ABSTRACT. E-learning has completely transformed the higher education sector in South Africa, by breaking down the barriers to conventional learning and revolutionising education.  Not only does the flexibility of online learning allow students and instructors from various backgrounds and geographic locations to access and engage with academic activities from anywhere, it also allows these users to communicate and collaborate effectively, by providing full access to virtual classes, collaborative tools, instructive materials, and personalised learning experiences.  However, a few challenges continue to persist with e-learning in South Africa that impede the full potential and widespread adoption e-learning in the country’s sector of higher education. These challenges include a lack of consistent and reliable internet access; discrepancies in access to devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones; financial limitations and constraints to purchase mobile data and/or devices; a lack of sufficient digital literacy skills; inadequate technological infrastructure and frequent power outages; difficulty adapting to the online learning environment, difficulty of designing fair and reliable assessments; preventing plagiarism, maintaining academic integrity of online assessments; and a lack of infrastructure and training required for effective e-learning. Although challenges that require external intervention to be resolved (such as the first four above listed issues) have already been addressed by the state’s Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in collaboration with its’ various higher education institutions (HEIs), the last three issues still need to be addressed. This can be achieved by evaluating the quality of e-learning systems, which is the primary objective of the present study.  This study aims to take a unique approach to the aforementioned topic by using a single multi-dimensional instrument to measure and compare students and instructors’ perceptions of e-learning quality at a university of technology (UoT).  This study follows a descriptive design as two non-probability sampling techniques; the convenience and snowball sampling methods were used.  Self-administered surveys were distributed to the population of students and instructors at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) via Google Forms, thus making the overall nature of this study quantitative.  A total of 600 respondents participated in this study, of which 400 were students and 200 were instructors.  The findings indicate that students and instructors both exhibited positive experiences with e-learning at TUT than what was initially expected.  The findings also show that there were significant differences between students and instructors’ perceptions among the various constructs compared and that there is a positive relationship between e-learning quality and satisfaction and between e-learning quality and loyalty for both sets of participants.  These findings highlight several areas for improvement and provide key insights for prospective studies on the topic of the quality of e-learning systems in HEIs.

ABSTRACT. Burglary continues to flourish in society and victims are predominantly blamed in the aftermath of the offence. Subsequently, this situation thwart the healing process of the victim. This discussion paper sought to engage in a quest of exploring the predicaments and views upheld by different stakeholders on the phenomenon of burglary. To achieve the goals of this research paper, a qualitative research approach, as supported by the phenomenological research design was implemented. This discussion paper was guided by the following objectives, viz: a) to explore the magnitude of the phenomenon of burglary at Namakgale policing area; b) to examine the pitfalls of criminal justice system on dealing with the phenomenon of burglary at residential areas; and c) to recommend measures that can be devised for the curtailment of burglary at Namakgale policing area and elsewhere. Altogether, one-on-one semi-structured interviews were used for soliciting data from purposively selected sample of 30 participants. These participants consisted of the South African Police Services (SAPS) Detectives, uniform police officers, Community Policing Forum (CPF) members and managers, Community Leaders and Faith-based organisation leaders, and local community members. Research findings largely reveals that criminal justice system does not primarily consider the dignity, self-esteem of the victim which has been besmirched by the perpetrators. The current strategies of traditional policing, such as a) foot patrolling offered by the selected stakeholders, and b) the vehicle patrolling rendered by the local SAPS members, are deemed to be ineffective. It has also been attested that at residential premises at Namakgale policing area many reported cases tend to remain unsolved. This situation tarnishes the faith, and trust in the legal system, as chances of justice are deemed to be slim. In conclusion this research paper recommends that Namakgale community, local SAPS and other relevant stakeholders should reactivate the primary crime prevention interventions/ strategies and support dysfunctional families for moral regeneration and strengthening values, rules, and laws of the society. The criminal justice system should be seen as a last resort for remedying the situation as many of the social ills are far above their scope of practice.

ABSTRACT. P. PORTO actively participated in the Link ME UP – 1000 Ideas project between 2020 and 2023, with the aim of testing receptivity to the teaching methodology based on design thinking on the part of its academic community, namely teachers and students. employment and the creation of innovative companies. The project had the goal of reinforce the cooperation between Portuguese Polytechnics as agents promoting qualified entrepreneurship, co-creating innovation with the business environment, aiming to create innovative ideas and new companies. The Link Me Up Project – 1000 Ideas, aimed to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit through the development of initiatives that boost: the co-creation of innovation based on multidisciplinary teams of young students and/or entrepreneurs from Polytechnic Higher Education in Portugal (axis 1); the creation of ideas and business plans (axis 2). With the focus on the activities developed in P. PORTO, the present work analyzes the results of the co-creation axis in the six organized editions, among the student community. For this, the impact on learning, the objectives to be achieved and the aspects of adaptation to the target audience and respective improvements to be implemented were evaluated. With the aim of developing a challenge presented by a company, teams of students were formed, guided by a P. PORTO’s teacher, in a total of 48 projects, 250 students and 48 P. PORTO’s teachers/facilitators. In this work the main conclusions are the following: the greater development of students' interpersonal skills and abilities; good acceptance of the methodology and tools used; the recognition of the added value throughout the entire process and the desire to develop more projects in co-creation with companies.

ABSTRACT. Objective(s) To describe the effects of the ACU Virtual Mobility Project Digital Information Security Course (DISC) virtual mobility (VM) programme on improving students’ awareness of cyber security skills. Rationale This study was significant in determining students’ cybersecurity awareness pre ACU Virtual Mobility Project Digital Information Security Course (DISC) virtual mobility (VM) exchange programme and post the intervention. Students are perceived to lack knowledge on cyber security. According to the National Audit Office, fraud in the United Kingdom now accounts for 40% of all reported crime and of that 54% is cyber related. South Africa ranked sixth in the world with cybercrime density, rising from 11.8 cybercrime victims per 1 million internet users in 2016 to 14.1 victims per 1 million in 2019, and 50.8/1 million users in 2020. According to the McKinsey Report of 2022, demand for technological skills will grow. Consequently, cyber security awareness are crucial to employees for the future workplace. Methodology A quantitative cross-sectional survey design will be used for this research (Polit & Beck, 2012). Data was collected using an online questionnaire using google forms. The questionnaire was piloted with 10 students prior to formal data collection. The survey questionnaires was assessed for clarity, unambiguous language and ease of understanding the language were piloted with ten students whose data was not included in the final data set. The research was conducted at The Durban University of Technology in Durban, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa and at Liverpool John Moores University (in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Census sampling was used to collect data from DUT PhD, Masters, Postgraduate and Advanced Diploma Management Sciences, Business Law students, Durban, South Africa and LJMU Faculty students, Liverpool, United Kingdom, who are registered at the respective universities in 2024 and who participated in the ACU Virtual Mobility Project Digital Information Security Course (DISC) virtual mobility (VM) programme between Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and Durban University of Technology (DUT) to improve students’ digital security skills will participate in the surveys in February to March 2024.

The sample realisation was in the pre-test was 55% and at post-test it was 33. The quantitative questionnaire data was analysed statistically on SPSS (version 27), reporting frequencies, measures of central tendency and any associations which might be evident. The questionnaires reliability was tested with Cronbach`s Alpha a result of 0.70 will be set as a minimum acceptable reliability threshold and reported in the final report. All ethical principles relating to beneficence, respect for human dignity and justice were observed. Major contribution(s) • The major contribution was the use of the ACU virtual mobility programme as an intervention to increase students’ awareness around cyber security. • Students produced public awareness campaign outputs, which comprised of videos, posters and cartoon strip to their chosen target audience and presented their work to the cohort (staff, presenters and other students). Implication(s) Improved their (students) own cyber security and we hope that they have improved their employability by being more aware increased safety – individual and at the work place

ABSTRACT. The aviation industry is undergoing a transformative stage, motivated by technological advancements, changing consumer behaviours, and evolving market dynamics. This paper investigates how the aviation industry is changing due to new marketing trends, with an emphasis on improving brand perception, consumer involvement, and brand loyalty. This paper explores the interconnectedness between sustainability and marketing trends within the airline industry, aiming to identify strategies for building sustainability through innovative marketing tactics. In addition, this paper examines the challenges and opportunities associated with marketing strategies in the passenger airline industry, including consumer perceptions, and competition. The paper further attempts to provide insights into the techniques used by airlines and aviation-related enterprises to adapt to the digital age and fulfil the changing needs of modern travellers by analysing case studies, industry reports, and scholarly literature. This research includes the analysis of key trends such as personalized marketing, experiential branding, sustainability initiatives, and digitalization so as to understand their impact on customer acquisition, customer retention, and overall business performance. Through this investigation, the thesis hopes to provide insightful analysis and helpful suggestions to help aviation marketers successfully navigate the dynamic industry environment. Through a comprehensive study of current practices and future endeavours, this research contributes to the understanding of how the airline industries can effectively integrate sustainability into their marketing strategies. By inculcating these insights, this research provides practical recommendations for the airline industry to effectively integrate sustainability into their marketing strategies, thereby fostering long-term environmental sustainability while concurrently enhancing brand image, brand value and consumer loyalty. The OR Thambo Int. Airport has been selected for the study. A mixed method approach has been used to collect data in the form of questionnaires and interviews. Data was analysed by employing Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS-latest version) and Ms Excel 2016.

