Regent Business School

This study examines the impact of digital transformation on organizational strategy performance within a financial service institution. Through the qualitative interviews and thematic analysis, the study aimed to identify the current effects of digital initiatives, determine the role of these initiatives in strategy performance, and offer recommendations for enhancement through a case study analysis. A total of 30 participants were interviewed through purposive sampling. The findings reveal that digital transformation significantly influences employee productivity and efficiency, with a notable shift towards a customer-centric approach. While these changes are promising, challenges such as aligning digital strategies with overall business goals and digitizing customer interactions persist. The research highlights that strategic performance thrives when there is a strong alignment between digital transformation efforts and the company’s strategic objectives. Leadership and governance emerge as pivotal elements in driving the digital agenda forward, coupled with the need for continuous learning and adaptability among employees.

The primary goal of the study is to look at how entrepreneurship affects regional economic development in the Nkangala District Municipal area. Economic empowerment, income and employment development, economic restructuring, and the eradication of economic inequality can all be achieved through entrepreneurship. Through creating jobs, encouraging creativity, creating effective techniques for utilising resources, and improving people's socioeconomic well-being, entrepreneurship promotes economic progress. This investigation employs a quantitative research approach. There are 55 business owners in the study sample. The data from the study were analysed using SPSS. Regression and correlation analysis were used to quantitatively analyse the research variables. Using Cronbach's Alpha, the results indicated that a coefficient greater than.70 ensures the validity and reliability of the research instruments. The study concludes that building knowledge and abilities in this area, emphasising entrepreneurial education, and considering mentorship initiatives are crucial. Recognising adequate education in the context of the digital economy and the fourth industrial revolution is one of the main principles in this. The use of digital technology affects the environment and creates previously unthinkable exponential development for new participants with a variety of business models and philosophies.

This article postulates a model to measure the business performance of a private higher education institution in South Africa. The broad theoretical framework identified 15 antecedents and their respective measuring criteria to measure business performance. Statistical scrutiny ensured that these criteria are actual measures of the respective business performance antecedents, which culminated in a theoretical model to measure the business performance of private higher education in South Africa. The 15 business performance antecedents are sales, growth, profitability, technology, customer, innovation, service, leadership, return on investment, stakeholders, society, quality, marketing, communication, legality, and general measures of business performance. The results showed that all the antecedents are reliable indicators of business performance. The performance of a private higher education institution can be successfully measured and it is possible to determine whether the demographic variables influence the business performance antecedents. Besides, the model seeks to determine whether any significant correlations exist between the business performance antecedents. The measurement of business performance is valuable to business school directors, managers and investors in private higher education. Researchers and scholars who intend to explore this avenue of business performance models further could also benefit from this article.

Letter by Haribhai on article by Moodley (Moodley K. Research imperialism resurfaces in South Africa in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic - this time, via a digital portal. S Afr Med J 2020;110(11):1068-1069. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2020.v110i11.15285).

Traditionally business constraints such as a lack of trust from the public, over-regulation and competition with state-funded public institutions, have constrained the growth of private education businesses despite an education-hungry South African market. Successful business performance of private higher education institutions depends on identifying and measuring the key business performance indicators. This study identifies these antecedents and measuring criteria to effectively measure the business performance of private higher education institutions, thereby developing a model for them to manage their businesses to perform better. The literature revealed numerous business performance antecedents which were reduced by structured interviews with executives and group-interaction using the meta-technique analysis to identify antecedents specifically relevant to the business performance of private higher educational institutions. Measuring criteria developed for these factors culminate in a usable model to measure the business performance of private higher education institutions; this should improve management efficiency and competitiveness in the South African education market.

