Chris William Callaghan | University of the Witwatersrand (original) (raw)

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Papers by Chris William Callaghan

Knowledge management research applied to the development of real-time research capability, or cap... more Knowledge management research applied to the development of real-time research capability, or capability to solve societal problems in hours and days instead of years and decades, is perhaps increasingly important, given persistent global problems such as the Zika virus and rapidly developing antibiotic resistance. Drawing on swarm intelligence theory, this paper presents an approach to real-time research problem-solving in the form of a framework for understanding the complexity of real-time research and the challenges associated with maximizing collaboration. The objective of this research is to make explicit certain theoretical, methodological, and practical implications deriving from new literature on emerging technologies and new forms of problem solving and to offer a model of real-time problem solving based on a synthesis of the literature. Drawing from ant colony, bee colony, and particle swarm optimization, as well as other population based metaheuristics, swarm intelligence principles are derived in support of improved effectiveness and efficiency for multidisciplinary human swarm problem-solving. This synthesis seeks to offer useful insights into the research process, by offering a perspective of what maximized collaboration, as a system, implies for real-time problem solving.

Meditari Accountancy Research, 2015

Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 2013

ABSTRACT Organizational citizenship behaviour has generally been associated with organizational e... more ABSTRACT Organizational citizenship behaviour has generally been associated with organizational effectiveness. However, recent research has shown that this may not always be the case and that certain types of organizational citizenship behaviour such as compulsory citizenship behaviour, may be inimical to the fulfillment of formal goals and organizational effectiveness. Using military historical and business organizational secondary data, the paper maintains that extreme variance in either organizational (task) or personal (social psychological) support organizational citizenship behaviour generates entropic citizenship behaviour which derails completely the effective accomplishment of formal organizational goals. A general model of organizational citizenship behaviour with entropic citizenship behavior as its novel conceptual boundary is developed in the paper, and four specific propositions with implications for future empirical research are delineated.

3In creasingly, attention is being paid to the entrepreneurial potential of the informal sector, ... more 3In creasingly, attention is being paid to the entrepreneurial potential of the informal sector, which participants perceive to be rich in opportunity. Yet, little has been done to investigate the entrepreneurial orientation, and indeed, the contribution of entrepreneurial orientation to the entrepreneurial performance of informal traders. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is particularly useful because it contributes to a fundamental understanding of what entrepreneurship is. The focus of this study is an examination of the EO of inner city traders in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Data relating to EO, contextual factors and entrepreneurial performance were collected from 308 street traders and analysed to investigate, fi rstly, the factors that shape EO, and secondly, the potential contribution of EO to entrepreneurial performance. The fi ndings indicate that EO is associated with certain contextual and learning factors, suggesting that the provision of entrepreneurial training might contribute to the empowerment of informal entrepreneurs. At the same time, higher levels of proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness were found to be positively associated with continuance satisfaction. 4K ey words: entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial performance, informal sector Mr C. Callaghan and Mr R. Venter are Lecturers in the School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.

This study extends and tests conceptions offered by the nutrition model of efficiency wage theory... more This study extends and tests conceptions offered by the nutrition model of efficiency wage theory into the informal street-trading context. Three street-trader samples from 2008, 2009 and 2010 were drawn from the Johannesburg city centre. Statistical parametric and non-parametric analysis was used for a longitudinal investigation of certain associations of initial investment, or the money investments of street traders at start-up. Partial correlation analysis was used for further analysis of the 2010 sample. Findings suggest that policymaker interventions might best target traders earning under a threshold of earnings of about R230 per day. More specifically, training might offer such traders insight into how to change their product offerings to products associated with higher returns. Further, any interventions that might raise street-trader earnings above this threshold might enable such traders to obtain a positive return on capital invested in the sector.

Historically, policy applied to the informal sector in the Southern African context has been eith... more Historically, policy applied to the informal sector in the Southern African context has been either (i) 'restrictive', or aimed at the elimination or eradication of the sector; or has been (ii) 'promotive', or aimed at the financial upliftment of certain informal participants in order to enable the potential for economic developmental inherent in the sector. This research provides evidence of the financial impact of one such 'promotive' intervention: the provision of street-trader rental stands by local government. Using survey data from 2008, 2009, and 2010, an exploratory parametric research design is applied, using t-tests, Pearson point biserial tests, partial correlation analysis, chi-squared tests and multiple linear regression. Results suggest that the provision of rental stands can (i) significantly reduce gender inequality in earnings; enable traders (ii) to work more hours a day; (iii) to offer more capital-intensive product offerings; and (iv) to obtain higher gross daily earnings.

