M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The research problem addressed in this study, was to determine what affirmative action policies are being practiced by members of the East Cape Master Builders and Allied Industries Association. To achieve this objective, a literature study was conducted to cite and evaluate relevant literature, in the process of presenting the most theoretical and methodological rationale for the research. The empirical results obtained, indicate that most companies have implemented affirmative action policies. In conclusion, various recommendations have been made with regard to the findings ascertained in the empirical study.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The purpose of this study is to determine whether affirmative action can be regarded as ethical, given the circumstances in South Africa. The need for the study arose after various political parties indicated that affirmative action would be introduced in the "New South-Africa". Organisations need to know whether affirmative action is ethical so that these programs can enjoy the support of management. If these programs do not enjoy management support, they will not succeed. The history of South-Africa clearly indicate that whites discriminated against blacks from as early as 1660. The first law that reserved work for whites was introduced in 1911. In 1912 the Native Land Act was introduced. This can be regarded as the beginning of apartheid. Blacks were prevented from starting their own businesses and from participating in the employment market. In the 1970 a start was made to remove these obstacles. A new era began in the history of this country with the appointment of FW de Klerk as state President on 15 September 1989. Today, in 1993 no more discriminatory legislation exists. Affirmative action is a positive step to remove the backlog that was caused by discrimination. The disadvantages of affirmative action are: it is reverse discrimination against whites; it lowers productivity; increases racial conflict; the blacks who need it the least receives the greatest advantages and affirmative action causes blacks to loose pride and self respect. The advantages of affirmative action are: affirmative action rewards blacks for damages caused by apartheid; affirmative action works against discrimination; affirmative action improves and creates wealth; lowers social unrest; lowers the shortage of skilled labour and creates role models. The study concludes that affirmative action is ethical in the South-African context. The personal freedom of whites, which is effected by affirmative action, is a result of their own actions. Affirmative action is necessary to reward the blacks for damages suffered as a result of apartheid. This will lift blacks out of poverty and will work against discrimination.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The recent historical changes in South Africa resulted in an outcry for affirmative action programmes. The concept of affirmative action is foreign to many businesses in South Africa. Corporate South Africa sometimes lacks focus on how to deal with this trend. Workers, with new political freedom, are not prepared to waft for a gradual introduction of affirmative action. In order to avoid crisis management, business needs to accelerate the pace in adapting to the challenge in organisations of absorbing large quantities of personnel. Affirmative action legislation in future may force employers to implement these programmes. This must be done without sacrificing quality and profitability. In order to achieve this goal, this study aims at setting strategic guidelines for implementing affirmative in an effective manner.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, 1999. / Recent developments in South Africa and the impending changes in the workplace, have placed new challenges and demands on managers of both big and small organisations. One of these challenges is the introduction and implementation of successful Affirmative Action (AA) programme. However, preparatory to this, it is important to gain an understanding of the perceptions of employees concerning AA because the way perceptions of employees may influence the manner in which such programmes are implemented in companies. The Employment Equity Act No. 55 (Republic of South Africa, 1998) makes it clear that every designated employer must, in order to achieve employment equity, implement AA measures. A survey method was used in this study, and opinions were sought from 209 supervisors and junior managers at Eskom Head Office, Megawatt Park. The results were analysed quantitatively in order to gain an insight into their perceptions of issues concerning AA. The results reveal that there are differences of opinion about AA amongst the junior and middle management employees. The differences are mainly racially based. There is no common understanding of AA and this leads to a dysfunctional effort in the implementation of this change. As resistance to change is a natural behavior of organisations and its members, naturally AA can be expected to be resisted by most employees. The present study suggests ways to overcome this problem and identifies the need for intervention to be undertaken concerning changing perceptions before AA can be understood and successfully implemented .

M.A. (Industrial Psychology) / South Africa is currently experiencing a period typified by daily changes in the labour economy and in its political structures. As a result of the critical shortage of skilled human resources, a decreasing white population and political pressure to reform, the country is under constant pressure to develop its human resources, race groups that are underdeveloped in the middle and top structures of the labour force. In this regard strategies to advance the occupational mobility of blacks are progressively being undertaken by South African companies. Given the pressing demands for human resource development the results of strategies to advance the occupational mobility of blacks are still perceived as unsatisfactory. Various contrasting views exist regarding the specific factors that inhibit black advancement as well as that which ought to be addressed in order to solve the problems underlying such advancement. In the absence of a coherent theoretical basis through which factors that inhibit the advancement of black occupational mobility can be explained and studied, the need for a suitable approach or framework to develop such a theoretical model, was identified. It was decided to study the problems underlying black advancement in South Africa by utilising a strategic-cultural approach. Before a strategic-cultural approach could be developed the nature and extent of the factors that inhibit the advancement of black occupational mobility was systematically examined. Inhibiting factors were analysed from literature through an integrated approach and it was found that the marginal position of the black labourer is fundamental to all of the contrasting views in this regard. In order to optimize the person-environment match relevant to the so-called marginal position of the black labourer it is emphasized in this study that the organisation's discemable and undiscemable structures should be changed...

M.B.A. / Sasol embarked upon an ambitious programme to adopt affirmative action measures for the diversification of the workplace, long before the promulgation of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. However, 8 years after commencing with this process, the organization's diversity status across all the junior, middle and senior management employment levels looks bleak. Despite the good, professed intentions by top management to diversify the workplace; in compliance with the Act, the process is being hindered by strong resistance. Responding to a questionnaire in annexure B on support for affirmative action measures, 98% of white males said they did not support them. The study sought to elicit an answer to the question as to whether the programme was being resisted/opposed or not. Only by uncovering the depth and nature of the resistance, could recommendations be made to accelerate the process. Questionnaires were completed by racially and gender diverse respondents. Overwhelmingly, responses by Africans, Coloureds and Indians indicated resistance to Sasol's type of employment equity practice. This is illustrated by the overall satisfaction index per race in figure 5.4. These designated groups, however, unanimously welcomed the creation of an equitable workplace through affirmative action measures. White males clearly opposed the implementation of affirmative action measures.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study focused on Black Economic Empowerment and gender in the liquid fuels industry. It explored the possible means of empowerment and questions the seriousness of organizations to institute programmes that are gender sensitive. The liquid fuels industry in South Africa served as the pinnacle of the apartheid state. It possessed the strength to survive the onslaught of the economic sanctions imposed as a result of apartheid. It was because of these stringent economic sanctions that it was forced to survive on its own with limited assistance. The advent of democracy in 1994 gave this industry the impetus to grow in terms of Gender and Black Economic Empowerment. / South Africa

Bibliography: pages 121-126C. / The research problem addressed in this research is the shortage of qualified chartered accountants from the black community in South Africa. This research attempts to identify what factors have resulted in this shortage, what efforts are being made to address this imbalance by which organisations and what factors could be considered as critical to the success of organisations, programmes and/or individuals. The study consists of a literature review and a three stage survey. Qualified black accountants and representatives of educational and other relevant organisations responded to questionnaires or were interviewed. The study is descriptive and exploratory in nature. Results indicate common trends amongst individual accountants and the opinions and experiences of organisations, rather than quantifiable data. The initial survey highlighted issues which have historically contributed to the shortage of black accountants, including awareness and perception of the profession, institutions, structures, racism, financial, macro and micro societal and educational factors. Educational factors were focused on for the remainder of the research. The literature review examined research in the areas of academic support programmes, cognition, learning and education and accounting education. Needs assessment, organisational objectives, educational methodology and evaluation were highlighted as potentially important factors in academic support programme design. The final section of the research drew on the practical experiences of support organisations and qualified accountants. The factors identified in the literature review appeared to be evident in most programmes. The group of qualified accountants participating in the study had not, however, participated in educational interventions by organisations, so the effectiveness of the hypothesized success factors could not be adequately assessed. Other issues which were identified in the study, and which are suggested for further research, were participation in facilitated or informal study groups, issues related to bilingualism and language and the importance of the locus of control over, and location of responsibility for, learning. The results indicate certain trends and commonalities which could guide further study, but the small population and sample size, and low response rates limit the generalisability of the results. Although the results are inconclusive as to the effectiveness of support organisations, a number of implications of the study for the short and long term, as well as suggestions for future research, can be made.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management. / Current political changes in local government will necessitate the implementation of affirmative action programmes. Successful implementation is vital to ensure peace and stability at local government level. The main purpose of this study was to examine control options for affirmative action in local government. The research was conducted by means of two research methods, namely documentary study on eight policy documents and survey questionnaires from 152 people involved in local government. It is interesting to note that the results of these methods were highly complementary. The documentary study and survey questionnaire results revealed a high degree of consensus on union involvement in the development of affirmative action policies and programmes. Furthermore, the enforcement of affirmative action by means of agreement between management and the trade unions was well received by all occupation groups in the study. Councillors and officials in particular, had no difficulty with shop steward involvement in the implementation of affirmative action, The study revealed that council officials and councillors are not in favour of government involvement in enforcing affirmative action policies and programmes .. At best, negotiated guidelines on affirmative action are fairly acceptable. The use of quotas and/or fines was unacceptable to the various parties. The nature of the research was exploratory and took the form of theory building as opposed to theory testing. For the first time in South Africa, an attempt was made to assess how best control systems for affirmative action policies and programmes could be implemented in local government. The input from key stakeholders in local government made it possible to develop a model that could he used to control affirmative action policies and programmes. / AC2017