Peter Khaola is a senior lecturer in the Department of Business Administration, National University of Lesotho. His research interests are generally in areas of organisational behaviour and human resources management
Shopping malls are a new concept in Lesotho. Even though scholarship on factors that influence sh... more Shopping malls are a new concept in Lesotho. Even though scholarship on factors that influence shopping in malls is not new, some findings are inconsistent and inconclusive. Furthermore, consumer psychologists warn against generalising results from different environments because cultures and lifestyles differ. The aim of this paper is to examine attributes that influence young shoppers' attitude, patronage intentions and desire to spent time at the Pioneer Shopping mall in Maseru, Lesotho. The sample consisted of 200 students from the National University of Lesotho located about 35KM from where the mall is based. The results generally suggest that mall atmospherics had positive and strong association with young shoppers' attitude, patronage intentions and desire to spend time at the mall. Even though the perception of mall service influenced the desire of young shoppers to spend time at the mall, it neither influenced the young shoppers' attitude nor their patronage intentions. We discuss these results and provide managerial implications and prospects for future research.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among the personorganisation fit, organisa... more The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among the personorganisation fit, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. The study was based on a sample of 200 employees, with the return rate of 60% and the usable return rate of 54%. Correlation and regression analyses were used to analyse data. The results revealed the positive and significant relationships between the person-organisation fit and organisational commitment; person-organisation fit and organisational citizenship behaviour; and organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. Contrary to expectations, the person-organisation fit had direct effects on organisational citizenship behaviour, and was not mediated by organisational commitment. The person-organisation fit and organisational commitment had higher associations with organisational citizenship behaviour directed at the organisation (OCBO) than organisational citizenship behaviour directed at other employees (OCBI), in a way partly supporting the phenomenon of 'target similarity effects'. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, Mar 7, 2015
The aim of this study was to explore if culture traits and their imbalance had influence on emplo... more The aim of this study was to explore if culture traits and their imbalance had influence on employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions. It was expected that the overall culture and the traits oriented towards the two contrasts of external adaption and internal integration on one hand, and change and stability on the other, would all have positive and negative associations with job satisfaction and turnover intentions respectively. It was further expected that the imbalance of traits would significantly influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions. The study was based on the survey of all employees in a manufacturing company in Lesotho. There were generally positive and negative associations between culture and job satisfaction and turnover intentions respectively. Though the measure of the imbalance of traits was positively and significantly related to turnover intentions at 99 percent confidence level, it was only negatively related to job satisfaction at 90 percent confidence level. The post hoc tests indicated that the imbalance between flexibility (change) and stability traits were responsible for the positive effects on turnover intentions. The results, managerial implications and prospects for future research are discussed.
Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 2010
The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of the feelings of economic powerle... more The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of the feelings of economic powerlessness and causal attributions for unemployment on the perceptions of economic distributive injustice of young people, controlling for gender and level of education. The study was based on a survey of 523 undergraduate students, and the data was analysed by means of descriptive, correlation, hierarchical regression and factor analyses. The results indicated that both the feelings of economic powerlessness and external attribution for unemployment were positively and significantly associated with the perceptions of economic distributive injustice. These results are discussed in light of the pressing socioeconomic problems in Lesotho.
Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 2013
Employee turnover or retention has dominated the research agenda and attracted practitioners' att... more Employee turnover or retention has dominated the research agenda and attracted practitioners' attention for decades. Previous research has, however, suffered from lack of macro perspective in understanding employee turnover in organizations. Based on the survey of employees in a clay brick manufacturing company in Lesotho, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of job satisfaction and cultural traits on turnover intentions. There was a negative and significant correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intentions, and all cultural traits and turnover intentions. Though the variance contributed by cultural traits (stability and flexibility) over demographic factors and job satisfaction was only marginally significant, and the impact of flexibility cultural trait became insignificant in the regression analysis, the influence of stability cultural trait remained strong in both correlation and regression analyses. Managerial and theoretical implications are also discussed in this study.
