D.Comm. / The aim of this study is to develop an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of life balance in the lives of South African professional women, and to develop a Life Balance Questionnaire to measure this phenomenon. The study was approached qualitatively, applying the Grounded Theory method, with a systematic set of procedures to develop and derive at a theory inductively. The purposeful sampling method was used in combination with the chain reference sampling technique. In-depth interviews were conducted with twenty four selected participants, then a group session was held to confirm identified themes and concepts and to form a theoretical framework. The literature review reveals that professional women in the 21 st century face an exceptional challenge in balancing the multiple tasks associated with their homemaker and work roles. The phenomenon of life balance therefore seems to become an important consideration in the lives of professional women. The main findings in this study indicate that South African professional women of different cultural backgrounds experience similar pressures and challenges. The findings also indicate that, to define the phenomenon of life balance, all roles performed by an individual throughout her life need to be considered, as what constitutes life balance for one person might not apply to another. Selfawareness is identified as the main point of departure for achieving life balance. This implies that it is important to accept "who you are" and "what is important to you", and to take responsibility for the choices you make. It is concluded that life balance is cyclical, so it is important to be aware of it as a process, rather than an end, and as a tool for achieving personal growth. Life balance is, therefore, not defined as "one, single ultimate experience", but as individual experiences over time, or, rather, as "life balance moments". The final conclusion is that two main types of factors influence and support life balance, namely internal or influential factors and external or supporting factors. Internal factors include self-awareness, the ability to know and understand oneself, to take responsibility for decisions and life choices, to understand and deal with personal fears, the application of proactive coping strategies, a positive attitude towards life and chosen demands, and trust in others for assistance and support. External variables include situational conditions, societal views and attitudes, support structures, organisational values and support, and literature and training programmes. To illustrate and confirm the conclusions of this study, two Life Balance Models are developed to represent a definitional and process approach to the theme. The study concludes with a proposed "Life Balance Questionnaire" aimed at measuring life balance in the lives of professional women. The testing and validation of the "Life Balance Questionnaire" do not form part of the study.

South Africa’s history as a nation is replete with examples of inequality and unfair discrimination. The working arena was no exception to the rule. In fact, it was one of the areas where inequality was most prevalent. Discriminatory legislation was promulgated under the Apartheid regime. These laws enforced differential treatment of employees along racial lines. After 1994, the newly democratic South Africa, through the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 (hereinafter referred to as the “Constitution”), regarded all people as equal before the law and entitled to equal benefit and protection under the law. National legislation was subsequently promulgated to give effect to this constitutional objective. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 (hereinafter referred to as the “EEA”), specifically, gave effect to all employees’ constitutional right to equality in the workplace. Under the EEA, unfair discrimination was forbidden. The EEA also required employers to implement measures to eradicate the injustices of the past. Subsequent to the enactment of the EEA, the Courts reiterated two tests to determine whether unfair discrimination had taken place in the workplace. It also tested whether an affirmative action measure could justify such unfair discrimination. These two tests, referred to in Harksen v Lane NO and others (CCT9/97) [1997] ZACC 12 (11) BCLR 1489 (CC) (Hereinafter referred to as the “Harksen test”) and Minister of Finance v Van Heerden 2004 (11) BCLR 1125 (CC) (Hereinafter referred to as the “Van Heerden test”), were unfortunately applied by the Courts in an inconsistent manner. This created confusion about which test found application in specific circumstances. The Constitutional Court then clarified the confusion through the South African Police Service v Solidarity obo Barnard (2014) ZACC 23 (CC) (Hereinafter referred to as the “Barnard” decision”). It is important to note that this study does not seek to evaluate the correctness of the Barnard decision, nor does it consider the cases prior to the Barnard decision. Rather, this study considers the extent to which the Barnard decision informed later cases dealing with unfair discrimination and affirmative action. In the remaining chapters of this treatise the writer will attempt to answer this question as follows: In chapter two, the legislative framework applicable to issues of unfair discrimination and the application of affirmative action is discussed. Chapter three comprises of a detailed analysis of the Barnard decision. In chapters four and five the writer investigates how the Barnard decision informed four recent cases concerning affirmative action and unfair discrimination in the workplace. These discussions enabled the writer to, in the final chapter; conclude that all four cases were indeed informed by the Barnard decision. The Department of Correctional Services case, however, reiterated the Barnard decision to its fullest extent.