ABSTRACT. Municipalities in South Africa face sustained performance related challenges. These challenges manifest in the form of protests which often end in the destruction of property, poor service delivery as well as the deterioration of infrastructure such as roads and buildings which are not maintained. Poor service delivery and dilapidated roads impact negatively on the economy as well as the overall quality of life. These challenges require new and innovative ways of bringing about lasting improvements. Unconventional ways of solving existing problems need new leaders who are prepared “swim against the strongest tides” to improve the performance of municipalities. Thirty years after first democratic elections in South Africa, municipalities should have improved. The envisaged paper uses qualitative methods to collect and interpret data. Data collected and interpreted include, amongst other, official policy documents, statistics as well as literature on the subject. The paper starts by outlining the local government reform agenda and proceed to explain the performance management conundrum in South African Municipalities. At the core of the paper is the social and human capital approaches to solving performance related problems. The fusion between social and human capital becomes clearer in the recommendations which address ways in which municipalities can optimize their performance.The paper makes the following recommendations: Improve municipal databases to include skills of people who live within the area of authority of each municipality, Establish communities of practice, Pair underperforming municipalities with best performing municipalities, Initiate controlled moonlighting of people with scarce skills on a need basis, The Department of Cooperative Governance and traditional Affairs should facilitate temporary staff exchanges, Initiate task-specific informal voluntary advisory bodies, and Establish annual panels of expert performance reviewers.

ABSTRACT. Recently, digital transformation(DX) in the industrial sector has been evolving rapidly, with its trends and importance emphasized as core issues driving industrial innovation. Particularly in the manufacturing sector(including vehicle manufacturing and assembly industries), there is a notable focus on strengthening relationships with suppliers and the establishment of digital collaborative factories. This study was conducted to enhance collaboration among manufacturers, suppliers, and customers in this evolving landscape. Digital collaborative factories are dedicated to integrating and optimizing DX across various domains such as production, data management, collaboration, processes, and technology. This becomes increasingly crucial as the digital transformation level of suppliers directly impacts the overall ecosystem's performance. However, existing DX maturity assessment models have limitations as they do not adequately consider suppliers as key components but rather assess them at the level of specific evaluation criteria. Therefore, this study aims to develop a DX maturity assessment model specialized for digital collaborative factories, with "collaboration" as a core evaluation factor, and conduct DX level diagnoses targeting manufacturers and suppliers to enhance collaboration capabilities within digital collaborative factories. Subsequently, it provides future directions and improvement strategies based on the diagnosed DX level to address efficiency degradation and quality issues arising in collaboration processes. Additionally, it contributes to the analysis of collaboration systems between manufacturers and suppliers by presenting additional industry-specific analyses based on the diagnostic results. Through this, it is anticipated to efficiently manage collaboration systems within digital collaborative factories and contribute to establishing digital collaboration standards in the manufacturing sector.

ABSTRACT. This paper addresses the increasing importance of understanding the interplay between Open Strategy (OS) and Open Innovation (OI) practices within networked organizations, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The dynamic nature of modern business ecosystems, driven by technological advancements and globalization, has led to increased interest in adopting openness in various aspects of business strategy and innovation. Existing research has thus far examined OS and OI practices independently, but there is a knowledge gap regarding their combined effects on organizations operating in the unique context of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In addition, a comprehensive synthesis of the overlapping practices between open strategy and open innovation that could enable organizations to identify potential synergies and/or develop strategies within the business ecosystems is still unknown. By providing a detailed analysis of the prevalence, benefits, and risks of OS and OI practices in the context of Sub-Saharan organizations, this study seeks to contribute to the existing body of knowledge and inform both researchers and practitioners on effective strategies for navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by the unique economic landscape of SSA. SSA has been chosen as the focus of this study due to its unique economic challenges and opportunities. With developing economies making up the global economy, SSA falls under this category, experiencing challenges such as poverty, high unemployment, and economic inequality. To overcome these challenges and achieve growth, organizations within the region have sought market entry opportunities in new markets throughout SSA. The objective of this study is to develop a conceptual framework synthesizing the current understanding of OS and OI practices, evaluating their prevalence in SSA networked organizations, and assessing the benefits, risks, and constraints associated with adopting these practices in different business ecosystems. To achieve these objectives, a structured and rigorous systematic review methodology was followed. This comprised of a comprehensive literature search in three databases – the Southern African Bibliographic Information Network (Sabinet), the Web of Science (WOS), and SCOPUS – using the search terms "open strategy," "open innovation," "networked organizations," "business ecosystems," and "sub-Saharan." Articles were only included when their focus was on OS and OI practices within networked organizations, they presented empirical research, and were written in English. Articles not meeting these criteria are excluded. Our systematic review identified 734 published papers relating to OS and OI practices, with a growing interest in OI practices from 2019 onwards. When focusing on Sub-Saharan networked organizations, the number of relevant articles narrows down to 123. The VOSviewer analysis highlighted relationships between key practices and trends in research development. The conceptual framework developed from this review emphasizes the importance of balancing OS and OI practices within organizations and their networks to maximize openness and associated benefits. It contributes to the existing body of knowledge by offering insights into the prevalence, benefits, risks, and constraints of adopting these practices, informing future research directions and practical recommendations for organizations looking to implement and benefit from OS and OI practices within their networks.

ABSTRACT. Background and objectives: The emergence of technological revolutions suggests that firms should consider innovative ways to improve the online client shopping experience. As a result of technology, many firms now use online platforms, which has an impact on the shopping experience and thus the attitudes towards the brands. The objective of this research is to investigate the online shopping experience of luxury branded products in a developing market, with an emphasis on branded product purchases, online shopping behaviour, and the mediating role of e-Word-of-Mouth as mediated by e-WoM. Rationale: The expansion of online shopping platforms in addition to established merchants' online offerings, combined with the legitimacy of the mushrooming online vendors, makes consumers more reliant on e-WoM than ever before, influencing their online buying experience. Design/methodology/approach: The research data was collected online using a convenience sample of 300 online shoppers. Findings: The findings revealed that attitude is influenced by usefulness, ease of use, and e-WoM. Furthermore, results showed that e-WoM partially mediates the relationship between attitude towards online shopping and usefulness, attitude towards online shopping, and ease of use. In addition, e-WoM fully mediates the relationship between attitude toward online shopping and website quality, conspicuousness of the brand, and quality of the brand. Major contributions and implications: The research contributes towards a better understanding of e-WoM's influence and mediating role in the online shopping experience. Furthermore, this paper addresses a gap in the literature by exploring the mediating role of e-WoM in the context of the online shopping experience. As a result, it directs online seller managers towards novel techniques for improving the consumer experience.

ABSTRACT. This research studied environmental sustainability through the prism of a societal trend that is important to both brands and clients. In doing so, we studied a unique set of professionals, called unaffiliated professional service providers. They have knowledge of product categories not sold in their own supply channel but are very influential in the consumer decision-making process (e.g., dentists recommending a given toothpaste brand). Specifically, the study assesses the propensity of these providers to recommend brands with sustainability attributes and examines several antecedents of these endorsements including eco-friendly social norms, their own perceived expertise in sustainability, their expectation of environmentally based marketing, and their level of trust in brands making sustainability claims. Results indicate that the perception of a social norm related to environmentally friendly behavior is central to professional service providers ultimately recommending sustainable brands to their clients. Indeed, trust in these eco-friendly brands is formed through social norms. Interestingly, the greater the expectation that professional service providers have that eco-friendly brands will position their product as sustainable also serves to increase the trust that these providers have in environmentally friendly brands. The results also revealed that trust is built through the providers’ belief in their own expertise as it relates to environmental matters. In turn, brand trust was shown to positively influence the likelihood that professional service providers will recommend sustainable brands to their clients. Consequently, marketers should seek to build trust in their brands by educating providers as to the importance of the sustainability components of their brands while also signaling to them the societal norm surrounding sustainability.

ABSTRACT. While research and practice have documented the favorable impact of firm-hosted online brand communities on consumer–brand relationships, including consumers’ purchase and loyalty intentions, little is known about how consumer perceptions of the brand’s online community and product may affect and explain this impact. The authors draw on information systems theory to model four quality dimensions of online communities (i.e., information quality, system quality, service quality from the community organizer, and system quality from other community members). Based on goal theory, the authors uncover a dichotomy in how online communities influence consumer intentions. Specifically, more utilitarian dimensions of an online community (i.e., information and system quality) affect consumer intentions differently than do its more relational dimensions (i.e., service quality provided by the community organizer and other community members)—a moderated mediation effect that depends on consumers’ degree of product involvement. For consumers showing lower (higher) product involvement, the effects of an online community’s service quality on consumers’ trust and, in turn, purchase and loyalty intentions are accentuated (attenuated). Conversely, the trust and intention effects of information and system quality remain unaffected by product involvement. The theoretical contributions and managerial implications of this research are multifold. They include the development of a scale to measure the four quality dimensions of online communities; the introduction of trust to the growing stream of research on online communities; the robust finding of the dual nature of online communities’ characteristics (i.e., relational vs. utilitarian), encouraging online communities to embrace both affective–social (i.e., service quality) and technical–cognitive (i.e., information and system quality) facets; and the managerially relevant insights that relational features offer highly promising customer co-creation opportunities and that consumers with a lack of intrinsic product interest may be particularly delighted by a warm and competent online community. Limitations and directions for further research are discussed.

