Theses and Dissertations

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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11837/198

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A Comparison of Open Source Native XML Database Products
(University of Fort Hare, 2005-12) Mabanza, Ntima
Since the advent of XML technology, one of the areas where it has made its mark is in data interchange between applications or businesses. As a result, there has been an increase in the number of XML documents generated from business transactions. Consequently, there is considerable work being done in the database research community with the aim to develop software to effectively process and manage XML documents. Open Source Native XML database systems are one example of a new generation of database technologies developed to address this issue. The decision to adopt these technologies can be based on several factors depending on the user's needs.
A cloud computing adoption framework for financial service institutions in South Africa
(University of Fort Hare, 2015) Introna, Nicolette
Financial service providers in South Africa are failing to leverage the benefits that cloud computing could contribute to their business and clients. The primary objectives of cloud computing include reducing overall Information Technology (IT) service costs and processing time whilst increasing process throughput, reliability, availability and flexibility. However, despite these advantages, both strategically and operationally, there is still a relatively slow adoption rate. This can be attributed to the potential pitfalls of the technology such as security concerns, failure downtime resulting from server maintenance or unforeseen outages, implementation complexity and compatibility issues. Very few migration readiness assessment strategies exist, and those that do exist are focused at a much higher level of abstraction. No framework exists within which financial service providers can assess the feasibility or readiness of their unique financial services for cloud computing. The development and demand for cloud industry standards (including the assessment of service readiness) is the foremost concern of IT decision makers. This research project examines ways in which South African financial service providers are able to increase the rate of adoption of cloud computing services. To achieve this financial service providers require a means to increase adoption level of cloud computing. The contribution of this research project is a framework based on the Technology Organisation Environment Framework (TOE) that medium-sized financial organisations can make use of in order to assess the feasibility of their financial services for the adoption of cloud computing. The research project applies design science to produce an extensive framework which financial services organisations can use to evaluate their readiness for the adoption of cloud computing. The findings of the research suggest that there is strong interest from employees within financial services organisations to explore cloud computing as a means to improve the value they are already able to offer clients.
Deriving value from IT investments within boutique hotels: a Buffalo city case study
(University of Fort Hare, 2009) Mathe, Thabelang
Even though many organizations invest in IT, the value that IT is expected to contribute is still not clearly understood. Researchers agree that IT has become a crucial element to business operations and business existence. However, while there is continued investment in new information technologies and systems, organizations are not certain whether significant value is derived from IT investments. The failure to realize good return on IT investments is ascribed to a lack of understanding of IT by organizations and also the failure by organizations to align IT strategies with business strategies. The lack of alignment leads to the failure to match the right IT to the correct task, which leads to the poor application of systems and poor allocation of human resources to tasks. Therefore, organizations such as Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in particular Boutique Hotels, are noted for their failure to derive better IT value. Their unique characteristics are understood to be influential in the way IT is used and managed by affecting the delivery of value from technology. In order to enable Boutique Hotels to derive more value from IT, the IT governance frameworks, Val IT and CobiT (ITGI, 2007), were examined as these integrate good practices to ensure that an organization‘s IT supports the business objectives. In addition, the Task Technology Fit (TTF) (Goodhue and Thompson, 1995) and Gap Analysis (Heeks, 2001) theories were highlighted as these prescribe the platform ideal for more value to be derived from IT. The current status of Boutique Hotels in Buffalo City was assessed through the use of questionnaires and interviews. The collected data was analyzed and resulted in the development of a model that can be used by Boutique Hotels in order to derive more value from IT and to maximize the use of IT.
