Thesis (MTech (Construction Management))--Cape Penninsula University of Technology, 2005 / The construction industry contributes to the economy in terms of its labour intensive nature and status as a major employer of labour in many countries. This pivotal role is divided by its unappealing status ofbeing an industrial sector with the lowest level of employment of disabled persons. Despite the South African government's efforts to diversifY the industry's labour force, these have had little concrete effect on changing the demographics of construction especially relative to the representation of minority groups such as women and disabled persons. The industry presents both a challenging and hostile environment and attitudinal barrier for persons with disabilities. They have not been seen as part of the pool of people considered for employment, and when already employed, possible promotion. To change this negative image, conscious measures are necessary to remove barriers. These measures should include a change in leadership style and approach, fundamental change in culture, change in the negative image of the working environment, and full implementation of equal opportunity policies. This paper reports on the employment status of disabled persons within the construction industry. To achieve this, the qualitative methodology was adopted and included surveys, self-administered questionnaires and interviews as well as the quantitative methodology to validate the completeness of data

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the MAGISTER EDUCATIONIS in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2014 / The apartheid system caused severe pain, injustice and financial loss to the majority of South African people. To redress the aftereffects of racial discrimination in the workplace, the Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1998 was established. While there is some research on the challenges of implementing the EEA legislation in universities, there is a paucity of research on the difficulties faced by Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges. The purpose of this research project was to investigate the extent to which the EEA has been implemented in public FET Colleges located in the Western Cape Province, with the specific objective of identifying possible barriers to the implementation of the EEA in these Colleges. The research question was: What types of challenges1, or barriers (if any), exist in the implementation of the EEA in public FET Colleges in the Western Cape? This study is informed by critical social theory. The design of research in this study is both qualitative and quantitative. Data were collected from Deputy Chief Executive Officers (Corporate Services), Human Resources Managers and Campus Heads from each of the four Colleges. Semi-structured, open-ended interviews and documentary analysis were used. Data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Four of the six FET Colleges in the Western Cape Province were selected on the basis of their geographical location and the diversity of their personnel. Results revealed that in public FET Colleges in the Western Cape, white males and coloured females dominate top management positions. Data further showed that the Indian group is the least represented at both top and bottom levels of these FET Colleges. Although white females are fewer than their coloured female counterparts in top positions, they are nonetheless more than double the number of their black female counterparts. These results have serious implications for implementation of EEA legislation in general, and in the Western Cape specifically.

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology. / Since the merger, changes occurred within CPUT and within its salary structure as a whole. Measures had to be taken in order to harmonise the two salary structures to produce a single in order to eliminate disparities and as to ensures equity among the different categories of employees and their respective levels of appointment. When the researcher discovered that there were disparities within our merged systems, the researcher decided to do a researcher concerning disparities with the new merged salary structure. When most of the employees also discovered that some of their counterparts in other campuses were on a higher salary grade than them, they felt disgruntled. This was understandable as the two campuses had different salary structures inherent from the previous technikons. The researcher was done as employees’ salaries might affect productivity and their tenure with the organisation. When there are disparities it must not be taken for granted as it is the desire need to be fairly treated by the organisation, making development in the salary programme as it is very important for the human resource department.

Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011. / This study investigated the professional status of female public relations practitioners in Rwandan public and private institutions by using direct managers as a focal point to get their perspectives about their staff. The study used a structured questionnaire to get information from the managers in public relations or communication departments. While different authors such as Aldoory & Toth, (2002); Wilcox and Cameron (2006:35) and Hon (1995) indicate that the public relations industry is feminised to the extent of 70 percent, the results of this study present it otherwise. The findings reveal that the trend of feminisation in Rwandan public relations industry is not on the same speed as the one in the industry worldwide. This means that based on the findings from different studies worldwide, females are represented by a big number in the public relations industry than males do. Furthermore, there is a gender gap in terms of responsibilities whereby women are more clustered in technical tasks rather than managerial ones. Although Rwanda has opted to empower women in its reconstruction process, they are still affected by the legacies of indigenous culture in terms of stereotypes associated with them and salary gaps which shows that the promotion of a female professional continue to be a problem in some organisations. Considering the research results, the public relations industry in Rwanda is still a new field and hence its practitioners' professional status especially women is not well depicted. However, the results show that female practitioners are able to offer good services to their customers due to their innate caring character and professionalism. The results recommend that local high learning institutions should include public relations courses in their program to ensure long run availability of public relations professionals. In addition the Rwanda private sector is encouraged to open up public relations agencies which will contribute to the improvement of customer care in Rwanda. Finally, the researcher recommends that public relations activities should be well planned in organisations to avoid confusion with other related fields such as marketing, for instance. The researcher further recommends that advance studies should be conducted to engage in the evaluation of the implementation of gender promotion laws and its efforts in various organisations.

