Theses and Dissertations (Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS))

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/51280

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 2852

The role of online social networks in facilitating the stockpiling of household goods as a financial coping mechanism for women in Gauteng townships
Skhosana, Nhlanhla (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Township women in Gauteng manage household essentials in a context of rising prices, unpredictable incomes and almost no formal financial safety nets. In this pressure, stockpiling, which is buying in bulk and thereby timing these purchases to promotions, has become a practical way to stretch budgets. Digital platforms now enable this behaviour at scale. This qualitative study explored how fourteen women coordinate digitally facilitated stockpiling. Using thematic analysis within Social Capital Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the study traced how everyday decisions turn into organised routines. The findings show a consistent multi-platform workflow. Facebook is used to find and verify deals, TikTok helps confirm prices and stock availability in real time, and WhatsApp serves as the central hub where sales happen, contributions are tracked and transport is organised. The main motivations are saving money, smoothing consumption around South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) payout cycles and gaining a sense of psychological security. Facebook groups also show notable structure, with specialised roles such as scouts, accountants and coordinators. These insights inform the Township Stockpiling Resilience Model (TSRM), which shows how platform use, shared motivations and collaborative routines convert economic volatility into household stability. The model reflects a form of digital ubuntu and documents township-specific “stockpile windows” that differ from Western platform logic. The study contributes to work on the digital informal economy and highlights opportunities for retailers, such as WhatsApp Application Programming Interface (API) ordering, spaza-based collection points and risk templates, to better serve this emerging stockpiling market.
The impact of technological adoption on the supply chain resilience of SMEs
Phophi, Ntsundeni (University of Pretoria, 2026)
The supply chains across the globe are experiencing growing disruptions; nevertheless, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are more prone to such disruptions due to resource shortages and limited technology. The following study explored how the adoption of new technologies influences supply chain resilience in South African SMEs, as it relates to the technology acceptance model (TAM) and the theory of supply chain resilience. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used, whereby data were gathered from 147 individuals in decision-making positions related to supply chain, operations, and technology within South African SMEs. Results of regression and mediation analyses showed that technology use was the greatest predictor for supply chain resilience (β = 0.722, R² = 0.521). As such, perceived usefulness affected resilience only through behavioural intention, whereas perceived ease of use had a direct effect and was indirectly mediated on resilience. A noticeable attitude–behaviour gap was evident, whereby the SME manager acknowledged the value of technology but could not translate this belief into sustained implementation. The insights extend TAM to outcomes related to supply chain resilience and provide actionable recommendations for policymakers and SME managers, aiming to enhance their supply chain capabilities through strategic technology adoption interventions.
AI and online booking platforms: Dynamic capabilities in South African hotel SMEs
Ngwenya, Sandile (University of Pretoria, 2026)
This study examined the role of online booking platforms and artificial intelligence in relation to dynamic capabilities and competitive advantage among South African hotel SMEs. The study addressed a practical and theoretical problem: although smaller hotels increasingly rely on digital tools, it remains unclear how these tools relate to capability development and competitive outcomes in an emerging-market context. A quantitative, cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected from 239 South African hotel SMEs and analysed in SPSS using regression analysis. The results showed that online booking platform utilisation and artificial intelligence utilisation did not significantly predict data-driven capability development, and data-driven capability development did not significantly predict sensing, seizing or reconfiguring capabilities. By contrast, the dynamic capability dimensions were all positively associated with competitive position, with seizing emerging as the strongest predictor. An additional finding was that stronger OBP utilisation was positively associated with higher AI utilisation. The study contributes to Dynamic Capabilities Theory by showing that, in this context, capability rather than technology was the main driver of competitive outcomes. Practically, the findings suggest that hotel SMEs should treat online booking platforms and artificial intelligence as tools that require strong managerial routines and decision processes, rather than as standalone solutions.