E-mail forensic authorship attribution
(University of Fort Hare, 2010) Lalla, Himal
E-mails have become the standard for business as well as personal communication. The inherent security risks within e-mail communication present the problem of anonymity. If an author of an e-mail is not known, the digital forensic investigator needs to determine the authorship of the e-mail using a process that has not been standardised in the e-mail forensic field. This research project examines many problems associated with e-mail communication and the digital forensic domain; more specifically e-mail forensic investigations, and the recovery of legally admissible evidence to be presented in a court of law. The Research Methodology utilised a comprehensive literature review in combination with Design Science which results in the development of an artefact through intensive research. The Proposed E-Mail Forensic Methodology is based on the most current digital forensic investigation process and further validation of the process was established via expert reviews. The opinions of the digital forensic experts were an integral portion of the validation process which adds to the credibility of the study. This was performed through the aid of the Delphi technique. This Proposed E-Mail Forensic Methodology adopts a standardised investigation process applied to an e-mail investigation and takes into account the South African perspective by incorporating various checks with the laws and legislation. By following the Proposed E-mail Forensic Methodology, e-mail forensic investigators can produce evidence that is legally admissible in a court of law.
Factors influencing continuous data collection for a public safety crowdsourcing smart city project
(University of Fort Hare, 2015) Bosha, Elizabeth
More than 50 percent of the world’s population are now living in cities. The trend towards urbanisation has placed an enormous strain on the limited resources and services available to citizens in these cities. As more people live in cities, public safety issues also increase. These issues include crime, natural disasters and accidents. In order to effectively manage the limited resources as well as reduce the public safety issues in a city, the smart city approach can be implemented. A smart city makes use of technology to collect data from the citizens in order to make more efficient use of existing resources. This study focuses specifically on East London, South Africa, a developing country, and argues that currently there is no existing crowdsourcing system that can be used by the city to continuously collect public safety information from citizens for continuous data collection in order to improve public safety. The aim of the study is to develop a model that can be used by a city in a developing country to collect public safety information continuously from citizens. With the use of the interpretivist paradigm and mixed methods to gather and analyse data collected via conversational analysis, observations and questionnaire, it can be concluded that in a developing country, people are motivated to participate by three factors: intrinsic, internalised extrinsic, and extrinsic. Therefore the study further recommends that in order for the crowdsourcing system to be effective, the city must use all three factors to motivate citizens to report public safety information.
A Feedback Loop Model to Facilitate Communication Between Citizens and Local Government in a Smart City.
(University of Fort Hare, 2016) Gopeni, Amanda; Wayi
In recent years, an increasing number of people move into cities to search for better opportunities for themselves and their families. This movement is known as urbanisation and makes it difficult for the local government to fully understand citizens’ needs particularly pertaining to public safety matters. During the first phase of the Public Safety Smart City project, it was identified that there is a need for feedback loop to facilitate effective communication of public safety issues between citizens and local government. This means that EL citizens do not have a better channel in place to address their public safety issues to the local government. This could lead to the decisions made by the local government in public safety not fully communicated back to the citizens. The primary objective of the study is to develop a feedback loop model that will assist in more effective reporting of public safety issues between citizens and the local government. The study followed an interpretivism paradigm and the research methodology employed is the qualitative approach. This was influenced by the existing De Fleur model of communication, secondary data and also semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with eleven citizens and four managers from the Department of Public Safety. It was ascertained that the lack of a feedback loop about public safety issues between citizens and local government is likely to increase public safety issues. Findings revealed that this is because citizens are not continuously updated about their reports and also about the state of public safety matters. Furthermore, the methods of communication utilised lead to poor communication of public safety issues. The study concludes that the introduction of an Information and Communication Technology enabled feedback loop between citizens and local government can help in reducing public safety issues and make public safety officials proactive rather than reactive.
IPSec Traffic Overhead Analysis in Dual Stack 1Pv4/1Pv6 Transition Mechanisms
(University of Fort Hare, 2005-12) Mujinga, Mathias
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next generation of Internet Protocol proposed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to supplant the current Internet Protocol version 4 (/Pv4). Lack of security below the application layer in IPv4 is one of the reasons why there is a need for a new Internet Protocol. IPv6 has built-in support for the Internet Protocol Security protocol (IPSec). IPSec is an Internet standard that is designed to provide data confidentiality, integrity and the authentication through the use of the Authentication Header (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) protocols. This paper reports work done in evaluating the implications of the compulsory use of IPSec on the traffic performance of the dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 computer network, as this adds additional headers on the packets.