European Journal of Innovation Management, Feb 23, 2021
PurposeThe pre-eminence of innovation and technological transfer in promoting agricultural produc... more PurposeThe pre-eminence of innovation and technological transfer in promoting agricultural productivity and competitiveness in developing countries is widely acknowledged. However, the disparate streams of literature on productivity and competitiveness have explored innovation and technology transfer as independent predictors. Consequently, the mechanisms through which innovation and technology transfers jointly affect productivity and competitiveness of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in emerging economies remain under-explored in literature. The present study sought to examine the relationships among innovation, technology transfer, productivity and competitiveness of small-scale agricultural businesses (SSABs) in selected regions in South Africa and Zimbabwe, neighbouring countries which have been plagued by food insecurity in recent years.Design/methodology/approachA total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to SSABs owners based in Free State and Mashonaland provinces of South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively. In total, 268 usable questionnaires (67%) were returned for analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and Process macro (based on SPSS) techniques were used to analyse data.FindingsThe results supported direct significant paths between innovation and technology transfer; technology transfer and productivity; and productivity and competitiveness. Furthermore, the results suggested that technology transfer and productivity consecutively fully mediate the relationship between innovation and competitiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of a survey could not provide sufficient explanations as to why the variable examined related the way they did.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into the significance of considering the dimensions and methods of innovation and technology transfer in agricultural business activities and processes to improve productivity and competitiveness of SSABs.Social implicationsThe study provides some insights into how innovation and technology transfer could be employed by small scale agricultural businesses as critical mechanisms for heightening productivity and competitiveness of these firms to guarantee food security and employment creation for emerging economies.Originality/valueTo the researchers' knowledge, this is one of the pioneer studies to examine the impact of both innovation and technology transfer on productivity and competitiveness of SSABs in two countries in Southern Africa. The study also constitutes a significant contribution to examining serial mediation of technology transfer and productivity of innovation and competitiveness.
Purpose Even though the influence of transformational leadership on organisational citizenship be... more Purpose Even though the influence of transformational leadership on organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) has been extensively studied in human resource management, evidence on the mechanisms through which transformational leadership affects OCB is only beginning to emerge. In view of the ambivalence about strategies of advancing OCB, this paper aims to establish whether and the extent to which the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB was mediated by organisational justice and affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach The study was based on a random survey of 300 employees from a medium-sized public university, and 122 employees from public and private sector organisations in Lesotho. Partial least squares structural equation modelling and process macro techniques were used to analyse data. Findings The results confirmed significant paths between transformational leadership and organisational justice; organisational justice and affective commitment; and affective commitment and OCB. The results further suggested that perceived justice and affective commitment were significant serial mediators between transformational leadership and OCB. Practical implications Elucidation of the nature of mediating factors between leadership and OCB would leverage organisations’ level of understanding of why transformational leadership is critical to promoting OCB, and hence encourage them to design programmes that would equip supervisors with skills necessary to enhance it. Originality/value This is one of the few theory-driven primary studies that examine the serial mediating roles of organisational justice and affective commitment in the transformational leadership – OCB relationship.
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mar 21, 2023
The direct effects of technology transfer and innovation on the productivity and competitiveness ... more The direct effects of technology transfer and innovation on the productivity and competitiveness of economies and businesses are well established. However, research is yet to establish the explanatory variables and the boundary conditions within which these relationships exist. This study examines the extent to which product quality mediates the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness of small-scale agricultural businesses (SSABs). Moreover, the study explores the extent to which the geographical location moderates the technology transfer-business competitiveness relationship, including whether asset value moderates the product quality-competitiveness relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 SSAB owners and managers in the Free State and Mashonaland Central Provinces of South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively. Of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 268 usable questionnaires (67%) were returned for analysis. The results suggest that product quality partially mediated the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness of SSABs. The results demonstrate further that the relationship between product quality and competitiveness was moderated by asset value such that at low levels of product quality, SSABs with larger asset values became more competitive than those with smaller asset values. However, as product quality increased, SSABs with smaller asset values became increasingly competitive until the competitive advantage of those with larger asset values was eliminated. SSABs in South Africa reported higher product quality and competitiveness than those in Zimbabwe. The relationship between the location in which the SSAB was situated and competitiveness was direct, and location did not moderate the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness. The study illuminates the critical importance of product quality for SSABs, especially those with small asset values. It also demonstrates that while technology transfer may influence the competitiveness of SSABs directly, the influence of quality products cannot be underestimated. The study is one-of-a-kind that simultaneously considers explanatory and moderated effects of technology transfer-competitiveness nexus in SSABs, in the context of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, Feb 25, 2010
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the feelings of economic powerlessness & a... more The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the feelings of economic powerlessness & alienation on self-employment intentions of young people. The data used in the study was collected through a survey of students at the National University of Lesotho, and the correlation and factor analyses, as well as standard multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. Two clear factor distinctions resulted from selfemployment intentions, namely, self-employment intentions regardless of unemployment, and self-employment intentions in response to unemployment. Similarly, the feelings of economic powerlessness and alienation separated into two factors, namely, economic powerlessness and 'business exploits'. The feelings of economic powerlessness impacted negatively on self-employment intentions, and the feeling that 'business exploits' impacted positively on self-employment intentions in response to unemployment. The results of the study suggest that young people who have high feelings of economic powerlessness would not normally plan to start their own businesses.
