TrustCV : supporting reputation-based trust for collectivist digital business ecosystems
- Authors: Isherwood, Donovan Anthony
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Software ecosystems - Africa , Small business - Africa , Trust , Reputation , Social networks
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:11706 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11427
- Description: M.Sc. (Information Technology) , In Africa, the economy is largely dominated by SMMEs that represent 90% of private businesses and contribute to more than 50% of employment and GDP. However, these SMMEs struggle to sustain their businesses in the current economic climate. To address this, advancements in mobile and cloud technology introduce new possibilities such as digital business ecosystems to support environment where small, micro, and medium enterprises can interoperate. The fundamental challenge for SMMEs in a digital business ecosystem is the selection of transaction partners. SMMEs are interested to transact with other SMMEs that will benefit their business through successful transactions. This leads to the sustainability and growth of SMMEs and consequently the economy. However, not all SMMEs behave as predicted and therefore, being able to trust another SMME in the digital business ecosystem is important. Trust is an essential part of business and personal life. The social nature of trust makes trust very personalised and for each individual, trust is interpreted, understood and perceived according to past experience and social behaviour. These factors are largely influenced by cultural norms and behaviours that individuals conform to. In African and some other regions, collectivist cultural norms and behaviours are common whereas in Westernised regions, individualist cultures are common. Therefore, it is not enough to just consider trust from a technical perspective but also from a cultural perspective. For small businesses in Africa and other regions in the world, this is especially true. Compared to larger companies in developed economies, SMMEs in Africa are more informal and operate in a more personal manner. This implies that trust decisions are largely influence an owner or employee’s cultural norms and behaviour. The research conducted in this dissertation proposes a trust model, known as Trustcv that supports the cultural norms and behaviours of collectivist cultures for trust in a digital business ecosystem. Digital business ecosystems, trust, culture and social network analysis provide the literature foundation for Trustcv. The effectiveness of Trustcv is measured through simulations of a digital business ecosystem in Africa, which provides interesting results compared to an existing trust model. The results indicate that Trustcv could be used to support trust in collectivist digital business ecosystems used by collectivist cultural SMMEs.
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- Authors: Isherwood, Donovan Anthony
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Software ecosystems - Africa , Small business - Africa , Trust , Reputation , Social networks
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:11706 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/11427
- Description: M.Sc. (Information Technology) , In Africa, the economy is largely dominated by SMMEs that represent 90% of private businesses and contribute to more than 50% of employment and GDP. However, these SMMEs struggle to sustain their businesses in the current economic climate. To address this, advancements in mobile and cloud technology introduce new possibilities such as digital business ecosystems to support environment where small, micro, and medium enterprises can interoperate. The fundamental challenge for SMMEs in a digital business ecosystem is the selection of transaction partners. SMMEs are interested to transact with other SMMEs that will benefit their business through successful transactions. This leads to the sustainability and growth of SMMEs and consequently the economy. However, not all SMMEs behave as predicted and therefore, being able to trust another SMME in the digital business ecosystem is important. Trust is an essential part of business and personal life. The social nature of trust makes trust very personalised and for each individual, trust is interpreted, understood and perceived according to past experience and social behaviour. These factors are largely influenced by cultural norms and behaviours that individuals conform to. In African and some other regions, collectivist cultural norms and behaviours are common whereas in Westernised regions, individualist cultures are common. Therefore, it is not enough to just consider trust from a technical perspective but also from a cultural perspective. For small businesses in Africa and other regions in the world, this is especially true. Compared to larger companies in developed economies, SMMEs in Africa are more informal and operate in a more personal manner. This implies that trust decisions are largely influence an owner or employee’s cultural norms and behaviour. The research conducted in this dissertation proposes a trust model, known as Trustcv that supports the cultural norms and behaviours of collectivist cultures for trust in a digital business ecosystem. Digital business ecosystems, trust, culture and social network analysis provide the literature foundation for Trustcv. The effectiveness of Trustcv is measured through simulations of a digital business ecosystem in Africa, which provides interesting results compared to an existing trust model. The results indicate that Trustcv could be used to support trust in collectivist digital business ecosystems used by collectivist cultural SMMEs.
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The association between condomless anal sex and social support
- Keith, Hermanstyne A, Green, Harold D, Tieu, Hong-Van, Hucks-Ortiz, Christopher, Wilton, Leo, Shoptaw, Steven
- Authors: Keith, Hermanstyne A , Green, Harold D , Tieu, Hong-Van , Hucks-Ortiz, Christopher , Wilton, Leo , Shoptaw, Steven
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Black men who have sex with men , Social networks , Condomless anal sex
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/405401 , uj:34041 , Citation: Hermanstyne, Keith A. et al. 2019 : The association between condomless anal sex and social support.
- Description: Abstract :
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- Authors: Keith, Hermanstyne A , Green, Harold D , Tieu, Hong-Van , Hucks-Ortiz, Christopher , Wilton, Leo , Shoptaw, Steven
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Black men who have sex with men , Social networks , Condomless anal sex
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/405401 , uj:34041 , Citation: Hermanstyne, Keith A. et al. 2019 : The association between condomless anal sex and social support.
- Description: Abstract :
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Trust in a decentralised mobile social network
- Authors: Markides, Bradley Michael
- Date: 2011-08-31T09:29:20Z
- Subjects: Social networks , Mobile social networks
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7185 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3806
- Description: M.Sc. , Social networks are evolving as mobile devices are able to establish direct communication with each other. The success of social networking sites such as FaceBook is prompting mobile phone vendors and operators to focus on providing a real human experience, as the presence of others who are in close proximity can be detected, enabling the formation of real as opposed to virtual friendships. Mobile devices are considered to be the next logical step in social networking, as they become more pervasive. Mobile social networking is a new movement in social networking, as people have membership of both a virtual community through an online social network environment, and a physical community where they are located. This research has the aim of extending the social networking experience between the virtual and physical worlds, to allow people to form real relationships with each other by using concepts from the virtual world. A move in mobile social networking is the decentralised exploration of friendships. Short-range wireless protocols like Bluetooth enable collaborative applications between mobile devices of users. Unlike conventional centralised social networks that rely upon a central authority to organise the opinions of each member of the social network and protect their personal information, members of a decentralised network are completely autonomous and responsible for their own individual behaviour. When people meet for the first time, they thus need help to determine if they can trust each other. The dissertation presents BlueTrust, a trust model for use in decentralised mobile social networks. The BlueFOAF prototype application demonstrates the operation of the BlueTrust mechanism. This application investigates the underlying technologies researched, as well as the implementation of BlueTrust to determine how others who are in close proximity can be trusted. It focuses on establishing trust between users by computing trust levels to support face-to-face user interaction.
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- Authors: Markides, Bradley Michael
- Date: 2011-08-31T09:29:20Z
- Subjects: Social networks , Mobile social networks
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:7185 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3806
- Description: M.Sc. , Social networks are evolving as mobile devices are able to establish direct communication with each other. The success of social networking sites such as FaceBook is prompting mobile phone vendors and operators to focus on providing a real human experience, as the presence of others who are in close proximity can be detected, enabling the formation of real as opposed to virtual friendships. Mobile devices are considered to be the next logical step in social networking, as they become more pervasive. Mobile social networking is a new movement in social networking, as people have membership of both a virtual community through an online social network environment, and a physical community where they are located. This research has the aim of extending the social networking experience between the virtual and physical worlds, to allow people to form real relationships with each other by using concepts from the virtual world. A move in mobile social networking is the decentralised exploration of friendships. Short-range wireless protocols like Bluetooth enable collaborative applications between mobile devices of users. Unlike conventional centralised social networks that rely upon a central authority to organise the opinions of each member of the social network and protect their personal information, members of a decentralised network are completely autonomous and responsible for their own individual behaviour. When people meet for the first time, they thus need help to determine if they can trust each other. The dissertation presents BlueTrust, a trust model for use in decentralised mobile social networks. The BlueFOAF prototype application demonstrates the operation of the BlueTrust mechanism. This application investigates the underlying technologies researched, as well as the implementation of BlueTrust to determine how others who are in close proximity can be trusted. It focuses on establishing trust between users by computing trust levels to support face-to-face user interaction.