The mediating role of mobile technology in the linkage between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.
(University of Fort Hare, 2012) Chihombori, Rumbidzai Anna
The main objective of this study was to critically investigate the mediating role that the use of mobile technology plays in the linkage between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in a semi-urban environment. The research problem focused on the application of mobile technology in the linkage between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty in the clothing industry in King Williams Town. In accomplishing this objective, this research study hypothesised that mobile technology plays a mediating role in the linkage between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty of customers of clothing retailers in South Africa. Multiple regression was conducted to test for the first hypothesis. The first secondary objective aimed at establishing if there is disconfirmation between customer expectations and the performance of clothing retail outlets in King Williams Town. In exploring this objective, it was hypothesised that there is negative disconfirmation between customer expectations and performance. A paired sample test was conducted to test for this hypothesis. In addition, the influence of service quality and customer satisfaction on customer loyalty was explored. To accomplish these, it was hypothesised that both service quality and customer satisfaction have an influence on customer loyalty. Pearson’s Correlation and the Chi-Square Test were applied to test the influence of service quality and Customer satisfaction on Customer loyalty. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical software. Regression analysis, chi-square tests, Paired sample tests and correlation reports were used to analyse data inferentially. Reliability and validity of the research was also tested using Cronchbach’s alpha test. The results show that mobile phones have become a basic necessity for customers and that mobile technology plays a mediating role in the linkage between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty; however, the mediation is partial. The results also show that there is positive disconfirmation between customer expectations and retailer performance; that both service quality and customer satisfaction have a positive correlation with customer loyalty and that mobile technology enhances customer loyalty. Finally, the results show that the total service experience of customers is favourable because the five components of service quality were rendered at a high level of service quality. The study offers several managerial recommendations. Firstly, retail managers should make strategic investments in mobile technology and use this technology to the full to reap the benefits of technologically advanced mobile communication. Secondly, managers should be creative in their use of this mobile technology to enhance customer satisfaction and, hence, customer loyalty. Thirdly, managers should prioritise the improvement of all five components of service quality in order to enhance customer loyalty. Finally, managers should provide a customer-centred service experience that exceeds customer expectations for service quality and mobile communication, one that maximises customer satisfaction and loyalty. The implementation of these recommendations could result in clothing retailers providing a customer-focused service experience in all five aspects of service quality. To successfully implement these recommendations, clothing retailers should: ensure that expectations created, could be accomplished or exceeded to build and enhance customer satisfaction; create expectations that are realistic to avoid negative disconfirmation and hence customer dissatisfaction; implement innovative and creative mobile communication strategies to build and enhance customer loyalty; and finally, improve loyalty programmes to enlarge the customer base.
Text data analysis for a smart city project in a developing nation.
(University of Fort Hare, 2015) Currin, Aubrey Jason; Flowerday, S.
Increased urbanisation against the backdrop of limited resources is complicating city planning and management of functions including public safety. The smart city concept can help, but most previous smart city systems have focused on utilising automated sensors and analysing quantitative data. In developing nations, using the ubiquitous mobile phone as an enabler for crowdsourcing of qualitative public safety reports, from the public, is a more viable option due to limited resources and infrastructure limitations. However, there is no specific best method for the analysis of qualitative text reports for a smart city in a developing nation. The aim of this study, therefore, is the development of a model for enabling the analysis of unstructured natural language text for use in a public safety smart city project. Following the guidelines of the design science paradigm, the resulting model was developed through the inductive review of related literature, assessed and refined by observations of a crowdsourcing prototype and conversational analysis with industry experts and academics. The content analysis technique was applied to the public safety reports obtained from the prototype via computer assisted qualitative data analysis software. This has resulted in the development of a hierarchical ontology which forms an additional output of this research project. Thus, this study has shown how municipalities or local government can use CAQDAS and content analysis techniques to prepare large quantities of text data for use in a smart city.

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