Regenesys Business School

Purpose We delve into the dynamic connectedness between the energy and forex (FX) markets during the COVID-19 outbreak and the Russian–Ukraine invasion. Design/methodology/approach The price of crude oil is used to represent the energy market, while currency rates, specifically the US dollar (USD), the euro, the Japanese yen, the Pound sterling and the Australian dollar (AUD), are used to proxy the FX market. Cross-wavelet transformations (XWT) and wavelet coherence (WC) are deployed to investigate the dynamic relationships using daily data from investing.com as empirical support. Three distinct sub-samples of the data are separated: the whole period (December 31, 2019–June 17, 2022); the COVID-19 outbreak period and the Russo–Ukraine conflict period (February 24, 2022–June 17, 2022). Findings It is found that there is only a short-term correlation between crude oil prices and the USD during the early stages of COVID-19. Investors, portfolio managers and policy experts can be benefitted from the study’s conclusions. Originality/value The study is unique since it furnishes linkages among examined markets in two different periods, along with a whole period covering two major global economic shocks.

The proliferation of Shared Contact Centre Services (SCCs) across public and private sectors in the Eastern Cape reflects a broader global trend toward centralized service delivery. However, the conceptual underpinnings of SCCs particularly in relation to synergy, competitive advantage, and definitional precision remain underexplored. This study examines the synergistic interface between SCCs and organisational business units, with a focus on their collective impact on organisational performance, strategic competitiveness, and customer service within the Eastern Cape Provincial Administration. Anchored in the Attention-Based View (ABV) and informed by synergy theory, the research adopts a sequential Mixed Methods Research (MMR) design. A qualitative constructionist methodology enabled the co-creation of contextual insights, while quantitative analysis facilitated triangulation, enhancing the reliability and generalisability of findings across South African provincial contexts. The study culminated in the development of a multidimensional conceptual framework for evaluating synergy, structured around six core dimensions: strategic alignment, process integration, technological enablement, performance metrics, customer centricity, and continuous improvement. The empirical findings demonstrated that the proposed framework significantly enhances interdepartmental collaboration, communication, and knowledge exchange, thereby improving productivity, employee engagement, and organisational health. Furthermore, the framework contributes to elevated customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention factors that collectively drive revenue growth and market expansion. By mitigating operational silos and fostering strategic coherence, the framework enables organisations to systematically assess SCC performance, identify areas for optimisation, and align service delivery with overarching corporate strategy to maximise customer value.

This chapter assesses the seriousness of university deepfake scandals through a comprehensive review of some of the latest highly publicised incidents. Deepfakes have been used to replicate academic articles, impersonate teachers or students, and tarnish the reputation of institutions. The chapter presents case studies of institutions that were hacked using deepfakes and examines how these incidents impacted the institutions' reputations, public trust, and policy alignment. Regarding some of the previous cases where deepfake content was already used to victimise officers, students, and the public, the article outlines glaring loopholes present within university systems. The study employs data from incident reports, media, and university reports, utilising content analysis techniques to investigate the effects of the scandals. The findings are used to enhance safety against deepfakes and inform the response process.

The major challenge of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality Council has been poor service delivery attributable to the poor performance management systems. Aim: This study aims to determine how feedback and rewards affect the work performance of the employees in terms of work quality, quantity, and efficiency. Setting: This article was guided by the responses from employees of the municipality to assert how feedback and rewards have helped to improve their work performance. The stratified sampling method was adopted in the study. The sample of 371 employees was allocated to the different strata of the population using allocation proportional to size, while participants from each stratum were identified using the simple random sampling method and interviewed using structured questionnaire. The study showed that paid leave was the only type of reward the employees received. The respondents disagreed that employees were fairly rewarded for their performance; that the reward system facilitated attracting and retaining the right kind of people, and that the managers have regular meetings to discuss their performance progress. Feedback and rewards do not jointly significantly (p > 0) predict work quality but are significant predictors of work quantity and work efficiency. The study concluded that managers should be trained to link praise, recognition, cash, and non-cash rewards to specific results and all levels of accomplishments should be rewarded while ensuring effective feedback delivery. The study highlighted how managers' effective and efficient feedback and reward appraisal and management can enhance the productivity of the organisation.

