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African higher education and the praxis of research, innovation, and internationalisation
(University of Johannesburg Press, 2024-8-31) Kehdinga, George Fomunyam; Kehdinga, George Fomunyam
The African higher education landscape has experienced a myriad of success and challenges in the past five decades. This has turned the landscape into a complex one, enmeshed in a rich dose of colonial legacies, globalisation, decolonisation, COVID-19, and internationalisation focused on North-South partnerships amongst others. While researchers globally have contributed immensely to the growth of research in African higher education, scholars within the African higher education landscape have also contributed immensely to the growth in higher education both on the African continent and globally. The fact that some African universities make it into the top 500 universities worldwide in different rankings testifies to this assertion. Tamrat (2022) argues that the Covid-19 pandemic created an avenue for innovation in African higher education through diversified means of educational delivery, approaches to research and innovation, and in other ways. Since the wave of independence spread across Africa in the fifties and sixties, the role of education on the continent has always been a debatable one
Internationalisation or not we move : perspective from an outsider
(University of Johannesburg Press, 2024-8-31) Kehdinga, George Fomunyam
Internationalisation of higher education is a highly contested subject or subdiscipline within the field of higher education and there are many voices articulating varied opinions on several issues on the topic. Like most subjects in the global higher education sphere, Africa is often made an unwilling participant or a participant by omission. Such situations have led to attempts to reconfigure the meaning of internationalisation from different spheres and what should constitute internationalisation. One of these attempts at Higher Education Forum on Africa, Asia and Latin America 2019 sparked a series of engagements which would later result in several journal and newspaper articles. This chapter takes a look at some of the issues upon which these engagements were anchored in a bid to showcase the complexity of the subject and to show how difficult it is to reach, beyond reasonable doubt, a university-accepted definition or pathway for the subject. The chapter focuses on the fact that whether higher education initiatives constitute internationalisation or not, working towards responsiveness at all levels must be encouraged.
We know more than you might think : community knowledge on climate change : a case study of eThekwini, Durban
(Integrated Publishing Association, 2025-11-18) Ruthanam, Melishnee; Reddy, Poovendhree; Bhagwan, Raisuyah; O'Donoghue, Sean
Climate change has never been more undeniable. The devastating effects have been experienced worldwide affecting communities through extreme weather events, food insecurity and water scarcity among others. Community knowledge of climate change is an understudied area particularly in the African context. Understanding communities’ knowledge of climate change and their information sources, will enable a tailored approach to climate change communication. This paper aimed to explore the knowledge of communities and their sources of information regarding climate change within eThekwini, in South Africa as a case study. The study was guided by a qualitative research approach, and purposively sampled participants comprising of community members from varying demographic, educational and socio-economic backgrounds. Participant groups were stratified reflecting the main sectors within South Africa i.e. rural, urban, peri-urban and informal. The findings provided an insight into the notions held by community members regarding the causes of climate change. Participants described their perceptions and experiences of the phenomenon as well as their beliefs on the causes of climate change. They also identified the platforms that introduced them to information on climate change. This is particularly significant for climate change communication. This study offers a nuanced perspective of communities’ understanding of climate change and highlights the opportunities for climate change communication to address the knowledge gaps.
Relationship between executive remuneration and performance of South African mining companies
(AOSIS, 2024-1-1) Siwendu, Tando O.; Swanepoel, Matthys J.; Stumke, Olive
Orientation: Managers are supposed to manage companies to maximise shareholders’ wealth. Instead, there are long-standing perceptions that managers are rent extractors who maximise their own wealth, implying a misalignment between executive remuneration and company performance. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the existence of a relationship between executive remuneration and the financial performance of South African-listed mining companies. Motivation for the study: Executive remuneration significantly increased over the past five decades relative to company financial performance. The mining sector was selected due to its susceptibility to external factors and shocks leading to volatility in the financial performance of mining companies. Research approach/design and method: This study was a quantitative archival study, using data from 2015 to 2021, by applying the hierarchical linear modelling technique at a 95% confidence level and a 5% significance level. Main findings: The study found a weak to strong relationship between executive remuneration and company financial performance. Furthermore, an analysis of executive remuneration revealed an increase in short-term incentive payments and a decrease in the fixed salary as a proportion of chief executive officer remuneration. Practical/managerial implications: Because the study found a strong link between executive remuneration and earnings-based financial performance metrics, governing bodies should ensure that financial performance metrics include cash flow-based financial metrics as company earnings are highly susceptible to management manipulation. Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the existing literature on executive remuneration and will be useful to researchers, shareholders, boards of directors, remuneration committees and policymakers.
Information communication technology integration via Bloom’s taxonomy in accountancy curriculum
(AOSIS, 2023-1-1) Stumke, Olive
Accountants should stay relevant to the business world, making Information Communication Technology (ICT) competencies essential, as highlighted by professional bodies and employers. For this reason, how and when ICT competencies can be integrated into the accountancy curriculum following the guidelines of Bloom’s taxonomy was investigated. ICT competency integration into the accountancy curriculum remains a challenge at South African universities, further highlighted by online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research followed a qualitative approach. Data collection was done through a literature review of Bloom’s taxonomy, ICT requirements from the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and employers, responses from a self-developed questionnaire from lecturers of two participating universities focusing on the perceived inclusion of ICT competencies and when these competencies should be taught in the accountancy curriculum. The participants agreed with the inclusion of MS Excel and MS Word with a discrepancy of when. Contribution: Based on the sample selected, the results highlighted that how and when ICT competencies could be integrated is not in line with Bloom’s taxonomy approach. It is recommended that universities integrate ICT competencies for MS Excel and MS Word in the accountancy curriculum through the assignments already available in a structured and scaffolded approach. This research contributes to the body of knowledge of how and when ICT competencies can be integrated into the accountancy curriculum. Higher education must keep up with the fast-changing business environment and aim to transform their learning accordingly through applying Bloom’s taxonomy in a holistic view when integrating ICT competencies within the accountancy curriculum.