Abstract As one of the most important dependent variables in education and work research, perform... more Abstract As one of the most important dependent variables in education and work research, performance has been operationalised either as the proficiency with which core tasks are performed (task performance), or as extra-role behaviours that support core activities (organisational citizenship behaviours). Relative to academic performance (core academic achievement), there has been little research on the extent to which students practise organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in their academic work. The aim of the present study was to explore some correlates of both OCB and academic performance. Data used in the study were obtained from 185 students enrolled in a business course at the National University of Lesotho. Survey questionnaires inquiring about students' commitment, self-esteem, and OCB were administered to 204 third-year students. These were correlated with formal academic performance before and after the survey. Students' commitment was significantly related to both OCB and academic performance. Self-esteem was significantly correlated with OCB, but not academic performance. Two dimensions of OCB (altruism and civic virtue) were moderately but significantly related to academic performance. Results suggest that improving self-esteem might affect OCB, and improving commitment and certain elements of OCB might improve academic achievement.
The International Journal of Management Education, Oct 1, 2012
Based on the records of 70 participants in the Postgraduate Diploma in HRM, the purpose of this r... more Based on the records of 70 participants in the Postgraduate Diploma in HRM, the purpose of this research note is to examine the influence on performance of gender, work experience, classification of undergraduate degree, type of undergraduate major and where it was obtained. Students with social sciences undergraduate majors, and/or with relevant experience performed significantly better than others. The classification of undergraduate degree and where the degree was obtained, as well as gender, did not influence academic performance. The paper empirically examines the relevance of work experience on academic performance and further calls for more research on the role of social sciences in HRM programmes.
Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2013
Although organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and innovative work behaviour (IWB) have attr... more Although organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and innovative work behaviour (IWB) have attracted considerable attention in recent years, empirical studies on how leadership relates to each construct within the same research design in non-western environments are limited. Based on a sample of 100 participants in Lesotho, we explored how OCB and IWB related to each other, and how leadership related to each construct. The findings suggested that OCB and IWB were highly correlated, and while transformational leadership related to each concept positively, passive-avoidant dimension of transactional leadership related to each negatively. Furthermore, age, tenure, management level and level of education were all significantly related to both OCB and IWB. We submit that the participants could probably not differentiate between OCB and IWB as the two concepts probably represent a behavioural manifestation of the same latent construct. We recommend that managers who want to influence subordinates to adopt OCB and IWB should apply transformational leadership.
