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The dynamic changes in the South African higher education environment have seen academics immersed in increasing workloads to keep up with the university mandate. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has raised significant challenges for the higher education community and intensified complications related to workload and in particular for female academics. The understanding of the management of workload is pertinent, and therefore the article examines the components of workload and implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for female academics. A descriptive research design and a quantitative research approach were adopted, and data was collected from 54 female academics in an unidentified university in South Africa. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and presented using a descriptive and inferential format. Also, the study adopted a systematic review of literature leveraging reputable sources. The findings revealed that (i) time allocation to academic activities of teaching and learning, research, postgraduate supervision, administration matters, community service, and academic citizenship remains a challenge facing universities, and (ii) Covid-19 imposed remote working arrangements resulting in increased workloads, leading to reduced research productivity and inability to achieve work-life balance for the female academics. The results of the study highlight the need for institutional review and policy development on the academic workload management system to ensure work-life balance for the female academics and output maximization for the university, especially during a pandemic.

Entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) has been described as the cognitive element that can stimulate entrepreneurial readiness. There is a paucity of research on whether graduates of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions in Nigeria are entrepreneurially ready for future work, particularly in the field of entrepreneurship. Previous studies have noted that individuals will not take entrepreneurial action until certain personality traits are triggered. This study investigated the entrepreneurial readiness of exit level students using ESE task phases at three selected TVET institutions in Nigeria. It will assist policymakers in identifying the specific cognitive traits that can stimulate entrepreneurial behavior in students. A sample of 301 exit level students was selected from a target population of 1,212 using a convenience sampling technique. Only 289 students participated in the study. The quantitative data was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation to test the relationships among variables, and regression analysis was conducted to determine the level of influence between ESE and entrepreneurial readiness. The study found that, while other components of ESE positively impact students’ entrepreneurial readiness, ESE marshaling does not have a significant impact. While all the other pairs of ESE show significant relationships with the male students’ entrepreneurial readiness, only ESE implementing has a significant relationship with the female students’ entrepreneurial readiness. We thus conclude that the entrepreneurship education curriculum at the selected TVET institutions is not adequately addressing training in ESE marshaling skills. The implication for practice is that entrepreneurship training should focus on building economic resources skills for business start-ups.

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Purpose of the study: This study sought to investigate the possible reasons for the low penetration rate within the South African Co-operative financial sector, focusing on consumer knowledge and their engagement with cooperative financial institutions, as well as their awareness of the entrepreneurial and innovative activity of cooperative financial institutions (CFIs). The study is significant because the co-operative financial institution sector in South Africa is very small compared to other African countries, with a penetration rate of just 0.1 percent despite the important role that financial co-operatives play in poverty reduction and financial inclusion, which is recognised by governments worldwide. Surprisingly, no study has been conducted in South Africa in an attempt to find the reason behind this sector's very low penetration rate. Design/methodology/approach:The study used a quantitative design; and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 303 participants around the City of Tshwane. The SPSS software package was used to analyse data. The tests included descriptive statistics, Chi-square goodness-of-fit-test, binomial test, one sample t-test, and factor analysis. Findings:The study found that a significant majority of the respondents did not know about CFIs or the services they offer. This may explain the low penetration rate of the industry. Recommendations/value:The study serves as the basis for a wider study in other regions of the country, and even internationally. It is recommended that research across the country, with a representative sample, be considered in future studies in order to generalise the findings to the entire country. B ISMAILA V GAMEDE O OKEKE-UZODIKECauses of the low penetration rate in the South African co-operative financial institution sector: A consumer perspective