ABSTRACT. The luxury fashion industry in South Africa is gaining momentum, with the rising popularity among the young modern population from the millennial cohort, increased wealth of the middle class, and the uptake of new technologies and smartphone usage in the country. The consumer market for these luxury fashion goods in South Africa is also changing, with female millennials becoming a key driver within this industry. Therefore, the primary objective of the study is to determine the influence of social media marketing on South African female millennials’ purchase intentions towards luxury fashion brands on Instagram. The study’s target population comprised female millennials aged 23–38 who use social media (specifically Instagram) and reside within the Gauteng province of South Africa. A quantitative non-probability research approach was employed and a two-pronged sampling process (quota and convenience sampling) was applied to identify and select 300 participants. Descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling were applied to achieve the study’s objectives. The study found that social media marketing significantly influences purchase intentions. Furthermore, brand awareness was found to mediate the relationship between social media marketing and purchase intentions. From these results, both research hypotheses proposed for the study were accepted. Additionally, a reliable and valid model was developed to assist South African luxury fashion retailers in improving their brand awareness with customers through Instagram to enhance South African female millennials’ purchase intentions towards luxury fashion brands on Instagram.

ABSTRACT. Regenerative and conservation agriculture has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its potential to address sustainability challenges in food production. This approach focuses on restoring ecosystem health, improving soil quality, and promoting biodiversity, ultimately leading to more resilient and productive agricultural systems. Utilising a qualitative desktop case study methodology, this study aims to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of regenerative agricultural practices. The problem under scrutiny is that a changing world requires innovative agricultural practices and strategies to mitigate an environmentally compromised agri-industry, which inadvertently translate into global business and technology challenges. Consequently, sustainable livelihoods, poverty reduction and realizing the millennium development goals remain evasive quests. This research consulted peer-reviewed articles, government and NGO reports, and first-hand accounts from practicing farmers in newspaper articles. The research will compare regenerative strategies with conventional farming methods, assessing impacts on environmental quality, economic viability, and community well-being. Excluded from the study are secondary aggregate data sources that do not provide direct observations or empirical research related to regenerative practices. The objective is to gather evidence on the effectiveness of regenerative agriculture in creating sustainable food systems and to identify ways to replicate and extend these benefits towards promoting socioeconomic benefaction. The findings are expected to identify critical elements and obstacles affecting the adoption of regenerative techniques, which may be directional in terms of subsequent empirical and field research. For this paper, the synthesis of empirical data and local knowledge is drawn from a carefully curated selection of sources from Google Scholar and the University of Limpopo repositories with filtration of sources not more than 20 years old. The Kaisers model will be used as the grounding model for the study in answering the research question, "How does the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices impact soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem services, and what are the subsequent effects on farm productivity, profitability, and community resilience?" These sources will be instrumental in guiding stakeholders and policymakers toward fostering the broader application of regenerative principles, thus enhancing the sustainability of food systems globally, and South Africa in particular.

ABSTRACT. The study aims to discern and categorize Social Economy Initiatives (SEIs) based on significant differences in their business model (BM) dimensions framed in the relationship of backstage and front stage from Osterwalder and Pigneur (2011)’s CANVA model. Through comprehensive data analysis and statistical testing, the study tested a taxonomy – PIM model -, expanding its understanding and applicability. The validity of the PIM model is based on the consolidated literature on generic strategies. A contextual analysis presents the United Kingdom’s SEI unveiling a rich tapestry of organizational dynamics and challenges while providing generalizable insights on generic BM’s features. PIM stands for its three SEI’s profiles: Persistent, Innovative, and stuck in the middle. Persistent SEI are the best when the innovation regards efficiency and cost reduction. The Innovative SEI assumes the goal to foster systematic innovation, finding solutions despite uncertainty and investment need. Because it is difficult to cut cost and do investments simultaneously, SEIs’ stuck in the middle (i.e., nor Persistent neither Innovative) tend toward underperformance. Results reveal multivariate profiles of SEIs, reflecting their diverse organizational dynamics and challenges within the social economy landscape. The study underscores SEIs' commitment to addressing societal issues, their deep-rooted engagement with communities, and the challenges they face in accessing support and resources. The findings offer insights for policymakers, investors, and practitioners to enhance support mechanisms and fortify the social economy ecosystem, empowering SEIs to drive positive social change and sustainability.

ABSTRACT. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, provides for the promotion of socio-economic development as one of the developmental objectives of the local government. Accordingly, local government municipalities are expected to develop strategies that will uplift social and economic wellbeing of communities, including rural communities, and the Greater Giyani local municipality is no exception to this assertion. Furthermore, Section 152 (e) of the Constitution, 1996, provide for the involvement of communities and community-based organization in the developmental affairs of the local government, and further states that municipalities must work within their available resources to ensure that the objectives set in Section 152 (a) – (d) are realized. Despite socio-economic interventions espoused in the Greater Giyani local municipality LED, to improve the quality of lives in rural communities, villages such Blinkwater, Mavuza, and Ndengeza villages remain under-developed. The state of under-development questions the impact of the Greater Giyani local municipality’s LED strategy. Conversely, meanwhile the selected villages are characterized by deep poverty, unemployment, and slow economic growth, variables mentioned in the latter have a direct bearing on socio-economic development of the local people. Therefore, the objective of this article is to analyze the impact of the Greater Giyani LED strategy on rural communities. In addition, the study focuses on three rural communities in the Greater Giyani Local Municipality, namely, Blinkwater, Mavuza, and Ndengeza villages. Given the nature of the study, a multi method will be employed as the methodological approach. Furthermore, environmental, social, and economic variables will be considered as tools of analysis. Accordingly, observations will be used to gather research data from the selected rural communities. In addition, semi-structured interviews will be conducted to collected research data from the research participants at the Greater Giyani local municipality. Furthermore, research participants from the Greater Giyani local municipality will be selected through a purposive sampling technique. Moreso, official municipal documents will be consulted to gain deep insight. Qualitative research data will be analyzed using a thematic data analysis technique. The Atlas ti computer propgramme will be used in the data analysis process to identify themes, quotes, and categories. Moreover, research related ethical standard will be upheld throughout the study. Key finding will be presented, recommendations will be made, and a summative conclusion will be drawn.

ABSTRACT. Africa is struggling economically. Many of the African leaders and the general public from time to time suggest what they deem to be a solution to the African problems. A call for the opening of the boarders is one of the calls made as a possible solution to address the stagnating economic development. It is proposed that the borders must be opened for free movements of goods, which is tend to increase trade amongst African countries, also, free movement of people, which is it believed to address amongst others, shortage of skills or skilled people in certain African countries. Opening of borders is believed to contribute immensely to the economic development and consequently the enforcement of socio-economic rights. However, not everyone is in favour of this as some believe opening of borders will bring more problems as opposed to solutions. Some argue that certain African countries that are doing well economically may have an influx of people who may seek a better life from them, which will consequently affect the economy of that country, its citizens and other things such as increased crime rates. South Africa particularly, has a problem of having large numbers of people coming from number of countries, including the nearest countries such as Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and eSwatini. Also, in South Africa a large number of people can be seen who come from Nigeria. Certain South Africans have made several calls such as #putsouthafricafirst calling for jobs and other opportunities to be given to South Africans. Also certain South Africans have argued that the increased crime rates are as a result of the non-South Africans living in South Africa.

ABSTRACT. Most literature on environmental justice predominantly examines the equitable distribution of environmental quality among various racial or income demographics, thereby scrutinizing the fairness of specific policies or resultant distributions. Statistical methodologies have underscored a robust spatial correlation between pollution and demographic factors: typically, low-income and minority households are disproportionately situated in locales burdened with environmental hazards such as waste facilities and landfills. Empirical evidence, as demonstrated by the General Accounting Office (GAO) in their research across eight states, reveals that Black communities often reside in closer proximity to hazardous waste sites ((GAO), 1983). Both race and poverty emerge as pivotal determinants influencing a neighborhood's susceptibility to exposure to released toxic materials (Arora & Cason, 1999) (Ash & Fetter, 2004) (Boer, Pastor Jr., Sadd, & Snyder, 1997) (Brooks & Sethi, 1997) (Kriesel, Centner, & Keeler, 1996) (Been & Gupta, 1997). Notably, race exhibits a significant positive correlation with proximity to industrial plants, while income displays a significant negative correlation when current socioeconomic characteristics are held constant. However, when socioeconomic characteristics are controlled at the time of plant siting, the significance of race diminishes, whereas income continues to exert a significant negative correlation with plant proximity (Wolverton, 2009). Furthermore, the Superfund cleanup program tends to augment the average price of owner-occupied housing, albeit with notable disparities across distinct housing markets. Here, household income, rather than race, emerges as the principal driver of residential sorting subsequent to the remediation of hazardous waste sites. (Gamper-Rabindran & Timmins, 2011) (Gamper-Rabindran, Mastromonaco, & Timmins, 2011).

ABSTRACT. This study explores the various mechanisms that will ensure development and sustainable economies in developing countries. The main objective of the study is to identify the best strategies that will enhance development and sustainable economies within developing countries. The study further explores the challenges faced by developing countries in development and sustainable economies. The study seeks to identify gaps and mechanisms that will enhance economic development and transformation in developing countries. The study adopted the conceptual approach relying heavily on secondary data to demonstrate the role of the mechanisms that will ensure development and sustainable economies within developing countries. In recent decades, productivity, efficiency, and spillovers of natural resources have become crucial elements of sustainable growth and development. In developing economies, there are critical sustainability challenges with both productivity and efficiency being relatively low. Another overriding challenge for developing countries relates to the inefficient use of natural resources which leads to overconsumption. Raising resource consumption efficiency is crucial to reducing the negative impact of human actions on the environment. A high level of productivity also plays a significant role in reducing environmental pressure. Efficiency and sustainability are linked through eco-efficiency, key to sustainable development and relevant to market-based economies where industrial pressure is intense. A low level of investment in financial markets remains a problem for developing countries. Global investment in these countries highlights a crisis of market capitalization in subsistence sectors, an issue for natural resource protection. The study concludes by giving an exposition of the mechanisms that will refine development and sustainable economies in developing countries.