Customer role perception in ridesharing platform labour governance
Mbarawa, Jennifer (University of Pretoria, 2026)
This study investigates how customers perceive and enact their role within algorithmically managed ridesharing platforms in South Africa. While customer ratings are structurally central to platform labour governance and can materially affect driver livelihoods, limited research has examined how customers themselves understand and perform this evaluative role. To address this gap, the study adopted a qualitative, interpretivist design. Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with South African based ridesharing users. Interview data was analysed inductively using thematic analysis supported by Atlas.ti, with iterative coding and cross-case comparison to identify recurring patterns. The findings show that participants primarily frame their role in transactional, consumer-first terms, with evaluative authority acknowledged only conditionally. In the South African context of high unemployment and driver precarity, awareness of livelihood consequences was often present but unevenly internalised. Rating behaviour is typically threshold based, with five star ratings functioning as default affirmation and downgrading reserved mainly for serious breaches, particularly safety concerns. Moral reasoning, empathy and uncertainty about algorithmic consequences frequently moderate punitive evaluation. Platform design further shapes participation by embedding rating as routine, limiting visibility of outcomes or consequences, and making escalation more effortful. Overall, customer governance within ridesharing platforms emerges as situational, morally mediated and shaped by sociotechnical design.
Power dynamics that shape decision-making in impact investing
Matsebula, Sthembiso (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Impact investing is a term that is used for a financial instrument that addresses both financial return and social or environmental impact. Impact investing combines traditional financial market logic with developmental or sustainability objectives, the field introduces multiple stakeholders with differing priorities and levels of influence. While impact investing encourages collaboration amongst stakeholders to coexist in value creation, this assumption brings a layer of complexity in decision-making that may be structured by underlying power asymmetries. Much of the existing literature that has contributed to impact investing focuses on pre-investment screening process or post-investment performances outcome, with limited attention to power dynamics influence decision-making in impact investing. This study examines how power dynamics influence decision-making in impact investing, drawing on the perspectives of decision makers to explore how influence, control over resources and stakeholder negotiation shape investment outcomes. A qualitative, interpretivist research design was adopted, by using semi-structured interview with impact investor decision-makers across institutions, private equity firms and related stakeholders in the field of impact investing. 16 participants were interviewed using an interview guide informed by the literature review and research questions. Data was analysed through a thematic analysis process to identify recurring patterns and themes within participants. The key findings to the study are that impact investing is layered with interacting power structures within decision-making. Capital providers establish investment mandates and define the boundaries within which decisions are made in the investment. Trade-offs between financial and social objectives occur within these structured conditions rather than in neutral spaces of collaboration and co-creation between stakeholders. Control over financial resources allows dominant actors to define acceptable risk- return thresholds, impose investment mandate conditions and influence decision-making for actors involved. These dynamics suggest that decision-making within impact investing operates with hierarchical power structures, challenging the portrayal of impact investing as neutral collaborative arena of value creation.
The influence of hustle mindset on intergenerational resilience in the context of informal economies
Mahlangu, Mlando (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Purpose The purpose of this research was to investigate how the hustle mindset influences the intergenerational transmission of resilience in South Africa’s informal economy. Informal economies were critical sites of livelihood generation, particularly for populations excluded from formal employment, yet they remained under-theorised in terms of their intergenerational dynamics. This study examined how entrepreneurial traits such as adaptability, improvisation, and social navigation were cultivated within families and transmitted across generations to sustain resilience in resource-constrained township economies. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative, exploratory research design was adopted to address this objective. Semi structured interviews and narrative inquiry were conducted with multigenerational family trading units in urban townships. The data were thematically and narratively analysed to surface the mechanisms of value transmission, the role of socio-economic context, and the embeddedness of resilience in informal household enterprises. Findings The findings indicate that the hustle mindset among informal economic actors is shaped by crisis-triggered entry into informal trade, identity-based orientations toward work, and the need to bridge persistent income gaps. Hustle-related traits and resilience practices are transmitted primarily through experiential learning within informal trading households, where children acquire economic competence through immersion and participation in everyday trading activities. The study further shows that socio-economic and contextual conditions, particularly structural deprivation and economic volatility, actively shape both the formation and intergenerational transmission of the hustle mindset. Overall, the findings suggest that the hustle mindset functions as an adaptive, intergenerational survival system through which resilience and economic agency are sustained within informal economies. Research limitations/implications The research was limited by its qualitative design and purposive sampling, which may have constrained the generalisability of findings beyond the studied households. However, the study provided important contextual insights into how resilience and entrepreneurial values were socially reproduced in marginalised economies. Originality/value This research is original in situating the hustle mindset as a socially embedded, intergenerational construct within the informal economy, offering both theoretical contributions to resilience and entrepreneurship scholarship and practical insights for development practitioners and policymakers in South Africa.
Resilient or ready to leave? exploring the role of women’s career resilience in their turnover intentions in South African manufacturing organisations
Sukhu, Tasha (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Purpose: To provide rich insights into the phenomenon of high turnover rates of women in the South African manufacturing sector by understanding the lived experiences of gendered adversities (job demands) and women’s career resilience (CR) (personal job resource) in the workplace, and by identifying how organisations can better support (organisational job resources) women’s CR to prevent attrition. The research is underpinned by the JD-R model. Design, Methodology, and Approach: An inductive qualitative methodology was used to understand the subjective experiences of gendered adversities and women’s CR, identify the factors that contribute to it, critically evaluate the dynamic between them, and explore the consequences of this dynamic on turnover intentions. Data was collected through 18 semi-structured interviews with women in manufacturing. Findings: The study highlights that CR, supported by organisational resources, helps women navigate job demands, but when job demands outweigh job resources, some women may not stay in their roles. Under these circumstances, women reach a tipping point of whether to stay in or leave the organisation. At the tipping point, push factors, pull factors, and retention anchors shape women’s decisions from turnover intention into attrition.
Hoshin Kanri as an enabler of psychological ownership during strategy implementation: An empirical study of the South African clothing, textile, footwear and leather sector
Nogaya, Tremely (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Major Theme and Purpose: The South African Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather (CTFL) sector continues to grapple with persistent strategy implementation challenges driven by structural decline, capability gaps, and entrenched organisational silos. Although Psychological Ownership (PO) is widely recognised as an important driver of engagement and execution, very little is known about how PO actually manifests in this sector or how it can be intentionally shaped to support strategic outcomes. This study therefore examines how PO influences strategy implementation within CTFL organisations and explores the role of Hoshin Kanri (HK) in shaping and regulating ownership to achieve healthier, more effective levels. Design and Methodology: The study adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, drawing on 12 semi‑structured interviews with senior executives who each bring between 14 and 36 years of CTFL experience. Using ATLAS.ti, the data were coded into first‑order concepts, consolidated into six analytical clusters, and developed into overarching themes that illuminate the dynamics of ownership and execution in the sector. Findings: The results show that both too little and too much psychological ownership weaken strategy implementation. Low PO appears as disengagement, weak accountability, and siloed behaviour. Excessive PO, on the other hand, leads to territoriality, fear, and analysis paralysis. These patterns are intensified by the CTFL sector’s socioeconomic pressures, declining competitiveness, and uneven capability levels. The study therefore argues that PO should be calibrated, not maximised. HK offers a practical way to achieve this calibration through participatory deployment, catch ball processes, and shared accountability structures. Leadership behaviours particularly those that build capability, remove barriers, foster trust, and create psychological safety emerge as essential enablers of healthy ownership. From a business perspective, the study provides CTFL organisations with actionable insights for strengthening strategy implementation through improved leadership practices, deeper cross‑functional collaboration, and the structured application of HK.
Establishing the relative and cumulative impact of psychological factors on whistleblowing in South Africa
Ngubane, Bathabile (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Whistleblowing is a critical mechanism for promoting accountability and ethical conduct in organisations. In South Africa, however, whistleblowing remains underutilised despite the widespread availability of formal reporting systems. This study examines the psychological factors that shape employees’ intentions to report wrongdoing. It focuses on moral courage, referent support, and confidence in anonymity. The study is grounded in a Theory of Planned Behaviour framework. A quantitative research design was adopted. Survey data were obtained from 470 valid responses collected from employees across multiple organisations. Covariance‑based structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. The findings show that perceived referent support is the strongest predictor of whistleblowing intention. Moral courage also exerts a significant influence, although its effect is secondary to social endorsement. Confidence in anonymity does not emerge as an independent driver of intention. Instead, it operates as a contextual condition that shapes how whistleblowing is enacted rather than whether it occurs. These results challenge linear and additive assumptions embedded in dominant whistleblowing models, particularly those that emphasise formal anonymity provisions. They demonstrate that moral conviction and social endorsement must align for procedural safeguards to be effective. Whistleblowing intention follows a threshold‑based and configurational logic. Intention is most likely to emerge when moral conviction and social legitimacy are jointly present at sufficient levels. This study contributes to whistleblowing theory by demonstrating the primacy of social and moral factors over formal mechanisms. It also offers practical insights for organisations operating in high‑risk contexts. Strengthening ethical leadership and cultivating supportive organisational climates may be more effective than investing solely in reporting systems.
The influence of food safety awareness on consumer risk perceptions and purchase intentions of counterfeit food products in vulnerable urban communities in Johannesburg, South Africa
Ngobese, Saul (University of Pretoria, 2026)
The circulation of counterfeit food within South Africa’s mixed formal–informal retail system poses a growing public‑health and consumer‑protection threat, with the Gauteng province reporting over 200 food‑borne illness cases and more than 10 child fatalities in Johannesburg city in 2024 (Mphaga et al., 2024). These events have prompted national urgency, culminating in the President declaring counterfeit food a national security concern (RSA Presidency, 2024). Beyond its human toll, counterfeit food fuels the wider illicit‑goods economy, generating financial leakages, weakening tax collection, eroding intellectual‑property protections, and undermining confidence in the food‑system governance (Boatemaa et al., 2019; Khader, 2023; Lamont, 2024). While enforcement responses have largely targeted the supply side interventions—through raids, seizures, and the shutdown of illicit operations—limited attention has been paid to the demand‑side behavioural mechanisms shaping consumer decisions at the direct point of purchase (Mphaga et al., 2024) resulting in an imbalanced approach to addressing the circulation and consumption of counterfeit food in South Africa. Existing scholarship emphasises the need to understand how Consumer Food Safety Awareness (CFSA) informs consumer behaviour, especially in affordability‑constrained mixed‑market environments marked by inconsistent institutional oversight (Boatemaa et al., 2019; Onyeaka et al., 2022). Against this backdrop, the present study examined how CFSA shapes risk perceptions, PMT appraisals, attitudes, and willingness to buy counterfeit food among Johannesburg consumers in the LSM 4–8 segment. Critically, the study offers a novel theoretical contribution through the application of an integrated Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)–Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) framework to counterfeit food. This integrated approach enabled the testing of a sequential behavioural pathway to explain consumer decision making in affordability constrained mixed market environment using a quantitative cross‑sectional design (n = 372) and Partial Least Squares‑Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings from the study demonstrate that CFSA functions as an active behavioural antecedent, elevating perceived severity and reducing response barriers. These PMT appraisals shaped attitudes in opposite directions, and attitude emerged as the strongest predictor of willingness to buy, mediating both appraisals. This shows that awareness alone is insufficient; behavioural change requires both heightened risk perceptions and feasible avoidance pathways. The study thus extends PMT–TRA theory into a new domain and offers practical recommendations and guidance for strengthening CFSA, reducing response barriers, and promoting avoidance‑oriented attitudes to curb counterfeit‑food circulation and consumption in South Africa and Global South markets.
Navigating the leadership ladder: Exploring the career progression of women engineers into leadership positions
Munian, Marissa (University of Pretoria, 2026)
The United Nations (2024) Sustainable Development Goal report regarding progress towards SDG 5, focusing on gender equality, indicated that the underrepresentation of women in leadership and the public sector suggests that realising gender parity for women may require an additional 176 years, signalling a dire call to action. Despite South Africa’s progressive gender parity legislation, significant gender disparity in STEM fields persists, driven by the limited participation of women in higher education programmes and is exacerbated by barriers to entry into the workforce (Fouad et al., 2020). The underrepresentation of women engineers in leadership roles further complicates this landscape, as this profession is vital for industrial innovation and economic sustainability (Makarem & Wang, 2020). Consequently, this study sought to contribute to addressing this research gap by identifying and conceptualising the agentic and contextual factors, as well as the coping strategies influencing the career progression of women engineers into leadership positions within the manufacturing sector. This qualitative inquiry was grounded in the integrated theoretical orientation of the Social Cognitive Career Theory and the Intelligent Career Framework. Twenty in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with women engineers in leadership across the manufacturing sector. The findings indicated that personal characteristics conducive to leadership were cultivated both during the completion of engineering qualifications and in tenure in the manufacturing sector, influencing their choice to pursue a leadership career path. Personal factors for career progression included developing an authentic leadership style that embraced their femininity, moral integrity, their ability to advocate and empower others, as well as their ability to communicate effectively and leverage self-directed development. While external factors emphasised the significant impact of social support from both professional and family, which allowed them to navigate the responsibilities of their evolving identities as women, mothers, and leaders. These internal and external characteristics were leveraged to develop coping strategies to overcome career and organisational challenges, characterised by marginalisation.
