Exploring Stakeholder Perceptions to Enhance Municipal Reputation: A Quantitative Study of Amahlathi Local Municipality, South Africa | Chapter 9 | New Advances in Business, Management and Economics Vol. 5

Service delivery protests have become increasingly violent in South Africa over the past decade, highlighting the pressing need for effective municipal reputation management. The Amahlathi Local Municipality has faced intense criticism for mismanaging funds, lacking oversight and accountability, and failing to provide basic services to its electorate. This study undertakes an empirical analysis of Amahlathi Local Municipality's (ALM) reputation among its stakeholders, addressing the scarcity of research on municipal reputation management in South Africa. Utilizing a quantitative methodology, a questionnaire was distributed to 383 citizens in ALM, yielding a response rate of 85.64% (328 respondents). The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential analysis (factor analysis and regression), revealing significant disparities between stakeholder expectations and perceived performance of ALM.

 

The findings highlight key factors influencing municipal reputation, including service delivery, communication, and accountability. Notably, ALM's reputation is compromised by inadequate service delivery, particularly in areas such as water and sanitation, roads, and waste management. These results contribute significantly to the understanding of municipal reputation management in South Africa, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder engagement and effective service delivery.

 

This research contributes theoretically, practically, and policy-wise. Theoretically, it advances knowledge on municipal reputation management in South Africa. Practically, it informs ALM's strategic planning and stakeholder engagement. Policy-wise, it highlights areas for improvement in service delivery and governance. The study's methodology comprised questionnaire design adapted from existing municipal reputation frameworks, random sampling of ALM citizens, and data analysis using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and regression.

 

The study concluded that reputation management or branding is increasingly important for public organizations. It has much to do with social accountability, meaning that an organization, often without a formal obligation to do so, tries to provide information and justify its actions to various audiences. The point of departure in this study was to investigate ALM and the factors that affect how it manages its reputation. However, much research on the significance of corporate reputation management has been within the private sector, with limited research on its impact on the public sector, particularly in the developing world.

 

Author (s) Details

Pikolomzi Qaba
Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

 

Bongani I Dlamini
Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

 

 

Please see the book here: https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/nabme/v5/3450

A Quantitative Study on the Role of Leadership in Facilitating Healthcare Service Delivery | Chapter 1 | Current Topics on Business, Economics and Finance Vol. 3

 The Department of Health in South Africa has a constitutional order to provide active, efficient and character healthcare to all citizens the one reside in the country. However, the country’s healthcare whole is impacted by miscellaneous negative factors that hamper service transfer, particularly at local hospitals. Consequently, the healthcare whole in South Africa is in urgent need of corrects in order to support optimal healthcare. This research checked the key service transfer challenges and the role of guidance in addressing these challenges at four public clinics in the province of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. The drama review focused on current public healthcare guidance in South Africa and also tried to draw insights from international studies. A determinable research approach was employed in the study and layered random sampling was secondhand, with intervening-level managers and employees forming the sample. The results indicated that the plurality of respondents concurred that leadership plays an main role in optimising organisational accomplishment at regional clinics. Leading with a purpose was raise to be particularly main since the healthcare needs of the community are dependent upon active and efficient healthcare duty delivery. The pieces of advice emanating from the study keep benefit healthcare leaders because these leaders will able to have or do develop a better understanding of the pertinence of effective guidance in public healthcare.

Author(s) Details:

Sagaren Govender,
Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Cecile Gerwel Proches,
Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Abdul Kader,
Graduate School of Business and Leadership, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/CTBEF-V3/article/view/10007

The Impact of Auditing Practices on Service Delivery in the District Assemblies of Ghana | Chapter 03 |New Innovations in Economics, Business and Management Vol. 7

 One of the most important sub-components of public financial management is auditing techniques, which are primarily focused with analysing and determining whether public resources were used for the reasons for which they were allocated in accordance with established regulations. The goal of this study was to see how auditing, as done in Ghana's district assemblies (DAs), affects service delivery. Through surveys, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis, the study collected qualitative and quantitative data using a mixed methods research methodology. Thirty-four districts were chosen from a total of 170 in 2008. 612 DA officials, 1020 civilians, 28 key informants, and 20 participants in focus group talks were interviewed for the study. Scaled-items were used to assess quantitative data, which was then analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. The researcher utilised thematic summary analysis to analyse qualitative data. Citizens evaluated service delivery badly, but district assembly officials assessed service delivery as satisfactory, according to the data. The study also discovered that auditing techniques had a small but positive impact on service delivery. The study recommends that district assemblies and authorities work hard to integrate and improve innovative communication tools like websites, Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp to supplement auditors', those who implement audit findings', and other stakeholders' interaction activities. The current capacity of audit employees should be increased by DAs. DAs should also endeavour to increase the function of sector audit implementation committees, ensuring that audit reports are strictly enforced, and discipline officers who commit fraud.

Author(S) Details

George Kojo Scott
Secretary General, African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), P.O.Box 48677 -00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

View Book:- https://stm.bookpi.org/NIEBM-V7/article/view/6388

Linking Revenue Mobilization Practices to Service Delivery in Decentralized Governments in Ghana | Chapter 4 | Modern Perspectives in Economics, Business and Management Vol. 11

 In public sector entities such as decentralised governments, revenue mobilisation is a critical component of public financial management. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between revenue mobilisation strategies and service delivery in Ghana's District Assemblies. The study looked into how revenue sources, revenue collection techniques, and the adequacy of revenue received by District Assemblies are related to the services provided. Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data for the study, which followed a mixed methods research design. The survey included 612 officials from District Assemblies and 1,020 civilians as participants. The study also included twenty-eight interviewees and twenty participants in two focus group talks. Qualitative data was interpreted based on identified themes, while quantitative data was evaluated using descriptive statistics and regression. The study discovered that the DAs' income mobilisation techniques had a favourable and significant impact on service delivery. According to the report, the DA authorities should continue to improve automated revenue collection technologies based on best practises from national tax collection authorities to guarantee that these automations provide the greatest possible results. The parliament and district assemblies are urged to review and consolidate the existing financial management legislation framework in order to ensure that monies are transferred to district assemblies more quickly.

Author(S) Details

George Kojo Scott
Secretary General, African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), P.O. Box 48677 -00100, Nairobi, Kenya.

View Book:- https://stm.bookpi.org/MPEBM-V11/article/view/4924

Role of Budgeting Practices in Service Delivery in Ghana's Public Sector| Chapter 2 | Modern Perspectives in Economics, Business and Management Vol. 4

 The function of budgeting in the Ghanaian public sector in terms of service delivery was examined in this study. Questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis were used to collect qualitative and quantitative data for the study, which used a mixed-methods research design. The respondents for the surveys, key interview informants, and participants in the focus group discussions were chosen using multistage sampling. Thirty-four district assemblies were sampled out of the 170 that existed in 2008. 612 District Assembly (DA) officials, 1020 individuals, 28 national/regional officials, and 20 other people took part in the study.Those who took part in the focus group discussions. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive statistics and regression on Likert scale questionnaire items, while qualitative data was evaluated thematically. The data revealed that citizens gave bad ratings to service delivery, whereas district assembly officials gave it a satisfactory rating. Budgeting procedures had a favourable and significant impact on service delivery, according to the study. The findings of the study have important consequences for public administrators, citizens, and academics because they showed the significance of good budgeting methods if the public sector's decentralised administrations and agencies are to be successful.

Author (S) Details

George Kojo Scott
African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM), Kenya.


Francis Enu-Kwesi
Institute for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.


View Book :-https://stm.bookpi.org/MPEBM-V4/article/view/2640