Browsing by Department "Department of Information Systems"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 418
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    A conceptual model for digital forensic readiness in security operation centres: a South African study
    (2025) Nkwe, Boitumelo; Kyobe, Michael
    The increase in the adoption of technology has resulted in the number of cyber-attacks and security breaches also rising. These cyber-attacks and breaches have become advanced and can go undetected for months. With the rise in cyber-attacks, the need for organizations to tighten cybersecurity measures and be ready to investigate the breaches speedily has become crucial. These measures include the adoption of Security Operations Centres (SOC) that integrate digital forensic capabilities with various cybersecurity tools. The reviewed literature shows that having a well-defined digital forensic readiness (DFR) strategy in place is important to ensure quick and efficient investigations that do not have a huge impact on the organization. In addition, conducting internal investigations helps an organization reduce costs. While there are proposed frameworks that aim to help an organization become forensically ready, none have a specific focus on a SOC. SOCs are complex, making conducting a digital forensic investigation challenging. The objective of this study was to develop a conceptual model for DFR that focused on SOCs in South Africa. To achieve this, the study first analysed existing DFR frameworks and drew key factors that were common in all frameworks. Management support, policies, processes and procedures, forensic technologies, legal frameworks, technical skills, and training were identified as the key factors that have a potential influence on the forensic readiness of a SOC. The study was conducted using a quantitative research approach and a survey questionnaire. Data were collected from professionals who work in organizations running a SOC in South Africa through a survey. The data were analysed using statistical methods and the results of the study indicate that the digital forensic readiness of a SOC is dependent on management support, organizational policies, processes and procedures, the integration of forensic and cybersecurity technologies, understanding various legal requirements, technical skills, and continuous training. All participants had at least one form of formal qualification and one industry-related certificate. The proposed DFR conceptual model examined various factors that SOCs can use to assess their forensic readiness. The findings also highlight the importance of having a holistic approach to forensic readiness which also include continuous investment in both technology and technical skills to keep up with evolving technology. Furthermore, the findings can be used by SOCs to identify areas in their DFR plan they need to focus on to enhance their cyber-resilience.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    A governance framework for blockchain technology in the South African insurance industry
    (2025) Damon, Aldo; Roodt, Sumarie; Chigona, Wallace
    Purpose: The governance of blockchain technology is a topic of continuing study, and a multidisciplinary perspective on blockchain governance is essential for building a formal governance framework for this emerging technology. While the subject of blockchain governance is sometimes misunderstood, blockchain technology has gained growing interest from businesses and academics. Blockchain stakeholders cannot work or make rational decisions optimally without enough insight into the governance of blockchains. Its advancement and stabilization are of utmost importance for stakeholders that depend on blockchain. Where organizations and individual end-users must consider in their decision the element of regulation for the blockchain technology or network, regulators and developers still need to grasp it. The purpose of this study is to explore the understanding of blockchain governance by reporting on frameworks and themes that capture the main dimensions and layers of blockchain governance. The study proposes a governance framework that can assist strategic management within businesses to analyse the governance of the blockchain in a comprehensible manner in order to facilitate strategic decision-making in the insurance industries within South African organisations. Design/methodology/approach: This deductive qualitative research that is shaped by subjectivism ontology, interpretive epistemology, uses comprehensive literature review and deductive thematic analysis of eight semi-structured and focus group interviews for data collection, which then identifies the key dimensions and layers of blockchain governance, including technical, economic, social, and legal aspects of consideration. The deductive thematic analysis selected follows the seven steps of deductive qualitative research. Findings: The innovative blockchain governance framework consists of four perspectives, each tied to key themes from the collected data. The OSS Governance Phases focus on decision-making, community engagement, and conflict resolution. The OSS Life Cycle Stages emphasize onboarding, code contribution, and version control. The Blockchain Governance Framework Dimensions & Layers highlight on chain voting, off-chain communication, and incentive structures. Lastly, the TOE Framework Model addresses technological readiness, organizational roles, and regulatory compliance. These perspectives align with the study's findings, ensuring clarity and alignment with research objectives. xi P a g e Research limitations/implications: The paper contributes to blockchain governance theory. The innovative perspectives provide a synthesized conceptual framework for researchers to evaluate and understand blockchain governance development from multiple perspectives. Practical implications: The synthesized blockchain governance framework presents a road map for practitioners and business managers to follow in their blockchain projects. Originality/value: The research uses an innovative perspectives and other individual research methodologies to synthesize the existing research framework proposed. It is one of the first research papers in the information systems field to make use of deductive thematic analysis approach to consolidate the existing qualitative research and interviews to systematically propose a blockchain governance framework.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A method for implementing an information security awareness campaign within an organisation
    (2019) Scrimgeour, Juan-Marc; Ophoff, Jacobus
