JMA - journals.co.za

Journal of Management & Administration

1 | P a g e

JMA Journal of

Management

and Administration

EDITORIAL POLICY

&

GUIDELINES


2 | P a g e

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.


3 | P a g e

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


4 | P a g e

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


5 | P a g e

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.


6 | P a g e

- 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


7 | P a g e

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


8 | P a g e

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


Email address

Contact Number

Affiliation


Email address

Contact Number

Affiliation

_____________________ ______________________

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR DATE


9 | P a g e

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.


10 | P a g e

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


11 | P a g e

identify both the strengths and weaknesses of articles whilst offering positive

suggestions for improvement.


12 | P a g e

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


13 | P a g e

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.

http://abacus.bates.edu/~ganderso/biology/resources/writing/HTWcitations.html


14 | P a g e

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.


15 | P a g e

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.


16 | P a g e

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!

JMA - journals.co.za

Documents

Transcript of JMA - journals.co.za