This article identifies the latent variables embedded within the model to measure the performance of private business schools. In the quantitative research design, 247 questionnaires, using a five-point Likert scale, were analysed after completion by private business school supervisors and managers. The data has high reliability with a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.974 and excellent sample adequacy with a KMO value of 0.926. The analysis identified ten latent variables (or factors), identified using exploratory factor analysis explaining a cumulative variance of 70.56%. These are Regulatory compliance, Strategic communication, Educational technology stack, Strategic finance, Organisational development, Customer orientation, Sales, Pricing, Socio-political influence and Market focus. The study also succeeded to simplify measuring performance by eliminating 26 questions with low factor loadings (<0.40) or those that are cross-loading highly onto more than one factor from the questionnaire while retaining a satisfactory level of reliability. The results are valuable to private business school managers and to the employees wanting to measure and improve the business performance of a private business school. Researchers and academia could also benefit from the contribution of the study to either build on business performance of private business schools or, alternatively, in adopting the methodology employed in this study for another application setting.

The paper attempts to address the rather complex and many issues raised in the title of the paper. This is important on the basis that an evaluation of these fundamental issues after twenty years of South African democracy is important to the people of South Africa. In attempting to do this, the paper does not pretend to capture the salient and subtle nuances that straddle the issues raised in the title of the paper because higher education in South Africa, is in a state of flux and has not really delivered to the needs and real development of the country post democracy in 1994. In this regard issues concerning transformation, Africanization of the curriculum for higher education, enlightened leadership, and do neoliberal policies destroy human potential for the emergence of education in a democratic South are discussed, in order to deal with the post – merger mess. The issues raised in this paper must therefore be given serious attention by policy makers within higher education and more importantly by government, in order to realize the goals of higher education through a sustained and inclusive transformation strategy. The starting point is to project on the post 1994 merger mess of universities in South Africa, using the example of the newly constructed and amalgamated university of KwaZulu - Natal. This example can be extrapolated to project on the merger mess throughout all universities in the country that were affected by an ill – conceived plan by the democratic government post 1994. A host of issues pertinent to this paper in terms of transformation of higher education will be elaborated upon. The importance of all of these issues cannot be underestimated in respect to higher education discourse in South Africa. The abstract therefore, does not discuss the areas captured within the ambit of the title of the paper because, these issues will be raised within the body of the paper, amidst a host of issues including transformation, the Africanization of the South African education curriculum, the necessity of engineering the concept of enlightened leadership, and asks the question, do neoliberal policies in South Africa destroy human potential for the emergence of higher education in the Republic of South Africa. The writers are woefully aware that they raise very sensitive issues and that they will court criticism from education quarters in South Africa but seek solace in the embracing reality that, open debate and criticism is necessary from the perspective of academic freedom and, more importantly to enhance the education discourse. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n3s1p326

<b>Introduction:</b> Aging process is associated with degeneration in different part of the body There is scarcity of literature on the otological diseases in the elderly black African especially Nigerian which is the largest African nation. Thus this study is done with the aim of highlighting the pattern of otological diseases in elderly for careful cost-effective health care plans and to make the aging period more fulfilling and tolerable to the elderly. It is therefore hope that the information will go a long way to assist other African countries as well. <b>Method:</b> The study is a ten year hospital-based retrospective study between January, 1999 and December, 2008 at the ENT Department of Unilorin Teaching Hospital Ilorin. All patients aged 65 years and above with otological complaints were included in the study. <b>Results:</b> A total of 740 Elderly patients were included in the study. The male to female sex ratio was 1.5:1.0.Petty Traders accounted for 300 (40.5%) of cases; 87 (11.8%) were Farmers; 250 (33.8%) were Retired Civil Servants; 68 (9.2%) were Unskilled Laborers and 35 (4.7%) were full-time Housewives. Aural wax impaction was the commonest otological disease found, accounting for 360 (48.7%) of cases, Hearing loss (presbyacusis),158 (21.4%); Tinnitus,78 (10.5%) and Otomycosis,64 (8.5%).Other conditions were CSOM,34 (4.6%);Foreign body Impaction,32 (4.3%); Vertigo,10 (1.4%) and Aural Tumours,5 (0.6% ). <b>Conclusion:</b> Aural wax impaction was the commonest disease found, thus it is important to always do full audiologic evaluation after aural syringing to rule out other conditions such as presbyacusis and aural tumours in elderly. Continuing medical education is recommended for the general practitioners for early recognition and referral.