Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on March 10, 2010). The entire thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file; a non-technical public abstract appears in the public.pdf file. Thesis advisor: Dr. Lee Wilkins. Includes bibliographical references.

Diplomarbeit--Fachhochschule für Soziale Arbeit, Zürich, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 3-9, 2nd set).

This thesis examines the problem of skills shortages in the workplace by reviewing macro-policies, such as the Skills Development and Employment Equity Acts. It also looks at the impact of economic strategies in South Africa that seek to redress past injustices whilst stimulating growth. This study endeavours to provide a greater understanding of the development of skills in the South African workplace in general. It also attempts to determine whether or not skills acquired by employed workers help to sustain them when they become unemployed. Furthermore, it assesses the impact of changes in the workplace chosen for this study, whether it experienced segmentation and casualisation of the workforce and the manner in which it is affected by technological change. In conducting this study, a triangular approach has been adopted in order to collect more data on skill shortages; it adopted the qualitative and quantitative methods. In-depth interviews and semi-structured questionnaires were utilised to collect data from Durban Botanic Gardens’ Parks Department employees. The study found that previously disadvantaged workers face almost the same working conditions as during the days of apartheid. It also shows that progressive skills policies adopted by Government have not been appropriately implemented by various management structures. This study will assist the government, researchers and scholars in general in gaining a clearer understanding about skills development in South Africa. It also recommends that there is a need for the government to come up with mechanisms to ensure that all policies that are adopted are implemented effectively and monitored at all levels. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

The overall concern of this study is that of substantive equality, as defined by Canadian law, in the employment context, and the specific goal of this study is to provide a model to assess (and prevent) unlawful systemic discrimination in an assessment center. Because discrimination is essentially the same, wherever it occurs, the model proposed in this study is also useful for assessing discrimination in employment selection generally. In the employment context, evidence of systemic discrimination is often limited to selection patterns, and so this study argues that statistical analyses can be particularly useful. Since the Supreme Court adopted the effects theory, where intent is immaterial and the focus is on results, such analyses are likely to become an appealing alternative to traditional arguments of exclusion and disproportion. The analytic model proposed here suggests two general phases to a legal analysis of discrimination. First, there is the preliminary phase, which consists of three interrelated steps: identifying the applicable selection procedure, identifying the relevant legal issue, and identifying the appropriate groups for comparison. Second, there is the assessment phase, which consists of two sequential steps: comparing the groups of interest on the dimension of interest to determine if differences exist, and analyzing observed differences to determine if they are legally or practically significant. It is in this phase that statistical analyses can be especially helpful in an assessment of systemic discrimination. To test its utility, the proposed model was applied to the Justice Institute of British Columbia Police Academy assessment center (where entry level police applicants are screened) to determine whether the assessment center discriminated on the basis of sex. Of particular interest to the Police Academy is that the results indicated no sex discrimination, but notably the results also indicated that the proposed model provides a practicable and relatively uncomplicated way to assess discrimination. Moreover, consistent with the goal of prevention, this study demonstrates how a reliability assessment can provide important information about the potential for discrimination in employee selection, thereby providing employers with the means to be more proactive than otherwise possible.

No description available.

<p>The aim of this study was to investigate the barriers that impede the career advancement of women at an auditing firm in the Western Cape. These include internal and external barriers. More specifically, the study aimed to establish whether significant differences exist between women in different age groups, job levels, race groups and single, divorce/widowed and married groups in the firm, regarding their views in relation to their own career advancement.</p>

Gender is perhaps the most significant social category in human society. According to Maccoby and Jacklin (1974), the influence of gender is apparent in all known languages, past and present, and serves to distinguish the role differences in society. Gender may be seen as the primary basis for human differentiation and serves as a powerful incentive for this study. The study was conducted at the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN) to gain a better understanding of the differences in leadership styles and the significant role that gender plays in leadership. The aim of the study was to highlight gender differences in leadership styles, gender discrimination, the break in the ‘glass ceiling’ and the stereotyping of male and female leaders. The objective of this study was to determine if there were any differences in leadership styles based on demographics, perceptions and past research. The questionnaire was designed around the objectives of the study. Participants were invited to participate in a web based survey using the on-line software programme QuestionPro. The University of Kwazulu-Natal employs 4361 staff. In terms of a number of sample size tables, 384 is the recommended minimum sample size. Links to the online questionnaires were sent to all employees however, only 64 people responded even after numerous attempts were made to increase the sample. The findings revealed that 64.4% of respondents preferred to be led by a male leader and 35.6% of respondents preferred to be led by a female leader. In contrast, 67.31% of respondents disagreed that they respond more positively to male leaders and 17.13% strongly disagreed. A salient feature of this study is that, while participants still prefer to be led by a male leader, the majority of the participants felt that there was no difference in the leadership styles of men and women and that the gender of their manager did not impact on their work performance. The study can be of benefit to anyone that is currently in a leadership role or someone that is has been identified by the organisation to be placed in a leadership role in the future. It is also of great value and benefit to women in leadership roles as this study addresses gender discrimination and the obstacles that women face in the workforce. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

This dissertation focuses on indirect discrimination against women in employment. It briefly examines the causes of discrimination against women in the workplace. Further it explains the concept of indirect discrimination by tracing its origins in the United States of America and analyses the development of the law of indirect discrimination in the United States until the introduction of the Civil Rights Act of 1991. This analysis involves an examination of the elements involved in proving an indirect discrimination claim and the problems experienced in doing so. The British indirect discrimination laws and cases are then examined to the extent to which Britain deviates from the American approach. The comparative law discussion will indicate the problems that have become an inherent feature of indirect discrimination cases. The problematic nature of proving indirect discrimination necessitates a discussion of the common types of conditions and requirements that indirectly discriminate against women. It is against this background that the present South African legislation on indirect discrimination in employment is analysed and case developments reviewed. Finally, the proposals of the Green Paper on Employment Equity are examined. The recommendations for the introduction of a comprehensive discrimination statute; the introduction of an independent commission; and the formulation of a Code of Good Practice that will provide guidelines to employers, are supported. Further, recommendations are made for a flexible discrimination legislation that provides a broad legal framework which allows for development of the law; the necessity to address issues regarding administration and costs involved in implementing this legislation; the introduction of additional funtions of the independent commission relating to training and access to the law; and the adoption of a statutorily enforced affirmative action policy that addresses the inequalities faced by women in employment. / Thesis (LL.M.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

Previous research has shown that although women outnumber men in public relations, women hold inferior positions, are paid less, and possess less credibility in their organization.Gender and roles in public relations has become a common focus of research for the public relations scholar; however, very few studies have used Q-methodology to gauge attitudes on this subject.Using Q-methodology, 21 public relations practitioners from a variety of organizations in 3 states were asked to sort 48 statements concerning attitudes about gender and roles in the field. Two factors emerged from the results and were labeled: Initiators and Generalists.Results indicated gender was no longer a factor in what roles the practitioner played and roles in public relations were blurring. It suggests further research should focus on differences between generalists and specialists rather than managers and technicians. / Department of Journalism

Access to abstract permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only / Department of Journalism