Team, External Researchers & Adjunct Lecturers
Kagabo Nelson Nkunda
Kagabo Nelson Nkunda is a doctoral researcher in marketing at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. His research is situated at the intersection of marketing education, digital transformation, and technological change, with a particular focus on the implications of the Marketing 5.0 paradigm for higher education in developing economies. His doctoral study, titled "Marketing 5.0 and Beyond: Aligning South African Marketing Curricula in the Age of Advanced Technologies" investigates the extent to which marketing curricula in South Africa develop the digital marketing competencies required for contemporary, technology-driven marketing practice. More broadly, his work engages with curriculum–industry alignment, the development of digital marketing capabilities, and universities' institutional responsiveness to evolving industry demands.
He has established experience in teaching and research across digital marketing, strategic marketing, marketing strategy, and consumer behaviour, and has contributed to several academic and applied research initiatives within Sub-Saharan Africa. His scholarly work is primarily concerned with digital marketing, marketing education, social marketing, and the role of emerging technologies in shaping marketing practice.
Research Interests- Digital marketing and marketing analytics
- Marketing education and curriculum development
- Technological transformation and Marketing 5.0
- Marketing strategy and competitiveness in emerging markets
- PhD (Marketing), University of KwaZulu-Natal (ongoing)
- Master's degree (Marketing), University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Bachelor of Commerce Honours (Marketing), University of South Africa
- Bachelor of Business Administration, Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA)
- Research Assistant, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Researcher and consultant in marketing and strategic analysis
- Lecturer, Haute École de Commerce de Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Visiting Lecturer, higher education institutions in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Lecturer, higher education institutions in Durban, South Africa
- Nkunda, K. N., Arbee, A., & Ellis, D. (2026). The Operationalisation Gap: Testing the Marketing 5.0 Thesis through Entry-Level Marketing Competency Demands in South Africa. Manuscript under review.
- Mkhize, S., Ellis, D., & Nkunda, K. N. (2026). Diffusing Sustainability: Innovation Adoption of Organic Food in Durban, South Africa. Manuscript under review.
- Mkhize, S., Ellis, D., & Nkunda, K. N. (2026). Decoding the Green Consumer: Attitude, Health, and Trust as Drivers of Organic Food Adoption in South Africa. Manuscript under review.
- Nkunda, K. N., & Martin, K. M. (2026). Impact of Digital Content Marketing on Consumer Decision-Making Processes in South African Higher Education: A Qualitative Case Study. In Consumer Decision-Making Processes in Higher Education (pp. 27–52). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
- Nkunda, K. N., Martin, K. M., Alain, M. M., & Justin, M. K. M. (2026). (Re)branding Strategies in Higher Education: Lessons for HEC–Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. In Consumer Decision-Making Processes in Higher Education (pp. 185–228). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
