ABSTRACT
The study's main focus was to investigate the e-leadership perspectives on new educational technologies that were deployed/implemented during Covid-19 and whether it helped close the digital divide in South African public universities. The study adopted a systematic review to achieve the study objectives. The findings showed that access to appropriate technology and internet speed or even access to the internet at all was a significant challenge, reflecting, again, deep inequalities between students, especially in rural communities. Some institutions of higher education were forced to close due to a lack of access to technology. The study results revealed that higher education institutions had to navigate the storm of Covid-19 through various means, such as migrating their courses online, taking different measures in their administration processes, and prioritizing their responsibilities. The results indicated that the majority of educators did not receive financial support for teaching and learning tools. Numerous opportunities came along with the introduction of the World Wide Web, one of which is electronic learning. The study's findings also showed that post-Covid-19, institutions of higher education have made steady progress in implementing hybrid and blended teaching and learning. In conclusion, institutions of higher education should embrace a culture of change, using the post-Covid-19 moment as an opportunity to experiment and innovate to meet the changing needs of their students, including the rural ones, to bridge the gap. © 2023 International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
Purpose The purpose of this study is to provide current state of knowledge on how the COVID-19 emergency situation necessitated the behaviour influencing use and acceptance of telehealth. This study interlinks the health belief model (HBM) and the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to highlight the challenges and opportunities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the public health sector. Design/methodology/approach This study used three online databases (Emerald publishing, Science Direct and Taylor and Francis) that enabled the authors to access electronic journal articles. Search strategy was used to extract articles based on the relevance of this study. Findings The key findings from this study suggested that the COVID-19 emergency forced health-care workers and their patients to rapidly use and rely on telehealth to reduce the rate of COVID-19 transmissions. The key benefits of telehealth use highlighted an expansive cost effective and convenient access to health-care services irrespective of geographical local and levels of physical impairment. Moreover, telehealth inhibited in person human interaction, which was perceived as impersonal and not ideal for new patient consultations. The barriers outweighed the benefits;as a result, it is unlikely that there will be a wide use of telehealth beyond the COVID-19 emergency situation. Practical implications The research findings are limited to discussions drawn from available secondary data. The criteria within telehealth for policymakers to note the technology acceptance and use for both health-care and outpatient stakeholders and their health seeking behaviour. Health-care sectors (private and public) and government need to understand enablers of effective telehealth in policymaking to ease the barriers during an emergency situation like a pandemic. Originality/value This study contributes to the emerging literature on how COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted and accelerated telehealth by extending both the UTAUT and HBM theories. This study is expected to contribute and expand literature on telehealth during emergency situations, given the novice nature of COVID-19 and limited literature surrounding it.
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The Covid-19 pandemic has affected most organisations' workplaces and productivity. Organisations have had to make provision for staff to operate remotely following the implementation of lockdown regulations around the world, because the pandemic has led to restrictions on movement and the temporary closure of workplace premises. The purpose of this paper is to provide insights from remote workers' experiences in South Africa about immediate conversion from the normal workplace environment to working remotely from home. The structuration theory was adopted to understand the social structural challenges experienced by staff working from home. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using a Web-based survey, administered when the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in movement restrictions, using the judgemental sampling technique. Findings: The results are presented using both external and internal features that are linked to the social structures experienced by remote workers who participated in the survey. The key findings indicate that despite the positive aspects of remote working using advances in technology, there are also negative aspects and risks attached to remote working such as work overload and pressures to perform timeously. This can pose severe threats to workers' routines and lifestyle, and the lack of interaction can impinge on their health and general well-being. Research limitations/implications: The online survey was carried out with first-time remote workers who were the target for the study. Some respondents may have had an affinity for remote working because of the novelty. The sample size may not be generalised, as the collected sample is moderately small, although the purpose of the paper was to report on a small sample size, given the rapidity of the study. Practical implications: The paper seeks to highlight social structures that exist in South Africa, which accentuate the resource divide for remote workers. Also, the paper aims to encourage organisations (employers) to better understand challenges that workers encountered while working from their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown restrictions. Originality/value: The relevance of this paper is in its contribution to the structuration theory and remote working literature, as well as to the study of these topics in the context of South Africa. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.