    Research has shown that educating end-users on information security awareness plays an essential part in securing any environment. While best practice standards provide a set of minimum information security awareness controls that should be implemented, little guidance exists on how to implement these controls to ensure the effectiveness of the training. This research set out to define and evaluate a method for implementing an Information Security Awareness Campaign within an organisation based on existing research and standards while assisting the organisation in improving their information security awareness campaign through the creation of artifacts and measurement techniques. A design science research approach guided the research to evaluate changes in the information security awareness campaign implementation method through several research cycles. The method was implemented within an organisation and evaluated based on the impact, effectiveness and results of each step as well as the feedback from participants. The research found both positive and negative results throughout the method. Specific steps within the method proved to be lengthy, time-consuming and confusing to participants. Although many improvements can yet be made, the method was suitable as it achieved the required objective within the organisation. The research outcome provided a risk-based method with a visual representation that demonstrated the lack of awareness of specific information security awareness topics to the organisation. The results of the study not only provided value to the organisation but provided a tried and tested method for implementing an Information Security Awareness Campaign within other organisations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A model for teaching green information systems in higher education
    (2018) Mcgibbon, Carolyn; Ophoff, Jacques
    The purpose of this study was to respond to a call to the Information Systems (IS) discipline to provide solutions to address global challenges such as the seventh Millennium Development Goal of ensuring an interconnectedness of society and the environment. Many academic disciplines have recognised that sustainability is one of the most significant challenges of our time and thus needs to be included in curricula; IS, as a discipline, needed to fill this gap. A longitudinal six-year study was undertaken at the University of Cape Town (UCT) Department of IS to introduce the concept of “Green” IS into a project management course with students required to measure an aspect of the campus carbon footprint. Drawing on Design Science Research, the author used kernel theories of Butler’s Model of Green IS and the Scharmer’s Theory U to inform the design. The goal of the curriculum intervention was to design a model with outputs of key Green IS technical and social competences. The intention was also to create an impact with a reduced Carbon Footprint at UCT, despite the current absence of regulatory pressure. A total of 183 students were involved in the study over a period of six semesters where the theories of Green IS were presented as the underlying frameworks for their course. Key principles were drawn from international best practice, including how to address “wicked” sustainability problems and adopting a focus on developing sustainability solutions. Formative evaluations were conducted at the end of each cycle of the design development. Archival evidence, as well as student reflective essays, was employed, and content analysis and coding of the empirical data were conducted using a data analysis software tool. Experts were invited to summatively evaluate the model in practice, and their questionnaires were also coded in Atlas-ti and tested for co-occurrences. The contributions are provided on two levels. A contribution is made on a theoretical platform by the design of “The Green U’’, a model that evolved iteratively and has its roots in the kernel theories of both Green IS and change management. On a practical level, the research offers guidance to IS educators on how to integrate sustainability into their courses. Via enabling The Green U to be exapted into other emerging IS themes, this research project thus provides the opportunity for a seam of rich possibilities for further quantitative and qualitative research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A paradox of the second order digital divide in higher education institutions of developing countries: case of Zimbabwe
    (2021) Dube, Sibusisiwe; Scott, Elsje; Ngwenyama Ojelanki
    Although this is not a new research phenomenon, the literature has often associated the digital divide (second order or otherwise) with sociodemographic, sociocultural and socioeconomical factors as reasons for the digital divide. However, there is little presence in the literature into the underlying structures (physical or abstract arrangement) leading to the divide. This means that the underlying structures leading to this problem have so far been ignored and require scholarly attention. This study, therefore, identifies and explains the structures leading to the second order digital divide, a problem relating to the unequal use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) which is more prevalent in the higher education institutions (HEIs) of developing countries. Before the structures that lead to the second order digital divide could be explained the interlocking dynamics of ICT adoption needed to be identified. Structuration Theory was employed as a sensitising tool for collecting, analysing, and interpreting qualitative data for this interpretivist research. Novel qualitative data were collected from a purposive sample drawn from a single HEI of Zimbabwe, a developing country of high literacy. Directed content analysis generated insightful explanations of the structures leading to the second order digital divide at the HEI case. Preliminary analysis based on a deductive logic approach identified signification, domination, and legitimation as some of the structures leading to the second order digital divide at the HEI case. Further analysis based on an inductive logic approach revealed additional belief, institutional and governance structures which manifested from the interlocking dynamics of ICT adoption, involving resources, leadership, adoption behaviours and empowerment. These findings contributed to practice by explaining the underlying structures of the second order digital divide, for the benefit of ICT4D researchers, and by suggesting interventions to HEI policy-makers for reducing the second order digital divide. The results also make an iv explanatory contribution to theory by presenting a model of the interlocking dynamics of ICT adoption for theorising about the complex second order digital divide.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A process for managing benefits of mobile enterprise applications in the insurance industry
    (2018) Knoesen, Henri; Seymour, Lisa F.
    Mobile enterprise applications (MEAs) are found in increasing numbers in organisations as smart-devices become an everyday necessity amongst employees and customers. Large amounts are invested in these applications, so it is important to see the value in improved business processes and the consequential improvement in business performance. Realising the benefits from their use is important to obtain the value from these investments. Yet, benefits management (BM) is poorly implemented in companies and a first step to improve this situation is to improve the visibility of the benefits that can be achieved by using MEAs. Hence the primary question asked in this study is “How can MEA benefits be successfully realised?” The strategy used to answer the question was action research in a single organisation using three MEAs in two different action research cycles. The study was conducted in a short-term insurance company in the Western Cape of South Africa with an established IT and project capability. Globally, the short-term insurance industry is under a significant threat from disruption by market entrants who don’t have to navigate legacy systems and who are more agile with their product offerings. Traditional insurers are looking for innovative solutions to transform the way in which insurance is sold and serviced. A BM process, which was modified from the literature, was refined through action cycles in three MEA projects to improve benefits realisation. The result showed that for MEA projects, which are not very large investments relative to other IT projects, a lighter, less cumbersome process was more practical and acceptable in the organisation. The creation of a benefits and risks template, during the action cycles, helped the organisation to build stronger business cases for MEA projects and also allowed for more comprehensive benefit identification, measurement and tracking, ultimately realising business performance improvements. The study also used a survey amongst 88 brokers and assessors to determine the factors which influence their adoption of these MEAs. The most significant factors influencing user adoption were the company’s willingness to fund the smart-devices, the ease of use of the MEA, job relevance and location dependence. A limitation of this study is that the organisation has a particular approach to project funding whereby the importance of BM is weighed against the cost of the project, hence BM is more important for very expensive projects. While the model prescribed in this study was sufficient in this context, it may not be suitable for organisations that are more conscientious about BM. This model would need to be tested in other contexts for transferability. A further limitation was the duration of time available for conducting this study because this was a PhD research project. Further action cycles might have refined the process further. The findings from this study are relevant to researchers and to organisations wanting to deploy MEAs. The BM process defined in this study can be used in MEA projects as a process to manage the identified benefits and ensure that they are realised. The benefits template can be used as a first step in the BM process to build the business case and the risks template can be used to identify potential problems that could hinder benefits realisation and can used to put mitigating actions in place to prevent problems to benefits realisation. The identification of factors influencing adoption of MEA can help organisations focus on these factors to ensure that their MEAs are used and they thereby derive benefits. The theoretical contributions of this study are a process model for the BM body of knowledge and a model explaining the factors influencing symbolic adoption of MEA. The identification and description of benefits and risks extends the body of knowledge for mobile applications research. These specific issues in the context of MEAs in the short-term insurance industry are understudied.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A proposed framework that enhances the quality of cyber security audits
    (2022) Matsikidze, Hezel; Kyobe, Michael
    The need to protect information systems or assets remains crucial today. Innovations in technology have led to rapid developments and as technology continues to advance, so is the need to protect information systems. Amongst numerous effects of cyber-attacks on organizations, huge financial losses which in turn affect the economy have since been reported. Cyber security audits need to be strengthened to tighten the protection of information systems. The importance of cybersecurity audits is widely endorsed in literature. Nonetheless, frameworks used to audit cybersecurity are viewed as‘sometimes' weak links to cybersecurity due to their drawbacks in auditing cyber security. A review of literature indicated that cyber-attacks are more rampant in the African continent with the financial sector being the most targeted. Literature also highlighted that the use of relevant frameworks for auditing cyber security improves the quality and effectiveness of audits thereby enhancing cyber security. Studies in information systems have mostly looked at the adoption of frameworks, types of cyber threats and tools needed to audit. Nonetheless, it is important to note that few scholars have examined the applicability and effectiveness of the existing frameworks in auditing cyber security. Furthermore, previous studies emphasize on enhancing cyber security without a particular focus on auditing cyber security including assessing the role of the auditor during the process. As a result, this study looked at cyber security from an auditing perspective with a particular focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the current frameworks that are being used to audit cyber security including. The study also looked at the factors that enhance the effectiveness of cyber security audits. The study draws from different theories, literature and from the strengths and drawbacks of existing frameworks to create an explanatory model. To statistically test and evaluate the model, a quantitative research approach was employed to collect, analyze, and interpret data from South Africa. Data was collected using a questionnaire which was distributed to IT auditors and cyber security professionals from the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) South African chapter members. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cyber security framework was found to be the widely adopted framework followed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, with the Control Objectives for Information Technologies (COBIT) being the least employed framework. The COBIT framework was found to be more aligned to Information Technology governance rather than cyber security. Furthermore, results of this study indicate that effectiveness of cyber security audits is dependent upon competencies of auditors including their ethics and integrity. Results further indicate that frameworks used for auditing are effective to some extent if properly implemented. A proper alignment of an auditor's competencies which include ethics and integrity, and an adoption of a relevant framework will result in effective cyber security audits that reduce the risks of cyber-attacks. Concerning the contribution to practice, results from this study can help organizations to determine and review focus areas of cyber security auditing that they need to emphasize and develop on. Furthermore, the developed model can be used by auditors to develop an audit plan and conduct audits that are effective in identifying, protecting, detecting, preventing, and recovering information systems or assets. The methodological, theoretical, and practical contributions are further discussed in this thesis along with limitations, recommendations, and areas for future research.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    A sequential explanatory mixed methods investigation of e-government outcomes evaluation practice in developing countries: South Africa as context
    (2022) Boamah-Abu, Charles; Kyobe, Michael
    E-government has become de rigueur in public service delivery. Attendant to the growing adoption is the need to establish the extent to which investments are yielding desired outcomes and how the services can be improved. E-government evaluation is, therefore, an important research problem— more so in developing countries, where resources are scarce, and the opportunity cost is higher. This, notwithstanding, there is a paucity of research. This research explored the “lay of the land”, to describe e-government outcomes evaluation practice in developing countries. South Africa was selected as context; the sample consisted of public sector employees. Practice theory was adopted to frame e-government evaluation as what people do. A two-phased sequential explanatory mixed methods strategy, supported by post-positivism, was employed. This allowed examination of the different aspects of practice— the tangible (e.g., activities) and the intangibles (e.g., affective issues). In the quantitative phase, questionnaire data from 106 public employees (i.e., managers and non-managers from IT, Evaluation, and Other backgrounds) was analysed with factor and cluster analyses techniques to identify the important elements which described e-government outcomes evaluation practice and the patterns of performance. This was followed by a qualitative phase in which interview transcripts of 12 participants drawn from the sample of the preceding phase, four from each background (i.e., two from management and nonmanagement respectively), were analysed with content analysis to help understand the results of the quantitative phase. The findings show an inadequate organizational capacity to evaluate e-government outcomes and use the results. The primary purpose of evaluation is compliance, and organizational outcomes are mostly measured. While there may be some degree of use (e.g., learning, i.e., conceptual) recommendations may not be implemented. Furthermore, there were significant differences among participants; evaluation and IT managers with the requisite expertise were likely to have a positive perception of e-government outcomes evaluation practice. This research adds value to e-government outcomes evaluation research and practice in developing countries, and also to the methodological development of practice theory in Information Systems (IS). Consistent with research on practice, recommendations are drawn to help e-government evaluation stakeholders improve future practice and, thereby, ameliorate the high e-government failure rate. The findings shed light on current practice, e.g., what is done well and challenges, and add to the otherwise sparse body of knowledge in the domain under investigation. A deterrent to the adoption of practice theory is the paucity of theoretical and conceptual frameworks. This research illustrates how Schatzki's theory can be applied to investigate an IS problem and helps remedy the dearth of empirical research on practice. Furthermore, it contributes to the current effort to develop mixed methods in IS— and practice research in general. The agenda for future research can help advance the, hitherto, under researched domain of e-government evaluation in developing countries.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    A social-technical harm-based taxonomy of online hate in South Africa
    (2023) Omidosu, Joseph; Kyobe, Michael
    Digital and social media provide online users with virtually unlimited interaction and instant communication to freely express their thoughts and opinions. Online users can communicate at no cost, write about anything, and quickly reach millions with expressions that can harm others. Attempts have been made to compare the impact of online hate with non-hate crimes, and it was argued that online hate could potentially be more harmful. It is becoming impossible to hear of a crime in our society without being linked to cyberspace. Reactive approaches through technological automation and users manually flagging incidents have been applied to remove online hate but possessitslimitations as online hate persists. Online hate continues to evolve and extend beyond what a silo approach can address. The study proposes a socialtechnical harm-based taxonomy by examining the problem definition of online hate in South Africa, identifying issues that influence online hate in South Africa and classifying harm from online hate targeted at online user characteristics, thereby addressing the research question, what harm results from the online user experience of online hate in South Africa? An umbrella Realism philosophical perspective and mixed method were adopted to collect and analyse the research data from a survey and Twitter big data. This approach was suitable as it posits that reality is independent of human perceptions and differences in perception exist. South Africa was adopted as a focal point due to limited data on online hate and evidence available to inform policy-making processes, decisions, and effective interventions by Government, civil society, or private organisations. Additionally, gaps exist in understanding the harm of online hate in countries like South Africa. The research contributes to the theory by developing a social-technical harmbased taxonomy to classify online hate. With limited knowledge of harm and online hate from an African country, the research provides empirical findings from South Africa. Adopting a mixed research methodology brings to the forefront the benefits of capturing data from multiple perspectives to assess online hate. The study contributes to practice by giving multi-perspective knowledge through exploring social, legal and technological insights. Understanding of harm from online hate was achieved, which is relevant for proactive awareness of harm from online hate, and Law enforcement and administrators can classify harm from online hate. With the knowledge of potential problems that trigger online hate, Government, Law enforcement, and administrators can provide more support during this period. The findings from South Africa show that individual characteristics such as age, albinism, birth, colour, culture, disability, ethnic or social origin, gender/gender identity, HIV status, language, nationality, migrant or refugee status, occupation/trade, political affiliation or conviction, race, religion, and sexual orientation can be targeted for online hate. Problems like social, political, racial and health-related issues were found to influence online hate in South Africa. Online users witness online hate and do not report the incidences because of a lack of knowledge of what to do, a lack of trust in reporting agencies, fear of the implication of reporting, and contextual awareness of the situation. The finding further provided evidence that online hate can have various negative consequences, including Social, Political, Financial, Reputational, Physical, and Psychological Harm. The study will help the government, statutory agencies, civic organizations, policymakers, and digital and social media administrators take proactive-preventive measures to combat the increasing menace of online hate.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Accessibility of E-government Services for Persons with Disabilities in Developing Countries- The Case of Ghana
    (2020) Agangiba, Millicent Akotam; Kabanda, Salah; Brown, Irwin
    Several benefits have been attributed to E-government, including the potential to promote independence and belongingness for persons with disabilities (PWD) by enhancing participatory and inclusive governance. Hitherto, government services that required several and long journeys followed by long queues waiting for service at government offices can now be accessed online irrespective of the geographical location via E-government services. As a result, developing countries like Ghana continue to commit resources to the implementation of E-government to harness the associated benefits. Accessibility has been acknowledged, by both practitioners and those in academia, as a key consideration to prevent disparities among citizens which may put PWD at risk of exclusion. However, providing solutions to accessibility challenges for PWD has consistently proven difficult in most E-government implementation projects in developing countries. Therefore, this study investigates the accessibility of Egovernment services for PWD in Ghana with the aim of identifying how key E-government stakeholders perceive accessibility and the contextual drivers that lead to the exclusion of PWD in the development of E-government services. Also, this study seeks to understand if and how these stakeholders and contextual drivers reinforce the exclusionary process. The study employed an interpretive, inductive approach, with sensitising concepts from Egovernment accessibility literature, and the social exclusion framework. Multiple data collection methods were used, namely; observations as a preliminary step to obtaining a better understanding of how the visually impaired use ICTs; interviews as the primary data collection technique from 37 participants; and document analysis. The study involved 3 groups of participants: the visually impaired, E-government web developers and government officers. Data analysis was carried out in two phases- firstly thematic analysis was used to report on perceptions of government officers and developers on accessibility and the experiences of PWD. Contextual drivers impeding accessibility and affecting accessibility experience of PWD were also derived from the thematic analysis. Secondly, E-government and disability policy documents mentioned in interview discussions were analysed using content analysis. The findings of the content analysis were used to validate, clarify and to conduct post-interview checking. The findings show that government officers and developers play a key role in the development of E-government services. Whilst Government officers and developers were identified as powerful agents whose practices determined the accessibility of services that were developed; PWD were side-lined and not involved in the E-government development project. Also, perceptions of government officers and developers on accessibility vary from those of PWD. While government officers and developers believe that with little assistance from third parties PWD can access E-government services, PWD perceive accessibility should offer them the independence to retrieve government information and engage in electronic transactions of their choice. Evidently, accessibility perceptions of E-government implementers differ from that of PWD. Further, the findings show that exclusion of PWD from E-government services is as a result of the intertwining of several contextual drivers, including political, socio-cultural, technological and personal. Political, socio-cultural and technological drivers influence the perceptions and practices of government officers and developers and determine their responses to the accessibility needs of PWD. Personal drivers limit the capabilities of PWD to access Egovernment services and impact on their accessibility experiences. Contextual drivers independently facilitate the exclusion of PWD; however, their interactions with government officers and developers shape their perceptions and constitute crucial exclusionary forces. These exclusionary forces when fed into the development of E-government services reinforce the exclusion of PWD. Given that personal drivers limit the capabilities of PWD, their inabilities to act as change agents reinforce their exclusion. Moreover, power differentials among stakeholders play a vital role in the exclusionary process. The study contributes to better understanding of influences on the E-government development process, how services become inaccessible and the accessibility challenges PWD face. Practically, the study has several implications on the development and implementation of E-government services in developing countries like Ghana. For example, the findings are useful to inform the political leadership on policies and structures to put in place to enhance the accessibility of Egovernment services for PWD.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Acquired status in free and open source software user groups
    (2010) Matavire, Rangarirai; Brown, Irwin
    This study represents a seamless weaving of new and previously seemingly unrelated concepts on Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) participation into an integrated substantive framework. The research demonstrates how patterns of behaviour amongst FOSS participants serve as currency for the acquisition of status. Stages of the Basic Social Process (BSP) that lead to the resolution of the status concern are proposed. The core elements of the BSP are found to be Joining, Learning, Locating, Cultivating and Consolidating. These constructs represent the non-linear stages which the members of the community encountered in their FOSS journey towards acquiring status. The conditions for variation of the constructs are also addressed in this study.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Adapting and responding to ICTs - a study of two municipalities in rural South Africa
    (2016) Jacobs, Carl; Rivett, Ulrike
    The post - apartheid restructuring of South Africa's water sector has left the responsibility of planning, access and provision of water with local government. Local municipalities, which lack the " financial and human resources to deliver on their constitutional and legal mandate and on citizen expectations" (Department of Co - operative Governance and Traditional Affairs [CoGTA] , 2009) , constitute 71% of South Africa's local government . This means that a large proportion of South Africa's local government does not possess sufficient capacity to fulfil their legal responsibilities. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the potential for improved capacity they provide is not a new concept, especially to the fields of education, health and governance. For instance, South Africa's Local Government Association (SALGA) developed a guide and roadmap f or successful ICT governance in local municipalities. They recognised the importance of aligning governance and ICTs to improve the role of local municipalities , and while many examples of ICTs successfully improving capacity do exist , there are also many other examples where they failed to do so Literature identifies the reasons for failure and suggests ways to address them so that ICTs have the maximum possible impact on improving capacity , however , many ICTs still fail, especially in developing contexts. This is because most studies in the field of ICTs focus on the impact they have on capacity and not vice versa. Not many studies research the impact that existing capacities have on ICTs, and especially not when the ICTs have already been designed to overcome those challenges usually associated with failure in developing contexts. In view of this, the purpose of this study was to assess what impact rural local municipalities ' existing conditions and capacities have on the implementation and use of ICT s and hence the change in capacity ICTs seek to bring about in the first instance . Additionally, the study assessed whether ICTs bring about any measurable change in low - capacity environments. Two local municipalities in rural Eastern Cape of South Africa , which were looking to improve their capacities to resolve issues of water and sanitation service delivery and maintain customer relations , were identified as the study sites. An ICT system, which sought to address and improve upon the challenges associated with each municipality's customer relations and management of complaints, was co - designed and implemented using best practices, so as to overcome the challenges usually associated with ICT failure in developing contexts. Using the Adaptive Capacity Wheel (Gupta, Termeer, Klostermann, Meijerink, Van den Brink, Jong, Nooteboom, & Bergsma, 2010) , a comprehensive comparative analysis between the pre - and post - ICT implementation capacities of each municipality was undertaken ( both to resolve issues of water and sanitation service delivery , maintain customer relations , and to adapt and respond to the change the ICT system sought to bring about ) . The results showed that the existing conditions and capacities of each municipality did impact the implementation and use of the ICT system. Despite the ICT system being co - designed with the municipalities and their communities to best suit their current conditions, financial and human resource challenges still resulted in each municipality adapting the use of the system to their particular environment. While the adaptations in use benefitted the municipalities, by improving their complaints management and resolution, it negated any benefits the system offered citizens and, as a result, impacted customer relations negatively. The results also showed that ICTs do result in measurable change in low - capacity environments. They are not always the changes expected or designed for, but can, from certain perspectives, end up being the most important. Overall, it is hoped that this study contributes to the discourse of ICT4D implementations in low - capacity environments in relation to the assumption that ICTs inevitably improve capacity. It also highlights the importance of an ongoing debate to rethink the various definitions of ICT for development
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Alignment of human competencies with mobile technology and business strategy in women-led SMEs
    (2014) Ajumobi , O Deborah; Kyobe, Michael
    Studies show that women entrepreneurs are constrained and faced with challenges that inhibit the growth and performance of their businesses. Such challenges include race and gender differences, inadequate education, family responsibilities, lack of access to capital and other socio-cultural factors. However, with their human competencies, mobile technology and the appropriate business strategy, women-led small and medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) can steer their businesses to better performance. While the need for SMEs to align these three elements (human competencies, mobile technology and business strategy) has been suggested, there is limited knowledge on how SMEs can achieve this; no studies, to the author’s knowledge, have examined this in women-led SMEs. This study therefore sought to fill this gap by investigating how women-led SMEs can best align these three elements to enhance their business performance. In light of this, extensive literature review and theoretical work on the phenomenon was conducted. Given the existence of the interplay between these three elements (human competencies, mobile technology and business strategy), the study adopted the perspective of alignment as Gestalts as the most appropriate method in determining the best way women-led SMEs may align these three aspects.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An analytical tale of the social media discursive enactment of networked everyday resistance during the #feesmustfall social movement in South Africa
    (2019) Bagui, Laban; Johnston, Kevin; Weimann, Peter
    Social media are a space for discussions, debates and deliberations about personality, culture, society, and actual experiences of social actors in South Africa. They offer an unexpected opportunity for the broader consideration and inclusion of community members’ voices in governance decision making and policy processes. They also offer opportunities to engage, mobilise and change people and society in impressive scale, speed and effect: They have mobilising and transformative powers emanating from their interaction with the impetus of the agency of community members seeking better conditions of living. The magnitude of the effects of these powers makes it imperative to have a better understanding of their workings. Social media have been used in numerous social movements as the medium of communication to mobilise, coordinate, and broadcast protests. However, social media were never a guarantee of success as most movements using them did not achieve significant results. Yet, governments in developed and developing countries tend to engage inadequately with social media supported movements. The research problem is that the contribution of social media to the transformation of the social practice of discourse, which causes SSA community members’ agential impetus (collective intentionality for action) to generate a discourse of resistance on social media during social movements, is not well understood. The main research question is: Why are South African community members using social media to enact online discursive resistance during social movements? The aim of the research is to explain, from a critical realism point of view, Sub-Saharan African community members’ emergent usage of social media during social movements, by providing a contextualised social history (a tale) of South African community members’ practice of online discursive enactment of resistance. The emergent usage of social media of concern is conceptualised as “discursive enactment of networked everyday resistance” within a dialectical space of interaction conceptualised as “space of autonomous resistance”; an instance of a communication space allowing for transformative negation to occur. The research follows Bhaskar’s Critical Realism as a philosophical paradigm. Critical Realism seeks to explain phenomena by retroducing (retrospective inference) causal explanations from empirically observable phenomena to the generative mechanisms which caused them. The research was designed as a qualitative, processual and retroductive inquiry based on the Morphogenetic/Morphostasis approach with two phases: an empirical research developing the case of South African community members’ emergent usage of social media during the #feesmustfall social movement, looking for demi-regularities in social media discourse; and a transcendental research reaching into the past to identified significant events, objects and entities which tendencies are responsible for the shape of observed discourse. In the first phase, a case study was developed from data collected on the social media platform Twitter™, documents, and in-depth interviews of South African community members. The data collected were analysed using qualitative content analysis (QCA) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to unveil demi-regularities; moving from the observable individual strategic orientation of messages to discourses, thus to the tendencies of relational emergent properties of systemic magnitude which structure local discourses and are transformed by them. Then, the social mediainduced morphogenesis or transformation of South African community members’ discursive action was postulated in an analytical history of emergence (or analytical tale) of their usage of social media within a “space of autonomous resistance” during social movements. The findings of the research suggest that South African community members authored 3 discourses of resistance on Twitter™: #feesmustfall discourses of struggle, identity and oppression. They identified as “student qua black-child” stepping into the “Freedom fighter” role against the hegemonic post-apartheid condition curtailing their aspirations. It was found that social media socio-cultural embeddedness and under-design (Western European socio-cultural globalising underpinning features and functional features of the platforms) which interaction with the local socio-cultural mix (postapartheid socio-cultural tendencies for domination/power, spiral of silence, and legitimacy/identification) resulted in misfits and workarounds enhancing individual emotional conflict and aligning towards a socio-cultural opportunistic contingent complementarity integration in the deployment of discourse. That integration was actualised as a mediatization emergent property through asignification/signification of mainstream discourses of liberal democracy, colonial capitalism, national democratic revolution, free and decolonised education, black consciousness and Fallism. That mediatization through re-signification of the struggle for freedom created a communication “space of autonomous resistance” where networked freedom fighters enacted discursive everyday resistance against the hegemonic forces of students’ precariousness. The contribution of the research includes a realist model of social media discursive action (ReMDA); an explanation of South African community members’ deployment of discourse over social media during social movement and telling the tale of the transformation of discursive practices with the advent of social media in South Africa.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    An Enterprise Architecture approach for Data Quality management within Namibian Health Information Systems
    (2024) Katjimune, Vitjitua; Brown, Irwin
    A Health information system (HIS) is regarded a key pillar in any healthcare sector. Yet, for many developing countries, challenges with data quality management have affected the adequate use of HIS. Resilient and well-functioning HIS systems contribute to the delivery of high-quality healthcare services, enhanced operational efficiency, informed decisionmaking, and the advancement of public health systems. Efforts to improve the quality of data in HIS has recently been a research interest in healthcare literature. This study investigates the use of Enterprise Architecture (EA) principles as an approach to data quality management in the context of Namibian Health Information Systems (NHIS). The study focuses on the principles outlined in The Open Group Architectural Framework (TOGAF) EA framework. This study followed a Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM). The themes from literature and data were used to form a conceptual model. Themes that emerged from the data include governing laws, standardization, data quality assessment and data quality assurance. The findings highlight the use of EA principles in Namibian HIS (NHIS) and showed that the standard out-of-the-box implementation of EA may not be suitable for use within a healthcare setting. The results, however, indicate that EA implementation should be informed by healthcare laws and policies particularly those pertaining to patient privacy. Furthermore, data quality challenges and some of the contextual conditions were discussed in depth and found to be similar to the findings in literature.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An Evaluation of the Functionality and Delivery of Websites of Political Parties in South Africa