Orientador: Marcia de Paula Leite / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-09T18:05:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Balbino_ElaineCristinaMarquesdeSouza_M.pdf: 36557468 bytes, checksum: b88bf32fa8d83a1924e49c701b2e2100 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Esta dissertação teve por objetivo analisar a discriminação de gênero que parece estar aliada à difusão de estereótipos desenvolvidos no ambiente do trabalho bancário, uma vez que nos parece relevante, porém ainda obscuro que, dentre tantas conquistas dessas trabalhadoras, elas não conseguem ascender hierarquicamente de maneira significativa. Passaram de recepcionista, na década de trinta, a gerente, na década de 90. Porém, observa-se que ainda hoje os cargos de maior status como superintendentes, supervisores, e diretores continuam maciçamente reservados aos homens. Nota-se que há barreiras que raríssimas vezes as mulheres conseguem transpor. Isso aos leva a questionar até que ponto é possível falar em ascensão da mulher no setor bancário ou se tem havido na verdade unia absorção da mão-de-obra feminina em prol da lucratividade. / Abstract: The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the discrimination issue against women who work at bank envgc*unent It seems that, despite of all the efforts and gains they have got lately, it was not enough for them to get ahead in the Institution. Until the late 30s, they were just receptionists yet they have come to be managers in 90s, and that's all. To reach a chairwoman position like a man, it is just a dream, an earn like him, it is out of touch. Everything make them mink if it is still worth discussing woman advance in a bank or it is just a matter of control the female labor to increase the bank profit. / Mestrado / Educação, Sociedade, Politica e Cultura / Mestre em Educação

M.Comm. / South Africa is in transition. Changes are taking place on the political, social and economic fronts at an increasingly rapid pace. Past practices and wisdom are being openly challenged. Enterprise/Corporate managers today are deeply concerned with two major dilemma. Firstly to fully mobilise the energy of the organisation's human resources toward achievement of the organisation's performance objectives. Secondly to organise the work, the work environment, the communication systems, and the relationships of people. To resolve this dilemma in our rapidly changing environment, new organisation fon-ns must be developed. More effective goal setting and planning processes must be learned. Practised teams of interdependent people must spend real time improving their methods of working, decision-making and communicating. Competing or conflicting groups must move towards a collaborative way of work. In order for these changes to occur and be maintained, a planned, managed change effort is necessary - a program of affirmative action. This dissertation is about affirmative action in employment, and the development of people in organisations. These two concepts overlap in the sense that affirmative action is (or should be) about the development of black people and women but not at the expense of competent white men who are already part of an organisation.

The purpose of this study was to explore how women academics’ view their professional advancement at a higher education institution. From a South African perspective with its limited studies on this topic, revealed that women within higher education institutions felt isolated, alienated, and their ideas unheard. The challenge for South Africa remains the full empowerment of all women in higher education institutions ensuring gender equity, because it is within these walls that the solutions to our major challenges will be formulated. This empowerment must be about us, as women doing it for ourselves. However there are a number of barriers to women’s advancement in the academy, which resulted in women not being able to break through the “glass ceiling” and reach the pinnacle of their careers. Cultural restrictions placed on women often further aggravate these experiences. Undoubtedly, we have made great strides in attaining middle- management positions, but higher education institutions seems like a closed shop for women (Luke 1999) and lead to the description of the feeling of being outsiders in academia. My research essay was grounded within an interpretive paradigm and I employed qualitative methods for inquiry to demonstrate how women academics’ view their professional advancement at a higher education institution. Data for this study were collected via- semi-structured, in-depth interviews with twelve women from a South African higher education institution. I used the constant comparative method of data analysis to search for recurring themes and patterns. / Mrs. N.F. Petersen