ABSTRACT. For years, policymakers and economists have been researching the significance of the native currency value versus other currencies in favouring the country's trade balance and total. Therefore, this study investigates the impact of the real exchange rate change on the trade balance in South Africa. The study uses annual time series data from 1980 to 2022. This study uses the ARDL technique to analyse data. Bounds tests showed that the variables are cointegrated. According to the empirical findings, the real exchange rates have significantly influenced the trade balance positively in the short run but in the long run, have a negative significant influence on the trade balance. The terms of trade have a positive significant influence on the trade balance in the short run, but it appears to be positively significant in the long run. The money supply in the short run has an insignificant negative relationship with the trade balance but in the long run, has a significant positive relationship with the trade balance. The SA gross domestic product has a significant negative impact on the trade balance both in the short and long run. Lastly, the Chinese gross domestic product has a negative insignificant relationship with the trade balance in the short. However, in the long run, it has a positive significant relationship with the trade balance. This proves that a rise in Chinese GDP, as a proxy for foreign economic activity, boosts South African exports to the rest of the world in the long term. As a result, the trade balance improves as China imports minerals from South Africa for production purposes. The dependence on currency depreciation to enhance trade in South Africa can improve its trade balance, but it may also damage the economy due to the country's reliance on imports. However, the advice to weaken the South African currency should not be so harsh as to have a negative impact on the importation of key capital goods critical to the growth and development of the South African economy. It is recommended that the government reduce demand for imported products and boost domestic manufacturing, which might lead to domestic products being exported. The central bank must also stabilize the currency to increase competitiveness by decreasing the overseas price of exports and increasing the cost of imports.

ABSTRACT. Purpose Insurance-linked securities like catastrophe bonds are increasingly becoming more relevant with the increasing experiences of climate change disasters in Africa (such as heat waves, droughts, tropical cyclones, and floods). The introduction of such climate change resilience bonds requires expert knowledge in design, structuring as well as implementation. Slowly, the knowledge of the expanding reinsurance protection using catastrophe bonds is growing. However, these bonds may fail to provide the vaunted extra protection if they are not well designed. This research paper seeks to assess how wider underwriting capacity can be achieved through modelling catastrophe bonds using linear optimisation techniques. Design/Methodology The research uses linear optimisation to establish how catastrophe bonds can be modelled to maximise the cover provided for climate change disasters. It will model linear functions that can assist with determining the combination of variables to increase climate change risks underwriting capacity in the insurance sector for (re)insurers’ profit maximisation. Findings/results The findings indicate that combining catastrophe bonds with other hedging techniques (such as traditional reinsurance) can assist in increasing the climate change disaster protection at specified loss levels. This means that different loss levels call for different combinations of catastrophe bonds and other climate change disaster hedging techniques. The use of loss ranges is critical in establishing predefined linear optimisation functions to use in administering compensation for climate change disaster losses. Practical implications Catastrophe bonds can be used together with other climate change disaster hedging techniques to provide higher financial protection. Linear optimisation techniques help to establish the right combination of hedging instruments that help insurers and reinsurers to provide maximum cover for climate change disasters. Originality/Value Literature on catastrophe bonds benefits from this research by getting more recent contributions. The study provides insurers and reinsurers with a tool for effective and economic underwriting of climate change disasters. It allows for the use of catastrophe bonds as an additional climate change disaster risk transfer technique and to determine their optimal employment in combination with other hedging techniques.

ABSTRACT. This research aimed to examine the impact of the Covid-19 health crisis on Jordan's digital payment industry. It investigated the opportunities and challenges that have emerged, as well as the regulatory implications of measures implemented by the Central Bank of Jordan. The study used a mixed methods approach, analyzing both qualitative and quantitative secondary data sources. By thoroughly analyzing secondary data, key factors influencing the industry were identified. An analysis was conducted to ascertain how the pandemic has accelerated the shift from cash to cashless payments. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) were employed to understand factors affecting individuals and organizations' adoption of cashless payment systems during this time. Perceptions related to usefulness, ease of use, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control were assessed to understand how these factors shape behavior towards embracing digital payments during the pandemic. Lastly, consideration was given to how regulatory measures issued by the Central Bank of Jordan in response to Covid-19 impacted digital payment organizations. This examination encompassed operational practices, compliance requirements, as well as customer behavior. The Regulatory Fit Theory was utilized to assess alignment between regulatory strategies and focuses within these organizations. The research findings revealed the increased adoption of digital payments and emphasized the importance of robust security measures. The research also identified challenges related to accessibility, trust, and regulatory compliance. To address these issues, recommendations are provided for digital payment organizations and policymakers in Jordan. These recommendations focused on strategies to overcome challenges, enhance security measures, and ensure inclusivity in digital payment solutions. Moreover, the research highlighted the significance of adaptive regulatory frameworks in supporting the industry during crises. In summary, this paper enhanced understanding of how the Covid-19 health crisis impacted Jordan's digital payment industry and contributed valuable insights for developing resilient payment systems.

ABSTRACT. This article reviews systematically the literature on the prominent features in the development of school accounting teachers compliant with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The study aims to contribute to the field of public finance and accounting by conducting a systematic literature review on the prominent and contributing features of funding and development of school accounting teachers to identify and summarize the current state of knowledge and gaps in the research. It displays these features in a single conceptual framework. A systematic literature review methodology is employed to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the existing body of research on the chosen topic. The planning phase involved framing the research questions, while the implementation phase consisted of carefully selecting relevant papers from various sources. This systematic literature review identifies and reviews studies between 2014 and 2024 through a perspective focused on the prominent features in the development of school accounting teachers. The study identified six prominent features which formed an integral part of the conceptual framework proposed. These include critical resources, cognitive flexibility, unified acceptance of technology, culturally responsive teaching, professional learning communities, and instructional coaching. The study provides government, policy-makers, school governing bodies, school management, and school accounting teachers, with a clear insight and overview of the prominent features they need to consider in the development of school accounting teachers. The conceptual framework proposed in this study displays a bigger picture of these prominent features to be considered in the development of school accounting teachers compliant with the Fourth Industrial Revolution underpinned by the published work of the research scholars. Moreover, the study provides an opportunity to do further research that may test the framework further and generate more knowledge in the fraternity.

ABSTRACT. Digital transformation, a primary catalyst for disruptive change, compels organisations to evolve and adapt to maintain competitiveness. It has become an essential component for organisations striving to prosper in an increasingly dynamic business landscape. While strategic agility is essential for dynamic and evolving organisations, current research has not provided a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between digital transformation and strategic agility. To address this gap a scoping review was conducted to systematically examine existing studies on digital transformation and strategic agility, enabling the consolidation and distillation of trends and themes, and highlighting areas of further research. This scoping review identified 68 studies where digital transformation and strategic agility intersect. Findings indicate that digital transformation is an ongoing process due to the dynamic nature of the business environment where threats and opportunities are constantly present. The review also revealed that strategic agility precedes the implementation of digital transformation and sustains it by fostering an ambidextrous organisation capable of implementing change while maintaining stability. It was found that all activities within the digital transformation process inherently integrate with the elements of Strategy-as-Practice, as digital strategizing is essentially the execution of strategizing digitally. Based on this finding, this study proposed a definition of digital transformation that integrates digital transformation and Strategy-as-Practice. The review emphasises the critical role of managerial functions in promoting a culture that encourages digital adoption and adaptation and fosters strategic agility to swiftly respond to external threats and opportunities. This necessitates the development of leadership skills that enable rapid and effective decision-making in uncertain situations. In conclusion, this scoping review offers a theoretical framework to guide empirical research, encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly in response to the call for Strategy-as-Practice research investigating digitalisation, and provides recommendations for future research to further advance the field.

ABSTRACT. This paper discusses augmented reality (AR) applications in the fashion industry and offers significant contributions, both theoretical and practical, as it endeavors to enhance our understanding and application of AR technology in a commercial setting. These contributions are expected to provide foundational insights for academics, industry practitioners, and technology developers alike.

ABSTRACT. The advent of electric vehicles has sparked much attention from consumers, researchers, academics and industry alike. This study therefore delves into the perceptions that consumers hold about the introduction of such technology to a market which has not fully accepted the concept of electric vehicles as a feasible permanent alternative for fuel-powered vehicles. It was thus deemed appropriate to employ a modified technology acceptance model (TAM) to explore consumer perspectives of such a technology. A convenience sample taken from 381 anonymous, willing respondents above the age of 18 from Braamfontein, a busy business district of Johannesburg, South Africa was used for analysis of consumer perspectives regarding electric vehicles being introduced to the South African motor vehicle market. Data was collected over a two month period and was processed for insights in SPSS 29 and AMOS 29 where descriptive statistics and hypotheses testing were conducted respectively. Key findings established that consumers held positive perceptions towards the introduction of such vehicles as far as their perceived value and trust were concerned. However, it should be noted that concerns were raised about the potential risks associated with introducing such vehicles to the South African motor vehicle market. Implications for marketers and future research directions are proposed.

ABSTRACT. South Africa faces significant environmental challenges, including deforestation, pollution, and habitat degradation, which necessitate urgent measures to establish and maintain green spaces. This research explores the integration of community support mechanisms in the establishment of green environments within South African municipalities. Drawing upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, this study investigates the perceptions, preferences, and participation levels of local communities in green initiatives. Through semi-structured interviews were conducted with 8 green initiative officers of all 8 metropolitan cities of South Africa, this research identified the key factors influencing community engagement in green projects. Findings revealed that community involvement significantly enhances the success and sustainability of green initiatives. Local participation fosters a sense of ownership, increases awareness of environmental issues, and promotes social cohesion within communities. Moreover, incorporating traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous practices enriches the biodiversity and cultural significance of green spaces. The research also highlights the challenges and barriers hindering community participation, such as limited resources, inadequate infrastructure, and socio-economic disparities.

