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JMA Journal of
Management
and Administration
EDITORIAL POLICY
&
GUIDELINES
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1. ABOUT THE JMA
The Journal of Management and Administration (JMA) is a dynamic academic
journal that is published by the Management College of Southern Africa
(MANCOSA). The philosophy of the JMA is underscored by the institution’s
vision, wherein MANCOSA strives to be responsive to the evolving education and
training needs of developing economies.
The JMA:
- Is a blind peer-reviewed academic journal that is published bi-annually.
- Encourages original thinking and quality academic scholarship which
contribute to knowledge and understanding within identified focus areas.
- Provides a platform for academics, students and practitioners within the
SADC and BRICS trading blocs to share their research findings.
- Champions/exemplifies the dissemination of empirical and conceptual
research findings that contribute to the fields of business management and
administration.
2. FOCUS AREAS (2019 to 2021 period)
In order to remain dynamic and responsive to the evolving education and training
needs of developing economies, the Editor-in-Chief is tasked with identifying
topical and critical areas within which research should be promoted. For the
2019-2022 publishing period, submissions focussing on Leadership,
Entrepreneurship and Education are encouraged. However, the Editor-in-Chief
will not reject other topics related to these themes on contemporary global
concerns which influence policy and practice.
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3. EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITIORAL OFFICE Journal of Management and Administration Office
Mancosa [GSB]
16 Samora Machel Street, Durban, 4001
South Africa
PHONE +27 31 3007200
E MAIL [email protected]
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Prof. Enslin Van Rooyen
EDITORIAL BOARD 1. Prof. Amon Simba, Nottingham Business School, United Kingdom
2. Dr. Augusta Dorning, Africa Business, Lenmed
3. Dr. Brian Muyambiri, Botswana College of Distance and Open
Learning
4. Dr. Chipo Mukonza, University of South Africa
5. Christo Scheepers, Mancosa
6. Dr. Courage Mlambo, University of Fort Hare
7. Francis Lwanga, Ndola Lime Company Ltd, Zambia
8. Prof. George EM Ditsa, SBI Institute, South Africa
9. Dr. George Hove, Reinforcing Steel Contractors, South Africa
10. Dr. Goonasagree Naidoo, University of South Africa
11. Prof. Henry Thipa, Nelson Mandela University 12. Jithendra Maharaj, Mancosa
13. Prof. Johan Augustyn, Stellenbosch University
14. Dr. Joseph E. David, Regent Business School
15. Joshuah Makore, Department for Agricultural Research, Botswana
16. Khadija Kharsany, University of KwaZulu-Natal
17. Prof. Koppala V. Gopal, University of Gondar
18. Dr. Kristin Endresan, University of Agder
19. Dr. Lailah Imandin, Mancosa
20. Lameck Malopa Gondwe, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health
21. Prof. Malcolm Wallis, Regent Business School
22. Marthinus Prinsloo, Tshwane University of Technology
23. Dr. Muhammad Kadwa, South African Cane Growers Association
24. Prof. Nilam Panchal, Gujerat University
25. Philip M de Kock, Independent Contractor
26. Pravin Mooruth, Marley Building Systems and Lafarge Gypsum
27. Prof. Renuka Vithal, University of Fort Hare
28. Prof. Ritesh K. Patel, Gujerat Technological University
29. Prof. Sanjay Bhayani, Saurashtra University
30. Umesh R. Dangarwala, University of Baroda
31. Dr. Vasanthi Govender, Berea Technical College
32. Dr. Viwe Mrwebi, Tshwane University of Technology
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MANAGEMENT
COMMITTEE 1. Professor Zaheer Hamid, MANCOSA
2. Professor Kiveshnie Naidoo, MANCOSA
3. Professor Saritha Beni, MANCOSA
4. Dr Constance Israel, MANCOSA
5. Adv. Mirashini Royan, A1 Capital
6. Mr Paresh Soni, MANCOSA
4. INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
• Articles submitted to the JMA must be accompanied by the Submission
Declaration confirming they have been published in whole or in part in any
other journal.
• The e-mail addresses, telephone numbers and employers of all authors
must be provided.
• Articles written by multiple authors are reviewed on the assumption that
all listed authors concur and approve of the submission.
5. GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
Authors submitting articles to the Editor-in-Chief of the JMA must adhere to the
standardised format and writing guidelines provided below:
Articles must be written in English.
Only FINAL, edited versions of papers may be submitted; drafts or
chapters from dissertations are not accepted for review.
Articles must be submitted in Microsoft WORD format, using Times
New Roman 12 point, with 1.15 spacing.
Articles should generally follow the format below:
Title
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
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Methodology
Results and discussion
Conclusion and Recommendations
References
Figures, tables, diagrams, drawings and equations must:
Be placed in the correct sections/s of the document
NOT be submitted separately or as attachments
Be clear i.e. not scanned
Be appropriately labelled – i.e. figure number, heading and source at the
BOTTOM of the figure; Table number and heading at the TOP of the table
and source if applicable, at the bottom
Be introduced in the text and placed as close as possible to the text they
refer to and be centrally aligned
Be used sparingly
WORD COUNT: The whole article, excluding the references, to be
approximately 5000 words.
6. PUBLICATION DATES AND CALL FOR PAPERS
The JMA is a biannual academic research journal i.e. two publications per year.
• First Issue: May/June
(Call for papers to be communicated by no later than January of the same
year).
• Second Issue: November/December
(Call for papers to be communicated by no later than July of the same
year).
7. PUBLISHING FEES, OTHER COSTS AND REMUNERATION
- At present, authors do not incur any costs to publish in the JMA i.e. there
are NO publishing fees.
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- All authors of published articles will receive a printed copy of the JMA free
of charge. However, the institution reserves the right to enforce a nominal
postage fee in some cases. Details must be provided
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1
SUBMISSION DECLARATION (page 1of 2)
Title of Article
I/We the undersigned, declare that this article is original, has not been published before and
is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere. I/We confirm that the article has
been read and approved by all named authors and that there are no other persons who
satisfied the criteria for authorship but are not listed. We further confirm that:
- the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us (where
applicable).
- I/we have given due consideration to the protection of intellectual property associated with
this work and that there are no impediments to publication, including the timing of publication,
with respect to intellectual property.
- the corresponding author is the sole contact for the editorial process. The corresponding
author is responsible for communicating with the other authors about progress, submissions
of revisions and final approval of proofs (where applicable).
- a current, correct email address which is accessible by the corresponding author has been
provided.
The findings presented in this article are derived from a student
dissertation/thesis
Yes No
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If yes, please provide further details and take note that the full names of both the student and supervisor must be indicated on the article. Furthermore, the signatures of both the student and supervisor are required on this submission declaration.
Name of institution:
Qualification for which the
dissertation/thesis was submitted
Full name of student
Full name of supervisor
SUBMISSION DECLARATION (page 2of 2)
Corresponding Author Name and Surname
Email address
Contact Number
Affiliation
Corresponding Author Name and Surname
Email address
Contact Number
Affiliation
Corresponding Author Name and Surname
Email address
Contact Number
Affiliation
_____________________ ______________________
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR DATE
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A NOTE TO EMERGING RESEARCHERS AND FLEDGLING AUTHORS
From a growth and development of emerging researchers and fledging authors’
perspective, the members of the JMA Editorial Board encourage individuals to
start writing sooner rather than later. There is never an opportune time to publish
and it is not wise to wait for a moment when you feel that you know and
understand “everything” needed for writing articles. It is more sensible to start
learning to write piece-by-piece. Understanding of the studied matter is enhanced
while working on it. Starting the writing process early gradually lowers the
threshold for publishing and through gained experience, the chances of getting the
work accepted for publication in a journal will improve.
As writing articles is learned best through gaining writing experience, it is worth
initiating the learning process by making written notes of any ideas and
documenting research processes and initial results. This way, you will generate
text that can potentially be utilised later for articles, or at least you will gain writing
experience. In addition, by writing down thoughts and documenting observations,
a researcher can better identify gaps in his/her thinking.
The process of writing an article is initiated by considering the significance of the
future article, its importance and potential newness to the scientific community.
It is also vital to identify those who might be interested in seeing your results, i.e.
who is the target audience? In addition, it is beneficial to consider the practical
implications of your research. A scientific article must be based on research that
is conducted scientifically by using accepted methods.