Department of Business Administration, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho *Co... more Department of Business Administration, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho *Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] Tel: +266 62 962 579 The research dissertation and its supervision have been described by researchers as the most advanced levels of learning and teaching respectively. In spite of the intrinsic value of research and its supervision, there are few studies that document the lived experiences of undergraduate students in these areas. Existing studies are dominated by the opinions and experiences of academic staff, and are primarily limited to the issues of research assessment. To our knowledge, there is paucity of research on the lived experiences of undergraduate students in Lesotho. The aim of this paper is to explicate the students’ lived experiences of undergraduate dissertation and its supervision at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). We used interpretive qualitative research to give ‘voice’ to the participants, and identified and interpreted key themes from interviews conducted over a period of two academic years. We specifically used data collected from 17 interviewees in six focus groups, 11 interviewees a year later, documentary analysis and observation over a period of two academic years. The interviews were unstructured, and took between 60 and 120 minutes. We ended the interviews once we realised that no new experiences were related by participants. The analysis of data resulted in nine themes. In general, students expressed positive views about dissertation as an important mode of learning and assessment; acknowledged the important role of research methodology course in undertaking research; found challenges in undertaking some parts of dissertation; and complained about supervisors who were not available, approachable, nurturing, organised, and did not communicate constructive feedback on timely basis using modern communication channels. While qualitative research findings cannot be generalised, we submit that understanding learner experiences can respectively benefit and inform undergraduate learning and supervision at universities.
European Journal of Innovation Management, Jan 14, 2019
PurposeThe mechanisms through which leaders influence innovative work behaviours (IWB) are import... more PurposeThe mechanisms through which leaders influence innovative work behaviours (IWB) are important in innovation management. The purpose of this paper is to explain how leadership and justice relate to IWB through the successive mediating roles of affective commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on survey of a random sample of 300 employees selected from 652 employees from a public university, and a convenience sample of 159 employees from predominantly service-based enterprises in Lesotho (n=263). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the analysis of moment structures version 24 are used to analyse data. Specifically, the study uses factor analysis; correlation; structural equation modelling and bootstrapping techniques to examine the hypothesised relationships.FindingsThe results suggest that the model that fits data well is the one which shows that the effects of both leadership and organisational justice on IWBs are successively mediated by affective commitment and OCB. Because of its social and affiliation-oriented nature, the study submits that OCB is an effective explanatory factor between predictors and IWBs.Originality/valueThe study makes a novel contribution to the extant literature by evaluating the serial mediating roles of affective commitment and OCB between leadership and IWB on one hand, and justice and IWB on the other hand.
increasing number of studies suggest that organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) may produc... more increasing number of studies suggest that organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) may produce both positive and negative results for organisations and individuals. Few empirical studies, however, evaluate when OCBs are likely to be most or least effective. Based on a sample of 210 participants, and drawing on the entropic citizenship behaviour framework, the theories of conservation of resources, attention capacity and resource allocation, the aim of this study is to examine the relative effects of the personal aspects of OCB (OCB-I); of its impersonal aspects (OCB-O) and of the balanced aspects on employee innovative work behaviours (IWB) and affective commitment. The results indicate that employees who engaged in both types of OCB reported higher IWB than employees who engaged in either OCB-I or OCB-O (at the exclusion of the other). Conversely, the average measures of IWB between employees who engaged in OCB-I and those who engaged in OCB-O separately did not differ signifi cantly. Even though employees who engaged in both OCB-O and OCB-I were more affectively committed than employees who engaged solely in either OCB-O or OCB-I, the differences were not statistically signifi cant. These results and their implications are discussed, and prospects for future research in this area are outlined.
International Journal of Innovation Management, Jan 27, 2019
Even though the effects of leadership and affective commitment on innovative work behaviours (IWB... more Even though the effects of leadership and affective commitment on innovative work behaviours (IWBs) have been thoroughly researched, little is known about the interactive effects of these factors on IWBs. Based on data collected from 263 respondents from public and private organisations in Lesotho, the present study examines if affective commitment moderates the relationship between leadership and IWB. Drawing on literatures across management and innovation research domains, the study proposes and finds evidence that affective commitment moderates the relationship between leadership and IWB such that the relationship is stronger for affectively committed employees, while being relatively weaker for less affectively committed employees. The results also reveal that while leadership and management level have the main effects on IWB, affective commitment has no effect on IWB. Overall, the study responds to calls for examining the joint effects of person and context characteristics on IWBs. Drawing on our results, we discuss implications for theory and practice.
