The value of comparative usability and UX evaluation for e-commerce organisations

The objective of this paper is to investigate the possible value of comparative user experience (UX) or usability evaluations for e-commerce organisations. Poor website usability has been identified as one of the main reasons why users abandon potential transactions. Appropriate evaluation of these sites is therefore essential. A problem with usability and UX evaluation is the lack of trust designers have in the evaluator’s recommendations due to the subjective nature thereof. This paper investigates the possible enhancement of the objectivity of such evaluations through cross-company comparative evaluations, so that designers can assess their design success against that of direct competitors in the market. We conducted an empirical, comparative evaluation of three similar organisations’ e-commerce websites using eye tracking as the primary data collection mechanism, and then demonstrated the potential value and usefulness of the outcomes

Why designers responsible for websites of large organisations disregard basic web design principles

When a large organisation spends a notable proportion of its budget on creating a positive web presence, one would assume the web site to be well designed, usable and to provide a good user experience. This is not always true. In this case study we investigated a large telecommunications organisation based in Africa to determine the value it places on usability and user experience. We evaluated a core function of the web site through an eye tracking usability study and found severe usability problems. This led to an investigation into the reasons for this. Through interviews with web designers in the organisation, we discovered how they view the design process and why they believe that basic, documented design guidelines are not worth following. The results will help management of large organisations understand why web sites fail to achieve their goals and provide pointers on how to address this

Van Afrikanerkultuur tot korporatief : die geskiedenis van Sanlam se hoofkantoor-personeelkorps 1918 – 2008

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African company Sanlam was founded in 1918 as a direct result of the growth of Afrikaner nationalism. An objective with the establishment of Sanlam as a life insurance company was the settlement of Afrikaners in the South African economy and thereby their economic upliftment. From the beginning, the company was known principally as an Afrikaans institution focussing on Afrikaner interests. The company was aiming at the settling of itself as a South African establishment rendering a service to the entire South African community. The building-blocks of Afrikaner nationalism – the Afrikaans language, the uplifting of Afrikaners, the accentuation of their history and Christian Protestantism – were openly allowed to flourish in the company. Black people were staff members from the start, but were directly affected later by legislation and views of segregation and apartheid, a system dividing South Africans on a racial basis especially after the National Party (NP) rose to office in 1948. Separate accommodation, recreational and dining facilities were established in the company. The white staff members’ organisational culture was intensely affected by elements of industrial paternalism, under which housing and organised culture and sport, among other things, were provided by the company. This form of paternalism created an ideal environment for the development of loyalty to the company, conveyed by the expression “Sanlam spirit”. This company alliance was not sufficient enough to detach staff members from non-ideological exogenous events. They witnessed technological development from the typewriter to the most modern computer applications and experienced the preferences and disapprovals for clothing and the smoking habit, for instance. The position of women in the company was also directly influenced by external factors. In tandem with the rest of the world, they were marginalised too. In the seventies, the tables started turning for them. In the same decade, political developments began to influence staff members intensively. They became part of the militarisation of the South African white community against the increasing rise of militant black nationalism. Political reforms led to the crumbling of the building-blocks of Afrikaner nationalism. The transition in South Africa from a white minority government to a black majority government under the African National Congress (ANC) in 1994 affected the staff profoundly. The company had to transform to meet the political demands of the new government. It was compelled to appoint more black staff members. Simultaneously, the company was forced to reconstruct to keep up with economic changes. Sanlam changed from a mutual life office to a corporative financial services institution. In 2008, nine decades after its establishment, it was transformed into a true new South African company when black staff members emerged as the majority for the first time. The continuous changes during 90 years were a reflection of exogenous events in the Afrikaner community in particular and in South Africa and the rest of the world in general. This all influenced the establishment and settlement of and the changes to the company’s organisational culture.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy Sanlam is in 1918 gestig as ‘n regstreekse gevolg van die opwelling van Afrikaners se nasionalisme. ‘n Doelwit met die totstandbrenging van Sanlam as ‘n lewensversekeringsmaatskappy was die vestiging van die Afrikaners in die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie en hul gevolglike ekonomiese opheffing. Die maatskappy het van die begin af bekend gestaan as ‘n Afrikaanse onderneming wat in hoofsaak op Afrikanerbelange ingestel was. Uit ‘n ekonomiese oogpunt was die maatskappy daarop toegespits om hom as ‘n Suid-Afrikaanse instelling te vestig wat ‘n diens aan die hele Suid-Afrikaanse gemeenskap lewer. Die boustene van Afrikanernasionalisme – die taal Afrikaans, die opheffing van Afrikaners, die belewing van hul geskiedenis en Christen-Protestantisme – is toegelaat om openlik in die maatskappy te gedy. Swart mense was van die begin af personeellede, maar is later intens beïnvloed deur wetgewing en opvattings ten opsigte van segregasie en apartheid waarvolgens Suid-Afrikaners veral ná die Nasionale Party (NP) se bewindsaanvaarding in 1948 op ‘n rassegrondslag geskei is. Aparte huisvestings-, ontspannings- en eetgeriewe is in die maatskappy gevestig. Die wit amptenare se organisasiekultuur is intens beïnvloed deur elemente van industriële paternalisme, byvoorbeeld die verskaffing van huisvesting en maatskappy-georganiseerde kultuur en sport. Dié paternalisme het ‘n ideale omgewing geskep vir die ontwikkeling van lojaliteit jeens die maatskappy, verwoord deur die uitdrukking “Sanlamgees”. Desondanks dié maatskappyverbintenis kon die personeellede nie van nie-ideologiese eksogene gebeure ontsnap nie. Hulle het tegnologiese ontwikkeling van die tikmasjien tot die modernste rekenaaraanwending ervaar en sosiale voor- en afkeure jeens byvoorbeeld kleredrag en die rookgewoonte beleef. Vroue se stand by die maatskappy is ook regstreeks deur eksogene gebeure geraak. Tot in die sewentigerjare is hulle in pas met die res van die wêreld geringgeskat, maar die wiel het toe positief vir hulle begin draai. In dieselfde dekade het die opkoms van militante swart nasionalisme daartoe gelei dat personeellede, soos die res van die Suid-Afrikaanse wit gemeenskap, gemilitariseer geraak het. Politieke hervorming het daartoe gelei dat die boustene van Afrikanernasionalisme verkrummel het. Die oorgang in 1994 in Suid-Afrika van ‘n wit minderheids- na ‘n swart meerderheidsregering onder die African National Congress (ANC) het die personeel intens beïnvloed. Die maatskappy moes transformeer om aan die nuwe regering se politieke eise te voldoen. Hiervolgens moes al hoe meer swart personeellede aangestel word. Voorts moes die maatskappy herstruktureer om ekonomies tred te hou. In dié omvattende veranderingsproses het die maatskappy ontwikkel in ‘n korporatiewe finansiëledienste-onderneming. Sanlam het in 2008, nege dekades ná sy stigting, ‘n groot tree na ‘n ware nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy gegee toe die meerderheid van personeellede vir die eerste keer uit swart mense bestaan het. Die voortdurende herstrukturering en transformasie oor nege dekades heen was ‘n weerspieëling van eksogene gebeure in Afrikanergeledere in die besonder en Suid-Afrika en die res van die wêreld in die algemeen. Dit het alles ‘n invloed uitgeoefen op die stigting, vestiging en verandering van die maatskappy se organisasiekultuur

Dorpsondernaam : 'n kultuurhistoriese ondersoek na die dambouersgemeenskap wat aan die einde van die 19de eeu op Tafelberg ontstaan het

