- Title
- An adaptive internet management model for higher education institutions in South Africa
- Creator
- Boshoff, Ryno
- Creator
- Cullen, Margaret
- Subject
- Internet governance -- South Africa
- Subject
- Internet in higher education -- South Africa Internet -- South Africa -- Management Education, Higher -- South Africa
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Doctoral
- Type
- DBA
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17428
- Identifier
- vital:28331
- Description
- It has become standard practice at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for their Internet management and relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources, specifically Internet resources, to be continuously investigated by HEI Management as well as by their users. The reason is that the Internet has become the foundation on which most ICT and business resources function and therefore is labelled as a distinctive competency for the HEI. HEIs, however, have limited ICT Internet resources and are expected to use these resources optimally, to ensure efficient and effective Internet connectivity on all campuses and to all users and systems. The management of Internet resources at South African Higher Education Institutions (SA HEIs) are the focus of this thesis. The primary purpose therefore, is to provide a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs which will assist them to achieve prime value from their Internet management resources. This was realised by firstly; identifying the current Internet Management Business Models of the SA HEI landscape; secondly, determining what the Internet users of the Nelson Mandela University, a South African Higher Education Institute situated in the Eastern and Western Cape area in South Africa, were using the Internet for; thirdly, comparing these findings to the actual Nelson Mandela University Firewall data and lastly, using the combined findings to draw conclusions and create a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs. This can assist the HEI ICT Management team to realign the Internet resources to match the current business and customer requirements. This thesis is an exploratory, mixed method study which consists of literature studies, surveys and cross sectional studies. The literature studies were conducted on secondary sources to identify the national and international governance structures that influence Internet management. The empirical study which consisted of two surveys was compiled from existing surveys as well as from literature studies and was completed by its respective respondent groups. The first survey was used to gain insight into what was considered the standard Internet Management Business Model at HEIs in South Africa. The second survey was used to gain insight how the Internet was being used at Nelson Mandela University by staff and students. Lastly, an extract of the Nelson Mandela University Firewall data were gathered and used to confirm or deny results from the previous survey. The findings of the first survey, HEI Internet Management Survey (HEIIMS), confirmed that the Internet and its relevant resources are extremely important to all HEIs. The HEIs Internet Management Business Models are to a large extent aligned with the National Research an Education Networks (NRENs) business models with some adjustments. The HEIs indicated that they cater for a large Internet community but do not differentiate between them. The findings do, however, specify that some differentiation does take place. The HEI Internet is provided to the Internet community at no cost and is funded by Council funds. The requirements of staff and students are mostly similar with some priority differences to key content needs. The Internet resources of the HEIs are very much aligned to support the physical infrastructure of the Internet. HEIs consider the NRENs to be key partners and suppliers with additional local suppliers used as secondary support. The second survey, Nelson Mandela University Internet Usage Survey (NMUIUS), indicated that there was a wide gap between how the Internet was used by the staff and students. The findings indicated that staff tend to be more aware of the policies and surrounding practices while students appeared somewhat unaware. The staff and students have different needs for the Internet and these needs also change slightly according to the time of day and day of the week. Regarding content access (including Firewall data), some of the users said Internet practices were true whilst others were false. The majority of those giving a false opinion said that said Internet practices were focused on activities linked to cyberloafing content. In addition, they stated that these activities were undersold, meaning that they said that they access the Internet content rarely while the Firewall data indicated that it was frequently being accessed and by many users. It was clear that the staff received a pleasant Nelson Mandela University Internet experience while the students received a slightly degraded Internet experience. The study concluded with the development of a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs and recommendations and considerations on how to improve the current Nelson Mandela University Internet management strategy. This thesis makes a contribution towards the body of knowledge by identifying and discussing current national and international Internet Governance (IG) practices. It continues by identifying the current SA NRENs and their business models which overflow into the HEI landscape. This is followed by an investigation into the various HEI Internet Management Business Models, current usage of the Nelson Mandela University Internet and patterns of use and Nelson Mandela University Firewall data. The thesis will therefore assist readers to understand the effective and efficient management of their Internet usage requirements and the provision of Internet resources. This in turn, will confirm that the availability of the Internet for its users and systems becomes a productive, reliable and pleasant experience.
- Format
- xvii, 333 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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