Enhancing sugarcane productivity through sustainable green manufacturing practices
Matse, Menzi (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Despite global focus on GMPs which enhance environmental protection and resource efficiency, adoption of GMPs among SME sugarcane agribusinesses remains unclear. This study assessed the adoption of GMPs among SME sugarcane agribusinesses, impact on sugarcane productivity and potential drivers and barriers to adoption. The study followed a cross-sectional mixed-methods study integrating secondary data and primary data from a structured questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews. The research was conducted on a sample of 84 SME sugarcane agribusiness selected through a purposive sampling method. Key findings made in the study were that GMPs adoption among SME sugarcane agribusinesses was low. The study also found that GMPs adoption has a positive effect on sugarcane productivity. Additionally, the study established that drivers of GMPs adoption among the SME sugarcane agribusinesses included institutional pressures and support, cost savings and incentives, resource efficiency, and environmental stewardship. Barriers revealed in the study include high initial cost, labour and operational challenges, and group decision-making. Through the study findings, it is confirmed that GMPs adoption will enhance sustainability and competitiveness of SME sugarcane agribusinesses. Further research is recommended in a different context, following a longitudinal approach, and to further investigate specific GMPs elements and their effect on sugarcane productivity.
The role of socio-cultural values in shaping the employees’ pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in the South African manufacturing firms.
Magawana, Aubrey (University of Pretoria, 2026)
As manufacturing firms face intensifying regulatory pressures, resource constraints, and stakeholder demands for sustainability, pro-environmental behaviour has become critical for operational resilience and environmental performance. While organisations increasingly adopt environmental management systems and compliance frameworks, persistent gaps remain between sustainability policies and employees’ everyday environmental practices. However, limited research has examined how socio-cultural values interact with organisational drivers to shape PEB in emerging economy manufacturing contexts, particularly in South Africa. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore how organisational motivations, workplace practices, and socio-cultural values influence pro-environmental behaviour within South African manufacturing firms. The data was obtained from the in-depth semi-structured interviews with fourteen environmental sustainability leaders and analysed using thematic analysis guided by the three research questions of this study. The analysis revealed three central dynamics. First, sustainability motivations operate through both instrumental drivers (compliance, cost efficiency, competitiveness) and normative drivers (corporate citizenship, ethical responsibility, reputation). Second, organisational systems such as leadership signalling, communication, training, and performance monitoring influence how sustainability priorities are translated into employee behaviour. Third, socio-cultural values, including collectivism, Ubuntu, inclusiveness, and socio-economic considerations, act as behavioural enablers or barriers shaping how employees interpret the environmental responsibility within their workplace context. The findings suggest that sustainable behavioural change requires alignment between institutional structures, organisational systems, and socio-culturally grounded value narratives. For manufacturing leaders, this implies moving beyond compliance-based approaches towards socio-culturally resonant engagement strategies that strengthen behavioural internalisation and long-term sustainability performance.
Analysis of the impact of situational leadership on employee engagement in manufacturing
Mafu, Wonderboy (University of Pretoria, 2026)
Workplace engagement is essential to enhance productivity, improve employee retention, and ensure overall organizational success. The behaviour of leadership has a major influence on the outcomes accomplished by employees, especially in operationally and procedurally oriented companies such as those found in most manufacturing industries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of situational leadership on employee engagement in Manufacturing in the provinces of Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and Eastern Cape in South Africa. The research employed a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design within a positivist paradigm, and used an adapted situational leadership scale and engagement scale to survey participants digitally; 280 usable responses were received. Data were analysed using descriptive and regression statistics. The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between situational leadership style and employee engagement; Directive and Delegating styles of leadership were found to be the most influential on employee engagement. These findings demonstrate the importance of providing task clarity as well as the ability to make decisions autonomously for employees in structured industrial working environments. Coaching and Supporting styles of leadership were positively related to employee engagement, but at a comparatively lower level than directive and delegating styles. Additionally, employee engagement was found to provide a statistically significant prediction of job satisfaction, retention intention, and perceived performance.
Leadership-driven employee-AI collaboration for enhanced decision-making in continuous processing operations
Lutawan, Salesh (University of Pretoria, 2026)
This research study explored how leadership can empower, equip and support employee-AI collaboration to enhance decision-making in continuous processing operations. This gap has become critical, as organisations are quickly adopting AI-disruptive technologies, leaving frontline employees often lacking the strategic tools and unprepared to use the technology safely and responsibly. Transformational leadership provided the conceptual foundation, given its emphasis on psychological safety, employee growth and capability building, and empowerment. This study employed a qualitative, interpretivist approach, utilising semi-structured interviews with 19 stakeholders from South African continuous and hybrid processing operations. Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) showed that employees had good awareness of AI technologies and viewed them as a decision accelerator, but they relied heavily on leadership support, explainability, and governance to build trust and maintain oversight. Leaders communicated AI augmentation rather than substitution strategies and provided experimental spaces to facilitate stronger adoption. Even though leaders have made strides to enable employees, significant barriers to AI adoption remain. The study has operationalised and extended TL theory in AI embedded operations, providing practical leadership behaviour and highlighting the importance of governance mechanisms to sustain safe and responsible AI use. Research limitations include a small sample size, subjective opinions, and the rapid, transformative nature of AI technologies.
From disruption to embedding: How AI enables corporate strategy implementation
Dedezana, Noluthando (University of Pretoria, 2026)
This study explores how artificial intelligence (AI) becomes embedded within corporate-strategy implementation in South African corporate organisation.
The role of transformational leadership in the sustainable implementation of operational excellence in manufacturing
Chili, Nkosingiphile (University of Pretoria, 2026)
This study explored the role of transformational leadership in the sustainable implementation of operational excellence within manufacturing organisations in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Although operational excellence systems and practices such as Total Quality Management, Lean, and continuous improvement are widely adopted (Tavana et al., 2020), many firms continue to experience difficulty sustaining performance gains over time, particularly when leadership attention shifts or organisational pressures intensify (Sony, 2019). Anchored in transformational leadership theory and supported by the dynamic capabilities framework, the research investigated how leadership behaviours contributed to embedding operational excellence as an enduring organisational capability as opposed to a short-term initiative. A qualitative, interpretivist research design was employed, using semi-structured interviews with heads of departments and middle managers in operational excellence across diverse manufacturing subsectors. The dataset was examined using an inductive approach guided by Braun and Clarke’s six-phase thematic analysis framework. (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Byrne, 2021), supported by ATLAS.ti.25 software. The findings indicated that transformational leadership sustained operational excellence through practices of visibility, coaching, empowerment, and long-term consistency, which fostered trust, psychological safety, and employee ownership of improvement routines. Sustainability was further strengthened when leadership influence was institutionalised through governance mechanisms such as standard work, audit cycles, KPI cascades, and digital performance visibility. The study contributed to scholarship by clarifying governance and institutionalisation as key mediating mechanisms linking transformational leadership to sustained continuous improvement. Practically, it provided actionable guidance for manufacturing leaders seeking resilient, self-reinforcing operational excellence systems in emerging-market contexts.
Black women navigating leadership advancement in the South African financial services sector
Freddy, Mandisa (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Black women remain critically underrepresented in South African financial services leadership despite three decades of democracy and comprehensive equality legislation. This study investigates how Black women navigate advancement into senior and executive leadership positions, examining the adaptive strategies they employ, the organisational systems that enable or constrain these strategies, and the persistent barriers that remain. Using an intersectional framework, the research explores how race and gender interact to create unique barriers that cannot be understood by examining either dimension in isolation. Through qualitative, phenomenological methodology, the study conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 13 Black women executives and senior leadership, and 5 organisational enablers in South Africa’s financial services sector. Thematic analysis revealed that whilst Black women employ sophisticated adaptive strategies. Their advancement depends critically on organisational transformation beyond individual adaptation. Findings demonstrate significant gaps between organisational diversity policies and actual structural and cultural levels, despite both individual and organisational efforts. The study contributes to intersectionality theory by measuring strategy effectiveness rather than merely documenting barriers, providing evidence-based guidance for Black women, organisations, and policymakers.