In conclusion, this study underscores the importance of fostering partnerships between municipalities and local communities to create inclusive and sustainable green environments. By leveraging community support and indigenous knowledge systems, South African municipalities can effectively address environmental degradation while promoting social equity and resilience. This research contributes to the growing body of literature on community-based environmental management and provides practical insights for policymakers, urban planners, and environmental practitioners seeking to advance green agendas in diverse socio-cultural contexts.

ABSTRACT. The study explored the literature on digital video versus traditional mechanical stopwatch recording measuring workstudy implementation in agronomy. To explore how agronomy is maintained to improve the health of the world population, secondary data was collected using the literature involving journal articles and manuscripts based on workstudy and improvement of agronomy comparing the data collected, which was analysed from 2014-2023. Based of the findings of the results on the data analysed, stopwatch recording inadequacy has shown limited accuracy, observers’ prejudice as compared to video recording.

Given the results of this study, it is recommended that video recording be considered as the efficient tool to provide the results on the challenges affecting agronomy and corrective measures be early. Due to Covid incurred, it also recommended for futher research that the motion sensors and GPS tracking devices as the fourth industrial revolution tool be used to provide insight into the productivity improvement of agronomy globally in reducing the incidence on the current world population.

ABSTRACT. In the United States, special interest groups seek to influence the political process by trying to affect the particular policies that are voted upon by state legislators. Success or failure varies upon the effectiveness and strength of the group. There are many special interest groups that formulate in US states, but that varies upon different factors. It seems very sensible that highly populated states like California, New York, Texas, Floria, and Illinois will generally have more special interest groups, because of the broader interests that are inherent among more people. Therefore, the empirical analysis will control for these very common factors. This paper seeks to take a closer look at the formation of these special interest groups in the US states. Specifically, it will discretely analyze why some groups will formulate in particular states and not other states. The number of special interest groups can now be broken down into 27 sub-categories. Rather than just looking at the total number of special interest groups in a state, this paper will now be able to look at why the number of civil rights or tax policy groups in one state matters in whether or not a group will form in a neighboring state. The definition of a neighboring state in the spatial econometric context can be defined very differently. For example, states need not be defined by geographical borders, boundaries, or capitals. Instead, a neighboring state could be one that shares a similar Gross State Product, Unemployment Rate, or Population. Utilizing spatial econometric techniques, this paper will be able to better define those spatial neighbors in the context of special interest group formulation.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the relationship between exchange rates and agriculture export flows from South Africa to Southern African Development Community (SADC) economies using annual panel data from 2010 to 2022. The study used Quantile Moments regression model (MMQR) which is an econometric tool that allows for the analysis of conditional quantile distribution effects on various economic and demographic variables, such as exchange rates, South African (SA) economic activity, SADC economic activity, and domestic populations in both South Africa and SADC. This model can provide valuable insights into how different quantiles of agriculture export flows change with varying levels of different factors including exchange rates, South Africa's GDP, SADC GDP, and population sizes. The findings on MMQR for exchange rate across all quantiles (01-0.9) is significant and negatively affect agriculture exports. These results show that a depreciating currency can lead to an increase in agricultural exports, hence, a depreciating currency can make agricultural products cheaper for foreign buyers, leading to an increase in agricultural exports. Furthermore, SADC economic activity (LGDPF) has a significant impact on exports in certain quantiles (0.6-0.9). This suggests that an increase in LGDPF leads to an increase in agriculture exports at this quantile. Additionally, the SADC population has varying effects which are positive (0.2-0.6) and negative (0.1) on agriculture exports across different quantiles. Moreover, the long-run and FMOLS results confirmed the relationship between agriculture exports and the exchange rate, which supports the MMQR results. These findings can inform policymakers on managing exchange rate fluctuations and promoting agricultural export growth within the region. Also, policymakers can use the insights to formulate targeted policies aimed at fostering regional trade agreements and addressing challenges related to exchange rate fluctuations. Moreover, businesses can leverage the insights to make informed decisions regarding market expansion, supply chain management, and investment strategies within the SADC region.

ABSTRACT. During the last few decades, South African corporations have instituted a wide array of diversity programs designed to remove barriers to the full participation of previously disadvantaged communities. Meanwhile, these corporates were responding to increased pressures for the government to develop measures to monitor performance of all of their programs in addressing disparities. Yet there have been few efforts in place to measure the effectiveness of diversity management programs. This research endeavours to integrate sustainable leadership practices (SLP) of leaders and affirmative action in South Africa’s corporates through a self-administered internet survey among corporate leaders. A bivariate correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted among leaders in private organisations particularly human resources practitioners/managers, organisational directors and chief executive officers (CEOs). The study collected data through a self-administered internet survey; data was collected using questions on 10 SLPs and 4 constructs of AA implementation. Kendall’s Tau c tests were conducted to test the hypotheses. Data was also analysed through correlation analysis techniques that sought to establish correlational strengths between SLPs and AA as well as AA and company size. Out of the 686 questionnaires distributed, about 116 useful responses were obtained. The collected data has been analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. Ethical standards were followed, and participants were assured about the anonymity and confidentiality of responses. The results showed that use of SLPs within the South African private companies was generally high. However, SLPs had positively affected AA implementation with weak positive relationships observed. The findings of this research contribute to the SLPs realm through results which showed that SLPs had positive correlations with the implementation of AA. It was also observed through the study that AA can indeed be better implemented through SLPs hence Leaders and Managers of organisations must invest in these practices though their level of importance is not equally the same. SLPs such as, devolved consensual decision-making, internal succession planning, amicable labour relations, long-term perspective and social responsibility showed a stronger positive relationship with the implementation of AA relative to the other five.

ABSTRACT. The right to freedom of association is a fundamental human right guaranteed to workers worldwide. It may only be limited through trade union security arrangements. There are several trade union security arrangements in the workplace accorded to a majority union which some permits all workers to join the majority union or face dismissal. Several scholars supports trade union security arrangements because they believe that when workers are compelled to join the majority union in the workplace the principle of majoritarianism is strengthened. In South Africa, trade union membership is at less than 25% of the entire workforce meaning that workers who are not members of a trade union are in majority by more than 75%. In essence, the minority controls the majority in the workplace when workers are compelled to join a majority union. It is important to indicate that those are implications of collective bargaining. In South Africa, workers do not have the right not to join the union where there is trade union security arrangements in place. According to the ILO, both the right to join or not to join are equally protected and as to how the two rights should be applied it is left in the hands of the concerned country. This study intend to conduct a research on whether employers be compelled to enter into a collective bargaining with workers who do not belong to any union. Countries such as Canada, US, UK and New Zealand recognise both rights and worker are permitted not to join a majority trade union despite the presence of trade union security arrangements. These countries provide for other forms of non-union employee representation in the workplace which widely preferred by those who do not wish to belong to any union. In this instance, workers are permitted to form their own association in order to enter negotiation table with the employer, but they remain contributing towards agency fee in order to avoid free riding. The study shall also examine the implications of adoption of the positions in the above mentioned countries in the South African labour law.

ABSTRACT. The absence or lack of success of an organisation is significantly influenced by its leadership and often times misunderstood. A transformational leader who reacts to followers' needs and motivates them to greater heights is more likely to be successful than a leader who responds to followers' needs in a passive way. Transformational leadership engages the leaders with their followers in a process that leads to performance beyond the expectations through four factors which are idealised influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. These factors are magnified through the investigation of employees’ motivation based on the psychological needs of theory of self-determination. Dealing with employees’ motivation through transformational leadership proves to be an area that requires more research due to its limited amount of information especially in the Middle East. Transformational leadership is particularly suitable in situations with a high level of challenge and pertinent change especially in dynamic environments. Bahrain organisations are dealing with fundamental changes, new trends, and new discoveries particularly in the energy sector. Such changes have spilt over into other industries and have had unfavourable impact on businesses. In light of these ongoing changes, transformational leadership is seen as an effective approach for raising employee motivation across all nations and cultures. The emphasis of this study is to acquire a better and deeper insight into the fundamental mechanism of transformational leadership and its influence on employee motivation. The primary research questions are “What factors of transformational leadership are exhibited in Bahrain oil and gas industries?” and “What relationship exists between transformational leadership and employees’ motivation in Bahrain oil and gas sector?”. To respond to these research questions, an investigation through three companies in Bahrain were chosen as one case study. A convenient sampling technique was used to find the suitable research sample, which was composed of a survey of 316 employees including leaders (n=316). Data was collected using quantitative method (questionnaires) to allow a variety of perspectives from respondents. The research findings revealed that there is a correlation between the practices of transformational leadership and employee motivation in Bahrain oil and gas sector. It is also noted that the impact of transformational leadership factors on intrinsic motivation are far greater than the extrinsic motivation. This study research provides a better awareness of the problems of relationships faced inside organisations environments, It also offers a deeper understanding of how transformational leadership can help to motivate employees. The concludes by making significant suggestions for improvements that can be made in developing economies and in particular Bahrain's oil and gas sector.

