http://hdl.handle.net/11189/1440 Wed, 12 Aug 2026 10:52:37 GMT 2026-08-12T10:52:37Z http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10520 Title: Sustainability, community and smartness: exploring the role of community-centered participatory planning in achieving sustainable-smart Authors: Verster, Belinda Abstract: This paper explores the interplay between community-centered participatory planning and sustainable-smart urbanism in the global South. Drawing from an existing conceptual framework developed from participatory theories, a multi-method approach comprising a narrative literature review and empirical data from focus group discussions is employed. Against the backdrop of environmental degradation and resource scarcity, the paper underscores the necessity of a deeper community perspective informed by the urban planning ethos of the common good, the political ethic of care and a post-humanist position as a normative structure. This underpins a conceptual framework, developed from 17 participatory theories, that is applied as a lens to explore the relationship between community-centered participatory planning and sustainable-smart urbanism within a specific vulnerable, informal township in South Africa. Commonplace socio-environmental challenges, such as soil and water contamination, litter, living-with-livestock, food insecurity, poor health and social isolation frame the complexity of township life and having limited resources at your disposal to impact your future. One resource in particular, participatory processes, is the focus of this paper. The main question being addressed is how community-centered participatory planning can shape relevant sustainable-smart urbanism; this is especially pertinent as participatory measures face potential removal from global development agendas. The findings of this paper underscore two critical dimensions essential for shaping contextually relevant sustainablesmart urbanism: the significance of context and having a deep and authentic understanding of community identity. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10520 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10508 Title: A guide for selecting research design in information systems studies Authors: Shaanika, Irja; Iyamu, Tiko Abstract: Design is essential in research, yet, many researchers especially, postgraduate students continue to be challenged in selecting the most suitable research design for their studies. The process and decision to select research designs become more cumbersome and challenging when more than one design is required in a study. This challenge persists, primarily because there seem to be no guidelines for selecting the most appropriate design for a study. Consequently, many aspiring researchers sometimes select designs that do not align with the objectives of their studies. Thus, this study was conducted, to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges by gathering information from the postgraduate students. The qualitative methods were applied, to gain insights from researchers’ and students’ experiences (data). The interpretive approach was employed, to analyse the data. This paper reports on the findings. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10508 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10507 Title: The factors influencing applying social media for marketing Authors: Moche, Magdeline; Iyamu, Tiko Abstract: The adoption and use of social media for marketing by South African banks encounter challenges primarily because the influencing factors are not known, empirically. This study aims to examine the factors influencing the use of social media for marketing in a South African bank. Qualitative methods were employed, involving the case study approach and semi-structured interviews. A South African bank was selected using a set of criteria. The findings reveal several critical factors, including Awareness, Interactive, Operationalisation, Governance, and Security. The influencing factors have significant implications for both the bank and its employees, in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing using social media. However, the implementation of such a system would require addressing challenges related to a framework. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10507 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10479 Title: Risk assessment for malware attacks in small businesses Authors: Ncubukezi, Tabisa Abstract: The presence of severe malware attacks in business systems compromises devices, data, information, and network hygiene. The increased usage of cyberspace as a convenient tool exposed all organisations to various malware attacks. The malware attacks have become one of the most common threats in all sectors. These attacks often find their way into systems where poor or inadequate security measures are implemented, leaving the institution’s resources vulnerable and compromised. This work collected data using purposive sampling from the selected small businesses that used cyberspace for business transactions. A questionnaire distributed to the participants was mounted on Google Forms. To analyse the collected data, this work assessed the malware attacks and used the risk management processes to determine the risk impact and probability. Risk management processes were used to analyse and interpret different risks associated with malware attacks and also ranked them from low, medium, and high. The work also revealed the different forms of common malware attacks, the business assets affected, the main causes of malware attacks, risk value, risk likelihood, and the risk impact. The extent of security measures implemented on different levels contributes to the overall state of the organisational resources. The study also shared the recommendations and accounted for the conclusion. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT http://hdl.handle.net/11189/10479 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z