Not available / text

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

No description available.

This research project investigated the question, What are the qualitatively different conceptions of instruction held by instructors of adults in the workplace? The research approach of phenomenography was used to discover how instructors of adults interpreted their instructional experiences. The sample studied consisted of twenty-two members of the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development who were trainers in various workplace settings. The respondents' understandings of instruction were sought through semi-structured interviews that focused on one of their instructional experiences. Three conceptions were found through an iterative process of examining units of meaning in the context of the individual interview and the context of all the interviews. The global meaning of each conception is: instruction is (a) imparting information to learners who receive and apply it on the job (Transmission Conception), (b) assisting learners to share and apply ideas and experiences (Enablement Conception), and (c) involving learners in an experiential process of discovering and constructing meaning (Constructive Conception). The structure of each conception was then analyzed to maximize the differences among them. Several findings emerged: (a) each conception had several components that were more clearly about learning than about instruction; (b) all the conceptions had one structural component that was the same - learning involves applying new knowledge on the job -suggesting that this may be an essential component of instruction in the workplace; and (c)two characteristics of meaning and connectedness appear to divide the conceptions placing the Transmission and Enablement Conceptions on one side and the Constructive Conception on the other. It was concluded that (a) there are more than the two dichotomous ways of viewing the instruction of adults that is suggested in the literature (teacher-controlled and collaborative); (b) there appears to be a generic conception of instruction common to many settings, that instruction is about transmitting information; (c) understandings of knowledge are related to conceptions of instruction; and (d) the context in which instruction occurs is a framing factor for thinking about instruction. The set of conceptions that was found can be used to study instructors' thinking about instruction in other settings as well as for their training and ongoing development.

No description available.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

<p>There is usually much reaction among employees when a new system is introduced in an organization. These things are intended to improve performance but sometimes cause considerable controversy amongst the employees and management. This study examines the implementation of LE and it attempts to analyse the reactions of employes in a manufacturing company in South Africa - GKN Sinter Metals (GKN), Cape Town. According to the literature review, the implementation of the LE can play a significant role in improving the company's performance.</p>

Researched in this thesis is the financial impact of employee involvement and performance- related pay systems in UK manufacturing and retail settings. The test questions are introduced in Chapter 1 along with some micro- and macro-level factors which may make it efficient to involve employees in decision-making and to pay basis performance. Chapter 2 discusses theoretical issues associated with involving employees in decision-making and using group-based incentives. There is support from both the theoretical and empirical literature that employee involvement and performance-related pay are more efficient when used in combination. Chapter 3 evaluates methodological issues associated with the examination of these questions, including methods used to attribute for unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity in the econometric analysis. In Chapter 4 case study evidence is gathered from the retail sector on the adoption of, and associated performance trends with the use of, an All Employee Stock Option Programme (AESOP) and extensive employee communication programmes. Sources at the company indicate that the use of these practices are thought to result in greater employee effort and efficient information sharing. Performance trends, since the adoption of these programmes, indicate improved performance within the company and relative to competitors which do not offer an AESOP. Econometric analysis is used in Chapter 5 to examine the financial impact of individual, team and group pay systems in UK manufacturing establishments where there is work task 'interdependence'. Evidence is found that in team production settings group payments systems are the most efficient pay system. Chapter 6 examines the impact of two forms of employee involvement, decentralized decision-making and two-way information sharing, on establishment performance. These practices are examined both including and excluding incentives. A statistically significant impact on establishment performance is found when performance-based incentives are included: this result disappears when the incentives are excluded. A second econometric analysis is conducted in Chapter 6, evaluating the independent and interactive effects of decentralized decision-making and group incentives in team production settings. Evidence is found that sub-optimal performance results in establishments which use only decentralized decision-making or only group incentives. Establishments that use the practices in combination have the best performance. Chapter 7 is the summary and conclusion.