A framework for assuring conformance of cloud-based email at higher education institutions
- Authors: Willett, Melanie
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Cloud computing -- Security measures , Computer networks -- Security measures , Web services , Education, Higher -- Technological innovations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9815 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018664
- Description: Cloud computing is a relatively immature computing paradigm that could significantly benefit users. Cloud computing solutions are often associated with potential benefits such as cost reduction, less administrative hassle, flexibility and scalability. For organisations to realize such potential benefits, cloud computing solutions need to be chosen, implemented, managed and governed in a way that is secure, compliant with internal and external requirements and indicative of due diligence. This can be a challenge, given the many concerns and risks commonly associated with cloud computing solutions. One cloud computing solution that is being widely adopted around the world is cloud-based email. One of the foremost adopters of this cloud computing solution is higher education institutions. These higher education institutions stand to benefit greatly from using such services. Cloud-based email can be provisioned to staff and students at these institutions for free. Additionally, cloud service providers (CSPs) are able to provide a better email service than some higher education institutions would be able to provide if they were required to do so in-house. CSPs often provide larger inboxes and many extra services with cloud-based email. Cloud-based email is, therefore, clearly an example of a cloud computing solution that has the potential to benefit organisations. There are however, risks and challenges associated with the use of this cloud computing solution. Two of these challenges relate to ensuring conformance to internal and external (legal, regulatory and contractual obligations) requirements and to providing a mechanism of assuring that cloud-based email related activities are sound. The lack of structured guidelines for assuring the conformance of cloud-based email is putting this service at risk at higher education institutions in South Africa. This work addresses this problem by promoting a best practice based approach to assuring the conformance of cloud-based email at higher education institutions. To accomplish this, components of applicable standards and best practice guidelines for IT governance, IT assurance and IT conformance are used to construct a framework for assuring the conformance of cloud-based email. The framework is designed and verified using sound design science principles. The utility and value of the framework has been demonstrated at a higher education institution in South Africa. This framework can be used to assist higher education institutions to demonstrate due diligence in assuring that they conform to legal and best practice requirements for the management and governance of cloud-based email. This is a significant contribution in the relatively new field of cloud computing governance.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Economic responsiveness in organisational psychology curricula
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Roelf
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Psychology, Industrial -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Curricula -- South Africa College graduates -- Employment -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1319 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003952
- Description: This study focused on a topic at the intersection of two contexts, namely curriculum responsiveness and industrial/organisational psychology (IOP). The rationale for this study is based on two considerations. Firstly, a review of the IOP curricula offered at ten prominent South African universities revealed little overlap. This suggests that academic departments are not guided by shared principles when they implement decisions about the content or sequencing of curriculum content. Secondly, the Department of Education urges academics to design curricula that are relevant and responsive to contemporary conditions. These two considerations motivated the investigation of the following research question: What key performance areas (KPAs) do employers specify when they advertise positions suitable for IOP graduates? The investigation had two aims, namely (a) to systematically analyse the KPAs specified in job advertisements and (b) to compile KPA templates that may be used by IOP departments who wish to revise or transform their curricula. The research design of this study has five characteristics, namely that it is: (a) qualitative, (b) naturalistic, (c), descriptive, (d) applied, and (e) strategic. The study employed a purposive sampling strategy that involved the collection of documentary data (job advertisements aimed at recruiting IOP graduates) over a 52-week period (N=1115). The data was content analysed by means of a six-step documentary analysis method. Specific strategies were employed to enhance the validity of the findings. These strategies focused on credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Similarly, the ethical standing of the investigation was promoted by addressing four considerations, namely autonomy and respect for dignity, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice. The data analysis procedure produced comprehensive and detailed qualitative descriptions of (a) 21 occupational categories, (b) 4070 KPA themes and (c) 84 KPA clusters. In addition, the number of occupational categories, KPA themes and KPA clusters were recorded and interpreted. In addition, the data analysis procedure produced comprehensive KPA templates that IOP departments may find useful. The templates reflect the KPAs specified by advertisements aimed at recruiting IOP graduates for a range of occupational categories and were designed to be used as benchmarks against which the economic responsiveness of curricula can be compared.
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- Date Issued: 2009