As rising unemployment levels continually erode job opportunities in South Africa, it is sensible to assume that entrepreneurship would be considered as the next-best career option; however, university graduates show very little interest in becoming entrepreneurs. Having observed this disinterest, South African economic policies have put in place initiatives encouraging youth entrepreneurship; however, these have failed to significantly affect the willingness to engage in entrepreneurial activities. It is against this background that this paper investigates barriers to entrepreneurship as experienced by students. A survey of 235 university students was conducted. Their views regarding entrepreneurship were collected by means of self-completion questionnaires and studied using cluster analysis. It was concluded that a taxonomy of two distinct categories of student exist -sceptics and optimists -based on respondents' predispositions to entrepreneurship barriers. The author identifies the themes that underlie the formation of the taxonomy, namely, family and social influence, exposure to entrepreneurial activity, entrepreneurial support, and education. The paper concludes with a discussion of practical solutions and strategies to mitigate the problem of a lack of student entrepreneurship.
Although research clearly demonstrates that consistent technology usage is correlated to socioeconomic development, the Vicious Cycle of Technology Affordability and Non-adoption impedes the uptake of ICTs in many developing countries. In South Africa, however, one Smartphone messaging application, WhatsApp, appears to have broken this vicious cycle. This paper argues that, given that promoting the uptake of ICTs is a developmental imperative for emerging economies, studying the adoption and diffusion patterns of WhatsApp provides invaluable insights into ICT usage within the context of a developing country. This study modelled the factors influencing the adoption of WhatsApp among South African youths. Some 192 students participated in the study by means of a self-completion questionnaire developed from the Technology Acceptance Model. Structural equation modelling tested the proposed theoretical model. Results suggest that a combination of cost efficiency, simplicity, userfriendly features, and the ability to run on multiple platforms influences and promotes users' attitudes and behavioural intentions to adopt WhatsApp.
(2016). The relationship between perceived organizational support and organizational commitment among academics: the mediating effect of job satisfaction. Investment Management and Financial Innovations, 13(3-1), 267-273. doi:10.21511/imfi.13(3-1 The relationship between perceived organizational support and organizational commitment among academics: the mediating effect of job satisfaction AbstractThis study investigated the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS), job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC) in an institution of higher learning. The mediating effect of job satisfaction on the relationship between perceived organizational support and organizational commitment was tested. Self-completion questionnaires were administered to a sample of (n=302) participants. Structural equation modelling techniques were used to test the hypothesized relationships. Results indicate strong significant positive correlations among the variables. Furthermore, findings of the study demonstrate that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and organizational commitment. The results also showed that there is a significant relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction. A significant relationship between perceived organizational support and affective commitment, as well as continuance commitment was also noted, but no significant relationship between perceived organizational support and normative commitment was found. Results showed a significant positive relationship between job satisfaction and affective commitment, as well as continuance commitment, but no significant relationship between job satisfaction and normative commitment was found.
The challenges associated with financial illiteracy are increasingly becoming a topical issue. Consequently, there is a growing body of literature explaining the antecedents and consequents of financial illiteracy. While most of these studies report on the experience from the developed world, very little is known on the subject matter in emerging economies. This study attempts to address this paucity in the body of knowledge by investigating the nature and extent of financial literacy in South Africa. Given that the literature acknowledges that financial illiteracy is a problem faced across the entire spectrum of society, including the uneducated and the educated, this study investigates financial illiteracy among university students, a section of the South African population that could be classified as being educated. A self‐administered financial literacy scale was administered to a sample of 214 students from a large South African metropolitan university. Overall, results indicate moderate levels of financial illiteracy; suggesting that even among the educated, there is a need to reinforce basic financial concepts. Some implications for financial service providers in interacting with literate consumers who may be financially illiterate are provided. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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