La notion de travailleur n'est pas définie de manière unitaire par le droit de l'Union européenne. De multiples définitions coexistent. L'objet de l'étude consiste à analyser la définition prétorienne consacrée dans le cadre de la libre circulation et déterminer celle-ci a vocation à irriguer l'ensemble du droit social communautaire. Dans le domaine de la libre circulation, la notion de travailleur a été érigée en notion communautaire. La teneur de la définition prétorienne est analysée. La mise en oeuvre de la définition par les juridictions communautaires et nationales est de même examen. La notion de travailleur subit l'influence des droits fondamentaux structurant l'ordre juridique communautaire. Les critères supplémentaires de circulation au sein de l'Union et de citoyenneté européenne, auxquels est assujettie la qualité de travailleur se heurtent au droit à l'égalité de traitement. L'articulation entre les figures du citoyen et du travailleur suscite également des interrogations. Dans d'autres pans du droit de l'Union européenne, la notion de travailleur ne constitue pas une notion communautaire autonome. La potentielle extension de la définition prétorienne au sein du droit dérivé est investiguée. L'analyse se déploie dans le domaine de la sécurité sociale, puis se focalise sur les normes gouvernant la relation de travail. Le domaine de l'étude inclut également les règles de conflit de lois et de juridictions et les règles relatives au détachement. / EU law does not provide a global definition of the notion of worker. A multiplicity of definitions coexist. The purpose of this study is to analyse the definition provided within the framework of free movement and to examine wether it should be adopted within EU emplorment law. In relation to the freedom of movement for workers, the notion of worker is a EU notion. The substance of the definition is analysed. The implementation of the definition by the European court of Justice and the national courts is also subject to scrutiny. The notion of worker is subjected to the influence of fundamental rights with the European Union legal order. The notion of worker is conditional to two additional criteria : exercice of teh freedom movement within the European Union and possession of European Union citizenship. These criteria come into conflict with equal treatment. The interelationships between the EU notions of worker and citizen raise questions. In other fields of EU law, the notion of worker is not a Community concept. The potential extension of the definition to secundary legislation is scrutiniezd. The analysis turns to security social law, then focuses on the rules governing the employment relationship. The study also includes an examination of rules on conflict of laws, rules on conflict of jurisdictions and rules governing the posting of workers.

Organisations worldwide are continuing to offshore more and more of their work tasks across national boundaries, to countries with lower labour costs. These offshored tasks, which were performed by local knowledge workers in the past, now also include activities like research, development, and innovation. In a time where growth industries are those with the highest degree of knowledge work, and the most profitable organisations are those with the most knowledge workers, the importance of retaining these valuable resources by ensuring a healthy employment relationship cannot be over emphasised. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact that knowledge task offshoring has on the employment relationship of knowledge workers. A quantitative research methodology was followed, and the responses of 85 individuals were examined through the theoretical lenses of the psychological contract, organisational commitment, turnover intention and job insecurity. The main findings of the research was that offshoring resulted in higher levels of perceived psychological contract breach and violation scores, while it did not have any negative impacts on the scores for job security, turnover intention, organisational commitment or perceived employer or employee obligations associated with the psychological contract. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

M.A. (Psychology) / The interview appears to be a very popular but nevertheless unreliable and invalid selection instrument. A need therefore exists to improve the selection interview and to place it on a more scientific basis. The purpose of this study can be summarized as the development of: an interview decision-making model an interview reference framework a selection interview interpretation guide Before these topics were discussed, the nature, definition, value, problematics and improvement of the selection interview were examined. Attention was given to the nature, purpose, function, formulation and classifica~ion of interview questions as well as to the interview as a measuring instrument and requirements such as objectivity, appropriateness, adaptability, standardization, reliability and validity. Various decision-making models were examined and discussed, and the decision-making attributes of the decision-maker (the interviewer) were studied. The requirements of the decision making process were discussed and a decision-making model was subsequently developed...

