In 2010, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) of Swaziland noticed a significant increase in employee absenteeism which they discovered was related mainly to: poor health (sick leave), personal and financial stress (garnishee orders were increasing), and low staff morale, the consequence of which was low productivity and missed deadlines (FSRA, 2010:7). High levels of absenteeism meant that a sizeable number of employees were unable to complete their daily tasks (FSRA, 2010:7). Consequently, in 2011, the FSRA Human Resource Department started a wellness programme for all employees in the organization in an attempt to respond to the human resource challenges reported in 2009/10 financial year. By the end of 2012, FSRA management reported that the introduction of the EWP had not yielded the expected results. This therefore prompted management to request an evaluation of the FSRA employee wellness programme. The aim of this research was to identify and prioritize the needs of employees in terms of requirements of a wellness programme and how it should be delivered. The specific objectives of the study are as follows: to identify the wellness needs of employees, to identify employee preferences in terms of the type of interventions to be included in a wellness programme, to identify the preferred mode of delivery of the wellness programme and to make recommendations to management on the design of a wellness programme. Questionnaires with closed ended questions were used to collect data for this survey. The questionnaire used is attached as Appendix A. By means of a needs analysis survey, this research was designed to assess the FSRA employees’ needs in terms of an employee wellness programme, as well as the preferred EWP delivery methods. About 70 percent of FSRA employees participated in the survey. The respondents completed the questionnaire and submitted it online over a period of 10 working days (2 weeks). This report is structured into three sections, namely; section one, which is the evaluation report that gives details of the importance of the study, highlights research methods and then present the results, discussions and recommendations. Section two deals with the literature review while section three reports on the research methodology, research design and procedures and the limitation of the study. In light of the findings on the wellness needs of employees, 72 percent of the respondents felt the current wellness programme was very inadequate and a further 10 percent added that it was inadequate in addressing their wellness needs largely because the needs were not known. The most important wellness needs identified included: exercise, nutrition, personal hygiene, disease awareness and treatment of illness, coping with stress, coping with workload, ventilation, safety, bereavement, personal debt, and retirement planning. The most preferred wellness interventions that respondents proposed include Flexible Work Schedule, Safe Workplace, Improved Ventilation, Retirement Planning Advice and Gymnasium. Further analysis done using correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant positive relationship between the wellness needs and the wellness interventions. Concerning the delivery of the wellness programme, most of the employees indicated that outsourcing certain services was better than having them in house. The highest ranking of the services for out sourcing were nutrition education and medical checkups that ranked between 82 percent and 75 percent respectively. The respondents indicated that they want almost all the chosen interventions to be outsourced. Time slots should also be taken into consideration to ensure employee participation in the wellness programme services. The respondent FSRA employees seem to prefer interventions of an educational nature to be during the lunch hour. These include Nutrition Education, Health Education, Hygiene Education and Medical Check ups and Treatment, whereas Gymnasium was preferred to be after working hours.

The neo-liberal restructuring of state assets and facilities, which has taken place internationally over the past three decades, as well as in South Africa, has been a matter of great controversy. Privatisation, in particular, has been a polarising issue, especially when applied to fields like healthcare. Supporters of privatisation view it as cutting costs, mobilising funding, expertise and innovation, resulting in improved delivery, and opening possibilities for a spread of ownership. Critics claim the process involves retrenchments, declining services for the (poorer) majority of people, and a focus on the elites as citizens become transformed into customers, and with any economic empowerment going to the already prosperous. This thesis examines these issues by looking at the privatisation of hospitals in South Africa, with a case study of the Netcare-Settlers Public Private Partnership (PPP) (also known as the Settlers Private Hospital) in Grahamstown, South Africa. Netcare is South Africa’s largest private hospital company, and also has substantial operations in the United Kingdom. The thesis sets out the context: a highly inequitable healthcare system in the country, the rise of privatisation in the apartheid and post-apartheid eras, and healthcare privatisation. In terms of the Netcare-Settlers PPP, the thesis examines how the PPP was structured and developed, focusing on the impact of the PPP on non-clinical operations. The thesis argues that the results of the PPP are mixed, that it has greatly improved areas like facilities, maintenance, cleaning and catering, performed less well in increasing the doctor/ patient ratio or in attracting specialists, and is associated with the widespread and problematic use of outsourcing of service workers like cleaners and security. Overall, the PPP has improved healthcare, with some effective sharing of resources between the public and private parts of the hospital, but also relies on a pool of relatively low waged, under-unionised, labour. In terms of the general debate over privatisation, the Netcare-Settlers PPP shows that both supporters and critics have some valid points, and that privatisation in practice is not an either/ or, black/ white, good/ bad proposition, but something more complex. The success and failure of PPPs depend on the details of the contracts, and these can be used to maximise the performance of both the public and private partners. Better contracts may help avoid the uneven results seen at institutions like the Netcare-Settlers PPP.