    (2010) Crossland, Maria; Chigona, Wallace
    The political communication environment worldwide has been transformed by the Internet with websites providing opportunities for affordable information dissemination and reception. Internationally, a party contesting an election without a website seems impossible today. This exploratory study examines the use of websites by political parties during the 2009 South African elections and investigates the functionality offered by the websites as well as how effectively this functionality is delivered. The study analysed the websites of both large and small political parties. It is worth noting that in spite of the lower Internet penetration rates in South Africa, the majority of political parties contesting the 2009 elections had websites. The study shows that the websites of the larger parties generally offer more functionality than those of the smaller parties, supporting the view of ‘normalisation’ of party competition in cyberspace. However, an analysis of the delivery of the content does not confirm the normalisation effects.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An interpretivist case study of a South African rural multi-purpose community centre
    (2005) Van Belle, Jean-Paul; Trusler, Jonathan
    This article presents an in-depth case study analysis of a single rural telecentre located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The study embraces the socio-technical research paradigm and uses a combination of hermeneutics and actor-network theory as the theoretical foundation with which to explore the mutual interaction between people and ICTs. The objective of the analysis is to gain a much deeper and richer understanding of the implementation issues of a multi-purpose community centre in a rural development situation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    An interpretivist case study of a South African rural multi-purpose community centre
    (2005) Van Belle, Jean-Paul; Trusler, Jonathan
    This article presents an in-depth case study analysis of a single rural telecentre located in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. The study embraces the socio-technical research paradigm and uses a combination of hermeneutics and actor-network theory as the theoretical foundation with which to explore the mutual interaction between people and ICTs. The objective of the analysis is to gain a much deeper and richer understanding of the implementation issues of a multi-purpose community centre in a rural development situation.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Analysing the use of fintech for cross-border remittance as a livelihood strategy - A case of Nigeria
    (2023) Dudu-Eniola, Onaririnogho; Tsibolane, Pitso
    Despite the dominance of traditional financial institutions in the cross-border money-transfer market, emerging financial technology solutions (FinTech) have transformed how individuals conduct cross-border payments to sustain their livelihoods in the global South. While much has been explored about FinTech adoption, the nexus between FinTech as a livelihood strategy and livelihood outcomes remains under explored. This study examined the use of FinTech for cross- border remittance as a livelihood strategy in Nigeria through the lens of the Sustainable Livelihoods (SLA) framework. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10c aspires to reduce the transaction costs of migrant remittances to less than 3%, considering the influence that remittances have on the growth of socioeconomic systems and high transfer costs. This study explores how this can be achieved using FinTech applications for cross-border remittance. The study involved 26 participants (N=26), which included both senders and receivers of cross-border remittances of Nigerian origin living within and outside the country. A qualitative analysis of data collected through semi-structured interviews shows that participants typically indicate receiving/sending remittances which were used to meet housing, clothing, feeding and healthcare needs. Additionally, participants state that the COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted the adoption of FinTech for remittance purposes. There were also challenges encountered in the use of FinTech application by participants who identified country restrictions from international remittance, differences in currency exchange rate, and lack of government policies as major challenges they faced. The outcomes of this study will aid in the development of more innovative FinTech technologies for easy cross-border remittances and remittance receivers' livelihoods. The study suggests that the government should put in place policies to ensure uniform currency exchange rates, and the stakeholders must ensure a more seamless user experience of FinTech applications for cross-border remittance. The findings of this research are invaluable in assisting FinTech startups to enhance their FinTech cross-border remittance performance. Because it is an exploratory study, it will greatly contribute to the literature on the topic and will aid FinTech companies in internalizing their strategies for financial inclusion in both the formal and informal sectors. The study suggests that the government should put in place policies to ensure uniform currency exchange rates, and the stakeholders must ensure a more seamless user experience of FinTech applications for cross-border remittance.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Analysis and design as bricolage
    (2015) Edwards, Mogammad Sharief
    Information Systems in generally acknowledged to be a complex field and many studies over time have quoted significant failure statistics. This paper seeks to answer the question - How to more appropriately evaluate and select information systems design (ISD) methods that better enable successful design outcomes. The research covers literature relating analysis and design, information systems design methods, complexity, ontology and conceptual modelling and how they relate to ISD. This research was conducted within a larger national research project aiming to improve organising practices within IT in organisations. To this end the research followed a participatory action research approach underpinned by systems thinking theoretical perspective. What emerged out of this study was the appreciation for the bricolage that takes during an analysis or design effort - this perspective highlighted the following factors that can enable improved method evaluation and selection, namely: Epistemology, Contextual Influences and Social Action. These factors are shown to operate in dialectic process that if engaged with can provide insight into what an appropriate method can be.