Shopping malls are a new concept in Lesotho. Even though scholarship on factors that influence sh... more Shopping malls are a new concept in Lesotho. Even though scholarship on factors that influence shopping in malls is not new, some findings are inconsistent and inconclusive. Furthermore, consumer psychologists warn against generalising results from different environments because cultures and lifestyles differ. The aim of this paper is to examine attributes that influence young shoppers' attitude, patronage intentions and desire to spent time at the Pioneer Shopping mall in Maseru, Lesotho. The sample consisted of 200 students from the National University of Lesotho located about 35KM from where the mall is based. The results generally suggest that mall atmospherics had positive and strong association with young shoppers' attitude, patronage intentions and desire to spend time at the mall. Even though the perception of mall service influenced the desire of young shoppers to spend time at the mall, it neither influenced the young shoppers' attitude nor their patronage intentions. We discuss these results and provide managerial implications and prospects for future research.
The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among the personorganisation fit, organisa... more The aim of this study was to examine the relationships among the personorganisation fit, organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. The study was based on a sample of 200 employees, with the return rate of 60% and the usable return rate of 54%. Correlation and regression analyses were used to analyse data. The results revealed the positive and significant relationships between the person-organisation fit and organisational commitment; person-organisation fit and organisational citizenship behaviour; and organisational commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour. Contrary to expectations, the person-organisation fit had direct effects on organisational citizenship behaviour, and was not mediated by organisational commitment. The person-organisation fit and organisational commitment had higher associations with organisational citizenship behaviour directed at the organisation (OCBO) than organisational citizenship behaviour directed at other employees (OCBI), in a way partly supporting the phenomenon of 'target similarity effects'. The implications for theory and practice are discussed.
Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, Mar 7, 2015
The aim of this study was to explore if culture traits and their imbalance had influence on emplo... more The aim of this study was to explore if culture traits and their imbalance had influence on employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions. It was expected that the overall culture and the traits oriented towards the two contrasts of external adaption and internal integration on one hand, and change and stability on the other, would all have positive and negative associations with job satisfaction and turnover intentions respectively. It was further expected that the imbalance of traits would significantly influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions. The study was based on the survey of all employees in a manufacturing company in Lesotho. There were generally positive and negative associations between culture and job satisfaction and turnover intentions respectively. Though the measure of the imbalance of traits was positively and significantly related to turnover intentions at 99 percent confidence level, it was only negatively related to job satisfaction at 90 percent confidence level. The post hoc tests indicated that the imbalance between flexibility (change) and stability traits were responsible for the positive effects on turnover intentions. The results, managerial implications and prospects for future research are discussed.
Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 2010
The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of the feelings of economic powerle... more The purpose of the current study was to examine the influence of the feelings of economic powerlessness and causal attributions for unemployment on the perceptions of economic distributive injustice of young people, controlling for gender and level of education. The study was based on a survey of 523 undergraduate students, and the data was analysed by means of descriptive, correlation, hierarchical regression and factor analyses. The results indicated that both the feelings of economic powerlessness and external attribution for unemployment were positively and significantly associated with the perceptions of economic distributive injustice. These results are discussed in light of the pressing socioeconomic problems in Lesotho.
Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, 2013
Employee turnover or retention has dominated the research agenda and attracted practitioners' att... more Employee turnover or retention has dominated the research agenda and attracted practitioners' attention for decades. Previous research has, however, suffered from lack of macro perspective in understanding employee turnover in organizations. Based on the survey of employees in a clay brick manufacturing company in Lesotho, the purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of job satisfaction and cultural traits on turnover intentions. There was a negative and significant correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intentions, and all cultural traits and turnover intentions. Though the variance contributed by cultural traits (stability and flexibility) over demographic factors and job satisfaction was only marginally significant, and the impact of flexibility cultural trait became insignificant in the regression analysis, the influence of stability cultural trait remained strong in both correlation and regression analyses. Managerial and theoretical implications are also discussed in this study.