A point of sale (POS) system is a valuable technological tool that has successfully replaced the traditional cash register banking system and has maintained constantly evolving tech-driven solutions. User security and trust perception are paramount to the success of the financial services rendered using the POS terminals. In Nigeria, the POS system has revolutionised the banking sector as millions of "unbanked citizens" can comfortably perform cash deposits and withdrawals, pay bills, and do other financial services without physically stepping into the banking hall. The management of information security of point of sales terminals was studied using the theory of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by looking at behavioural intentions as a factor that leads people to use available technology. A mixed research method was adopted to allow the collection of quantitative and qualitative data for the study. The collected data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and revealed that customers prefer POS systems to the banking hall because of their availability, flexibility, ease of use, error tolerance, and service efficiency.

To make a fair comparison with other periods, I propose shortening the pre-covid period, as it appears longer. Additionally, the author notes other crises during this period, such as the 2014 Rubble crisis, the 2015 Chinese stock market crash, and the 2018 Turkish Lira crisis. Which suggests that this period can still be divided into more sub periods. 2. The standard deviation is a reliable measure of volatility, and in Table 2 , the values are quite similar the the 4 sub periods. The values of the standard deviation would suggest that the period between the pre-covid-19 crisis and the Russo-Ukrainian war had the highest level of volatility. Why is this the case when we know that volatility increase during the crisis period? This also seems to contradict what is mentioned in the last paragraph of section 2 (Data and summary statistics) 3. The author mentioned the negative Beta 2 but did not explain the implications. In the results for Covid period in table 2 (FIEGARCH) the sum of Beta 1 and beta 2 are negative. This means that the volatility of the series is more meanreverting and less persistent. 4. A lot of emphasis was done on diagnostic test such as normality test, the Q-Statistics on Standardized Residuals test, and the ARCH-LM test and this should be not be the focus of the study.

The aim of the study was to explore the challenges that principals experience in the implementation of quality management system (QMS) in Schools within Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The main problem which the study investigated was concerned with the factors that lead to principal’s leadership challenges in implementing QMS in the Mashishila and Badplaas circuits’ schools. The study utilized pragmatism as a research paradigm, this allowed for many different ways of interpreting data in this case from both quantitative and qualitative sources. The population of the study was 443 school principals of Gert Sibande District of Mpumalanga province of South Africa. The sample size was 214 and this included 8 participants who took part in a focus group discussion while the rest participated in a survey. In terms of data analysis quantitative analysis was applied for close ended questions that were drawn from responses from the survey. Quantitative data was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) computer software version 2.0 and results of such analysis were presented in tables and figures. Qualitative data analysis was completed by first categorizing and discussing responses for each item according to themes (thematic analysis), before editing and coding. From the findings of the FGD study it was clear participants felt strongly regarding the Department of Education’s failure to give school adequate technical support to ensure that the QMS implementation is efficient. Furthermore, evidence drew from some of the participants through the FGD voiced and severe shortages of specialists in QMS who can best advise the schools on the technical aspects of the implementation. The study also revealed that there is existence of sabotage and politics at the workplace. This scenario was regarded as one of the factors significantly influencing the lack of effectiveness of QMS implementation by the principals. It was revealed that the inadequacy of leadership skills amongst principals was a challenge they faced in the implementation of the QMS. It is recommended that the DoE reviews the financial resource being channeled to schools for the implementation of QMS with the view of liaising with schools in order to increase the resources. An increase in the available resource will ease some of challenges especially on resources required to engage the technical support through frequent workshops for school managers to effectively implement the programmes. It was recommended that the DoE considers the engagement of the independent body or bodies to oversee and evaluate the implementation of quality management system in schools. This will bring integrity and transparency to the implementation process of QMS.