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The role of social networks in student migration : the case of Basotho students in South Africa
- Mohlathe, Andrena Makomeleli
- Authors: Mohlathe, Andrena Makomeleli
- Date: 2011-12-08
- Subjects: Social networks , Student migration
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:1881 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4236
- Description: M.A. , Social networks play a very important role in initiating and perpetuating migration. However, their role has not been discussed in-depth in migration studies pertaining to the Southern African context. Many studies (Pendleton & Crush, 2005; Ramphele, 1999) have tended to focus mainly on structural conditions that cause migration. This study attempted to understand the role social networks play in the cross-border migration of students. To do so, the social networks of Basotho students, studying at the Kingsway Campus of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) were examined as to how they facilitate the cross-border migration process. Literature works on cross-border migration, the causes of student migration and social networks were reviewed. Migration theories were defined by the level of analysis they focus on, which are micro, macro and meso level. The meso-level theories explain both the cause and perpetuation of migration, and thus have the greatest applicability to this study. They explain social networks as aiding the perpetuation of migration by providing the resources needed during the migration process. This is found in Ritchey’s (1976: 389) hypotheses that summarised the role of social networks in migration. Social networks provide information and facilitate migration of new migrants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Twenty participants were interviewed, of whom fifteen were current students, and the remaining five were UJ alumni from Lesotho. The findings show social networks of relatives and/or friends as initiating and perpetuating the crossborder migration of these Basotho students. This was done by providing students with the required information and resources needed during the cross-border migration process. Students got information about the place of destination from the social network that also assisted them with accommodation, as well as financial and emotional support. These findings support Ritchey’s hypotheses that show the influence of social networks in migration. This implies that during the migration process, information and resources are important, especially when they come from the people trusted, such as relatives and friends. In order to assist future students migrating from Lesotho to South Africa, former students should form an association that could dispense information to new students. A comparative study should be done among Basotho migrant students studying at different universities in South Africa to see whether they have similar social networks.
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- Authors: Mohlathe, Andrena Makomeleli
- Date: 2011-12-08
- Subjects: Social networks , Student migration
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:1881 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4236
- Description: M.A. , Social networks play a very important role in initiating and perpetuating migration. However, their role has not been discussed in-depth in migration studies pertaining to the Southern African context. Many studies (Pendleton & Crush, 2005; Ramphele, 1999) have tended to focus mainly on structural conditions that cause migration. This study attempted to understand the role social networks play in the cross-border migration of students. To do so, the social networks of Basotho students, studying at the Kingsway Campus of the University of Johannesburg (UJ) were examined as to how they facilitate the cross-border migration process. Literature works on cross-border migration, the causes of student migration and social networks were reviewed. Migration theories were defined by the level of analysis they focus on, which are micro, macro and meso level. The meso-level theories explain both the cause and perpetuation of migration, and thus have the greatest applicability to this study. They explain social networks as aiding the perpetuation of migration by providing the resources needed during the migration process. This is found in Ritchey’s (1976: 389) hypotheses that summarised the role of social networks in migration. Social networks provide information and facilitate migration of new migrants. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Twenty participants were interviewed, of whom fifteen were current students, and the remaining five were UJ alumni from Lesotho. The findings show social networks of relatives and/or friends as initiating and perpetuating the crossborder migration of these Basotho students. This was done by providing students with the required information and resources needed during the cross-border migration process. Students got information about the place of destination from the social network that also assisted them with accommodation, as well as financial and emotional support. These findings support Ritchey’s hypotheses that show the influence of social networks in migration. This implies that during the migration process, information and resources are important, especially when they come from the people trusted, such as relatives and friends. In order to assist future students migrating from Lesotho to South Africa, former students should form an association that could dispense information to new students. A comparative study should be done among Basotho migrant students studying at different universities in South Africa to see whether they have similar social networks.