Introduction. This thesis intends to examine and problematize a phenomenon that, until now, has not been the subject of research: the use of temporary employment agencies in Swedish public libraries. The aim of the study is to investigate how the motives for using temporary employed library staff can be understood in relation to two potentially conflicting institutional logics: the market-liberal oriented New Public Management (NPM) logic and the professional library logic. Furthermore, the study aims to examine how these two logics are used as a means of obtaining legitimacy. Theory & Method. The theoretical underpinnings of the study are new institutional theory, and the research method is document analysis. The study’s empirical material consists of public documents, which have been processed through a qualitative thematic content analysis. By focusing on one specific organization - The City of Stockholm public libraries (Stockholms stadsbibliotek) - the investigation is carried out as a case-study. Results & Analysis. Six main themes have been identified: resource efficiency, flexibility, open libraries, competence, stability and administration. All themes contain expressions of both institutional logics. Legitimacy is obtained partly through the NPM logic and in relation to cost efficiency, partly in relation to the professional and democratic principles of the library logic. Thus, both logics are applied to justify the use of temporary employment agencies. Conclusion. The studied documents contain a relatively stable dynamic between the NPM logic and the library logic. Contrary to what some new institutional theorists have argued, the study’s results indicate that multiple logics may be able to coexist within an organizational field. The explanation for the coexistence of these logics might be that they share certain aspirations and perceptions, for example the perception of the library users and administrative work.   This is a two years master’s thesis in Library and Information Science.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this research report is to identify the alternative service delivery models that could deliver effective and efficient services to the South African public in future. The current economic realities, the effects of globalisation, the potential for technological innovation and the public‟s demand for better services have led the South African government to reconsider the manner in which services are being rendered. A futures methodology tool that was employed in understanding the environment in which services are delivered in South Africa is the environmental scanning. Environmental scanning which took the form of literature review, analysis of statistics already produced by other researchers, official publications and correspondence, newspaper surveys, pamphlets and newsletters, dissertations and theses as well as information from the internet will be employed in this study. Constructive environmental scanning which encompasses both material monism (also known as pop-ism) and the transcendental monism (Naude.2008; 53) was employed to develop a sound understanding of the environment (factors and forces) which have a bearing on the futures of the public service delivery. This exercise revealed that in South Africa services delivery is influenced by the following driving forces (environments): cultural and social, political and legislative, technological and economic. The environmental scanning also revealed that due to the importance attached to service delivery; government had to move away from the conventional approaches to public service delivery where government was the sole provider of services to the public and sought alternative ways of delivering services to the public. The following alternative service delivery models were adopted by government: contracting out, concession, leasing, privatization, management contract, and Electronic government as alternative models of service delivery. Notwithstanding the success of most of the models, some of these proved to be a breeding ground for nepotism, corruption, fraud and a paradise for white collar criminals. Political interference, that masquerades as political oversight is the order of the day. All of these are taking place at the expense of services delivery and are costing the government dearly. Government viewed this as an unhealthy state of affairs and also realised that this situation cannot be left to perpetuate into the future. Most importantly, government has awoken to the reality that the future can no longer be left to chance. Scenario planning was adopted as the research methodology employed in anticipating and preparing for the future. In the quest for v seeking alternative service delivery models for the future, the research report adopted the six stages of scenario planning. The chief value of scenario planning is that it allows policy-makers to make and learn from mistakes without risking career-limiting failures in real life. Further, policymakers can make these mistakes in a safe, unthreatening, game-like environment, while responding to a wide variety of concretely-presented situations based on facts. Scenario planning has an added benefit of allowing participants the latitude to think freely, allows creativity and encourages innovation.

Theses (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) capitalise on the distinctive advantage of the private sector’s capacity and experience in providing public infrastructure and services. This collaborative arrangement pools the resources and strengths of each partner in order to attain the anticipated project objectives. Municipalities are faced with a number of challenges; among them the consistent increase in urban population growth and resource constraints. This then inhibits infrastructure provision and puts pressure on the public institution to deliver basic services such as water and sanitation, and solid waste disposal. In light of this, private sector participation can enhance urban development through capacity building and delivery of the necessary infrastructure and services. This study examined the performance of an operation and maintenance PPP project in the area of solid waste management in the Municipality of Windhoek. More specifically, it assessed the extent to which this particular project has contributed to infrastructure development and service delivery at the municipal level, the factors that contributed to the success of the PPP arrangement, the lessons that can be learnt from, and the challenges associated with such an undertaking. By applying a case study methodology and utilising typical performance indicators of a PPP, the author attempted to determine the effectiveness of this PPP project. The study revealed that engaging a competent private sector partner can be an effective way of delivering critical services needed for attaining the desired goal. On the other hand, the study found that a lack of explicit quantitative targets and/or deliverables incorporated in the contract agreement makes it difficult to assess and measure the performance of the project. Furthermore, the study discovered the importance of clearly identifying, prioritising and apportioning all risks associated with the project at the time of contract formulation to avoid any undesirable consequences such as non-compliance, which can lead to penalties for the contracted partner. The study observed that the factors contributing to the success of the project were the keen interest of both partners in the long-term sustainability of the project, the presence of an experienced contractor, and having clear monitoring mechanisms in place.

