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LLM (Environmental Law and Governance), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

During the last two decades the concept of the digital divide underwent an undeniable transition from a mono-causal issue of access to a multidimensional and highly complex phenomenon characterized by access, motivation, skills and usage. In the 1990s, the concept referred to the gap between those who had access to computers and the Internet and those who did not have access, both within countries and between countries. In the mean time the concept of the digital divide has not only become much more complex and multi-dimensional, but more recent notions such as digital inequality and digital inclusion point to a more nuanced handling of the analytic/descriptive and policy/prescriptive aspects of the issue. Whereas the concept of digital inequality refers to the negative barriers and elements in explaining and understanding the relation between ICTs and inequality, the concept of digital inclusion refers to positive measures and actions at the strategic and policy level to overcome the digital divide.The firstpart of this paper will map and describe the shifting theoretical debate in relation with the digital divide over the last 2 decades. This will be used as a backdrop for our empirical research that consists of a case study about the collaboration between the University of the Western Cape and different Flemish Universities in relation to ICTs and the digital divide. The Dynamics of Building a Better Society project is a 10 year collaboration project (2003-2013) in 7 areas to support the University of the Western Cape. One of the key areas is ICTs.We start from the observation that the concept of digital divide has changed significantly during the course of this collaboration and has therefore had an impact on this collaboration. Our main research questions are:• To what extent has the shifting concept of the digital divide had an impact on the concrete working of the ICT component within the DBBS project?• To what extent is the long-term rather static collaboration model used by the Flemish Interuniversity Council conducive to collaboration in fast moving areas such as ICTs?• What can be learned from this collaboration in terms of strategies for collaboration in fast moving areas?• What can be learned from this collaboration for strategies in relation with ICTs and the digital divide.?Methodologically the research is based on 1) desk research reviewing all project documents and evaluation documents, 2) interviews with key researchers, project officers and academics involved in the collaboration over the last 10 years. The interviews will allow us to link individuals’ shifting views on the digital divide and the role of ICTs in overcoming inequality, with changing concepts in relation to the digital divide. Apart from using expert-interviews as mere information gathering tools, we will use expert-interviews as theory generating tools posing questions on belief and value systems in relation to ICTs and the digital divide (Bogner & Menz, 2002). This research forms part of the final evaluation exercise of the DBBS project to be completed by end of May 2012.