ABSTRACT. South Africa is facing an increased level of disaster risks due to exposure to a range of diverse evolving weather hazards, which includes droughts, wildfires, severe storms and cyclones. These occurrences trigger devastation by humans and the environment. This devastation can be attributed to climate change which altered the face of disaster risks. This extreme weather patterns caused by climate change cause severe risks, sea-level and temperature rises and societal vulnerabilities. This paper examines an overview of the Government’s role and responsibility as stipulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (hereafter the Constitution) within the framework of disaster risk management (DRM) in South Africa, which must be studied with the legislative measures postulated by the recent passed Climate Change Bill. Local government (as a sphere of Government) have the obligation to provide an environment that is not harmful for present and future generations in accordance with section 24 of the Constitution. Schedule 4B read with section 156(1) of the Constitution states that local governments have executive and legislative powers which, arguably, can be the interpreted to regulate disaster on local level caused by climate change. The entrenched right of section 24 of the Constitution is further coordinated by the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 (hence the DMA) and the Disaster Management Framework, 2005. Section 9 of the DMA states that a National Centre should be established to integrate and coordinate disaster management with focus on prevention, mitigation and adaptation by local governments. The National Centre must be established in every District and Metropolitan municipalities to coordinate disaster management in its sphere of responsibility. Legislation, case law and case studies must be understood within the context of DRM on local level while addressing the phenomenon that is brought by climate change disasters.

ABSTRACT. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engine that drives world economies and the stepping stone to industrialisation for both developing and developed economies. The businesses account for 99% of all businesses in developing countries thereby signifying their importance). For instance, SMEs account for 52% of the private work force and 51% to United States (USA) GDP, while in the United Kingdom (UK) they are associated with 62% of total employment and 25% to GD. Like USA and UK, SMEs contribute 79% of Italian employment, 63% and 60% of France and Germany employment respectively. In China, SMEs employ 80% of urban population and contribute 60% of GDP. Likewise, at the heart of Africa’s encouraging growth are small and medium enterprises, commonly known as SMEs. In the Sub-Saharan Africa region, SMEs account for more than 95 percent of all firms. Qualitative research was used in this study. An extensive literature review regarding the importance of SMEs in the African economy was explored. This study aimed to examine the impact of SMEs on economic growth in Africa. This aim was achieved by an extensive literature review which revealed that SMEs have positive contributions on economic growth in Africa. The study concludes that SMEs have positive contributions on economic growth in Africa. SMEs are vital to the economic growth of any country. The successful establishment of SMEs leads to employment opportunities and growth in all economies. In view of the study results, it is thus recommended that the governments of African countries should establish a new support agency for SMEs. The African governments should improve the public’s view of SMEs. It is further recommended that the African countries education system should reform in order to provide SMEs with the skills they need to thrive.

ABSTRACT. Code-switching occurs in interpersonal communication. It is a linguistic practice that involves the ability to switch seamlessly between different languages or even combine them within a single sentence. The research on code-switching claims that influencers do it all the time, for example, during live influencer conversations, to keep their broad audience engaged. Generally, individuals often switch codes to stress or reinforce a particular point throughout a discussion. It builds on existing literature that emphasises code-switching as a much-discussed aspect of communication. This phenomenon is fuelled by the explosive growth of social media, which has resulted in the emergence of content providers, often referred to as social media influencers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate whether social media followers intend to engage with influencers who switch between different languages during the communication process. The data was collected from 163 social media followers in South Africa and its neighbouring countries using a questionnaire. The Pearson correlation test and regression analysis were used to investigate the existence of a relationship between the intention to interact and the attitudes and opinions of followers. A significant positive relationship was found between intention and persona, opinion on interaction and intention to engage with influencers. The results suggest that followers on social media are willing to interact with influencers, even in the case of language change. The results suggest that code-switching goes beyond linguistic aspects and encompasses various dimensions, such as attitudes, opinions and the relationship between followers and influencers. Furthermore, code-switching influences followers' intentions to communicate with influencers who switch languages.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this research is to present the concepts of ESG - Environmental, Social and Governance and its alignment with organizational leadership, as well as to demonstrate its legal aspects. Corporate governance is the system by which companies and other organizations are managed, monitored and encouraged, involving relationships between shareholders, the board of directors, management, supervisory and control bodies and other interested parties. Compliance means to comply with, obey, execute and promote a culture that encourages ethics and everything related to the law. Aspects of Corporate Governance and Compliance were analyzed, showing that, in each country, the best Corporate Governance practices are established according to their social, economic, corporate and regulatory environment. The ESG Agenda in international relations was discussed, emphasizing the situation of ports worldwide. The methodology employed was descriptive research, using documentary and bibliographic research, manual and electronic research in books, articles and scientific journals. A qualitative analysis completed the study. It was concluded that in order to achieve success in the ESG Agenda, there is a need for the presence of leadership at the national and international level, with public and private partnership as a requirement to settle negotiations, increase production costs and facilitate logistics for organizations.

ABSTRACT. Geo-political and geo-economic developments often impact significantly on organisations by virtue of their operations and their international exposure and are consequently constantly subjected to external and internal turbulence. These changes not only impact in an extra-organisational context, but syphons through to intra-organisational level as well. Under such conditions, strategic and operational decision-making should remain expeditious and effective. As such, staff need to be sufficiently skilled to perform optimally with limited coaching and supervision, amid such conditions. This ability refers to an organisation’s operational maturity capacity. In general, project management maturity analyses are often conducted to ascertain an organisation’s levels of readiness to sustain operations and to be extant to its mandate during challenging times. In the case of organisations that follow a Management by Projects business model, it may be argued that similar requirements apply equally. This study discusses maturity analysis and reflects on the need for sustainability leadership to ensure that management–by-projects occurs effectively amidst realities of Sharescreen Africa (SSA) as a unique non-profit nature conservation organisation with an uncommon business model. This paper has a threefold intent: First, it succinctly contextualises management-by-projects as it may be conducted in a unique nature conservation organisation. Secondly, it proceeds to explain how a maturity analyses may be conducted to ascertain the state of readiness for strategic adaptive interventions in a nature conservation organisation that follows a management-by-projects approach. Finally, the paper presents a description of the need for sustainability leadership to direct an effective management-by-projects business model. This research forms part of a preliminary study which provides a cursory glance of the unique business model that is applied by SSA, and it continues to reflect on the findings of a preliminary maturity analysis completed for the organisation. The analysis was conducted by using a maturity assessment questionnaire, which was followed up by conducting a semi-structured interview with the Director of SSA. The results of the initial analysis indicated a relative-to-average level of project management maturity.

ABSTRACT. The South African retail sector continues to experience significant levels of staff attrition as employees change employers for better opportunities. Previous literature reviews and empirical research reveal that the intention to leave the organisation is particularly alarming among Generation Y employees. This circumstantial situation is further intensified by the generation’s demands for competitive salary and material rewards, which add to the reasons as to why it is difficult for employers to retain them. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between selected talent management dimensions, collectivist culture, and the intention to leave of generation-Y employees within selected retail outlets in South Africa. The study used a quantitative research approach to collect, analyse and interpret the results. A total of 250 Generation -Y employees were purposively selected from retail outlets in the Southern Gauteng and participated in the cross- sectional survey. The collected data was analysed using the SMART PLS version 3.0 software. Major data analysis techniques employed in the study included descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and structural equation modelling. The results show that two talent management dimensions being perceived supervisor support and retention negatively influence the intention to leave. The other dimensions (perceived organisational support and training and development) as well as the mediating variable, collectivist culture, has an insignificant effect on the intention to leave of generation -Y employees in the selected retail sector. Based on the results of the study, the researchers recommend that the model proposed in this study could be utilized by retail organizations to better manage and retain Generation Y employees. The study made significant strides in broadening the knowledge towards a better comprehension of the changing population dynamics and distinct needs of today’s diverse workforce.

ABSTRACT. Access to basic municipal services is a major challenge in South Africa. Section 152 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, makes provision for municipalities to deliver basic services to their local communities. Local government plays an important role in ensuring that communities are provided with basic services which include but are not limited to water, electricity, municipal parks, municipal roads, and sanitation. Research has shown that South Africa is experiencing challenges in providing basic services. This study aims to evaluate the application of ethics in the provision of municipal services in the South African context, and further propose possible recommendations on how to mitigate the identifies challenges regarding basic municipal services. The paper is conceptual in nature and relies largely on the existing literature review and published reports. The main findings of this study indicate that the application of ethics has not significantly contributed to the improvement of municipal service delivery in a sizable number of municipalities in South Africa. The main recommendations based on the findings are that decision-making on basic municipal services should be centred on ethics and that the municipality should aim to solve community issues in a sustainable manner rather than just following protocol.

ABSTRACT. With the recent increase in the number of households with pets, the related market is expanding, and a single business area called Pet Economy is expanding. Pet Economy is a combination of "pet" and "economy," which means economy, and refers to production and consumption activities related to pets. Pet Economy is using a lot of application forms that consider user convenience in addition to pet-related content. In addition, "Pet Humanization," a concept that replaces humans, not just the concept of pets, is spreading, and related businesses are spreading. At a time when various new services related to pets continue to emerge and the pet market continues to expand, it is necessary to lay the foundation for the expansion of the domestic pet industry and the creation of business value. It is necessary to develop a stand-alone pet economy application that can continuously secure and supply content and recommend technology according to various user information. Existing pet business applications have a noticeable dependence and have limitations in that they cannot run independent businesses. Therefore, this study aims to develop content and technology that can create new added value in the ever-expanding pet business market, and to carry out the business, we develop an image-based pet naming algorithm. The corresponding algorithm is a 'filtering algorithm based on input information', which can filter and provide a name that matches the information input by the user from the name DB secured in advance. Filtering is performed based on three types of user input information, such as user information, pet image, and preference name type selection, and the recommended name and the basis are provided together within the application. It can be seen as a process of first proceeding the tagging operation in the name DB to be used in the naming algorithm, then extracting deep learning-based features from the input image, and finally extracting a suitable name by tagging the labeled name DB and the extracted features. This study is of great significance in that by developing a technology-oriented application algorithm using image recognition technology, it is possible to conduct a business that can create new value for the pet business with stand-alone content. In addition, if a business strategy is established by considering the success factors applied when establishing an AI-based business strategy at the start, transformation, and expansion stages, the development potential is promising by placing a big difference in the distribution and community-oriented pet economy business.