Cette thèse a pour objectif d’analyser des effets du salaire minimum en Turquie où le salaire minimum est un instrument de politique sociale essentiel. Cette thèse s’articule autour de quatre chapitres : Le premier chapitre présente les institutions du salaire minimum et les principaux résultats obtenus dans la littérature concernant les divers effets du salaire minimum sur les différentes variables économiques et sociales dans les pays en développement. Le deuxième chapitre identifie empiriquement le profil des salariés payés au salaire minimum. Les résultats indiquent que la probabilité d’être rémunéré au salaire minimum est élevée parmi la population considérée comme « fragile ». Le troisième chapitre examine les effets du salaire minimum sur l’emploi dans le cadre de la demande et de l’offre du travail et montre que le salaire minimum n’a pas d’impact négatif sur l’emploi. Par ailleurs, une hausse du salaire minimum exerce un effet positif sur la probabilité de rester en emploi. Le dernier chapitre étudie l’évolution de la distribution des salaires au cours de la dernière décennie en Turquie. Les résultats indiquent que la hausse du salaire minimum en 2004 a contribué à réduire les inégalités salariales. / Minimum wage is an important tool of social policy. It consists of four chapters: The first chapter presents the institutions of the minimum wage and the main results in the literature concerning the effects of minimum wages on the various economic and social variables in developing countries. The second chapter identifies empirically the profile of workers paid at minimum wage. The results indicate that the probability of receiving the minimum wage is high among the groups considered "fragile". The third chapter examines the impact of the minimum wage on employment in the context of demand and supply of labor and shows that the minimum wage has no negative impact on employment. Besides, a minimum wage increase has a positive effect on the probability of remaining employed. The last chapter analyzes the evolution of the wage distribution over the last decade in Turkey. The results show that the minimum wage increase in 2004 contributed to reduce wage inequality in this country.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This research assesses the challenges faced by a diverse group of employees within the Safety and Security Directorate in a Municipality in the Western Cape, which is a service organisation. The manner in which Employment Equity (EE) is introduced and controlled in this organisation can have a great influence on the staff. Experts agree that there are many arguments in favour and against Employment Equity, making it a formidable and difficult task for any management team (Grogan, Stelzer, Jordaan & Maserumele, and 2005:94). It is imperative to grasp the understanding of staff and management on EE and other related issues to measure if any progress was made and how to perhaps improve on current employment equity related practices in the organisation. The research method comprises both the quantitative and qualitative methodology in the form of a questionnaire survey and a sample of the research population. The research revealed that although much progress has been made with employment equity in general, there are many challenges in this Municipality in the Western Cape. Specific recommendations are made to address these challenges. For further research, it is recommended that employment equity be investigated holistically in every department and directorate.

Magister Commercii - MCom / The transition of South Africa's political system from an apartheid administration to a democratic rule in 1994 resulted in the end of years of international sanctions imposed on the country. This move placed the country back on the global trading market. In addition, improvements in living conditions, education attainment, and labour market outcomes of societal groups who were previously disadvantaged by the apartheid administration were expected. Looking at the labour market in greater detail, government devised policies aimed at addressing, amongst others, the racial and gender inequalities in job access and remuneration as well as improving the employment conditions. Despite these attempts, women have been known to be subjected to different kinds of discrimination. As a result, they have been segregated, and in most case were over-represented in low income, less secure employment as well as over-represented in the unemployed pool of the labour force. Numerous South African studies in the past only derived the “trends” labour market activities by gender since the transition by comparing the 1995 October Household Survey (OHS) with the latest available Labour Force Survey (LFS), without taking into consideration the comparability issues of the datasets. Hence, this thesis uses all the South African labour survey data in 1995-2009 to investigate the trends in the performance of each gender in the labour market since the transition, specifically looking at the following: labour force participation likelihood, employment likelihood, remuneration and working conditions of the employed, characteristics of the unemployed, as well as whether gender discrimination in the labour market (with specific focus on employment probability gap and wage gap) still exists since the advent of democracy.