The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates' perceptions of the comparative worth/utili... more The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates' perceptions of the comparative worth/utility of studying Business Science disciplines at a prominent South African University in terms of: (i) internal factors comprising aptitudes, values and interests; and (ii) external factors comprising job attractiveness (job prospects, earning potential, non-salary benefits and work-life balance), and (iii) university and discipline academic reputations. The study utilises a specifically designed instrument to measure internal and external factors impinging on career choice. A purposive non-random sample, consisting of 130 second and third year students in Human Resource Management (HRM) and Management, is used. Findings suggest that, while perceptions of aspects of careers, such as job and career prospects generally dominate the choice of major subjects, students studying HRM majors hold community orientated values that distinguish them from their peers. Many students are found to make choices primarily on the basis of their perceptions of 'external factors', rather than their interests. The findings are discussed in terms of extant theory and potential practical outcomes.

The global innovation pipeline that provides new drugs to counter threats like Ebola or totally d... more The global innovation pipeline that provides new drugs to counter threats like Ebola or totally drug resistant tuberculosis and bacteria has slowed; fewer drugs are being produced and higher levels of investment are yielding lower outputs. This paper argues that the innovation process that underlies proprietary, or profit-seeking, innovation faces an S-curve effect, which is reflected in diminishing returns to investment. A new S-curve is identified, in the form of second generation innovation (SGI) and second generation research and development (SGR). What SGI and SGR have in common is their use of probabilistic mechanisms of knowledge creation. Probabilistic mechanisms refer to the exposure of problem solving processes to very large numbers of problem solvers. An example of this is crowdsourced R&D and crowdsourced innovation contests. The overarching argument made in this paper is that many of the medical and social problems faced today can be solved by a more extensive use of processes associated with this new paradigm in innovation.

Technology is never enough; there will always be the demand for more to manage the present and to... more Technology is never enough; there will always be the demand for more to manage the present and to gear up for the future. Consequently, engaging in a deliberate search for knowledge is critical to higher education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) encourage the study of the learning environment and ensure that the appropriate management strategies are in place to educate students. In a changing academic environment, computer facilities at HEIs are one of the key drivers. The main aim of this article was to investigate the use of computer facilities among first-year accounting students at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). The data was collected over a period of three years (2010, 2011 and 2012). The results of the study revealed the demographics of Accounting I students and their academic performance, use of computer facilities, knowledge of different software packages and other valuable information regarding computer facilities. The study concluded that the use of and exposure to computer facilities influence the academic performance of first-year accounting students.

Orientation: According to the human resources literature, academics may need to 'balance' certain... more Orientation: According to the human resources literature, academics may need to 'balance' certain issues in order to enable career progression.

In a global context of resource scarcity few incentives exist for firms to pursue innovations tha... more In a global context of resource scarcity few incentives exist for firms to pursue innovations that provide social externalities if these are not inherently profitable. The purpose of this article is to present an alternative paradigm of societal problem solving entirely premised on 'second generation innovation' processes. Further, a theoretical model of multidimensional, or three dimensional, knowledge creation is offered, together with the notion of a 'multiplier effect' that relates to how knowledge creation can increase exponentially when knowledge is not constrained by proprietary requirements. Second generation innovation is based on probabilistic processes that utilize and maximize economies of scale in pursuit of problem solving. Two processes that contribute to the potential of second generation innovation to solve societal problems are crowdfunding and crowdsourcing. It is argued that the processes required to enable a new paradigm in societal problem solving already exist. A further model is developed based on potential synergies between crowdfunding and crowdsourced research and development. This theoretical model predicts that R&D productivity can be accelerated significantly, and if applied in fields such as proteomics or medical research in general can accelerate increases in research output.

An empirical investigation was undertaken into entrepreneurial gender effects within the inner-ci... more An empirical investigation was undertaken into entrepreneurial gender effects within the inner-city street-trading context of Johannesburg, a large South African city. A cross-sectional nonparametric quantitative research design was applied in each of three consecutive years, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and a longitudinal investigation was enabled. Differences in earnings, rental stand operation, and the effects of specific and general human capital by gender were tested using non-parametric Kruskal -Wallis methods. Further testing of the non-parametric associations of each factor by gender was undertaken using non-parametric Spearman rho and Kendall tau measures. Male traders are found to earn more. However, a return on specific and general human capital is found for female traders. Security threats in this context might have a disproportionate effect on female street traders, and most specifically on female street traders of foreign origin.

Knowledge management research applied to the development of real-time research capability, or cap... more Knowledge management research applied to the development of real-time research capability, or capability to solve societal problems in hours and days instead of years and decades, is perhaps increasingly important, given persistent global problems such as the Zika virus and rapidly developing antibiotic resistance. Drawing on swarm intelligence theory, this paper presents an approach to real-time research problem-solving in the form of a framework for understanding the complexity of real-time research and the challenges associated with maximizing collaboration. The objective of this research is to make explicit certain theoretical, methodological, and practical implications deriving from new literature on emerging technologies and new forms of problem solving and to offer a model of real-time problem solving based on a synthesis of the literature. Drawing from ant colony, bee colony, and particle swarm optimization, as well as other population based metaheuristics, swarm intelligence principles are derived in support of improved effectiveness and efficiency for multidisciplinary human swarm problem-solving. This synthesis seeks to offer useful insights into the research process, by offering a perspective of what maximized collaboration, as a system, implies for real-time problem solving.

Meditari Accountancy Research, 2015

Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 2013

ABSTRACT Organizational citizenship behaviour has generally been associated with organizational e... more ABSTRACT Organizational citizenship behaviour has generally been associated with organizational effectiveness. However, recent research has shown that this may not always be the case and that certain types of organizational citizenship behaviour such as compulsory citizenship behaviour, may be inimical to the fulfillment of formal goals and organizational effectiveness. Using military historical and business organizational secondary data, the paper maintains that extreme variance in either organizational (task) or personal (social psychological) support organizational citizenship behaviour generates entropic citizenship behaviour which derails completely the effective accomplishment of formal organizational goals. A general model of organizational citizenship behaviour with entropic citizenship behavior as its novel conceptual boundary is developed in the paper, and four specific propositions with implications for future empirical research are delineated.

3In creasingly, attention is being paid to the entrepreneurial potential of the informal sector, ... more 3In creasingly, attention is being paid to the entrepreneurial potential of the informal sector, which participants perceive to be rich in opportunity. Yet, little has been done to investigate the entrepreneurial orientation, and indeed, the contribution of entrepreneurial orientation to the entrepreneurial performance of informal traders. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) is particularly useful because it contributes to a fundamental understanding of what entrepreneurship is. The focus of this study is an examination of the EO of inner city traders in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Data relating to EO, contextual factors and entrepreneurial performance were collected from 308 street traders and analysed to investigate, fi rstly, the factors that shape EO, and secondly, the potential contribution of EO to entrepreneurial performance. The fi ndings indicate that EO is associated with certain contextual and learning factors, suggesting that the provision of entrepreneurial training might contribute to the empowerment of informal entrepreneurs. At the same time, higher levels of proactiveness and competitive aggressiveness were found to be positively associated with continuance satisfaction. 4K ey words: entrepreneurial orientation, entrepreneurial performance, informal sector Mr C. Callaghan and Mr R. Venter are Lecturers in the School of Economic and Business Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand.

This study extends and tests conceptions offered by the nutrition model of efficiency wage theory... more This study extends and tests conceptions offered by the nutrition model of efficiency wage theory into the informal street-trading context. Three street-trader samples from 2008, 2009 and 2010 were drawn from the Johannesburg city centre. Statistical parametric and non-parametric analysis was used for a longitudinal investigation of certain associations of initial investment, or the money investments of street traders at start-up. Partial correlation analysis was used for further analysis of the 2010 sample. Findings suggest that policymaker interventions might best target traders earning under a threshold of earnings of about R230 per day. More specifically, training might offer such traders insight into how to change their product offerings to products associated with higher returns. Further, any interventions that might raise street-trader earnings above this threshold might enable such traders to obtain a positive return on capital invested in the sector.

Historically, policy applied to the informal sector in the Southern African context has been eith... more Historically, policy applied to the informal sector in the Southern African context has been either (i) 'restrictive', or aimed at the elimination or eradication of the sector; or has been (ii) 'promotive', or aimed at the financial upliftment of certain informal participants in order to enable the potential for economic developmental inherent in the sector. This research provides evidence of the financial impact of one such 'promotive' intervention: the provision of street-trader rental stands by local government. Using survey data from 2008, 2009, and 2010, an exploratory parametric research design is applied, using t-tests, Pearson point biserial tests, partial correlation analysis, chi-squared tests and multiple linear regression. Results suggest that the provision of rental stands can (i) significantly reduce gender inequality in earnings; enable traders (ii) to work more hours a day; (iii) to offer more capital-intensive product offerings; and (iv) to obtain higher gross daily earnings.