European Journal of Innovation Management, Feb 23, 2021
PurposeThe pre-eminence of innovation and technological transfer in promoting agricultural produc... more PurposeThe pre-eminence of innovation and technological transfer in promoting agricultural productivity and competitiveness in developing countries is widely acknowledged. However, the disparate streams of literature on productivity and competitiveness have explored innovation and technology transfer as independent predictors. Consequently, the mechanisms through which innovation and technology transfers jointly affect productivity and competitiveness of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in emerging economies remain under-explored in literature. The present study sought to examine the relationships among innovation, technology transfer, productivity and competitiveness of small-scale agricultural businesses (SSABs) in selected regions in South Africa and Zimbabwe, neighbouring countries which have been plagued by food insecurity in recent years.Design/methodology/approachA total of 400 questionnaires were distributed to SSABs owners based in Free State and Mashonaland provinces of South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively. In total, 268 usable questionnaires (67%) were returned for analysis. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and Process macro (based on SPSS) techniques were used to analyse data.FindingsThe results supported direct significant paths between innovation and technology transfer; technology transfer and productivity; and productivity and competitiveness. Furthermore, the results suggested that technology transfer and productivity consecutively fully mediate the relationship between innovation and competitiveness.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of a survey could not provide sufficient explanations as to why the variable examined related the way they did.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful insights into the significance of considering the dimensions and methods of innovation and technology transfer in agricultural business activities and processes to improve productivity and competitiveness of SSABs.Social implicationsThe study provides some insights into how innovation and technology transfer could be employed by small scale agricultural businesses as critical mechanisms for heightening productivity and competitiveness of these firms to guarantee food security and employment creation for emerging economies.Originality/valueTo the researchers' knowledge, this is one of the pioneer studies to examine the impact of both innovation and technology transfer on productivity and competitiveness of SSABs in two countries in Southern Africa. The study also constitutes a significant contribution to examining serial mediation of technology transfer and productivity of innovation and competitiveness.
Purpose Even though the influence of transformational leadership on organisational citizenship be... more Purpose Even though the influence of transformational leadership on organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) has been extensively studied in human resource management, evidence on the mechanisms through which transformational leadership affects OCB is only beginning to emerge. In view of the ambivalence about strategies of advancing OCB, this paper aims to establish whether and the extent to which the relationship between transformational leadership and OCB was mediated by organisational justice and affective commitment. Design/methodology/approach The study was based on a random survey of 300 employees from a medium-sized public university, and 122 employees from public and private sector organisations in Lesotho. Partial least squares structural equation modelling and process macro techniques were used to analyse data. Findings The results confirmed significant paths between transformational leadership and organisational justice; organisational justice and affective commitment; and affective commitment and OCB. The results further suggested that perceived justice and affective commitment were significant serial mediators between transformational leadership and OCB. Practical implications Elucidation of the nature of mediating factors between leadership and OCB would leverage organisations’ level of understanding of why transformational leadership is critical to promoting OCB, and hence encourage them to design programmes that would equip supervisors with skills necessary to enhance it. Originality/value This is one of the few theory-driven primary studies that examine the serial mediating roles of organisational justice and affective commitment in the transformational leadership – OCB relationship.
Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Mar 21, 2023
The direct effects of technology transfer and innovation on the productivity and competitiveness ... more The direct effects of technology transfer and innovation on the productivity and competitiveness of economies and businesses are well established. However, research is yet to establish the explanatory variables and the boundary conditions within which these relationships exist. This study examines the extent to which product quality mediates the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness of small-scale agricultural businesses (SSABs). Moreover, the study explores the extent to which the geographical location moderates the technology transfer-business competitiveness relationship, including whether asset value moderates the product quality-competitiveness relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 400 SSAB owners and managers in the Free State and Mashonaland Central Provinces of South Africa and Zimbabwe, respectively. Of the 400 questionnaires distributed, 268 usable questionnaires (67%) were returned for analysis. The results suggest that product quality partially mediated the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness of SSABs. The results demonstrate further that the relationship between product quality and competitiveness was moderated by asset value such that at low levels of product quality, SSABs with larger asset values became more competitive than those with smaller asset values. However, as product quality increased, SSABs with smaller asset values became increasingly competitive until the competitive advantage of those with larger asset values was eliminated. SSABs in South Africa reported higher product quality and competitiveness than those in Zimbabwe. The relationship between the location in which the SSAB was situated and competitiveness was direct, and location did not moderate the relationship between technology transfer and competitiveness. The study illuminates the critical importance of product quality for SSABs, especially those with small asset values. It also demonstrates that while technology transfer may influence the competitiveness of SSABs directly, the influence of quality products cannot be underestimated. The study is one-of-a-kind that simultaneously considers explanatory and moderated effects of technology transfer-competitiveness nexus in SSABs, in the context of South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, Feb 25, 2010
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the feelings of economic powerlessness & a... more The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the feelings of economic powerlessness & alienation on self-employment intentions of young people. The data used in the study was collected through a survey of students at the National University of Lesotho, and the correlation and factor analyses, as well as standard multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. Two clear factor distinctions resulted from selfemployment intentions, namely, self-employment intentions regardless of unemployment, and self-employment intentions in response to unemployment. Similarly, the feelings of economic powerlessness and alienation separated into two factors, namely, economic powerlessness and 'business exploits'. The feelings of economic powerlessness impacted negatively on self-employment intentions, and the feeling that 'business exploits' impacted positively on self-employment intentions in response to unemployment. The results of the study suggest that young people who have high feelings of economic powerlessness would not normally plan to start their own businesses.