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Table Mountain is one of the world’s most well-known natural landmarks. For more than a half million years the mountain played a role in human cultural activities. The water flowing off Table Mountain resulted in the establishment of Cape Town in 1652. During the first 240 years of the city’s existence until 1891, everything possible was employed to make the most of the water cascading down the northern slopes of the mountain. In 1891, the city commenced with the utilising of the mountain’s water running southwards to waste. This course of action to maximise the supply of water from Table Mountain to the city, extended over a period of more than seven decades and included the construction of dams, tunnels and pipelines. Towards the end of the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, two dams were built in the Disa Stream to the east of Kasteels Poort’s upper end. The construction work on the Woodhead Dam commenced in 1892 and continued until 1897. Building operations on the Hely-Hutchinson Dam started shortly after the completion of the Woodhead Dam and was concluded in 1904. The dam builders were settled as a community in the vicinity of the construction sites. The housing comprised permanent as well as temporary structures. The dwellings did not form a unit, but were scattered in the proximity of the construction terrains. The majority of the structures were demolished after the completion of the work. Only four dwellings still exist today. A feature of the accommodation was the separate housing for the white and black workers. The dam builders’ backgrounds were very diverse. Some of them were highly skilled artisans from Britain whereas the majority of the untrained labourers were black people from the Eastern Cape. Also included in the work force, were people from Cape Town and environs. The number of workers on the mountain varied to a high degree. The largest number at any stage totaled 470. Information on the mountain dwellers’ material culture, for example their clothing, foodstuffs and compensation, and spiritual life, for example religion, communication and leisure-time activities, is analysed in this study. Fragments of the dam builders’ cultural heritage is preserved in the Waterworks Museum next to the wall of the Hely-Hutchinson Dam. The exhibition of implements and equipment is disorganised and neglected. The transfer of the museum to another more efficient building in the area is vitally important in order that proper justice can be done to the dam builders who rendered an essential service to Cape Town in difficult circumstances.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tafelberg is een van die wêreld se bekendste natuurbakens. Die berg speel al langer as ‘n halfmiljoen jaar ‘n rol in menslike kultuurbedrywighede. Die water wat vanaf Tafelberg vloei, het in 1652 tot die ontstaan van Kaapstad gelei. In die eerste 240 jaar van die stad se bestaan tot 1891 is alles moontlik gedoen om die water wat aan die noordekant teen die berg afvloei, ten beste te benut. In 1891 is begin om ook die berg se water wat onbenut suidwaarts vloei vir die stad se gebruik aan te wend. Dié proses om Tafelberg se water maksimaal tot die beskikking van die stad te stel, het oor ‘n tydperk van meer as sewe dekades gestrek en het die konstruksie van damme, tonnels en pypleidings ingesluit. Twee damme is aan die einde van die negentiende eeu en die begin van die twintigste eeu in die Disastroom ten ooste van die bo-punt van Kasteelspoort gebou. Die bouwerk aan die Woodhead-dam het in 1892 begin en het tot 1897 geduur. Die konstruksie aan die Hely-Hutchinson-dam is net ná die voltooiing van die Woodhead-dam van stapel gestuur en is in 1904 voltooi. Die dambouers is as ‘n gemeenskap in die omgewing van die dambouterreine gevestig. Die akkommodasie het uit stewige en tydelike wonings bestaan. Die wonings het nie ‘n eenheid gevorm nie, maar is verspreid in die nabyheid van die konstruksiewerk opgerig. Die meeste van die geboue is na afhandeling van die bouwerk gesloop en net vier wonings bestaan vandag nog. ‘n Kenmerk van die akkommodasie was dat die blanke en swart werkers apart gehuisves is. Die dambouers se agtergrond was baie uiteenlopend. Sommige van hulle was hoogs geskoolde vakmanne van Brittanje, terwyl die meeste ongeskoolde arbeiders swart mense van die Oos-Kaap was. Die res van die werkspan het uit mense van Kaapstad en die omgewing bestaan. Die getal werkers op die berg het baie gewissel. Die grootste getal werkers wat op een tydstip betrokke was, het 470 beloop. Inligting oor die bergbewoners se materiële kultuur, byvoorbeeld hul kleredrag, lewensmiddele en vergoeding, en geestelike kultuur, onder meer godsdiens, kommunikasie en vryetydsbesteding, word in dié ondersoek ontleed. Fragmente van die dambouers se kulturele nalatenskap word in die Waterwerke Museum by die wal van die Hely-Hutchinson-dam bewaar. Dié uitstalling van implemente en toerusting is baie ongeorden en verwaarloos. Dit is noodsaaklik dat die museum na ‘n doeltreffender gebou in die omgewing skuif sodat behoorlik eer betoon kan word aan die mense wat in moeilike omstandighede ‘n onontbeerlike diens aan Kaapstad gelewer het

Sanlam-amptenare uit die volk gebore om die volk te dien?