This study generally centres on the debate about the impact of privatisation on socio-economic rights and services. The specific objective of the study is to establish whether the privatisation of water services in South Africa has led to denial of access, either through the lack of availability of a commercialised, cost-recovery service, or denial of access because of hight rates and resultant inability to pay. The study analysed how this has impacted on the states constitutional and international human rights obligation and how the resultant problems can be addressed. It examines whether or not privatisation, which is basically aimed at improving service delivery and bringing countries in line with globalisation principles, has actually achieved that objective.

University of Macau / Faculty of Law

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-03T18:32:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Hilda_Marina_da_Rocha_Rinaldi.pdf: 285748 bytes, checksum: 3b5e3ebb023bf361d5eb9a130462d343 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-10-10 / The purpose of this research was to obtain an adequate hiring process for the systems development outsourcing, to obtain a fair precification for the job, through a more precise quantification of the necessary efforts involved, aiming to avoid constant pricing reviews coming from changes in the efforts forecasted at thebeginning. The research's key point was the building of an instrument allowing the perfect identification of most expressive issues to be outlined in a request for system development, then making contracts handling a routine in accordance with international standards. After reviewing many of the existing software metrics, the research led to the adequacy of the FPA (Function Point Analysis) in the contractors / users relationship handling, considering that it is internationally accepted for being an ISO regulation and it is in accordance with the requirements of another ISO regulation, regarding to Functional Size Measurement. One of the research's achievements was that the FPA use allows a better evaluation of the bids offered by suppliers, favoring an hiring with fair price and avoiding contract reviews that very often led to undesirable price reviews. Concerning to the methodology, 3 pre-tests were prepared using a small and selected sample constituted by professionals, in both developing systems and outsourcing areas. These professionals were skilled in metrics. Based on the pre-test results, a questionnaire was prepared, containing 16 questions to be answered by a group of professionals, with skills very alike of those in the pre-test answerers. Answers were given through marking one out of five alternatives according to Likert Scale. The resulting data were evaluated using the SPSS software, base 10.0 and analyzing 16 answers frequency. Both Factorial and Discriminant Analysis were used. To make the research more relevant, other statistical data were analyzed to verify the answerer's conditions, if contractor or user, and the impact of the time working in the system area and the job position in the answers. As result of the research, relevant issues to be considered in an outsourcing contract could be observed, being the main one the existence of a metric to enhance transparency and objectivity involving contractors/users relationship and leading to the most adequate price. / O prop??sito desta pesquisa foi obter um processo adequado de terceiriza????o de contrata????o de desenvolvimento de sistemas, para resultar numa precifica????o mais justa do trabalho por meio de uma quantifica????o do esfor??o necess??rio envolvido, visando evitar revis??es constantes dos pre??os advindos de mudan??as no esfor??o previsto no in??cio do trabalho. O ponto focal da pesquisa foi a constru????o de um instrumento que possibilitasse identificar perfeitamente os mais significativos assuntos numa requisi????o de desenvolvimento de sistemas, tornando a gest??o de contratos uma rotina amparada em padr??es internacionais. Ap??s a an??lise de v??rias t??cnicas de medi????o de software existentes, a pesquisa concluiu que a An??lise de Pontos de Fun????o demonstrou ser a mais indicada para a gest??o das rela????es entre CONTRATANTES e CONTRATADAS, por se tratar de uma t??cnica aceita internacionalmente, ser uma norma ISO e estar em conformidade com outra norma ISO que considera o projeto para Medi????o Funcional de Software. Uma das resultantes da pesquisa foi que o uso da An??lise de Pontos de Fun????o possibilita uma melhor avalia????o das propostas apresentadas pelos fornecedores, favorecendo uma contrata????o por um pre??o mais equilibrado evitando revis??es de contratos que freq??entemente levam ?? indesej??veis revis??es de pre??os. De acordo com a metodologia foram realizados 3 pr??-testes com uma amostra selecionada constitu??da de profissionais atuantes em desenvolvimento de sistemas e em terceiriza????o e tamb??m com conhecimento de m??tricas de software. Baseado nos resultados do pr??-teste foi elaborado um instrumento com 16 assertivas para serem respondidas por um grupo de profissionais com habilidades bastante parecidas com as dos respondentes do pr??-teste. As respostas deveriam ser assinaladas por meio da escolha de uma entre cinco alternativas de acordo com a escala de Likert. Os dados resultantes foram analisados com apoio do software SPSS base 10.0 e verificadas as freq????ncias das 16 respostas. Tamb??m foram utilizados os m??todos de an??lise fatorial e de an??lise discriminante. Para tornar a pesquisa mais relevante, outros dados estat??sticos foram analisados para que se verificasse se as respostas aderiam ??s condi????es dos respondentes como CONTRATADA ou como CONTRATANTE e o impacto do tempo de experi??ncia na ??rea e o tipo de fun????o exercida. Como resultado da pesquisa foi observado que considera????es relevantes devem ser levadas em conta em um contrato de desenvolvimento de sistemas, sendo a principal delas a exist??ncia de uma m??trica, para que se tenha mais transpar??ncia e objetividade entre CONTRATANTE e CONTRATADA e que se pratique o pre??o mais adequado.

published_or_final_version / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration