Burnout, characterised by feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment can prove detrimental to both the individual employee and the organisation. These negative effects can significantly affect the service culture of client service organisations, since research has shown that burnout amongst front-line service employees can result in these employees displaying negative feelings and behaviour towards their clients and co-workers (Yagil, 2006: 259). Research into antecedents of burnout has primarily focused on organisational and job variables, such as role conflict, role ambiguity, work overload and lack of social support. The present study departed from this tradition by focusing on the relationship between role identities (subjective perceptions) and burnout amongst 100 client service employees in three client service organisations in South Africa. The research was informed by previous studies that suggest that client service employees who feel subordinate to the client and powerless in their interactions with the client may display higher levels of burnout than those who feel in control of the service relationship (Buunk, Peiro, Rodriguez&Bravo, 2007; Vanheule&Verhaeghe, 2004). By applying a sequential mixed-methods approach consisting of a quantitative and a qualitative phase, the research explored the differences in role identities of client service employees who measure higher on burnout with the role identities of client service employees who measure lower on burnout. In the quantitative phase, a survey questionnaire incorporating the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey (Maslach&Jackson, 1996) and a modified version of the Burke-Tully role-identity measurement (Burke&Tully, 1977) was used. The quantitative phase was followed by a qualitative phase consisting of semi-structured interviews with eight higher burnout and nine lower burnout employees. The quantitative data were analysed by means of Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis (MLFA) with Direct Quartimin rotation, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis. The analysis of qualitative data proceeded through a process of open, axial and selective coding as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1994). Both the quantitative and qualitative data are interpreted within the conceptual framework developed, and a number of findings are presented. Analysis of the quantitative data shows that the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) items load on two, instead of the three factors as conceptualised by Maslach and Jackson (1986). One of the two factors corresponds to the reduced personal accomplishment subscale. The other factor comprises items from both the emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation subscales. The two subscales derived from the factor analysis were then correlated with client service employees‟ descriptions of self in role, counter-role and self in relation to the client descriptions on the bipolar adjective scales. This analysis revealed a number of significant correlations − suggesting a difference in the role identities of client service employees who measure higher on burnout when compared with client service employees who measure lower on burnout. For instance, higher levels of burnout are associated with feeling weak, powerless, unhelpful, inconsiderate, not respected and unimportant. The more rigid, impatient and inconsiderate the client is perceived to be, the higher the levels of experienced burnout. The qualitative data reveal that the role identities of higher burnout employees differ from the role identities of lower burnout employees. While higher burnout employees regard themselves as subordinate to and powerless against the client, lower burnout respondents define themselves as superior to and more knowledgeable than the client. Lower burnout employees are able to exert a level of control and power over the client, while higher burnout employees feel controlled by the client. The qualitative research also illustrates how role identities inform behaviour which may contribute to the development of burnout. The role identities of lower burnout employees also enable self-verification, while the role identities of higher burnout client service employees inhibit self-verification. The study introduces the concept of role identity as an important variable to consider in the development of burnout and links the development of client service role identities to organisational client discourse. In so doing, the study has provided organisational theorists and practitioners with a further point of intervention with which to reduce burnout in client service settings. The study has also developed a conceptual framework, derived from the literature and supported by both qualitative and quantitative findings, that shows how role identity can contribute to role-related attitudes and behaviours that could lead to or inhibit the development of burnout. The study is therefore not merely descriptive in nature, but provides a tentative explanatory framework linking burnout and role identity and exploring the mechanisms by virtue of which this relationship exists. The dissertation concludes with recommendations as to how organisational client discourse may be framed so as to facilitate the creation of role identities which empower the employee in relation to the client. By facilitating the development of empowered client service employees, organisations could greatly reduce levels of experienced burnout. As a result, organisational performance will improve, since lower levels of burnout are associated with reduced absenteeism, increased job satisfaction and commitment to the organisation and improved relationships with clients. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

The financial meltdown that started in 2008 has had a severe influence on financial institutions worldwide. Financial sectors, and especially banks, were impacted severely due to bad debts that reached record highs. During this period, it became clear that banks will have to review their client-service strategies, as well as the way that income is generated from their clients. One way is to increase the income earned from existing customers by cross-selling more products to these clients. To increase the income earned from clients by improving the amount of products sold to clients, banks need to retain their client base. In most South African business banks, a customer relationship management (CRM) process is followed. CRM has become an important part of relationship banking; and it plays a significant role in customer acquisition and maintaining a profitable business relationship. Despite much research on cross-selling and satisfaction, no study seems to provide a clear indication on the role of CRM in providing customer satisfaction and cross-selling in the South African business-banking sector. This study will attempt to determine the role of CRM in satisfaction and cross-selling in business banking. For this purpose, the client base of a commercial bank in South Africa will be utilised. The study will focus on business clients in the small, medium and large sectors of the bank. The purpose of this research is to determine the role of multi-level CRM in satisfaction and cross-selling in the business-banking segment. The research objectives driving this research are: • To determine whether those segments serviced through different CRM processes experience different levels of satisfaction; • Investigating whether those segments with higher levels of satisfaction show more cross-selling; • Discovering whether those customers exposed to CRM over longer periods of time have higher levels of satisfaction; • Assessing whether those segments serviced through higher levels of CRM result in higher levels of cross-selling; • Determining whether customers exposed to CRM over longer periods of time demonstrate a higher cross-selling propensity; • To investigate whether customers with high levels of cross-selling have a greater likelihood to recommend their bank to others; • To determine whether a higher likelihood to recommend within segments shows higher levels of cross-selling; • Assessing whether segments differ in their likelihood to recommend their bank to others; and • Investigating whether customers with a longer bank relationship have a higher likelihood of recommending their bank to others. To execute the research, relevant secondary databases need to be sourced. The first database was from a research company, which conducts research for the bank in scope; while the second database would be from the bank in scope’s warehouse. After evaluating the databases for the relevance and quality of the data, the databases were combined into a final dataset – for the purpose of data mining – to address the research objectives. The population for this study consists of small, medium and large business clients of one of the banking groups in South Africa. The results indicated the existence of significant differences between these business segments in terms of their satisfaction experienced; and they confirmed an association between the length of a customer’s relationship with the bank and his/her level of satisfaction experienced. When considering cross-selling and the likelihood to recommend, the results also demonstrate that a positive relationship exists between customers as regards their cross-selling ratio and the likelihood to recommend their bank. The findings from the study should guide managers to distinguish between the satisfaction experienced and the cross-sales generated by the CRM structures used in specific segments in business banking. The study should contribute to the body of knowledge in CRM and cross-selling by adding to the literature knowledge base. / Thesis (DCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Marketing Management / unrestricted

Αντικείμενο της Διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η μεταφορά ενός παιχνιδιού στρατηγικής, πού έχει αναπτυχθεί με γνώμονα τους κανόνες της Ενισχυτικής Μάθησης (Reinforcement Learning) & των Νευρωνικών δικτύων (Neural Networks), σε πλατφόρμα κινητού τηλεφώνου 6ης γενιάς & μέσω διαδικτύου με σκοπό την εκπαίδευσης του συστήματος από τον απλό χρήστη. Σκοπός της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η σχεδίαση, ανάπτυξη του συστήματος λογισμικού βασισμένου σε τεχνολογίες διαδικτύου & κινητής τηλεφωνίας. Η Παρούσα εργασία επικεντρώνεται σε τρεις τομείς: • Έρευνα υφιστάμενων mobile τεχνολογιών • Δυνατότητα επανασχεδιασμού εφαρμογής με χρήση τεχνολογιών mobile internet • Έλεγχος υφιστάμενης δυνατότητας επανασχεδίασης και επαναϋλοποίησης του παιχνιδιού με χρήση άλλων συστημάτων (πλατφόρμων) σε συνδυασμό με χρήση ενισχυτικής μάθησης. / In this paper we review our work on th acquisition of game-playing capabilitiew by a computer , when the only source of knowledge comes from extended self-play and sparsely dispersed human-expert play. We summarily present experiment that showhow a reinforcement learning backbone coupled with neural networks for approximation can indeed serve as amechanism of the acquisition oof game playing skill and we derive game interestingness measures that are inexpensive and strightforward to compute, yert also capture the relative quality of the game playing engine.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2016-08-24T12:14:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Igor Stepanenko.pdf: 2443232 bytes, checksum: d1edf01ed394ca37e78103daefe62504 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-24T12:14:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Igor Stepanenko.pdf: 2443232 bytes, checksum: d1edf01ed394ca37e78103daefe62504 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This text aims to understand how public service was held in the Museu Paulista do Ipiranga Museum, or, as it is known, in the period of 1895, date of its Foundation, until 1915, when its first Director Herman Von Ihering leaves his post, and the Museum was founded as the Museum of Natural history, begins slowly becoming Historical Museum under the direction of Alfonso Taunay. Seeks to map the intellectual debate that turned into a monument to independence, but reasoned as scientific character Museum. The hypothesis of this study is that, for a portion of the Republicans from São Paulo, Museu Paulista functioned as educational institution within a general project of public instruction, in addition to scientific and production site, too, as supplementary instruction to schools. . For both the research bolsters file documents, lectures, letters, letters, newspapers, magazines, specialized bibliography / O presente texto tem por objetivo compreender como era realizado atendimento ao público do Museu Paulista, entendendo o museu como instituição voltada à educação no estado de São Paulo. O recorte temporal da pesquisa estuda o Museu do Ipiranga, como é mais conhecido, no período de 1895, data de sua fundação, até 1915, quando seu primeiro diretor Herman Von Ihering deixa o cargo e o museu, que fora fundado como Museu de História Natural, começa paulatinamente a transformar-se em Museu Histórico, sob a direção de Afonso Taunay. Procura mapear o debate intelectual que o transformou em um monumento à Independência, mas fundamentado como museu de caráter científico. A hipótese deste trabalho é a de que, para uma parcela dos republicanos paulistas, o Museu Paulista funcionava como instituição de educação dentro de um projeto geral de instrução pública, para além de local de produção científica e, também, como local de instrução complementar às escolas. A pesquisa conclui que o Museu desempenhou, além do caráter científico, o papel de instituição voltada à instrução publica, tanto para a comunidade escolar como para público variado. O uso do espaço externo, praças e jardins do palácio monumento o configuraram também como um espaço educativo, contribuindo para a formação de uma identidade nacional, por meio de uma série de eventos nesses locais. O Museu Paulista, como museu de História Natural, em seu início, cumpriu sua função de instrutor público voltado para a formação científica, mas, sendo Palácio Monumento, marcou como formador da identidade nacional, demarcando como sede solene da Independência do Brasil. A pesquisa foi amparada por documentos de arquivos, leituras de relatórios, cartas, ofícios, jornais, revistas, bibliografia especializada e outros documentos relativos a este período histórico. Os arquivos privilegiados durante a pesquisa foram acervo e biblioteca do Museu Paulista da Universidade de São Paulo, o Arquivo Público do Estado de São Paulo e o acervo do jornal O Estado de S.Paulo. O trabalho visa entender a posição histórica de um dos principais museus do estado de São Paulo, diante dos planos republicanos para a instrução pública e a formação do cidadão

Customer service has recently become an important subject with significant consequences for academic institutions. However, there is a lack of research in this area and relevant, scientifically justifiable studies should assist in determining what is required for the provision of good quality service to students. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference between the expectations of service and the perceptions of actual service provided by the Human Resources Department at the University of Pretoria. The respondent group included students from a variety of disciplines who chose Industrial and Organisational Psychology as subject. Based on the survey method a questionnaire was used to gather the relevant information. The literature study identified five important dimensions of customer service namely tangibles, reliability, responsibility, security and empathy. The expectations and perceptions of the students (n=255) of actual service in terms of the above dimensions were determined and weighed against each other. The results of this study showed that although there is room for improvement, the level of customer service provided by the department was proven to be satisfactory. The following conclusions were made regarding the perceptions of the research group in terms of current and expected levels of service. Aspects that appeared to be most satisfactory, were appearance of employees, reliability of lecturers, safety of interaction, time spent with students and keeping of accurate records. There is room for improvement in the following areas: spending time with individuals, current working and consulting hours, efficiency of available facilities and attention given to students' needs. Field of study, age, language, residence, academic and historical year did not have any effect worth mentioning on the perceptions of current levels of service. Biographical variables did have an impact on the expectations of levels of service. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

<p>The call centre industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. Call centres have for most companies become a basic business requirement for servicing customers. Zapf, Isic, Bechtoldt and Blau (2003: 311) argue that there are high levels of stress amongst employees in call centres, which they believe to be the result of both the work tasks and the interactions with customers. The aim of this study was to establish whether call centre work design and structure contributed to role stress amongst client service representatives (CSRs). It was also the aim of this study to establish whether role stress affected the CSRs‟ levels of job satisfaction and their intentions to quit from their jobs.</p>

<p>The call centre industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. Call centres have for most companies become a basic business requirement for servicing customers. Zapf, Isic, Bechtoldt and Blau (2003: 311) argue that there are high levels of stress amongst employees in call centres, which they believe to be the result of both the work tasks and the interactions with customers. The aim of this study was to establish whether call centre work design and structure contributed to role stress amongst client service representatives (CSRs). It was also the aim of this study to establish whether role stress affected the CSRs‟ levels of job satisfaction and their intentions to quit from their jobs.</p>

Frontline client service workers are central to the service elements of any small and medium enterprise. People who have much customer or client contact are seen to be subject to stronger emotional display rules. These display rules may result in compromising the psychological and/or physical health of workers, because they often lead to a disturbing dissonance between felt emotions and the emotions one must exhibit. It is, therefore, of vital importance for service workers to exhibit Emotional Intelligence, which will enable them to manage both their own emotions and their interactions with other people. Their inability to do so may result in stress as well as physical and emotional exhaustion, also known as Burnout. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between Emotion Work, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being and Social Support of client service workers within small and medium enterprises, A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample was taken from small and medium enterprises employing client service workers in the Mpumalanga Province (N = 145). The Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS), Frankfurt Emotion Work Scales (FEWS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and Social Support Scale, as well as a biographical questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, factor analysis, inter-item correlation coefficients, Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression analysis, and Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyse the data. Principal component analysis resulted in a one-factor solution for Engagement labelled Work Engagement, and a two factor solution for Burnout namely: Disengagement and Emotional Exhaustion. Regarding Social Support, a three factor model was extracted namely; Social Support - Co-worker, Social Support -Supervisor and Social Support - Family. A three factor model was extracted for Emotion Work namely: Emotional Dissonance, Display of Client Care and Extent of Client Interaction. A four-factor solution was extracted for Emotional Intelligence namely: Emotional Expression/Recognition, Use of Emotions to Facilitate Thinking, Control of Emotion as well as Caring and Empathy. An analysis of the data indicated that all of the correlations between the different constructs mentioned below are statistically and practically significant, Disengagement was positively related to Emotional Exhaustion and negatively related to Emotional Expression/Recognition, Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking and Work Engagement. Emotional Exhaustion was positively related to Emotional Dissonance and negatively related to Emotional Expression/Recognition. Emotional Dissonance was positively related to Display of Client Care, while Display of Client Care was positively related to Extent of Client Interaction, as well as Caring and Empathy. Emotional Expression/Recognition was positively related to both Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking and Work Engagement. Emotion Control was positively related to Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking, while it in turn was positively related to Work Engagement. Finally, Social Support from Co-workers was positively related to Social Support from Supervisors and Family, and Social Support from Supervisors was positively related to Social Support from Family. A multiple regression analysis indicated that Emotion Work, Social Support and Emotional Intelligence predicted 29% of the variance in Work Engagement, 30% of the variance explained in Disengagement and 37% of the variance in Emotional Exhaustion. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) which was used to determine differences between the departmental, age, race, qualification, language and gender groups with regard to Emotion Work, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being and Burnout, indicated no statistical significant differences (p < 0,05). The results indicated a correlation between Emotional Intelligence, Emotion Work and Well-being factors. Emotional Intelligence factors predicted Work Engagement and Emotion Work predicted Emotional Exhaustion. Recommendations were made for the profession of client service work in small and medium enterprises, as well as for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Frontline client service workers are central to the service elements of any small and medium enterprise. People who have much customer or client contact are seen to be subject to stronger emotional display rules. These display rules may result in compromising the psychological and/or physical health of workers, because they often lead to a disturbing dissonance between felt emotions and the emotions one must exhibit. It is, therefore, of vital importance for service workers to exhibit Emotional Intelligence, which will enable them to manage both their own emotions and their interactions with other people. Their inability to do so may result in stress as well as physical and emotional exhaustion, also known as Burnout. The objective of this research was to determine the relationship between Emotion Work, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being and Social Support of client service workers within small and medium enterprises, A cross-sectional survey design was used. An availability sample was taken from small and medium enterprises employing client service workers in the Mpumalanga Province (N = 145). The Greek Emotional Intelligence Scale (GEIS), Frankfurt Emotion Work Scales (FEWS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and Social Support Scale, as well as a biographical questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. Cronbach alpha coefficients, factor analysis, inter-item correlation coefficients, Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression analysis, and Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were used to analyse the data. Principal component analysis resulted in a one-factor solution for Engagement labelled Work Engagement, and a two factor solution for Burnout namely: Disengagement and Emotional Exhaustion. Regarding Social Support, a three factor model was extracted namely; Social Support - Co-worker, Social Support -Supervisor and Social Support - Family. A three factor model was extracted for Emotion Work namely: Emotional Dissonance, Display of Client Care and Extent of Client Interaction. A four-factor solution was extracted for Emotional Intelligence namely: Emotional Expression/Recognition, Use of Emotions to Facilitate Thinking, Control of Emotion as well as Caring and Empathy. An analysis of the data indicated that all of the correlations between the different constructs mentioned below are statistically and practically significant, Disengagement was positively related to Emotional Exhaustion and negatively related to Emotional Expression/Recognition, Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking and Work Engagement. Emotional Exhaustion was positively related to Emotional Dissonance and negatively related to Emotional Expression/Recognition. Emotional Dissonance was positively related to Display of Client Care, while Display of Client Care was positively related to Extent of Client Interaction, as well as Caring and Empathy. Emotional Expression/Recognition was positively related to both Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking and Work Engagement. Emotion Control was positively related to Emotion Use to Facilitate Thinking, while it in turn was positively related to Work Engagement. Finally, Social Support from Co-workers was positively related to Social Support from Supervisors and Family, and Social Support from Supervisors was positively related to Social Support from Family. A multiple regression analysis indicated that Emotion Work, Social Support and Emotional Intelligence predicted 29% of the variance in Work Engagement, 30% of the variance explained in Disengagement and 37% of the variance in Emotional Exhaustion. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) which was used to determine differences between the departmental, age, race, qualification, language and gender groups with regard to Emotion Work, Emotional Intelligence, Well-being and Burnout, indicated no statistical significant differences (p < 0,05). The results indicated a correlation between Emotional Intelligence, Emotion Work and Well-being factors. Emotional Intelligence factors predicted Work Engagement and Emotion Work predicted Emotional Exhaustion. Recommendations were made for the profession of client service work in small and medium enterprises, as well as for future research purposes. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / The call centre industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in South Africa. Call centres have for most companies become a basic business requirement for servicing customers. Zapf, Isic, Bechtoldt and Blau (2003: 311) argue that there are high levels of stress amongst employees in call centres, which they believe to be the result of both the work tasks and the interactions with customers. The aim of this study was to establish whether call centre work design and structure contributed to role stress amongst client service representatives (CSRs). It was also the aim of this study to establish whether role stress affected the CSRs' levels of job satisfaction and their intentions to quit from their jobs. / South Africa