The impact of ai-driven hyper-personalisation within loyalty programs in South Africa
Moodley, Dane (University of Pretoria, 2025)
Purpose: The research used quantitative deductive methods based on Stimulus-Organism- Response theory to confirm AI-Driven Hyper-Personalisation effects on Purchase Intention through Customer Engagement and Perceived Value as mediators in South African retail loyalty market. Methodology: The research design uses a cross-sectional survey method to collect data from South African retail loyalty program participants. The research conducted Structural Equation Modelling to test all hypotheses simultaneously while performing a complete assessment of construct validity. Findings: Empirical analysis confirmed that the AI-Driven Hyper-Personalisation stimulus serves as a potent antecedent, significantly and strongly driving both Perceived Value and Customer Engagement. The research shows that AI-Driven Hyper-Personalisation creates a substantial direct relationship with Purchase Intention because the beta value reaches a significance level. Critically, the theorised mediating pathways were rejected. The nonmediation outcome and empirical data showing Customer Engagement and Perceived Value constructs have strong similarity demonstrate that consumers view utilitarian benefits and relational interaction as single responses to advanced AI systems. Contribution: The study challenges the general applicability of the traditional Stimulus- Organism-Response sequential mediation pathway to high-intensity AI stimuli. The research team needed to create the Integrated Organism Construct because they rejected sequential mediation through Customer Engagement and Perceived Value and because their data showed no distinct relationship between these two Organism constructs. The research proves that Stimulus-Response patterns function as a fundamental theoretical boundary which controls the system. The system shows that AI-Driven Hyper-Personalisation functions as a transactional accelerator which eliminates the requirement for sequential psychological processing to generate Purchase Intention. South African retail managers need to make technical AI Service Quality investments because these results show that transactional acceleration depends on it. The combination of utilitarian and relational benefits needs a new approach which moves from individual psychological state measurement to use composite performance indicators like Integrated AI Service Satisfaction for tracking the complete value and commitment AI systems produce.
Understanding the influence of entrepreneurial failure on the relationship between the serial entrepreneur and the church as a community of interest
Zulch, Hermanus Barend (University of Pretoria, 2025)
The extant literature on entrepreneurial failure indicates that such failure is far more widespread than reported and affects the relationship with the community of interest. It is therefore crucial to understand how entrepreneurial failure influences the relationship to assist the entrepreneur in recovering and assess the role the community of interest plays in the process. However, the literature on entrepreneurial failure is unclear about how the relationship will be affected. Therefore, this research was designed to expand the theory on entrepreneurial failure by understanding how the relationship is influenced. The study used the entrepreneurial failure literature to formulate the research question, “How does entrepreneurial failure influence the relationship between the serial entrepreneur and the church as a community of interest?” Prior research had identified the Christian church as a community of interest. Through the affiliation of its members, the Christian church represents a significant part of the South African economic community; thus, its effect on the economic community is substantial. For this research, nine churches were selected as cases. In total, 35 interviews were conducted with church representatives and entrepreneurs, yielding seven identified themes. The study determined that the relationship between the failed entrepreneurs and the church was influenced, but the level of influence depended on several factors. The most significant factor was that the relationship between the church and the entrepreneur before the business failure directly affected the entrepreneurs’ actions, and how they managed the relationship and the cost of failure. However, the church was seen only as providing the platform for this relationship through its structures and services. The study contributes to the literature on entrepreneurial failure by confirming that entrepreneurial failure influences the relationship with the church, but it also adds to the literature by indicating that the entrepreneur and the community of interest influence the relationship in different ways. Understanding how the relationship is influenced can guide other communities of interest in how they respond to failed entrepreneurs, and how the entrepreneurs’ relationship before the business failure determines how the relationship with the church is influenced after the failure. This study was conducted within a specific context, in South Africa, and amongst one specific religious community. Future research in different contexts and settings is needed to test the outcome of this study.

Browse

Recent Submissions