Women are the pillars of every healthy society. Numerous socio-cultural practices, especially patriarchy and religion in African communities deprive women of equality and justice across all sectors of society. However, younger and educated generations seem to adopt a different attitude. This paper explores the impact of South African culture and the work-life balance (WLB) of women in managerial positions since the democracy’s inception. A survey based on elements of three complementary theories: the role of congruity, feminism and cultural dimension theories was used to collect data from 187 women in leadership positions in the Mangaung metropolitan municipality in the Free State province of South Africa giving a 75% return rate. A factor analysis was conducted to determine the loading of items. The reliability of instruments using the Cronbach alpha value was reported at 0.87. Results reveal that 47.1% bemoan cultural tendencies at work. Furthermore, 35.7% opined that the choice between adoption and conceiving children is non-negotiable, despite pressing work demands and 34.3% agreed that culture makes them feel guilty if they give their work preference over their family life. Crafting human resource strategies that advocate for ‘gender equality or sensitivity’ and harmonise the work-life balance of female staff in order to enhance their performance in a sustainable way is long overdue and needs to be prioritized by any South African organizations.

Orientation: There has been increased research in the past century on women within the workplace; however, women still face myriad gender-related challenges in their careers.Research purpose: This research investigates how selected factors in and out of organisations affect women’s skills development and career progression.Motivation for the study: There is a pervasive perception that the rate at which women progress across hierarchy of work levels in organizations varies appreciably from the experience of their male counterparts.Research approach/design and method: A positivist research approach was used, employing a questionnaire survey which was administered via an online platform to a sample of 412 women working within the service sector in the Gauteng province of South Africa, using a convenient non-probability sampling method. The relationship between the dependent and independent variables was analysed using the structural equation modelling approach.Main findings: Results reveal that workplace support strategies and personal attributes influence women’s skills development. Workplace support strategies, family responsibilities, personal attributes and skills development also play vital roles in women’s career progression.Practical/managerial implications: To promote gender equity and stimulate a career path for women, organisational support and deliberate women’s skills development initiatives must be engendered.Contribution/value-add: The empirical evidence demonstrates the positive effect that organisational support and personal responsibility have on women’s skills development and their career progression, confirming that skills development is a predictor of women’s career progression.

Orientation: Numerous changes at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) requires some degree of emotional intelligence (EI) to achieve any level of efficiency, competitiveness and success. Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to empirically contribute to a comprehension of how a leader's EI can be utilised to positively influence organisational behaviours during the transitional period. Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a positivist research approach, that is descriptive in nature. A survey was conducted by providing a structured questionnaire to a sample of 310 academics and support staff of the TVET college sector in the Free State Province of South Africa. Data analysis was based on a total of 188 questionnaires collected, giving a return rate of 61%. The structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis and interpretation was conducted using a component-based approach to establish the correlation between the items. Main Findings: The SEM findings revealed that EI of Free State TVET college managers significantly affects all the dependent variables namely, organisational work commitment, employee job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork except staff morale. Emotional intelligence reflects a reasonable power of predictability toward all other variables except staff morale of the respondents. Practical/managerial implications: To ensure sustained exceptional performance, recruitment strategy for managers must deliberately incorporate EI measurements at TVET colleges. Contribution/value add: The study demonstrates empirical proof of the positive impact of a leader's EI on organisational behaviours, thereby confirming that EI is an enabler of organisational work commitment, job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork, but not staff morale.

Most of the evidence that has been documented on the impact of demographic factors on innovation has primarily focused on large businesses, and there has been little focus on small businesses. The literature continues to confirm that innovation is a key success factor for any type and size of business, especially for small businesses in emerging economies. This current research focuses on exploring the topic of small accommodation businesses (SABs) with evidence from two developing economies, the Free State province in South Africa and Manicaland in Zimbabwe. The research adopted a survey design where primary data were retrieved from a sample of 278 randomly selected individuals with origins in the two economies. The results of the study showed: (i) innovativeness in SABs is influenced by the age and experience of the managers or owners in one of the countries and when the scores of the two countries are aggregated; (ii) Younger owner and managers were found to be more creative and innovative than their older counterparts who were more experienced. It is, therefore, necessary that owners of SABs continue to employ and invest in young people. Their energy, education, and ability to innovate make them an invaluable investment to ensure the competitive advantage and long-term sustainability of SABs.

Purpose of the study: The paper intends to contribute empirically to the comprehension of how customer awareness can be used to positively impact customer engagement in e-commerce, and the moderating effect of gender on this relationship.Design/...

Learner pregnancy has recently become a thorn in the flesh for most schools in South Africa, and documentary evidence shows that its prevalence is greater amongst Black public schools than White schools. Within its discourse, more often than not, the Child Support Grant (CSG) has featured prominently in the perceived increase in the pregnancy rate among learners. It is therefore essential for research to find an answer to the question: Are girl learners falling pregnant and having children in order to receive a CSG? A sample of 302 secondary school principals and 225 Grade 12 learners was used in this study. The study found that peer pressure, poverty and substance abuse are perceived as the primary causes of learner pregnancy. The study also reveals that the majority of school principals (62%) bemoan a lack of support and cooperation from both authorities and parents in dealing with this challenge. The majority of Grade 12 learners (92%) identified, among others, a lack of family support/love, substance abuse and promiscuity as the three key issues that require urgent attention. It is clear from the findings of this study that learner pregnancy is not linked to the CSG.