The main purpose of the present study was to examine whether mobile applica-tions could be adopted as feasible tools for learning purposes at higher education institutions. Furthermore the study’s intention was to conduct an empirical inves-tigation into students’ perceptions towards mobile applications being introduced as learning aids. The researcher developed a conceptual model derived from the technology acceptance model in order to measure the constructs used in the study. Adopting a quantitative approach, the field study was conducted in South Africa at a selected higher education institution. Research data was collected from 380 registered students at the selected higher education institution who were older than 18 years. Using SPSS 23 and AMOS 23 software programs, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed to analyse the data set. The results re-vealed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitudes towards a mo-bile application, intention to use a mobile application were all significant predic-tors for the actual use of mobile applications for learning. The findings of the study illuminate the importance of the determinants of the adoption of mobile ap-plications for learning in higher education.
There has been increasing interest in the attributes of successful entrepreneurs. Increasingly, too, research on entrepreneurship has focused on the identification of personality traits conducive to entrepreneurial success. The present study moves away from predicting entrepreneurial success and instead focuses on exploring and describing the personality traits of a successful entrepreneur, namely Steve Jobs. A psychobiographical case study design and qualitative approach were employed to explore the extent to which Steve Jobs displayed the personality traits identified by Rauch and Frese (2007). Data collection and analysis were guided by three linked sub-processes proposed by Miles and Huberman (2002), which include (a) data reduction, (b) data display and (c) conclusion drawing and verification. The findings of this study show that, over the course of the subject's life, the personality traits identified by Rauch and Frese (2007) as conducive to successful engagement in entrepreneurial activities were displayed, namely need for achievement, risk-taking, innovativeness, autonomy, internal locus of control, and self-efficacy. In so far as it can be argued that these personality traits inherently predisposed Steve Jobs to achieve the success he displayed as an entrepreneur, the findings of this study affirm the relevance of the personality trait perspective in describing and understanding the life course of successful entrepreneurs.
The purpose of the research was to examine the impact of environmental turbulence on product innovations in small to medium enterprises (SMEs). In the study environmental turbulence consisted of five dimensions namely, supplier turbulence, technological turbulence, market turbulence, regulatory turbulence and competitive intensity. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was adopted in the study. The study sample was drawn from a pool of 3,000 SMEs both unregistered and registered with the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises in Harare, Zimbabwe. In the study, a total of 200 completed surveys were obtained and analysed. To analyse the research data SPSS23 was utilised. Regression analysis was carried out to establish the cause-and-effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables in the study. The findings of the study showed that technology turbulence and competitive intensity had a statistically significant positive impact on product innovation. Market turbulence was noted as having a statistically significant negative impact on product innovativeness. The main implications established in the study were that SMEs should introduce mechanisms to manage and mitigate market, supplier and regulatory turbulence to ensure that their levels of product innovativeness remain positive.
Due to the rapid advancement of new technologies in business, marketers’ dependency on usergeneratedcontent (UGC) is rising. This study therefore seeks to elucidate the importance of usergeneratedcontent in creating sales and establishing relationships with customers. Conveniencenon-probability sampling was adopted in selecting 330 participants. In addition, structuralequation modelling was used in testing proposed hypotheses. Findings reveal that there is apositive relationship between the use of UGC, brand trust and purchase intention. However, itis observed that subjective norms, information quality and source credibility affect the use ofUGC for decision making. The main recommendation is that it is imperative for marketers to becognisant of their online audience and engage with customers online. Overall, this study will aidmarketers in the comprehension of the factors associated with brand trust and purchase intentionin relation to UGC advertising.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.