ABSTRACT. The performance of the employees in the organisation is influenced by several important and valued aspects, including work engagement, employment relationships, and the performance management system. The focus area of the study was to determine whether there were any significant relationships between three ordinal demographic factors namely age, years of service and education and work engagement and the performance management system. A quantitative research approach and a standardised instrument were adopted. The statistical population consisted of 10 660 and the sample size included 400 employees within eight public sector departments. Non-probability, purposive sampling methods were adopted to select participants. Results of the correlation analysis indicated that no evidence of a favourable relationship between age and work engagement. The research discovered that age and PMS have a positive relationship. It also comes to the conclusion that the no significant relationship between years of service and work engagement. Further, the study concludes that the relationship between PMS and years of service exists. The results showed no connection between education and work engagement. Last but not least, the research's results indicate a favourable correlation between schooling and the PMS. The study recommends that the organisation should initiate adequate PMS and a working environment that promotes a level of work engagement and effective implementation of the performance management system.

ABSTRACT. This empirical study looks at issues of international human mobility and integration in South African communities. South Africa, just like any other global actor in the international system is attracting many people from the global village. The study has two objectives, which is to determine the impact of migration on integration in the host communities, and to find out the fundamental importance of multiculturalism in host communities. When migrants migrate to South Africa, they move with their culture and languages. South Africa is by nature a multicultural state and embraces her diversity. Moreover, when migrants migrate to South Africa they integrate with the host communities and continue to practice their cultural believes and speak their languages with pride. There are thousands, if not millions of immigrants in South Africa, with the majority coming from the Southern African Development Communities (SADC). This qualitative study was conducted in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces instantaneously. In this study, the researcher conducted focus group discussions with immigrants from different countries in the African continent. A blinded focus group discussion was also facilitated with local community members. Findings from the study revealed that immigrants who share common language and culture with South Africans find it easy to integrate with the host communities. The paper concludes that migration is a global phenomenon and because of globalisation, countries will always experience international human mobility. The study recommend that the host communities should continue to accommodate immigrants and allow them the space to practice their own culture and speak their own language.

ABSTRACT. In South Africa, instances have arisen where women have resorted to killing family members with the intention of securing insurance payouts. These tragic incidents highlight a disturbing aspect of crime where woman manipulate insurance policies for financial gain, often resorting to extreme measures such as murder. Such cases not only result in the loss of life but also raise questions about the adequacy of safeguards within insurance systems to prevent exploitation and fraud. The article explores and sheds light on the act of woman murdering people and presenting themselves as beneficiaries to pocket insurance money in South Africa, as committing fraud with insurance pay-outs is "easy money" for the perpetrators. Such involvement in illicit activities or engagement is led by greed and desperation for quick financial solution. This qualitative article adopted a non-empirical research design: Systematic review, indirect observation schedules to identify and describe available research literature ‘using systematic and explicit accountable methods and pre-specified formalised tools for searching and integrating literature. The collected data was analysed through inductive textual content analysis. The findings indicate that funeral policies are extensively advertised on television, making them easily accessible and potentially creating vulnerability, for victims of crimes related to such policies. By uncovering this concealed pattern, the research aims to initiate discussions and encourage policymakers, activists, and community leaders to collaborate on implementing necessary reforms within the funeral policy market. Findings indicate wider societal concerns linked to financial desperation, ethical limits, and the extents to which certain women might go to achieve financial gain.

ABSTRACT. The current challenging scenario has forced higher education institutions (HEI) to strive for student retention. Furthermore, Covid19 pandemic paralyzed entire higher education systems and had significant effect on student dropout, influencing students' intention to repurchase (RI). Therefore, a better understanding of the factors that can impact RI becomes paramount for HEIs’ survival. Through logistic regression applied to 1,663 HEI students in Brazil, our research indicates significant and direct relationships between four factors (perceived quality, class size, family income, and experience of use) and RI, which happens in Brazil, half-yearly, to graduation students. Such results present academic and managerial contributions. Academically, by finding a direct relationship between other constructs, in addition to perceived quality and RI. From the marketing/managerial perspective, our findings are crucial to enhance the efficiency of HEIs’ strategic actions aimed at increasing student RI. Our study findings provide evidence of significant factors that can impact RI and highlight the different relevance of these factors on RI.

ABSTRACT. This qualitative article addresses ethical dilemma issues on the mechanisms used to disburse social disability grants by the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA). It is founded on philosophies of social justice including equity which all infers from the underlying assumptions in social life that keep people from being fully and truly understanding of how the disability grant world works. These are premised in concepts of Critical Theory along with the Theories of Change, and they are all meant to help SASSA to identify the solutions to effectively address the causes of problems that hinders progress, and to guide this agency decisions on which approaches should be taken to address challenges which arise when disability grants are disbursed. Both the moral and economic arguments associated with the operations and disability grant strategic policy issues of SASSA are extensively and passionately contended for. The article further reflects on, and in some instances, provides disclaims using three criticisms of the disability grant disbursement arguments: that disability grant inefficiencies are more than just a lack of adequate policy knowledge; and that disability grantees rights are not totally disregarded by SASSA; in addition to, refuting the allegations of the disability frauds that are lamented by the media. To some degree, the article understands the disability grant disbursement issues to other unique strategic administrative issues than what is before the public. It encapsulates particular arguments ranging over different perspectives by operational and strategic officials of SASSA in previously mentioned three respects. It once more assesses the worth of the objections to disability grant disbursement appropriate to challenges of disability grant frauds and inefficient practices. It is concluded that disability grant disbursement issues hinge more on uncoordinated policy movements than just fraud and the need for South African government to consider other issues such as vacant positions, the removal of non-functional operations such as the rotation of regional managers. Solutions includes the availability of resources and, perhaps, even borrowing some of the disbursement methods used in highly industrialized nations to curb frauds and inefficiencies experienced at SASSA.

ABSTRACT. In 2023, sport faces a plethora of challenges including but not limited to match-fixing, corruption and doping to its integrity that, threatens both the commercial and public appeal (Ibrahim, 2016:68). The continuous changes and commercialisation that has occurred within sport have led to a variety of consequences resulting in the need for ethics to be revived, as it used to be in the past to ensure sport is not in danger (Kartakoullis, Karlis, Walker & Locke, 2015:73). In order to understand governance better, the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services, outlined a process explaining all elements with regards to corporate governance (Institute of Directors in Southern Africa, 2016). This process illustrates a governing body’s responsibilities as strategy, policy, oversight and accountability. These responsibilities are further elucidated to 16 governing principles which are highlighted as essential for all organisations in order to achieve and deliver on effective governance outcomes. These outcomes are good ethical culture, good performance, effective control and legitimacy therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the general state of governance within the clubs affiliated with a rugby club in South Africa by utilizing the King IV Code as the framework. The results indicated that the King Code IV principles are implemented by these rugby clubs to ensure they demonstrate commitment to corporate governance to both internal and external stakeholders. It is however evident that a similar report focused solely on sport is a necessity in the industry as this will provide more clarity on sport specific problems.

ABSTRACT. Under normal circumstances, an employee is required to finance his own legal representation in case of a disciplinary hearing or criminal proceedings stemming from misconduct/corrupt activities which were committed by such employee when on duty or within the scope of his/her duties. On the other hand, the law is very clear when it comes to delictual acts committed by employees within the scope of their employment. South African government seem to have a tendency of rewarding people who steal from government coffers by financing legal representation of accused employees. The former speaker of National Assembly of South Africa has been charged with several charges of corruption, some of those allegations occurred whilst she was still a Minister of Defence. The South African government has approved finance to her legal team. The question that need to be answered is whether there is any legal basis for government (State Attorneys) to foot the bill of a private person. This study shall conduct further research on a form of a comparative study with other government officials (Former President Zuma, Former Public Protector Adv Busisiwe Mkhwebane etc) who faced criminal proceedings and their legal teams were funded by government. Finaly, this study shall conduct a research on the conduct of the officials who approved the provision of finance to determine if it is not in violation of Public Finance Management Fund Act No.1 1999 and if so, what steps may be taken against them.

ABSTRACT. The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been promoted throughout the world since its inception in 2013 and has had overwhelming support alongside conflicting responses from across all continents. The ‘global south’ has embraced the economic infrastructure projects which have much to gain from the investment and projects joined the initiative. At the same time the G nations (mostly western) have seen it with suspicion and a Chinese endeavour to spread its power and influence. They also raise concerns about weaker nations being caught in a “debt trap” as a result of this initiative. Nonetheless more than 146 nations have joined the initiative and whatever the suspicions harboured, the BRI is an economic reality. China is of course seeking to be a global power through economic expansion and collaboration, and it seeks to position itself as the hub of global supply and manufacturing chains. It also needs to involve its second-tier provinces to both domestic and international markets via transnational infrastructure. Searching for new economic growth driver is now becoming a more urgent matter for the central government of China after 35 years of high growth and economic reforms. There may have been a shift of the motivation of BRI from its initial launch. Nonetheless the economic focus has not faded.

ABSTRACT. As information technology (IT) rapidly develops, it becomes harder to find crimes that do not have a digital component. The more internet users increase, the more percentage of cybercriminals who seem to be shifting traditional crime to the internet. There is a critical need to equip law enforcement agencies with cybercrime preparedness to combat and eradicate the problem. Cyber-attacks have negatively impacted the growing epidemic needing constructive solutions. This paper following a qualitative content analysis, focusses on the challenges and opportunities confronting the South African Police Service (SAPS) in policing cybercrime. The aim is to recommend with possible strategies and approaches in establishing strong professional institutions and investing in good resources to combat cybercrime. The results suggest that organisational context, complexity, and control are related to cybercrime response. Specifically, in terms of context, larger agencies like the SAPS, agencies whose officers engage in more non-routine tasks, and agencies governed by an active collective bargaining agreement are more likely to dedicate specific resources to cybercrime. In terms of complexity, agencies with more hierarchical layers, agencies that utilise more specialisation and agencies that make greater use of civilian employees are more likely to dedicate specific personnel to cybercrime. This article is one of the few to use this framework to examine the relationship between organisational characteristics and cybercrime response. It shows that this perspective can be useful for understanding police organisations and police policies, programmes and strategies.

ABSTRACT. This study focuses at how customers in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, perceive the quality of retail services provided by a particular supermarket chain. In order to explore the elements influencing customer satisfaction and loyalty in the context of supermarkets, it expands upon the SERVQUAL framework. Using a quantitative research approach, 400 consumers at four different supermarket sites in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, provide data for the study. A structured questionnaire assesses various dimensions of retail service quality, with a focus on reliability and validity checks to ensure questionnaire quality. Retail service quality constructs are assessed for dimensionality, validity, and reliability using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is applied to analyse the relationships between these constructs. The study explores the influence of personal interactions, loyalty, customer satisfaction, physical aspects, policy, and reliability on customer perceptions. The findings indicate that customers maintain positive perceptions across all service quality constructs, with personal interaction, loyalty, and customer satisfaction particularly prominent. The research confirms a significant positive relationship between policy, physical aspects, personal interactions, and customer satisfaction. However, it does not establish a significant link between reliability and customer satisfaction. The study also emphasises how strongly perceived loyalty is influenced by customer satisfaction. The study's contribution lies in adapting and validating the SERVQUAL framework for the specific context of supermarket chains. It underscores the significance of clear policies, a pleasant environment, and exceptional staff interactions in elevating customer satisfaction. Furthermore, it provides useful advice for service companies seeking to enhance customer experiences and promote customer loyalty. However, considering the study is context-specific, generalisation ought to be done with caution.

ABSTRACT. This study investigates, in the South African context, the impact of cosmopolitanism, ethnocentrism and materialism on environmental ethics and green buying behaviour. Given the central role of culture in shaping consumer behaviour, the current study sough to appraise the role of these three globalisation-linked cultural dispositions in driving pro-environmental behaviours. The study set out to uncover whether these cultural dispositions are related to environmental ethics and how this relationship contributes to consumer’s green buying intention. The study hypothesised that cosmopolitanism and ethnocentrism are both positively related to environmental ethics while materialism is negatively related. A cross-sectional survey methodology, using a self-administered questionnaire, was used to obtain data from 552 respondents who identify as “green” consumers in South Africa. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the completed questionnaires. The preliminary findings indicate that contrary to the researcher’s hypotheses, materialism is not negatively related to environmental ethics. Similarly, ethnocentrism was not found to have a significant, positive relationship with environmental ethics. The findings, however, did confirm the results of past studies which suggest that cosmopolitanism is positively related to pro-environmental behaviour. Furthermore, the results indicate that environmental ethics have a significant positive effect on green buying intention. The study concludes that people with a cosmopolitan orientation are more likely to be environmentally ethical than those with an ethnocentric disposition. Additionally, the study concludes that people who are materialistic are also capable of engaging in pro-environmental behaviours. Finally, the study concludes that people who are environmentally ethical are likely to engage in green buying behaviour. The results of the study can provide marketing practitioners, and academics with an enhanced understanding of the role of cultural dispositions in driving pro-environmental consumer behaviour. The study recommends that efforts to encourage green behaviour must have a global outlook as consumers who consider themselves as part of a global village are likely to be environmentally ethical. The study recommends that marketing communications aimed at encouraging green buying behaviour must emphasise the global nature of pro-environmental behaviour.

ABSTRACT. The study is based on a critical analysis of service recovery process of public service organizations, specifically focusing on e-Government public service portals in Pakistan. Public services exist within political environments and as such the political context significantly affects how service failures are understood by citizens. The public sector bears not only the costs of the failure of a service, since it is subject to political and socio-political expectations. Given the high failure and the political complexity of the online public service sector), there is an urgent need to develop a custom-made service recovery model with respect to the Pakistani context.

ABSTRACT. Emerging markets are often neglected in online and social media research. However, South Africa, as an emerging market has the highest online usage rate in the world. In addition, the beauty industry is one of the fastest growing industries in emerging markets. To compete in this market, beauty brands often make use of Social Media Influencers (SMIs) to generate brand content. However, limited research on this topic has been done in emerging markets such as South Africa. Shoppers are driven online to obtain information and rely on SMIs for product information, tutorials, and review. Using the Information Adoption Model, this study aims to determine whether SMIs in the beauty industry can drive information adoption amongst consumers. Using a quantitative, non-probability sampling method through online surveys, data from 242 respondents were obtained. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The findings of the study indicate that source credibility is the largest predictor of information usefulness, while information usefulness is a predictor of information adoption. The study recommends that beauty brands work with SMIs that resonate with their target market, ensure transparency and credibility, and engage with consumers online to build credibility. The study’s findings support the IAM model, suggesting that consumers adopt information from SMIs if it is deemed useful and solves their needs.

ABSTRACT. This study examines the influence of emerging technologies on the business competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the manufacturing sector. With the rapid evolution of technologies such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced robotics, SMEs face both opportunities and challenges in maintaining competitiveness within the global market landscape. Utilising a quantitative methodology, this research employs surveys and statistical analysis to assess the adoption and integration of emerging technologies among manufacturing SMEs. The study investigates key performance indicators such as operational efficiency, product quality, innovation capabilities, and market reach to evaluate the impact of technology adoption on competitiveness. Additionally, factors influencing technology adoption, including financial resources, technological infrastructure, and organisational readiness, are analyzed. Findings from this research aim to provide valuable insights for manufacturing SMEs seeking to leverage emerging technologies to enhance their competitive position in the industry.

ABSTRACT. The concept of the Regional Innovation System (RIS) assumes that innovation is a process that depends on various factors, both internal and external to companies. In this sense, RIS actors correspond to the set of institutions and organisations (such as companies, universities, governments, and research organisations) that work together to promote innovation and economic growth in a given geographical region. They aim to create a favourable environment for innovation and increase the economic competitiveness of regions. The objectives of this article are to identify the different factors and consequences of innovation and to classify European regions in terms of innovation. The data from the Regional Innovation Scoreboard was statistically analysed using two multivariate techniques: factor analysis and cluster analysis. It can be concluded that the factors that influence regional innovation relate to the qualification of human resources, spending on R&D and innovation processes and collaboration between companies. On the other hand, the indicators that result from this same innovation are scientific publications and the market, intellectual property and atmospheric emissions. Finally, Europe can be divided into two clusters, one made up of 151 regions with higher levels of innovation and the other made up of 73 regions with lower levels of innovation. Our study makes a significant contribution to understanding the dynamics of regional innovation in Europe, by identifying the main drivers of innovation, such as the qualification of human resources, investments in research and development (R&D) and collaboration between firms, it provides a solid basis for policymakers and regional managers to target their efforts. In addition, the classification of European regions into two distinct clusters based on their levels of innovation offers a clear view of regional disparities, enabling more effective allocation of resources and the development of specific strategies to boost innovation in less developed regions.

ABSTRACT. South Africa's retail landscape thrives on innovation, and the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) technology into the online shopping experience presents a plethora of possibilities. However, despite the potential of AR to revolutionise the online shopping experience, particularly for high involvement products, its adoption remains limited. Furthermore, research on AR adoption in developing economies such as South Africa has received scant attention. This study investigates the factors influencing consumer adoption of AR shopping for high-involvement products, focusing particularly on the mediating role of trialability. Employing a positivist approach and descriptive research design, an online self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 664 respondents. The questionnaire included constructs such as perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and social influence as independent variables, trialability as a mediator, and behavioural intention (adoption) as the outcome. Structural equation modeling was performed using the statistical program SPSS AMOS to analyse the data. The results presented sufficient evidence demonstrating that perceived usefulness and trialability are significant positive factors that influence behavioural intention. Furthermore, social influence demonstrated to be a positive factor influencing behavioural intention, however, the effect was insignificant. Surprisingly, perceived ease of use was found to have a negative yet insignificant influence on behavioural intention. The relationship between trialability and all the independent variables was positive and significant. Trialability emerged as a crucial mediator. More specifically, trialability was found to partially mediate the relationship between perceived usefulness and behavioural intention. Trialability was also found to fully mediate the relationship between perceived ease of use, social influence, and behavioural intention. These findings contribute significantly to theoretical advancements by addressing a critical gap in the literature concerning consumer adoption of online AR shopping, particularly in emerging markets like South Africa. By demonstrating the importance of trialability, the study offers valuable insights for retailers and AR shopping developers seeking to enhance consumer adoption in emerging markets. The theoretical and managerial implications are discussed, paving the way for strategies to foster acceptance and utilisation of AR technologies in shopping for high-involvement products.