Magister Artium - MA / Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has enjoyed extensive research and several therapeutic modalities, approaches and models have been developed where the main outcomes are focused on the successful return to work of individuals with brain injury. Research into women with TBI has, however, been negligible compared to research into the young adult male population. Gaining insight into how women with traumatic brain injury participate in their work environment would contribute valuable feedback to clinicians utilising return to work approaches and models. The study aimed to explore the challenges women who sustained TBI experience in the work environment after vocational rehabilitation. A qualitative research design was used to explore these experiences and perceptions from ten female participants. The method of data collection used to access the experiences and perceptions of the participants was in-depth semi-structured interviews. Furthermore semi-structured interviews were conducted with two occupational therapist, who were selected as key informants. The data from the study was analysed using thematic analysis. The study further aimed to obtain the participants` perceptions and experiences of barriers and facilitators as well as adaptation processes that influenced their ability to resume their work roles. Four themes originated from the findings of this study. Theme one describes the barriers experienced by women with TBI while returning to work in the form of barriers to work participation for women with TBI, loss of functional capacity hindering return to work, experiences of negative stigma and exploitation in the workplace, and contextual hindrances in the form of parental roles as well as public transportation systems. Theme two describes the factors that facilitated the resumption of the work role for women with TBI. Reestablishing a worker identity by means of vocational rehabilitation, utilising the Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE) as an approach, enabled the women with TBI to overcome their barriers and return to work. Theme three describes an inherent adaptation process where participants could come to terms with their losses, accept the present self and aspire towards a future self, by utilising personalised response approaches to overcome demands and challenges in the work context as well as experiencing success at work by adapting to the work environment. Theme four describes the participants’ views of changes needed in the rehabilitation program and services as well as policies that would aid in the quick return of women with TBI to productive roles. These suggestions are discussed as attainable through developing a multi-dimensional rehabilitation program for women with TBI as well as partnering with relevant stakeholders in the promotion of work opportunities for women with disabilities. The Model of Occupational Adaptation (MOA) was used as a framework to interpret the findings of this study; the barriers, facilitators and adaptation process were assessed as they impact on the experiences of the women with TBIs return to work. The return to work of the women with TBI was not observed only to be influenced by the personal characteristics but also by the environmental context within which the return to work process took place.

Charting a way forward in the 21st Century will only be possible by discovering and meeting the strategic mutual needs of customers and the service providers as committed partners. Everyone has unique value to offer which can make the difference. Transformation has thus been brought about mainly due to the immense influences that technological development of electronic information and communication have on the world and all this found its outlet in the globalisation of the world economy. In order to survive, organisations therefore had to embark on adventures in the quest to search and discover unique resources in the market as well as in processes and ultimately their human capital. It was from a position of relative strength, that one of the biggest South African financial institutions boldly launched a change initiative to secure their presence in the local financial market. While leading the challenge from the front, it was – ultimately – up to each member of staff to decide in whatever way to support the transition. Comprehensive change management workshops were presented to both management and staff. These workshops gave specific focus to the emotional journey of change relevant to all people as well as the stages of transition. These transitional stages can be shortly referred to as: o Endings – the first step in the human adjustment to change is the letting go of something – the ending. o Neutral Zone – this zone represents a period in which neither the old ways nor the new ways work satisfactorily. This zone truly encapsulates the Chinese principle of change as encompassing both challenge and danger – a chaotic time ripe with creative opportunity. o New Beginnings – without the new beginning the transition is incomplete. Beginnings only happen once individuals make an emotional commitment to do things the new way and see themselves as new people. It can however, not be scheduled or forced on people. A survey was done to establish the factors relevant to the impact of the environment (space), relationships (work&family) and lastly privacy during a time of transition. This transition’s characteristics, from the view point of the people being affected, can be summarised as a change on a no choice basis or limited choice basis. The single most important observation made from this survey is that human capital is a world filled with wonders and as the only asset in any environment that can appreciate and measure up with the challenges of the future, man was created with an ability to adapt and choose. Despite the fact that man do not know from where the wind will blow, man’s choice is that he can set the sails in order to reach the destination. / Dissertation (MPhil (Labour Relations Management))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted