption of electronic government and the inherent relative
advantages of email, among other factors, there was increase in use of email as an official record
in Zimbabwe’s central government. Nonetheless, management of email was still in its nascent
stages and was largely poorly articulated. Poor email classification, filing, appraisal, security,
preservation and disposal were largely traceable to deficiencies in legal, policy and procedural
frameworks as well as skills and information and communication technology infrastructural
challenges. These in turn triggered email retrieval, access, preservation and authenticity
challenges. This study was a first local research to address both the use and management of email
in a single study and one which proposed a framework for the effective use and management of
email where a call was made to match increase in use of email with increase in professional
management of the same. The proposed framework may go a long way in influencing proper and
professional use and management of email in Zimbabwe’s central government and similar
organisations. / Information Science / D. Phil. (Information Science)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/27425 |
| Date | 01 1900 |
| Creators | Mutsagondo, Samson |
| Contributors | Ngulube, Patrick, Minishi-Majanja, M. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 1 online resource (xviii, 304 leaves; charts, tables, photographs (chiefly color), application/pdf |
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