The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates' perceptions of the comparative worth/utili... more The aim of the study is to investigate undergraduates' perceptions of the comparative worth/utility of studying Business Science disciplines at a prominent South African University in terms of: (i) internal factors comprising aptitudes, values and interests; and (ii) external factors comprising job attractiveness (job prospects, earning potential, non-salary benefits and work-life balance), and (iii) university and discipline academic reputations. The study utilises a specifically designed instrument to measure internal and external factors impinging on career choice. A purposive non-random sample, consisting of 130 second and third year students in Human Resource Management (HRM) and Management, is used. Findings suggest that, while perceptions of aspects of careers, such as job and career prospects generally dominate the choice of major subjects, students studying HRM majors hold community orientated values that distinguish them from their peers. Many students are found to make choices primarily on the basis of their perceptions of 'external factors', rather than their interests. The findings are discussed in terms of extant theory and potential practical outcomes.

The global innovation pipeline that provides new drugs to counter threats like Ebola or totally d... more The global innovation pipeline that provides new drugs to counter threats like Ebola or totally drug resistant tuberculosis and bacteria has slowed; fewer drugs are being produced and higher levels of investment are yielding lower outputs. This paper argues that the innovation process that underlies proprietary, or profit-seeking, innovation faces an S-curve effect, which is reflected in diminishing returns to investment. A new S-curve is identified, in the form of second generation innovation (SGI) and second generation research and development (SGR). What SGI and SGR have in common is their use of probabilistic mechanisms of knowledge creation. Probabilistic mechanisms refer to the exposure of problem solving processes to very large numbers of problem solvers. An example of this is crowdsourced R&D and crowdsourced innovation contests. The overarching argument made in this paper is that many of the medical and social problems faced today can be solved by a more extensive use of processes associated with this new paradigm in innovation.

Technology is never enough; there will always be the demand for more to manage the present and to... more Technology is never enough; there will always be the demand for more to manage the present and to gear up for the future. Consequently, engaging in a deliberate search for knowledge is critical to higher education. Higher education institutions (HEIs) encourage the study of the learning environment and ensure that the appropriate management strategies are in place to educate students. In a changing academic environment, computer facilities at HEIs are one of the key drivers. The main aim of this article was to investigate the use of computer facilities among first-year accounting students at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). The data was collected over a period of three years (2010, 2011 and 2012). The results of the study revealed the demographics of Accounting I students and their academic performance, use of computer facilities, knowledge of different software packages and other valuable information regarding computer facilities. The study concluded that the use of and exposure to computer facilities influence the academic performance of first-year accounting students.

Orientation: According to the human resources literature, academics may need to 'balance' certain... more Orientation: According to the human resources literature, academics may need to 'balance' certain issues in order to enable career progression.

In a global context of resource scarcity few incentives exist for firms to pursue innovations tha... more In a global context of resource scarcity few incentives exist for firms to pursue innovations that provide social externalities if these are not inherently profitable. The purpose of this article is to present an alternative paradigm of societal problem solving entirely premised on 'second generation innovation' processes. Further, a theoretical model of multidimensional, or three dimensional, knowledge creation is offered, together with the notion of a 'multiplier effect' that relates to how knowledge creation can increase exponentially when knowledge is not constrained by proprietary requirements. Second generation innovation is based on probabilistic processes that utilize and maximize economies of scale in pursuit of problem solving. Two processes that contribute to the potential of second generation innovation to solve societal problems are crowdfunding and crowdsourcing. It is argued that the processes required to enable a new paradigm in societal problem solving already exist. A further model is developed based on potential synergies between crowdfunding and crowdsourced research and development. This theoretical model predicts that R&D productivity can be accelerated significantly, and if applied in fields such as proteomics or medical research in general can accelerate increases in research output.

An empirical investigation was undertaken into entrepreneurial gender effects within the inner-ci... more An empirical investigation was undertaken into entrepreneurial gender effects within the inner-city street-trading context of Johannesburg, a large South African city. A cross-sectional nonparametric quantitative research design was applied in each of three consecutive years, 2008, 2009 and 2010, and a longitudinal investigation was enabled. Differences in earnings, rental stand operation, and the effects of specific and general human capital by gender were tested using non-parametric Kruskal -Wallis methods. Further testing of the non-parametric associations of each factor by gender was undertaken using non-parametric Spearman rho and Kendall tau measures. Male traders are found to earn more. However, a return on specific and general human capital is found for female traders. Security threats in this context might have a disproportionate effect on female street traders, and most specifically on female street traders of foreign origin.