Knowledge management practices in university administration : the case of the University of Zambia
Mvula, Makani (2018-03)
ENGLISH SUMMARY : The thesis set out to establish the nature and level of knowledge management practices in the administration of the University of Zambia (UNZA) in order to learn more about the state of knowledge management in higher education. To this end a previously validated knowledge management assessment tool developed by Botha and Fouché (2002) was adapted for use in the higher education context. The case study of UNZA used a mixed methods approach in which data was collected by means of a questionnaire based on the knowledge management assessment tool that was sent to a selection of administrative and management staff based on simple random sampling. At the same time, open-ended questions were asked of respondents in interviews for which a purposive sampling approach was used to select the interviewees. Out of a population of 132 management and administrative staff, a sample of 99 was surveyed and 9 senior managers were purposively sampled for interviews. The response rate for the survey was 75.76%, whilst the response rate for interviews was 90%. Empirical data was collected from November 2016 to March 2017. The findings indicate that UNZA established some knowledge management enablers and there were active knowledge management practices. It is demonstrated that UNZA implicitly applied knowledge management principles and have started initiatives and established practices that can be identified as knowledge management related. However, UNZA did not institute knowledge management formally and deliberatively. For this reason, the identified knowledge management practices are not particularly well coordinated and are hard to improve on actively. In view of these findings, the study concludes with benchmarking guidelines for knowledge management implementations in university administrations. In addition, the study proposes further research on developing knowledge management strategies and implementation framework for the strategies.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die tesis poog om die aard en vlak van kennisbestuurspraktyke in die administrasie van die Universiteit van Zambië (UNZA) vas te stel om sodoende meer te leer oor die aard van kennisbestuur in die hoër onderwysomgewing. Vir hierdie doel is 'n voorheen gevalideerde kennisbestuur-assesseringsinstrument wat deur Botha en Fouché (2002) ontwikkel is, aangepas vir gebruik in die hoër onderwysomgewing. Die gevallestudie van UNZA gebruik 'n gemengde metodesbenadering waarin data versamel is met 'n vraelys gebaseer op die kennisbestuursassesseringsinstrument wat aan 'n eenvoudige ewekansige steekproef van administratiewe en bestuurspersoneel gestuur is. Terselftertyd is meer oop vrae gevra aan respondente in onderhoude waarvoor 'n doelgerigte steekproefbenadering gebruik is om die respondente te kies. Uit 'n bevolking van 132 bestuurs- en administratiewe personeel is die vraelys aan 'n steekproef van 99 gestuur en 9 senior bestuurders is doelgerig geselekteer vir onderhoude. Die reaksiekoers vir die opname was 75.76%, terwyl die reaksiekoers vir die onderhoude 90% was. Empiriese data is tussen November 2016 en Maart 2017 versamel. Die bevindings dui daarop dat UNZA sommige kennisbestuursbemiddelaars gevestig het en daar is aktiewe kennisbestuurspraktyke in die administrasie. Daar word getoon dat UNZA implisiet kennisbestuursbeginsels toegepas het en inisiatiewe en gevestigde praktyke begin het wat geïdentifiseer kan word as kennisbestuur. UNZA het egter nie formele en doelgerigte kennisbestuur ingestel nie. Om hierdie rede is die geïdentifiseerde kennisbestuurspraktyke nie besonder goed gekoördineer nie en is dit moeilik om aktief te verbeter. In die lig van hierdie bevindinge, sluit die studie af met kerfmerk riglyne vir implementering van kennisbestuur in universiteitsadministrasie. Daarbenewens stel die studie verdere navorsing voor oor die ontwikkeling van kennisbestuurstrategieë en implementeringsraamwerk vir die strategieë.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/103711
Masters Degrees (Information Science) 
Transition from high school to university : perspectives of first year students at the University of Zimbabwe College of Health Sciences ﻿
Chidzonga, Midion Mapfumo (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2014-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction: Literature shows that the transition from high school to university is fraught with challenges and that there is need to appreciate these challenges from the students’ perspectives ...