CITATION: Beukes, W., Ehlers, A. & Verhoef, G. 2018. Sanlam-amptenare uit die volk gebore om die volk te dien?. Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 58(3):548-566, doi:10.17159/2224-7912/2018/v58n3a7.The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.zaDie Suid-Afrikaanse lewensversekeringsmaatskappy Sanlam het in 1918 die lewenslig aanskou te midde van verskeie verweefde ekonomiese, politieke en maatskaplike faktore wat meegewerk het om ’n taamlik stewige stigtingstydperk vir die jong maatskappy te verseker. Op politieke gebied was die stigting aan die opwelling van Afrikanernasionalisme gekoppel (Koen 1986:60- 68; Le Roux 1953:128; Scannell 1968:11). Dié nasionalisme het gepaardgegaan met die stigting van die Nasionale Party (NP) in 1914. Die volksgevoel het ontstaan uit die benarde maatskaplike posisie waarin talle Afrikaners hulle ná die Anglo-Boereoorlog bevind het. Afrikanerleiers het besef dat opheffing slegs moontlik was indien Afrikaners ook ’n aandeel in die sakewêreld verwerf. Dié wete, tesame met die sukses van die Helpmekaarbeweging en die gaping in die bestaande versekeringsbedryf in Suid-Afrika vir ’n lewensversekeringsmaatskappy veral gemik op Afrikaners, het regstreeks tot die stigting van Sanlam gelei. Die maatskappy was hoofsaaklik aanvanklik op die Afrikanermark gemik, maar het uit die staanspoor die hele Suid-Afrikaanse mark bedien. Dit het sakesin gemaak – ’n suksesvolle onderneming in die Suid-Afrikaanse mark wat sy besigheidsfokus direk mik op ’n segment van die samelewing wat grotendeels buite die versekeringsmark gestaan het, en wat terselfdertyd kon bydra tot Afrikaneropheffing. Die vraag wat in hierdie artikel beantwoord word, is in hoeverre dié voorafvermelde konteks en ook veral die Sanlam-slagspreuk “Uit die volk gebore om die volk te dien” in die aanstelling van die eerste amptenare weerspieël is. Het die maatskappy net op wit Afrikaanssprekende NP-ondersteuners staatgemaak om op dreef te kom? Was daar dus genoeg sakekundigheid in eie geledere om dié nuwe Afrikaner-wa deur die eerste drif te kry?The South African life assurance company, Sanlam, was established in 1918 as a direct result of Afrikaner ambitions. This ethnic nationalism was inspired by the advances of the Afrikaans language movement and the formation of the National Party (NP) in 1914 as a political home to many Afrikaners. An objective with the establishment of Sanlam as a life assurance company was the economic empowerment of Afrikaners in South Africa. Economic upliftment was the goal. From the beginning, the company was known principally as an Afrikaans institution focusing on Afrikaner interests. Sanlam wanted to establish itself as a South African establishment rendering a service to the entire South African community. That vision made business sense – a successful enterprise in the South African market that also contributed to Afrikaner empowerment. The question is whether that focus resulted in the company relying on an exclusive Afrikaansspeaking NP supporter base in its staff composition. This question is raised especially in view of Sanlam’s Afrikaans slogan at that time: “Uit die volk gebore om die volk te dien”. The interpretation of the meaning of the word “volk” is contrasting. Afrikaners of that period understood the word as referring to the Afrikaner people. “Volk” is translated into English as “people” or “nation”. The slogan therefore reads as follows in English: “Born from the people to serve the people” – implying a wider involvement than only the Afrikaners. Pronouncements of Afrikaner politicians contributed to this confusion of tongues. The Afrikaner leader JBM Hertzog, for instance, on the one hand considered the concept “Afrikaners” to include Afrikaans and English speakers. On the other hand, he maintained that the two groups perhaps will be united somewhere in the future. Sanlam leaders’ views in this regard varied between a reference to the “Afrikaans-speaking section” of the “Afrikanervolk” and a statement that the company is a truly Afrikaans national institution in the broadest interpretation of the word. Another reference in this regard is the view that Sanlam had developed from service to the section of the population from which it originated and that the staff members are in the service of the Afrikanervolk. Regardless of all the rhetoric, business sense played the determining role eventually. The company indeed saw the light of day with three non-Afrikaners as staff members in its midst. Two Scotsmen occupied senior positions in the new company and a Jewish woman assisted the personnel in the correct use of business Afrikaans. During the establishment years, a number of English-speakers were appointed. However, the staff overwhelmingly remained Afrikaans-speaking. Despite or perhaps as a result of the disparate interpretation of the company slogan, non-Afrikaners were involved in the company from the beginning as well as a senior Afrikaans staff member who openly exhibited his support for a party other than the NP. Although a minority by far, they were accepted as normal staff members. From the preceding analysis it turns out that the Sanlam slogan retrospectively can be rephrased as “Mainly, but not completely born from the Afrikaner people to serve the South African nation”.http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&pid=S0041-47512018000300007&lng=es&nrm=isoPublisher's versio