Volume 11 Issue 2

Germany has demonstrated throughout history that it can be reborn from its ashes, like the mythical phoenix bird. After two devastating world wars, the country had the ability, strength, and discipline to recover and become the undisputed leader of Europe. The advantages obtained by Germany in the last 20 years, such as ample trade, cheap energy and strong industry, made the country the strongest power in Europe and gave its political leaders a false sense of security and relaxation. In this article, I have identified several problems facing the German economy and I have emphasized the importance of taking urgent and radical measures to avoid a series of devastating long-term effects, including the risk of deindustrialization.

Student protests, often violent, can damage perceptions about universities and harm brand images. This study investigated the effects of student protests on the brand image of a university of technology in South Africa. An e-mailed questionnaire provided a sample of 402 students selected via purposive, quota and convenience sampling at a prominent University of Technology in South Africa. Participation was voluntary, confidential, and anonymous. Data was captured and analysed using descriptive and inferential, univariate and bivariate, statistics. Findings showed that student protests did disrupt learning, affecting operations such as the academic calendar being shortened, delay in graduation and threats to completion of the syllabus. Protests have a negative impact on the University's brand image, sometimes leading to students deregistering due to the unsafe environment. Suggestions are provided for universities to better cope with student protests and further research is recommended with other universities to ascertain the wider impact of student protest.

Regardless of the size of the organisation, electronic human resources management (e-HRM) systems are crucial because of their influence on risk reduction and prevention. The relationship between e-HRM and small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs) is, nevertheless, the subject of few studies. Although SMEs are essential for the nation's financial stability, they are thought to be less knowledgeable about e-HRM in developing nations. In order for SMEs to survive and have an impact on the economy of the nation, this conceptual paper seeks to provide a wider understanding of SME organisations. This study examines pertinent literature from the last ten years on the adoption of e-HRM, the awareness of SMEs organisations regarding the quality implementation of e-HRM systems, the survival of SMEs, and their effects on the national economy. A fundamental challenge is the widespread and persistent belief that only large firms can use e-HRM systems. This study found, based on the literature, that SMEs may adopt any effective and efficient e-HRM systems and enhance the performance of their organisations. The adoption of e-HRM systems by SMEs could be improved by the provision of suitable knowledge and training by SMEs organisations. The study's literature indicated that better e-HRM system deployment will raise South Africa's GDP level as a result.

This study was conducted to determine the influence that internal control systems of South African (fast-moving consumer goods) SMMEs have on their economic sustainability. Both empirical research and, descriptive research were conducted that were of a quantitative nature. The study relied on survey research and primary data were collected from 99 South African fast-moving consumer goods SMME owners/managers using a mixture of non-probability sampling methods. From the research conducted, it was found that the internal control systems of South African SMMEs were developed using non-SMME-specific internal control frameworks. Even though the internal control systems of sampled South African SMMEs were perceived to be both adequate and effective by their owners/managers, they were found to adversely influence the economic sustainability of these business entities. This research study justifies the need for South African SMMEs to develop internal control systems using SMME-specific internal control frameworks. It also serves as a foundation for further empirical research to be conducted on the matter.

The paper emphasizes the importance of banks developing a positive brand personality and fostering brand identification among customers to enhance customers' perception of bank success. By consistently delivering on brand promises, engaging with customers, and building a sense of community, banks can strengthen their brand image, particularly among millennials. The study focused on millennial male and female customers in the banking context and conducted a self-administered survey with 110 males and 114 females. Employing various statistical methods, such as collinearity diagnostics, principal components analysis, and linear regression analysis, the research found that traits like perceived sophistication, sincerity, and ruggedness significantly influenced female millennial customers' perception of their bank's success. Similarly, the bank's sincerity and level of sophistication influenced the perceived success of male millennial customers. However, the study did not find a statistically significant link between millennial customers' identification with their bank and their perceived success of the bank brand, neither for males nor females. The findings can be valuable for banks in formulating their branding strategies and designing targeted marketing campaigns to enhance customer perception of success.

Hotel industry has been identified as one of the vital sectors that can have a major contribution to the achievement of the three pillars of sustainable development (social-economic-environment), thus having the ability to direct communities towards a green economy. With increasing environmental awareness, hotels are taking the initiative to offer greener products and services. Various green attributes are incorporated into hotels, such as participation in environmental partnerships or certification programs, use of recycling programs, energy-saving light bulbs in rooms. Under these circumstances, this paper aims to analyze the importance of hotel sustainability for the global development of the industry, while also presenting the most important sustainability and decarbonization topics among accommodation businesses and the reasons for which global travelers choose sustainable lodging.

This paper examines the innovative intellectual capital variables of SMEs, such as business culture, knowledge intelligence, business communication, and digital business, using the intellectual capital theory as a frame of reference for SMEs in South Africa. The phenomenal rise of SMEs and a gap in the existing literature on innovative intellectual capital served as the driving forces behind this study. Lack of innovative skills brought on by low levels of intellectual capital are seen as the driving force behind this unwelcome phenomenon. This conceptual paper aims to bring a broader understanding innovative competencies which are crucial for businesses to sustain themselves, grow, and perform well SMEs will be helped in the development of platforms to enhance their operations and advance the South African economy. A detailed evaluation of secondary sources of information provided by the University of Johannesburg was used in this paper. This paper analyses the relevant conceptualization of key concepts and the literature on intellectual capital implementation. Based on the conceptualization and literature, this study found that the performance of SMEs is significantly influenced by innovative intellectual capital variables and that for SMEs to have a competitive advantage in the long-run the SMEs should embrace the intellectual capital variables covered in this paper. Adequate knowledge of intellectual capital by SMEs operating in South Africa can be use to improve their capacity for innovation and expand their operations. The literature from the study revealed that intellectual capital contributes to the development of competitiveness in SMEs through the use of business culture, knowledge intelligence, business communication, and digital business processes.

There is a paucity on academic studies on gender pay gap in the South African mining organisations. The current study focused on the effects of gender pay inequality on talent retention within the mining sector. This study was conducted through semi-structured interviews of women in a mining organisation. The interviews were conducted in a respectful way and within a safe environment in order for them to express their personal experiences and opinions on the gender-pay inequality. The findings revealed that many women in the company are aware of the existing inequalities and wage gaps between men and women. The findings show that gender segregation persists in the mines because women are considered weaker than men and are more vulnerable to violence in the mines The findings of this study are relevant to both policy and practise. The findings shed light on the impact of the gender pay gap on talent retention in mining companies. The mining sector should review its pay policy and ensure that the pay of its employees (men and women) is fair.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of shopping motivations on clothing retail store loyalty in the South African context. A survey was conducted among consumers intercepted at a mall in Venda, South Africa. In total, 250 respondents completed the questionnaire in full. It was found that consumers were influenced by shopping apathy, fashion trends, impressions, reputation, and price, in remaining loyal to a clothing store. Shopping enjoyment, role-shopping and convenience did not influence shoppers to remain loyal to a store. Consumer loyalty is vital to retailers, as it guarantees future sales, long-term profitability, and sustainability. Retail marketers should therefore consider various shopping motivations when designing their marketing activities.

Job satisfaction is one of the key antecedents to organizational competitiveness and growth. The main objective of this paper was to explore the status of job satisfaction and strategies for increasing job satisfaction for backyard manufacturing small to medium enterprises (MSMEs) workers in Mucheke suburb in Masvingo urban. The study utilized a qualitative research approach with semi-structured interview being used as the main data collecting tool. Snowballing and purposive sampling techniques were used to select 11 backyard manufacturing SMEs and 40 participants who participated in the study. The study established that the level of job satisfaction for employees in backyard MSMEs was extremely low. The main precipitators of low job satisfaction were inappropriate tools, inadequate raw materials, inappropriate plant layout, unpaid overtime, failure to supply protective clothing, poor salaries, congested workstations and poor leadership. It was also established that low job satisfaction had devastating effects on the performance, growth and survival of MSMEs since it propels the production of poor products, high labour turnover and absenteeism, pilferage of tools and raw materials, stress induced accidents and emergency of more competitors as workers start their own businesses. The strategies that can be employed to increase job satisfaction are by providing counselling services for employees, establishing beneficial cafeteria benefits for all categories of employees, establishing in-house health centres, establishing flexible work arrangements and also providing social services to all categories of employees, training and developing managers and giving workers living wages. The study is essential in that it provides new insights and knowledge on approaches and strategies of improving job satisfaction for backyard industry workers.

Rugby is one of the most popular sports among the big three sports in South Africa. Rugby is formally represented by the Currie Cup as the domestic league in South Africa. The aim of this study is to validate the dimensions of brand personality to the South African professional rugby sport teams, namely Sharks and Lions. The two teams were selected because of higher level of team identification during the study. The study employed the quantitative research method. The results of this study produced four-factor structure which includes Trustworthiness, Competitiveness, Friendliness and Trendiness. Furthermore, monological and discriminant validity was confirmed. The model fit indices of measurement, SRMR, RMSEA, GFI, CFI, IFI and TLI were assessed and showed a good fit. Therefore, this instrument is confirmed as valid and reliable to measure the dimensions of professional rugby sport teams in South Africa. Team managers of professional rugby sport teams in South Africa, including all other managers in Currie Cup league, can use this instrument to assess how their teams are perceived by fans and how they differ from other teams. In addition, managers from commercial companies interested to offer sponsorship deals to rugby teams can use this instrument to assess sport teams having a personality that matches their companies. This would avoid negatively affecting the image of their companies should the sponsored sport team have a different personality from the company. In contrast, if the sponsored sport team has a similar personality as the company, the company image would be enhanced. This is the first study to validate brand personality instruments to measure dimensions of brand personality for rugby professional sport teams in South Africa.

This paper assesses the impacts of perceived proactive career behaviors (PCB), Work-integrated learning effectiveness (WILE), and abilities (AB) on perceived graduates' employability (PGE) within Nigeria's businesses in the 4IR era. The sample used in this study came from First City Monument Bank Plc, Isoglass Industries Nigeria Ltd, Honeywell Flour Mills Plc, CohoTek IT Solutions, and Freezeland Nigeria Limited. These are the five examined businesses. They belong to the manufacturing, sales, information technology, and finance sectors. The cross-sectional questionnaire approach was used in this study, and surveys were distributed at random. Nonetheless, 486 of the 500 distributed surveys were located, deemed suitable for use, and subjected to Statistical Packages for Social Sciences analysis (SPSS version 28). This study indicated a considerable individual and collective impact of perceived proactive career behaviors, Work-integrated learning effectiveness, and abilities on perceived graduates' employability within Nigeria's businesses in the 4IR era. Businesses and higher education management are urged to investigate and model the most suitable proactive career practices in the current 4IR period. They should also consistently include and encourage work-integrated learning and support due to the sensitive nature of students' understanding of the workplace and requirements inspired by the fourth industrial revolution. Further, managers and leaders in higher education and the workplace should promote and motivate performance abilities appropriate for the current industrial revolution.

This study explores the commitment-related experiences of Black South African managers at a construction company in South Africa. Twelve Black South African managers working at a construction company in South Africa participated in this exploratory qualitative study. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from the participants. The study found that a majority of Black South African managers experienced positive commitment, inducing them to be psychologically attached to the construction company in South Africa. The study also found that some Black South African managers had bad committed-related experiences due to a lack of worker recognition, issues with involvement, reward system, isolation, and social identity. This study suggests that the case construction company in South Africa should consider employee recognition, worker involvement and use a fair and consistent reward system for all workers, regardless of colour, to strengthen the commitment of Black South African managers.