Abstract As one of the most important dependent variables in education and work research, perform... more Abstract As one of the most important dependent variables in education and work research, performance has been operationalised either as the proficiency with which core tasks are performed (task performance), or as extra-role behaviours that support core activities (organisational citizenship behaviours). Relative to academic performance (core academic achievement), there has been little research on the extent to which students practise organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) in their academic work. The aim of the present study was to explore some correlates of both OCB and academic performance. Data used in the study were obtained from 185 students enrolled in a business course at the National University of Lesotho. Survey questionnaires inquiring about students' commitment, self-esteem, and OCB were administered to 204 third-year students. These were correlated with formal academic performance before and after the survey. Students' commitment was significantly related to both OCB and academic performance. Self-esteem was significantly correlated with OCB, but not academic performance. Two dimensions of OCB (altruism and civic virtue) were moderately but significantly related to academic performance. Results suggest that improving self-esteem might affect OCB, and improving commitment and certain elements of OCB might improve academic achievement.
The International Journal of Management Education, Oct 1, 2012
Based on the records of 70 participants in the Postgraduate Diploma in HRM, the purpose of this r... more Based on the records of 70 participants in the Postgraduate Diploma in HRM, the purpose of this research note is to examine the influence on performance of gender, work experience, classification of undergraduate degree, type of undergraduate major and where it was obtained. Students with social sciences undergraduate majors, and/or with relevant experience performed significantly better than others. The classification of undergraduate degree and where the degree was obtained, as well as gender, did not influence academic performance. The paper empirically examines the relevance of work experience on academic performance and further calls for more research on the role of social sciences in HRM programmes.
Journal of Language, Technology & Entrepreneurship in Africa, 2013
Although organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and innovative work behaviour (IWB) have attr... more Although organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and innovative work behaviour (IWB) have attracted considerable attention in recent years, empirical studies on how leadership relates to each construct within the same research design in non-western environments are limited. Based on a sample of 100 participants in Lesotho, we explored how OCB and IWB related to each other, and how leadership related to each construct. The findings suggested that OCB and IWB were highly correlated, and while transformational leadership related to each concept positively, passive-avoidant dimension of transactional leadership related to each negatively. Furthermore, age, tenure, management level and level of education were all significantly related to both OCB and IWB. We submit that the participants could probably not differentiate between OCB and IWB as the two concepts probably represent a behavioural manifestation of the same latent construct. We recommend that managers who want to influence subordinates to adopt OCB and IWB should apply transformational leadership.
