Factors Affecting Compliance with the National Cybersecurity Policy by SMMEs in South Africa

Technological advancements enable Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs) to increase business value and gain a competitive advantage. However, despite the myriad benefits of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), they have ushered in cyber threats. Cyberattacks have become more prevalent, especially in developing countries. As a result, most SMMEs in developing countries face challenges securing their digital environment. Governments worldwide have developed a National Cybersecurity Policy to protect their citizens, businesses and critical information infrastructure from cyberattacks. However, compliance with cybersecurity policy remains a challenge in many developing countries, especially among SMMEs. The study investigated the factors affecting compliance with the National Cybersecurity Policy by SMMEs in developing countries. This will aid policymakers in formulating National Cybersecurity Policies and providing an enabling environment for effective compliance by SMMEs in developing countries. We employed a qualitative approach using semi- structured interviews as a means of data collection. The sample for the study was 20 SMMEs in South Africa and was purposively selected. The findings showed that lack of awareness of the National Cybersecurity Policy, lack of understanding of the policy, resource constraints and lack of perceived benefits affect how SMMEs comply with the National Cybersecurity Policy

Empowering Information Security Managers: Tailored Information Security Policy Design with POLCO Software

Information security is crucial for protecting an organization\u27s information assets, and information security policies (ISPs) are formal controls that provide guidance in this regard. However, employees\u27 non-compliance with ISPs is a persistent issue, and the design of ISPs can contribute to this problem. Tailored ISP design theory, which includes four design principles and a conceptual model, offers a solution by allowing information security managers to create ISPs that are relevant for different groups of employees. This research introduces POLCO, a software developed based on tailored ISP design theory, to systematically tailor ISPs. The evaluation of functionality of POLCO as a proof of concept was conducted with master students in an information security management program, and the results showed that POLCO fulfils the design principles, making it a potential tool for reducing employee non-compliance with ISPs

The socio-economic impact of urban renewal projects in South Africa townships

Urban areas have become strategic locations where many throng to for a better life. However, wealth and economic opportunities are not evenly distributed in these urban spaces. South Africa is a fairly young democracy whose urban landscape has been largely shaped by the colonial apartheid system. The apartheid system segregated and relegated the black majority to the fringes of the cities into crowded communities characterised by poor living conditions, exclusion from the mainstream economy and limited urban amenities. Townships epitomise the harsh reality of the urban poor and how underdevelopment has been perpetuated. South Africa came up with different policies to redress the historical imbalances and inform urban development strategies. Urban renewal has been implemented as a development strategy in various cities across the world in an attempt to revive and improve the social, economic and environmental state of derelict urban spaces. Townships in South Africa have been the target areas for urban renewal with 8 presidential nodes having been initially identified for such in 2001. Eventually, Helenvale was added to the mix as a prime node in 2006 and the Helenvale Urban Renewal Project (HURP) was birthed - Helenvale and HURP being the identified site and project for this research respectively. An evaluative approach was adopted in assessing the socio-economic impact of urban renewal in South Africa townships and more specifically the socio-economic impact of HURP. Helenvale, like most townships in South Africa, is characterised by a high density settlement pattern, poverty, high unemployment, high rate of violence and crime, drug trade and substance abuse as well as a high rate of school dropouts. The Helenvale Urban Renewal Project (HURP) was implemented by the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) and eventually the Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) with the intention to rejuvenate the community on the social, economic and environmental front. The study findings showed that Helenvale, like all urban renewal nodes in South Africa had a number of socio-economic issues which prompted HURP. These include high unemployment (was 53.5% in 2013); alarming levels of violence and crime; drug trade and substance abuse and high rate of school dropout. Between 2007 and 2014, different projects were implemented under HURP, focusing mainly on physical development and community building. Study respondents had mixed reactions and perceptions of the impact of HURP. On one hand, the project saw the community benefit from the constructed public facilities like recreational parks and resource centre as well as capacity development and created employment opportunities. On the other hand, unemployment has persisted with only a small proportion of the population benefiting from the created jobs; crime remains unabated; drug trade has persisted leaving parents fearing for their young and gang violence has rendered the provided safe public physical features ineffective and the housing challenge has also not been resolved. By and large urban renewal and in this particular study, HURP has made great strides in improving the social and economic standing of the township community despite the challenges that are still lurking. A number of recommendations were proposed for similar studies and for urban renewal initiatives in South Africa. For the latter the study recommended having a robust policy that speaks to urban renewal directly and informs such. Other propositions include allowing the community to own and be stewards of urban renewal initiatives; allocating enough resources, both human and financial; and tailoring the project to respond to the needs of a particular community and not a one size fits all approach. In terms of similar studies the study recommends using a mixed methods approach to evaluate the impact of such ventures as well as evaluating more than one urban renewal initiatives for comparison and to allow for the generalizability of the findings

GUISET: A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN OF A GRID-ENABLED PORTAL FOR E-COMMERCE ON-DEMAND SERVICES

Conventional grid-enabled portal designs have been largely influenced by the usual functional requirements such as security requirements, grid resource requirements and job management requirements. However, the pay-as-you-use service provisioning model of utility computing platforms mean that additional requirements must be considered in order to realize effective grid-enabled portals design for such platforms. This work investigates those relevant additional requirements that must be considered for the design of grid-enabled portals for utility computing contexts. Based on a thorough review of literature, we identified a number of those relevant additional requirements, and developed a grid-enabled portal prototype for the Grid-based Utility Infrastructure for SMME-enabling Technology (GUISET) initiative – a utility computing platform. The GUISET portal was designed to cater for both the traditional grid requirements and some of the relevant additional requirements for utility computing contexts. The result of the evaluation of the GUISET portal prototype using a set of benchmark requirements (standards) revealed that it fulfilled the minimum requirements to be suitable for the utility context