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A comparison of social representation of re-identity of voluntary economic migrants in online and offline interpersonal communication within personal networks
- Authors: Sitto, Morwesi Karabo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Immigrants - South Africa , Interpersonal communication , Social networks , Online social networks , Group identity , Transnationalism
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/421399 , uj:35917
- Description: Abstract: This study examines the impact on the identity of voluntary economic migrants of their different social representations meeting, which they need to negotiate in their transnational context, which are simultaneously online and offline. Voluntary economic migrants are individuals with university education, with special professional skills who choose to move to a destination country for professional opportunities. The challenge for these individuals is developing the codes for social exchange to construct a new social reality and identity upon migration through their online/offline interpersonal communication. This process of renegotiation can lead to voluntary economic migrants experiencing schismogenesis during acculturation. Through in-depth interviews with voluntary economic migrants, Facebook data analysed using netnography, as well as interviews with members of their personal network, this research compared how individuals socially represent stabilisation their identity schism through their interpersonal communication. Themes from the data provided insight into the personal processes of individuals in attaining schismogenic stabilisation and degree of influence on their identity in a short period i.e. re-identity. System coupling outcomes, simultaneously conscious and subconscious, in order for voluntary economic migrants to attain schismogenic stabilisation were based on: (i) their fulfilment of professional aspirations, (ii) time to their attainment of financial stability, and (iii) their secondary lifestyle purpose of migration. The expanded and amended schismatic framework illustrates how the contextual changes brought about by migration challenge the strength of the social representations tied to individual identity, which are simultaneously hidden and overt and how individuals worked through them. , D.Litt. et Phil. (Corporate Communication)
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- Authors: Sitto, Morwesi Karabo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Immigrants - South Africa , Interpersonal communication , Social networks , Online social networks , Group identity , Transnationalism
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/421399 , uj:35917
- Description: Abstract: This study examines the impact on the identity of voluntary economic migrants of their different social representations meeting, which they need to negotiate in their transnational context, which are simultaneously online and offline. Voluntary economic migrants are individuals with university education, with special professional skills who choose to move to a destination country for professional opportunities. The challenge for these individuals is developing the codes for social exchange to construct a new social reality and identity upon migration through their online/offline interpersonal communication. This process of renegotiation can lead to voluntary economic migrants experiencing schismogenesis during acculturation. Through in-depth interviews with voluntary economic migrants, Facebook data analysed using netnography, as well as interviews with members of their personal network, this research compared how individuals socially represent stabilisation their identity schism through their interpersonal communication. Themes from the data provided insight into the personal processes of individuals in attaining schismogenic stabilisation and degree of influence on their identity in a short period i.e. re-identity. System coupling outcomes, simultaneously conscious and subconscious, in order for voluntary economic migrants to attain schismogenic stabilisation were based on: (i) their fulfilment of professional aspirations, (ii) time to their attainment of financial stability, and (iii) their secondary lifestyle purpose of migration. The expanded and amended schismatic framework illustrates how the contextual changes brought about by migration challenge the strength of the social representations tied to individual identity, which are simultaneously hidden and overt and how individuals worked through them. , D.Litt. et Phil. (Corporate Communication)
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Corporate advisory networks of knowledge sharing agents
- Authors: Stavri, Evthemia
- Date: 2014-10-20
- Subjects: Social networks , Knowledge management , Business analysts
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12645 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12463
- Description: M.Phil. (Information Management) , This study was aimed at the discovery of in corporate advisory networks who act as agents to share information and knowledge. In the current competitive and often uncertain economic business environment, savvy executives need to leverage off the expertise of their company employees in order to service their customers effectively and remain competitive. Since not all employees in the company have expert knowledge, executives need to discover the advisory networks of expert employees embedded in formal organisational structures and encourage them to share and transfer their expert knowledge to novices and/or less experienced employees. In light of the current argument, a diagnostic technique known as social network analysis (SNA) was used to map out and measure the advisory relational X-ray patterns within organisational departments and across to other functional business units. Once the patterns are discovered and the key expert networked employees identified, knowledge sharing interventions are introduced to facilitate experts to share and transfer their information, knowledge, insights and experiences to other less knowledgeable employees within the departments and across to other functional areas in the organisation. The overall objective of this study is therefore to utilise the SNA technique to discover the experts in the corporate advisory networks whom will act as agents to facilitate information and knowledge sharing in the organisation to improve other employees’ work performance thereby enabling the organisation to meet and even exceed its strategic objectives...
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- Authors: Stavri, Evthemia
- Date: 2014-10-20
- Subjects: Social networks , Knowledge management , Business analysts
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:12645 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/12463
- Description: M.Phil. (Information Management) , This study was aimed at the discovery of in corporate advisory networks who act as agents to share information and knowledge. In the current competitive and often uncertain economic business environment, savvy executives need to leverage off the expertise of their company employees in order to service their customers effectively and remain competitive. Since not all employees in the company have expert knowledge, executives need to discover the advisory networks of expert employees embedded in formal organisational structures and encourage them to share and transfer their expert knowledge to novices and/or less experienced employees. In light of the current argument, a diagnostic technique known as social network analysis (SNA) was used to map out and measure the advisory relational X-ray patterns within organisational departments and across to other functional business units. Once the patterns are discovered and the key expert networked employees identified, knowledge sharing interventions are introduced to facilitate experts to share and transfer their information, knowledge, insights and experiences to other less knowledgeable employees within the departments and across to other functional areas in the organisation. The overall objective of this study is therefore to utilise the SNA technique to discover the experts in the corporate advisory networks whom will act as agents to facilitate information and knowledge sharing in the organisation to improve other employees’ work performance thereby enabling the organisation to meet and even exceed its strategic objectives...
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