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Penn, Pennix and Coulson (1994:2) and King (1997:656) pointed out that many business transactions depend on the proper creation and maintenance of recorded information. The medium on which the recording of information could be done may be paper, microfilm, audiotapes, videotapes, photographs, slides, or any computer-readable medium, such as computer tapes or disks, compact disks and optical disks. Gold (1995:1) characterized an organization's management of its records as the 'corporate … secret weapon' and 'the winning strategy' that give the organization the competitive edge. Yet few organizations, including universities, pay attention to the management of this corporate resource. Despite the fact that universities are continually being called upon to function in a businesses-like manner in order to be self-sustaining and to remain competitive, they overlook the enormous advantages that proper records management practices could contribute to the achievement of their objectives (Mnjama 2002:34; Procter 2002:49).Recently, the Council on Higher Education (2000:20) pointed out that higher education information systems in South Africa were inadequate. Proper records management could help universities to manage their information, efficiently fulfil their mandate, protect them from litigation, preserve their corporate memory, and foster accountability and good governance. The information contained in university records needs to be managed according to a methodical approach in order to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the universities in carrying out their mission.As universities carry out their mission they create various records. The core business of universities is learning, teaching, research and community development. The University of KwaZulu-Natal, in articulating its mission, states that it is 'committed to academic excellence, innovation in research and critical engagement with society' (University of KwaZulu-Natal 2005). Carrying out these activities produce records, which provide evidence that the University is carrying out its statutory functions. If such records are not properly managed or misplaced, then valuable evidence would be lost forever. Proper management means establishing systematic controls at every stage of the record's life cycle, in accordance with established principles and accepted models of records management.The University of Melbourne ( 2001) defines records management as the capturing and maintaining of accurate, complete, reliable and useable documentation of activities of an organization in order to meet legal, evidential, accountability and social/cultural requirements. Records pass through several phases in their life cycle. The primary purpose of a records management programme is to monitor records, regardless of type or format, to ensure that they pass efficiently, and at a minimum cost, through the creation, use, inactive storage and disposal or permanent retention phases (Djorka and Conneen 1984:22).In addition to facilitating the achievement of the University's mand...

Audit reports issued by the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) yearly indicate that poor record-keeping is one of the contributing factors to disclaimer audit opinions in the public sector. Despite this, records management is often not considered or used as an essential element to facilitate an effective auditing process in the public sector in South Africa. Utilizing the auditing process of AGSA as a conceptual framework, this study sought to develop a framework to embed records management practices into the auditing process in the public sector in South Africa, with a view to reduce findings on record-keeping in the audit reports. Literature review was conducted to demonstrate the relationship between records management and auditing. The study suggests a framework that can assist governmental bodies in managing records effectively throughout the application of an auditing process that includes records management at all stages and within specific contexts of the organization. It is hoped that such a framework will help governmental bodies in South Africa towards obtaining clean audit reports.

Purpose This paper is based on the doctoral study conducted in 2016 at the University of South Africa. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the current state of management of electronic records in Kenya facilitates or undermines implementation of e-government with a view to develop a best-practice framework for management of electronic records in support of e-government. Design/methodology/approach The study used the interpretive research paradigm and adopted qualitative research methodology using phenomenological design. Maximum variation sampling was used to identify the research sample for the study. Findings The findings established that the general status of management of e-records (MER) in government ministries is inadequately positioned to support e-government; use of e-government in Kenya had grown significantly and more ministries were adopting e-government services; although some initiatives have been undertaken to enhance MER, the existing practices for MER require improvement to ensure they adequately support e-government. Research limitations/implications The limitations were access to respondents and the challenge of self-reported data. Practical implications Recommendations and a best-practice framework for managing electronic records in support of e-government have been provided. A proposal for implementation of the recommendations on a priority basis has also been provided. Social implications The study’s contribution to scholarly works and literature in the field resides in its findings and a framework that can be practically adopted for management of e-records in support of e-government. By establishing the nexus between management of e-records and e-government in Kenya, it is hoped that it will provide input to policymakers to consider records managers as key stakeholders in e-government. Originality/value The originality of this study stems from two aspects: original topic and understudied area.

This paper is based on a PhD study (Lwoga, 2009) that sought to assess the application of knowledge management (KM) approaches in managing indigenous knowledge (IK) for sustainable agricultural practices in developing countries, with a specific focus on Tanzania. This study used a mixed-research method which was conducted in six districts of Tanzania. Non-participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups were used to collect primary data from small-scale farmers in the selected districts. A total of 181 farmers participated in the semi-structured interviews, where the respondents ranged between 27 and 37 per district. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted in the selected districts. The study revealed that IK was acquired and shared within a small, weak and spontaneous network, and thus knowledge loss was prevalent in the surveyed communities. There were distinct variations in the acquisition of agricultural IK both in different locations and between genders. Information and communication technologies (ICT), culture, trust, and status influenced the sharing and distribution of IK in the surveyed communities. The research findings showed that KM models can be used to manage and integrate IK with other knowledge systems, taking the differences into account (for example, gender, location, culture, infrastructure). The paper concludes with recommendations for the application of KM approaches for the management of IK and its integration with other knowledge systems for agricultural development in developing countries, including Tanzania. ª