Since the late 1990’s the concept of Living Labs has emerged in North America, first formulated by William Mitchell of MIT, and spread to Europe and beyond where it has shaped Research & Development environments ever since. Living Labs operate strongly user oriented, in real-life settings and with a multi- stakeholder approach. Their central goal is to integrate a systematic user co-creation approach within research and innovation processes. The concept is often operationalized in a territorial context such as a city, a campus, or a region.Since the creation of the Living Lab methodology, its ideology has extended from urban to rural areas and is applicable to numerous research fields, although often related to ICT development. At the European level the concept of living labs has spread considerably. The European Network of Living Labs represents 274 Living Labs. In recent years the concept has caught on in other areas of the world, also on the African continent. In 2009 the Living Labs in South Africa (LLiSA) network was established representing 11 Living Labs in South Africa and neighboring countries.This paper focuses on the concept of living labs and its application in a Southern African context. The main research questions are: 1) how is the concept of living labs translated into a developmental context, 2) what are the contextual, organizational and institutional opportunities and challenges of implementing living labs in a developmental context, 3) what are the best practices and way forward. The paper comprises 3 main parts:1. It starts by reviewing the scant literature on the subject. It critically questions and contextualizes the concept by integrating theoretical insights on related initiatives such as telecentres and ICT adoption in developing countries.2. It lists and analysis the existing initiatives in Southern Africa. It looks at the goals and achievements of initiatives and critically looks at problems and shortcomings.3. It formulates joint experiences, problems and best practices as experiencedby the current initiatives.Methodologically the paper is based on desk research reviewing existing literature and documents. More in depth insights are generated on the basis of interviews with several of the Living Lab staff and managers. The analysis is complemented and finalized at a three day workshop at the University of the Western Cape comprising several brainstorms about the experience and way forward for Living Labs in a Southern African context. At this workshop multiple representatives of Living Lab initiatives in the region are present.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011. After the market exuberance of the dot com bubble in the late 1990's, the sobering period that followed the burst brought with it a renewed interest in the concept of shareholder value. Since then, all kinds of companies have been publicly proclaiming their commitment to increasing long–term value for their shareholders. One look at the statements of directors or chief executives in annual reports can confirm this. To a certain extent this is old news. The aim of publicly listed companies has always been to increase the value of shareholders' investment. Value–based management (VBM) was developed to determine whether companies, through management actions, can create value for their shareholders. Value is created when capital is invested at returns higher than the cost for that capital. VBM is defined as "a managerial process which effectively links strategy, measurement and operational processes to the end of creating shareholder value". It is generally understood to consist of three key elements: creating value, measuring value and managing for value. Since value–based management has appeared in the 1980s, various consulting firms have developed and popularised metrics that can assist management in measuring economic profit. Consultants such as Rappaport and Stewart recognised problems in the traditional accounting measures. As a result, they turned to the concept of sustained shareholder value creation. This has, in turn, led to the development of a number of "value metrics", the most significant of which are: shareholder value analysis (SVA), economic profit (EP), economic value added (EVA) and cash flow return on investment (CFROI). The main goal of this study was to investigate and determine whether investors can use value–based management metrics as an indicator for share price movement of South African banking companies listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. In order to do this, the respective banks were initially isolated and five individual multiple linear regressions were run. This was done in order to determine whether the results of the specified metrics have an impact on the respective share prices of the individual banks. Subsequently a pooled panel data model was run to determine whether the combined effect of the banks over time could lead to different results. Value–based measurement metrics selected were shareholder value analysis (SVA), economic profit (EP), economic value added (EVA) and cash flow return on investment (CFROI). Other measurements such as group operating assets (GOA), price per earnings (P/E) and net operating profits after tax (NOPAT) were also tested. The results from the study indicate that most of the metrics tested cannot be used as indicator for share price movement of these banks. A rise in net operating profits after tax (NOPAT) and price per earnings (P/E) lead to an increase in the banks' share price. Even though it was found that investors should only use NOPAT or P/E for predicting share prices, companies should still focus on creating value for shareholders. It is beneficial to investors to understand what value–based management is, and to understand management actions in terms of value creation. Masters

Wetenskaplikes het onlangs getoon dat die besoedeling, veral die afkomstig van organiese en chemiese materiale, verantwoordelik is vir tot 40% van menslike sterftes wêreld wyd. Hierdie probleem is selfs meer kommerwekkend as gevolg van die en groei in produksie van elektroniese afval. Verskeie struikelblokke vir die behoorlike herwinning van elektroniese afval bemoedig 'n meer koste effektiewe oplossing waarvolgens hierdie afval na armer, ontwikkelende lande uitgevoer word. Ontwikkelende lande so os byvoorbeeld die in Afrika, wat gekenmerk word deur armoede, goedkoop handearbeid en onvoldoende wetlike regulering, is vervolgens die perfekte stortingsgrond vir die ontwikkelde wêreld. Herwinning in ontwikkelende lande verander in ongereguleerde berging van waardevolle materiale, wat tot gevolg het dat handearbeiders gereeld blootgestel word aan ander lewensgevaarlike materiale afkomstig vanuit die samestelling van elektroniese afval. Alhoewel handel in elektroniese afval nog nie 'n bedreiging vir Suid–Afrika inhou nie, gaan ander Afrika lande soos Ghana en Nigeria gebuk onder die nadelige gevolge van oneffektiewe wetgewende beheer maatstawwe. Die oneffektiewe regulering van elektroniese afval, die invoer en die herwinning daarvan kan 'n grootskaalse toekomstige impak vir die omgewing inhou. Vervolgens verlang hierdie verhandeling 'n ondersoek na die mate waarin die internasionale, regionale en Suid–Afrikaanse regsraamwerk voorsiening maak vir die regulering van elektroniese afval. Thesis (LL.M. (Import and Export Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are often described as the ‘backbone’ of a country’s economy that should be recognised as a major source of prosperity and employment. In Australia, SMEs constitute 95.9% of businesses and they therefore play a significant role in the economy and society. SMEs are especially critical to the resilience of rural and remote communities. The ability to innovate is considered to be one of the most important strategic capabilities of manufacturing SMEs. The new economy is earmarked by relationships, networks, knowledge and information. Qualitative case study research was conducted through personal interviews with managers of manufacturing SMEs in regional Australia, to identify the challenges they face to innovate and survive in a digitally connected business environment. The research revealed that the SMEs face external challenges such as the downturn in the Australian manufacturing sector, geographic- and social isolation, limited access to capable staff and technical infrastructure limitations. It was also found that the mindset of regional SMEs result in behaviours that limit their innovative capability. They are often competitive instead of collaborative, they focus on operational issues rather than having a strategic outlook, they lack technology skills and prefer face-to-face networking instead of using social media to connect with stakeholders. This paper includes recommendations for SMEs to overcome these challenges and mindset limitations. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