Department of Business Administration, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho *Co... more Department of Business Administration, National University of Lesotho, P.O. Roma 180, Lesotho *Corresponding Author’s Email: [email protected] Tel: +266 62 962 579 The research dissertation and its supervision have been described by researchers as the most advanced levels of learning and teaching respectively. In spite of the intrinsic value of research and its supervision, there are few studies that document the lived experiences of undergraduate students in these areas. Existing studies are dominated by the opinions and experiences of academic staff, and are primarily limited to the issues of research assessment. To our knowledge, there is paucity of research on the lived experiences of undergraduate students in Lesotho. The aim of this paper is to explicate the students’ lived experiences of undergraduate dissertation and its supervision at the National University of Lesotho (NUL). We used interpretive qualitative research to give ‘voice’ to the participants, and identified and interpreted key themes from interviews conducted over a period of two academic years. We specifically used data collected from 17 interviewees in six focus groups, 11 interviewees a year later, documentary analysis and observation over a period of two academic years. The interviews were unstructured, and took between 60 and 120 minutes. We ended the interviews once we realised that no new experiences were related by participants. The analysis of data resulted in nine themes. In general, students expressed positive views about dissertation as an important mode of learning and assessment; acknowledged the important role of research methodology course in undertaking research; found challenges in undertaking some parts of dissertation; and complained about supervisors who were not available, approachable, nurturing, organised, and did not communicate constructive feedback on timely basis using modern communication channels. While qualitative research findings cannot be generalised, we submit that understanding learner experiences can respectively benefit and inform undergraduate learning and supervision at universities.
European Journal of Innovation Management, Jan 14, 2019
PurposeThe mechanisms through which leaders influence innovative work behaviours (IWB) are import... more PurposeThe mechanisms through which leaders influence innovative work behaviours (IWB) are important in innovation management. The purpose of this paper is to explain how leadership and justice relate to IWB through the successive mediating roles of affective commitment and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on survey of a random sample of 300 employees selected from 652 employees from a public university, and a convenience sample of 159 employees from predominantly service-based enterprises in Lesotho (n=263). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the analysis of moment structures version 24 are used to analyse data. Specifically, the study uses factor analysis; correlation; structural equation modelling and bootstrapping techniques to examine the hypothesised relationships.FindingsThe results suggest that the model that fits data well is the one which shows that the effects of both leadership and organisational justice on IWBs are successively mediated by affective commitment and OCB. Because of its social and affiliation-oriented nature, the study submits that OCB is an effective explanatory factor between predictors and IWBs.Originality/valueThe study makes a novel contribution to the extant literature by evaluating the serial mediating roles of affective commitment and OCB between leadership and IWB on one hand, and justice and IWB on the other hand.
increasing number of studies suggest that organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) may produc... more increasing number of studies suggest that organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs) may produce both positive and negative results for organisations and individuals. Few empirical studies, however, evaluate when OCBs are likely to be most or least effective. Based on a sample of 210 participants, and drawing on the entropic citizenship behaviour framework, the theories of conservation of resources, attention capacity and resource allocation, the aim of this study is to examine the relative effects of the personal aspects of OCB (OCB-I); of its impersonal aspects (OCB-O) and of the balanced aspects on employee innovative work behaviours (IWB) and affective commitment. The results indicate that employees who engaged in both types of OCB reported higher IWB than employees who engaged in either OCB-I or OCB-O (at the exclusion of the other). Conversely, the average measures of IWB between employees who engaged in OCB-I and those who engaged in OCB-O separately did not differ signifi cantly. Even though employees who engaged in both OCB-O and OCB-I were more affectively committed than employees who engaged solely in either OCB-O or OCB-I, the differences were not statistically signifi cant. These results and their implications are discussed, and prospects for future research in this area are outlined.
International Journal of Innovation Management, Jan 27, 2019
Even though the effects of leadership and affective commitment on innovative work behaviours (IWB... more Even though the effects of leadership and affective commitment on innovative work behaviours (IWBs) have been thoroughly researched, little is known about the interactive effects of these factors on IWBs. Based on data collected from 263 respondents from public and private organisations in Lesotho, the present study examines if affective commitment moderates the relationship between leadership and IWB. Drawing on literatures across management and innovation research domains, the study proposes and finds evidence that affective commitment moderates the relationship between leadership and IWB such that the relationship is stronger for affectively committed employees, while being relatively weaker for less affectively committed employees. The results also reveal that while leadership and management level have the main effects on IWB, affective commitment has no effect on IWB. Overall, the study responds to calls for examining the joint effects of person and context characteristics on IWBs. Drawing on our results, we discuss implications for theory and practice.
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Papers by Peter Khaola