Shifting the digital skills discourse for the 4th industrial revolution

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Financial inclusion

Financial inclusion has been noted as a key driver of poverty alleviation and growth. Yet, most of the scholarly work that exists lacks a comprehensive discussion of how the poor interact with financial services and the channels through which such services can affect their livelihoods. This book offers researchers who focus on financial inclusion and African economies a one stop resource for understanding the channels of transmission for financial inclusion as well as an application of these channels through original country specific empirical papers. The book provides a back-to-basics presentation of the transmission of financial services to growth and poverty. This theoretical discussion is complemented by an empirical presentation of the various services used by the poor, with a focus on Africa. Case studies of financial inclusion in six African countries cover a broad range of topics most important to African countries and highlight the unique African setting. These empirical papers provide important learning points. Firstly, hybrid financial institutions such as cooperative financial institutions and financial social entrepreneurs are the best way to increase financial inclusion in Africa. They provide important vehicles to circumventing the restrictive and exclusive bank-based financial markets typical of African economies. Secondly, digital finance is a potent tool in improving financial access and usage in Africa, and its impact on poverty operates through both traditional and nontraditional financial instruments. Thirdly, investment in infrastructure which supports complementary markets is critical and is likely to have a greater effect on credit rationing than direct provision of credit to small businesses

Financial inclusion

Financial inclusion has been noted as a key driver of poverty alleviation and growth. Yet, most of the scholarly work that exists lacks a comprehensive discussion of how the poor interact with financial services and the channels through which such services can affect their livelihoods. This book offers researchers who focus on financial inclusion and African economies a one stop resource for understanding the channels of transmission for financial inclusion as well as an application of these channels through original country specific empirical papers. The book provides a back-to-basics presentation of the transmission of financial services to growth and poverty. This theoretical discussion is complemented by an empirical presentation of the various services used by the poor, with a focus on Africa. Case studies of financial inclusion in six African countries cover a broad range of topics most important to African countries and highlight the unique African setting. These empirical papers provide important learning points. Firstly, hybrid financial institutions such as cooperative financial institutions and financial social entrepreneurs are the best way to increase financial inclusion in Africa. They provide important vehicles to circumventing the restrictive and exclusive bank-based financial markets typical of African economies. Secondly, digital finance is a potent tool in improving financial access and usage in Africa, and its impact on poverty operates through both traditional and nontraditional financial instruments. Thirdly, investment in infrastructure which supports complementary markets is critical and is likely to have a greater effect on credit rationing than direct provision of credit to small businesses

The impact of ICT use on livelihoods of microenterprises : case of South Africa

This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of impact of using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) on the livelihoods of microenterprises in the developing countries context

An economic development policy implementation approach to creation of sustainable maritime SMMEs in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This study aimed to develop a new innovative approach towards a modern economic policy implementation, anchored towards harnessing Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME’s) development and sustainability within the maritime sector. The study was conducted in Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province and the objectives of the study were to determine the challenges faced by SMMEs within the ocean economy in the KZN Province and explore the concept of ocean economy within the South African context. The study also assessed the approach for an economic policy implementation, on the development and sustainability of maritime SMMEs in the KZN Province. Furthermore, the study explored pioneering the concept of a sector specific special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the development and sustainability of ocean economy SMMEs in the KZN Province. The population size of this study consisted of 200 SMMEs that are in the maritime sector in KwaZulu-Natal that are listed on the Moses Kotane database. A sample of 132 participants were selected to participate in the study, however, 123 participated in the study. The findings revealed that SMMEs in the ocean economy face many challenges and continue to experience a high stagnancy and failure rate, despite elaborate government support programmes put in place to assist them. Furthermore, the study revealed that there is a lack of institutional capacity in KZN, to manage and coordinate the potential of the partnership arrangements and mismatches that exist between the various stakeholders. This study also revealed that there is an imperative need for a paradigm shift in exploring optimal available sources of investment for ocean economy initiatives from both the public and private sectors in the ocean economy. It further revealed that expanding the collaborative empowerment approaches of economic emancipation, funding, and investments for ocean economy initiatives and projects, requires the exploration of new innovative Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approaches. The study, amongst other things, recommends the establishment by the Government and the private sector of a provincial institutional framework in the form of a maritime Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) as an implementer of initiatives and Comprehensive Maritime Transport Policy (CMTP) statements related to economic development within the maritime sector

WSN based sensing model for smart crowd movement with identification: a conceptual model

With the advancement of IT and increase in world population rate, Crowd Management (CM) has become a subject undergoing intense study among researchers. Technology provides fast and easily available means of transport and, up-to-date information access to the people that causes crowd at public places. This imposes a big challenge for crowd safety and security at public places such as airports, railway stations and check points. For example, the crowd of pilgrims during Hajj and Ummrah while crossing the borders of Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To minimize the risk of such crowd safety and security identification and verification of people is necessary which causes unwanted increment in processing time. It is observed that managing crowd during specific time period (Hajj and Ummrah) with identification and verification is a challenge. At present, many advanced technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) are being used to solve the crowed management problem with minimal processing time. In this paper, we have presented a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) based conceptual model for smart crowd movement with minimal processing time for people identification. This handles the crowd by forming groups and provides proactive support to handle them in organized manner. As a result, crowd can be managed to move safely from one place to another with group identification. The group identification minimizes the processing time and move the crowd in smart way