An article wraps up research by presenting it clearly and concisely to the scientific
community.
WHAT DO EDITORS AND REVIEWERS LOOK FOR?
The decision by an Editorial Board to accept or reject an article in not only based
on the article substance. The readability of the article also matters. Therefore, an
article must have a clear and logical structure combined with fluent story-telling.
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An article must be as appealing as possible for readers; no-one wants to read
something that is laborious to understand. In addition, using unnecessary jargon
makes the reading experience simply inconvenient.
Before submitting your article, it is wise to make certain that you have fully
understood and met the journal’s requirements for submission. By screening out
silly mistakes, you can increase your article’s chances for publication. It is also
crucial to understand what the editor or reviewer might be looking for when going
through your article. In order to better understand the reviewers’ perspective,
you can think about the way you read an article – one that you have never seen
before. At first, you may not read the entire article in a linear fashion. Instead, you
probably scan the article for results and browse for an explanation. In addition,
you may also attempt to locate definitions or the meaning of key terms that you
do not recognise or cannot guess. In general, it can be confidently said that no
one likes hunting for information. An editor or reviewer may be looking for an
intellectual logical continuum or a plot-line by quickly browsing through your
article. Typically, an editor or reviewer will soon have an opinion whether the
article is good enough. Therefore, your article should be constructed to be so
clear that one can get a level of understanding without reading it word-for-word,
even by browsing through the visual elements.
Therefore, make it is easy for your reader to glean information from your article.
The editor or reviewer will also try to establish whether the stated problem and
research questions are actually answered. Editors and reviewers also pay attention
to the section where you describe the employed scientific methodology, and
whether these are fitting and justified for your research.
The quality of your text is also important: not only the grammar and punctuation,
but how the story is told, which is ideally suitably straightforward and
unambiguous without unnecessary jargon. The storyline should be built so that a
reader can get something out of the text, even if they are not exactly specialists
of the same field. Make sure to submit your final, edited version!
The Editor-in-Chief of the JMA is committed to providing feedback that is
supportive, constructive and fair. The reviewers of articles are mandated to
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identify both the strengths and weaknesses of articles whilst offering positive
suggestions for improvement.
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ARTICLE GUIDELINES
TITLE
The title offers a brief description of the research. The title, the most concise
summary of the main point of your article, should contain all the key elements of
your study.
ABSTRACT
After the title, the abstract is the most concise summary of your article. The JMA
Editor-in-Chief and reviewers use the quality of the abstract as a measure of
whether a paper merits peer review. An abstract summarizes the major aspects
of the entire article in the following prescribed sequence: the question(s) you
investigated (or purpose), the major theoretical aspects that underpin the
research, the design and methods used to collect and analyse data. Your abstract
must also contain an explicit statement of your main conclusion. Do not allow the
Editor-in-Chief, reviewers or readers to infer the original contribution that your
study makes. Ensure that you cross-check all the information in the abstract to
the text of your article as part of your final review before submitting your paper
to the JMA.
INTRODUCTION
The introduction can be described as an executive summary that gives the reader
an enticing glimpse of what the article encompasses. As such the introduction
must grab the reader’s attention by stimulating attention and interest. Often the
introduction is the most difficult part of an article to write.
An introduction generally consists of the following elements:
• Element 1: The writer first has to state the broad theme or topic of the
study
• Element 2: Once the broad theme/topic has been introduced, its
academic and practical importance (if applicable) has to been explained.
• Element 3: Next, the author indicates the most important gaps,
inconsistences and/or controversies in the literature that the current
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study will address. The author also explains the study’s main contribution
in such a way that the benefits to the reader are accentuated.
• Element 4: Provide a clear indication of the following: (i) the core
research problem/question addressed in the study, (ii) the specific
research objectives that guided your research and (iii) the context in
which the study was conducted.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review represents the theoretical core of an article. The purpose
of a literature review is to “look again” (re+view) at what other researchers have
done regarding a specific topic. Focus on the current state of knowledge about
the specifics of your topic. As you review the literature to provide rationale for
your study, progress through what is known to what is unknown, indicating the
gaps in or limitations of the current work, orchestrating the information so that
it is clear why your study is important.
Establish the context by providing a brief and balanced review of the pertinent
published literature that is available on the subject. The key is to summarize (for
the reader) what we knew about the specific problem before you did your
experiments or studies. This is accomplished with a general review of the primary
research literature (with citations) but should not include very specific, lengthy
explanations. The judgment of what is general or specific is difficult at first, but
with practice and reading of the scientific literature you will develop a firmer sense
of your audience. Focus your efforts on the primary research journals - the
journals that
publish original research articles. Although you may read some general
background references (encyclopaedias, textbooks, etc.) to get yourself
acquainted with the subject area, do not cite these, because they contain
information that is considered fundamental or "common" knowledge within the
discipline. Instead, cite articles that reported specific results relevant to your
study.
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Remember that a good literature review does not merely summarise relevant
previous research. In the literature review, the researcher critically evaluates, re-
organises and synthesises the work of others.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology section provides a brief discussion of how the research was
conducted. This section is critical in demonstrating the scientific rigour of the
research undertaking. Amongst other things, the methodology should identify and
justify the use of a particular research approach (quantitative/ qualitative/mixed)
and research strategy. The target population and details relating to the sample (i.e.
sampling technique, sample size, response rate, etc.) should be provided.
The research instrument and/or other data collection methods as well as the data
analysis technique must be explained. Measures adopted to improve the rigour
(i.e. validity and reliability) must also be discussed. Importantly, the limitations and
delimitations of the study must be explicitly stated. Be as specific, but as concise
as possible. The details of the methodology will help readers understand whether
your sample is appropriate and to which groups your results and conclusions may
be generalized.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Note that this section comprises two parts.
The first part of this section is dedicated to the presentation of the results of your
research. You may use a combination of figures, tables, equations, etc. to present
the key results. The written portion of the results that refers to the findings
presented in tables and figures, etc. should not repeat information. Rather, this
text should help the reader see and understand the main factual trends and
relationships in the data presented in the tables and figures, etc. Do not reiterate
each value from a figure or table - only the key result or trends that each conveys.
Also, do not present the same data in different forms. In the case of demographic
information of participants, present these as succinctly as possible and more
importantly, explain the relevance of these findings within the context of your
study.
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The second part of this section is dedicated to the discussion of the results.
Writing a good Discussion is hard work. This is the section that exercises your
critical thinking skills. Here you must synthesize the meaning of your findings with
those of others, clarifying your study’s contribution to the field. Never merely
reiterate your results. Explain how they fit with those of other studies, extending,
refuting, or confirming their findings. In either case you should discuss reasons for
similarities and differences between yours and others' findings. Ensure that you
are not presenting any result for the first time in the discussion.
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Note that this section comprises two parts.
The first part should attempt to draw clear and rational conclusions based on your
primary and secondary findings. Refer again to the purpose, aim and or key
research questions that the study sought to address. Given your conclusions, have
you generated a new understanding or perspective of the problem that was
investigated? Alternatively, consider how the results of other studies may be
combined with yours to derive a new or perhaps better substantiated
understanding of the problem.
The second part of this section should succinctly indicate the key
recommendations that are based on the conclusions drawn from the study.
Recommendations can be subdivided into two aspects: (i) recommendations on
how to address or mitigate the impact the problem which was investigated, and
(ii) recommendations for further research.
REFERENCES
The Harvard method, namely, short references in-text (Author, Year) and detailed
references (list of references at the end of the article) must be used to cite ALL
sources. The reference list which appears at the end of the article should be
presented in alphabetical order. Example of citation which appears in the
reference list
Author surname, initials. (Year) Title of article. Journal name. Volume number
(Issue or part number), first and last page numbers.
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GENERAL FORMATTING AND PRESENTATION
FONT, SIZE, STYLE AND SPACING: Times New Roman, 12 point, 1.15
spacing, Numbered main headings, in bold and uppercase
GUIDELINES ON LENGTH
Section
Words
Title 8-20
Abstract 200-250
Introduction 300-500
Literature Review 800-1000
Methodology 300-500
Results and discussion 1500-2000
Conclusions and recommendations 500-750
Total +/- 5000 words
Please ensure that you submit your FINAL, edited version!