One of the important responsibilities of Managing Directors, Chief Executive Officers and Managing Partners is to effectively deploy the assets and resources of their organisations. Information Assets (IA) such as data, documents, content on web sites and knowledge are key contributors to securing a sustainable competitive advantage and their effective management should be a topic of vital interest to the senior leaders of most organisations. In this research confidential interviews were conducted to identify the perceptions of senior managers about the barriers to the effective management of Information Assets in their organisations. This paper focuses on the management- and leadership-related barriers to the effective and efficient deployment and management of Information Assets. The interview participants included Board members and C-Ievel executives, such as Chief Executive Officers (CEO), Chief Financial Officers (CFO), Chief Information Officers (C IO) and Chief Knowledge Officers (CKO) of Australian and South African organisations in both private and public sectors. The findings of this research supports the literature that, although organisations go to great lengths to manage their financial assets through strict governance, rigid structure, effective control and enforceable accountability, hardly any mechanisms are in place for the management of Information Assets. As money and information are both acknowledged as vital corporate assets, it is important to know why information is managed differently at enterprise level. The research adds weight to the argument that, together with physical, human and financial assets, the sound management of data, information and knowledge assets allows an organisation to run more effectively and efficiently, resulting in products and services that are of a higher quality at a lower cost with the benefits of reduced risk, improved competitive position and higher return on investment. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

MBA Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001 The complexity and pace of technology, combined with the strategic importance of technology, has created a dilemma for most organisations. The requirement is to be able to take advantage of the latest technology and state-of-the-art practices. So, instead of trying to be experts in both their core business and technology, executives focus their attention on the core business and rely on others to provide the technology expertise. Healthy and profitable Japanese companies are beginning to view outsourcing as an essential part of their business strategy. They are looking for outsourcers to deliver key components of data processing, supply-chain management, warehousing, logistics, human resources, accounting, and other vital components of their business. By divesting themselves of these non-core activities, companies are realising they can focus their energy on areas where they have the competitive advantage, differentiate themselves from their competitors, and take advantage of the cost-savings from the outsourced functions. Outsourcing relationships, however, demand the same care and attention to sound management principles and practices as in-house operations. Managed well, continuous improvement, increasing value, and constant innovation can be expected. Managed poorly, the services and overall relationship deteriorates resulting In higher costs, operational disruption and lost business opportunities. The dramatic structural and economic changes in the Japanese finance sector over the past decade have created opportunities for multinational corporations to leverage their best practices and economic value creation into the market. Japanese multinational information technology executives in this e-business economy must thus deliver information technology services and systems as seen in an environment of changing business opportunities and challenges, accelerating technologies, short product delivery cycles and ever-growing business demands for e-business, ecommerce, ERP, ASP and other applications. Like no other time in Japanese history, outsourcing strategies and practices, and effective relationship management are critical to business success. Properly crafted and managed, an outsourcing relationship can increase flexibility, improve performance and permit a better focus on core competencies. To bridge the gap between the ideal state and the present state as determined by the empirical study, a SG offshore information processing outsourcing model is proposed. The SG model and principles deliver a framework and structure for outsourced offshore information processing services to the Japanese finance sector multinationals. The SG model supports three different roles within an organisation, namely as a support to business strategy, as the implementer of business strategy, and as the driver of business strategy. Masters