A MOTIVATION FOR A NEW STUDY

The article broadly captures the current pre$-$occupation of the South African mining industry by concluding: $$Ultimately$,$ miners

are focusing on climate change initiatives, energy programmes and transformative technology projects, while trying to keep

costs in check and navigating global and local challenges, all the while learning to use data and digital tools meaningfully$.$

You are a business researcher with a keen interest in the South African mining sector. You have read the 'State of Digital

Transformation in the South African Mining Industry: Ten Insights into the Fourth Industrial Revolution $(4$IR$)2023\text{'}$ report and

you suspect that digital transformation could be a significant contributor to organisational resilience within the South African

mining industry.

Accordingly, you are proposing a study with the aim of investigating the influence of digital transformation on organisational

resilience within the South African mining industry. You intend gathering qualitative and quantitative primary data concurrently

on organisational digital transformation and organisational resilience from the top management teams of $20$ South African

mining organisations as well as secondary data on digital transformation and resilience of the $20$ mining organisations.

The five research objectives of your study are:

$1.$ To assess the state of the digital journey of South African mining companies.

$2.$ To understand the main digital transformation challenges faced by South African companies.

$3.$ To assess the resilience of South African mining companies.

$4.$ To determine the relationship between digital transformation and organisational resilience in the South African mining

industry.

$5.$ To proffer practical recommendations to the management of the $20$ South African mining organisations on how best to

leverage digital transformation for improved organisational resilience.

REQUIRED:

Please outline how you will conduct the proposed study by answer the following questions:

QUESTION ONE $(25$ Marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}1.$Formulate a suitable title for the proposed study. $(4$ marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}2.$Specify the aim and significance of the proposed study. $(4$ marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}3.$Formulate FIVE $(5)$ research questions that your study will attempt to answer. $(5$ marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}4.$Critically discuss pragmatic research paradigm and justify its appropriateness for the proposed study. $(6$ marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}5.$Based on the motivation for the proposed study and your understanding of research design, specify and

comprehensively discuss the appropriate research design for the proposed study.

$(6$

marks$)$