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Dr
Cele, Simangele Constance
Department: Sociology
Research Interest(s): Scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, Rurality, Rural spaces and rural development, Small and medium enterprises, Entrepreneurship.
Active Research Project(s): Nelson Mandela children’s fund project Eshowe (uMlalazi Municipality).
Biography: Dr Simangele Constance Cele is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand.
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- Remarking on the strategic significance of Small and Medium Scale Enterprise (SMEs) as critical to any economy growth and employment creation opportunities, there are evidence that support the poor possession of the appropriate financial literacy skills and knowledge, required by SMEs to effectively make entrepreneurial decision, needed for business growth and the overall economic development. Previous studies on the leitmotif of financial literacy skills have largely been interrogated through the prism of financial institutions and as an indicator for gauging inclusion leaving sparse research attention to understand its implications on entrepreneurial decision making among SMEs. This research chasm provoked this study. The aim of this paper to dissect and understand the place of financial literacy skills and knowledge in entrepreneurial decision-making of SMEs. A total of 15 SMEs were recruited on purpose with the semi-structure interview type, used in eliciting qualitative data. A collection of different themes and sub-themes were identified with the application of the NVivo (v. 12) qualitative software and analyzed with the content qualitative analytical tool. Pattern and level of financial literacy include understanding of financial decision, management of money and implementation of financial decision. SMEs’ financial literacy, required for effective entrepreneurial decision, includes knowledge on profitability, cash management skills and knowledge on investment with accompanied challenges, such as bad financial behavior, financial irresponsibility and lack of basic education. The study makes a genuine case for the prioritization of the importance of financial literacy skills and knowledge for clear cut entrepreneurial decision making and growth.
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- The study assesses how curriculum design can be used as a lever to propel robust entrepreneurship intentions among graduates in reaction to rising youth unemployment. A total of 19 respondents (graduates and educators) were interviewed to understand the role of curriculum design in the development of entrepreneurial intentions for employment and venture creation. Themes and sub-themes were identified with the NVivo (12) qualitative software. Results revealed ambiguous and outdated course curricula incapacitated to explore and provoke appropriate entrepreneurial intentions. The right mix of entrepreneurial intentions, skills, traits, and competency is largely not infused in the existing higher education curriculum in Nigeria. Addressing graduates’ unemployment challenges is unconnected to having a robust and practical curriculum in tandem with global best practices. The study concludes with the need to revoke the existing Nigeria’s higher education curriculum through the infusion and application of entrepreneurial intentions skills and traits.
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- 2023| Ontario Internationa...The concept of Ukonga group meaning self-help group is a community-based self-managed group funded by members who contribute to a pool of savings in regular meetings and offer credit facilities to its members from the savings. For the context of this study, these are women who have voluntarily come forward to build themselves up to improve the social and economic status of the members. The broad objective of the study is to conceptualise the operating system of ukonga groups for mobilization of savings, its performance, and in promoting women's empowerment in rural communities. Some studies have confirmed the effect of ukonga groups on sustainable livelihoods, food security, and asset ownership, however, women are still not empowered as per the expectation. The empowerment of women through ukonga groups would lead to benefits not only for the individual women but also for the family and community through collective action for development. A qualitative research design was considered appropriate to conduct the research. A semi-structured interview schedule was used as a research tool for data collection. The data was analysed by employing a thematic analysis technique. A significant finding of this study is that this group has enhanced the female participants as they are more economically and socially active and can act on their own compared to women who did not use the savings group.
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- The year 2020 witnessed an unprecedented and rapid change in education due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has forced almost all learning institutions to make an abrupt transformation to a remote learning pedagogy due to health precautions to control the spread of COVID-19 and save the academic year. Despite the evidence that remote learning makes work easier, this new content delivery method caught most universities off guard, especially those referred to as Historically Black Universities in South Africa. An in-depth literature review of the existing body of knowledge was applied to investigate HBUs and their ability to navigate the transition from face-to-face learning to remote teaching and learning. Results indicate that lecturers and students in HBUs encountered several challenges in adapting to remote teaching & learning due to constrained resources and severe lack of access to data and skills in using teaching and learning technologies. Therefore, it is recommended that academic staff undergo technology-related professional development to ensure successful integration and improved pedagogical practices. Additionally, improvements in ICT infrastructure among HBUs post-COVID-19 remain critical and should be considered in the transition to online teaching and learning.
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