An overview of the literature indicates that there is a real and pressing need to explore the concept of adverse impact in more detail. The Employment Equity Act of 1998 prioritises the issue of group representivity in staff selection and although there are merits in enforcing an Affirmative Action policy, an objective assessment of the inherent requirements of job applicants is still a constitutional and procedural outcome. There is no simple mechanism that can be used to determine the manifestation of adverse impact. However, evidence thereof can be most useful in securing fairness in selection and employment decisions. There is a distinct need to examine the matter of adverse impact and its implications in the South African context. South Africa is confronted with a labour force that is growing dramatically and changing significantly. The demographic trends in our dynamically changing labour markets are likely to amplify skill and ability differences between the resulting contradictory goals of equal opportunity based on individual merit and equal employment results for subgroups of populations. Three selection strategies of a communications company were used as a basis for the assessment of adverse impact. The total population of the Call Centre selection strategy was 150. Seven instruments and measures were utilised in the study, namely, a job analysis, pre-screening exercise, psychometric ability tests, role-play simulation, structured interview, job compatibility questionnaire and a performance evaluation. The total population of the Operator Services selection strategy was 139. Five psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The total population of the Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy was 471. Three psychometric instruments were utilised in the study. The Adverse Impact Model was applied to each of the aforementioned strategies. In terms of the definition, adverse impact exists if the selection ratio associated with a particular passing score on a test for one sub-group of job applicants is less than 4/5th’s or 80% of the selection ration for the largest sub-group of applicants. 13 The results of the study indicate that adverse impact occurred in the following instances. In the Call Centre selection strategy, there was evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis in the ability testing stage. There was also evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during this stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in either the racial or gender analyses during the interview stage. There was no evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. There was however evidence of adverse impact in the gender analysis during the appointment stage. The Female Leadership Development Programme selection strategy revealed evidence of adverse impact in the racial analysis during the appointment stage. The Operator Services selection strategy revealed an adverse impact in both the racial and gender analyses during the testing stage. The issue of adverse impact is obviously controversial. However, data obtained from this process will provide for informative analysis.

The post-1994 role of women in the South African economy is changing with respect to issues such as education and employment opportunities. In the past, men tended to hold the primary or ‘good’ jobs, which have the greatest stability and promotional potential, whilst women tended to hold the secondary or ‘poor’ jobs, which have lower stability and lower wages (Kelly, 1991). Women’s labour force participation has risen significantly over the years since 1994, but more in depth research is needed in order to determine where and how changes could be implemented to ensure that any past gender inequalities fall away with minimal impact on the economy as a whole. As such, certain dynamics within the labour market need to be considered. Firstly, pre-market types of discrimination, including issues such as gender discrimination during the acquisition of human capital through educational attainment should be considered. In most countries, women enter the labour market with severe disadvantage in that they have been subject to discrimination in schooling opportunities (Standing, Sender & Weeks, 1996). Secondly, the feminisation of the labour force is dealt with, as well as what factors affect the female labour force participation decision (i.e. the decision of whether to participate in the labour market or not). iv Thirdly, employment discrimination is investigated, including the concept of ‘occupational crowding’. An analysis of trends in the occupational structure of economically active women in South Africa shows the typical shift out of agriculture into industrial related jobs (Verhoef, 1996). Lastly, wage discrimination is analysed, in order to determine if women get lower rates of pay for ‘equal work’. The objectives of this study are aimed at determining whether there have been any positive changes with respect to women in any of these focal areas mentioned above. There are studies that have established gender differentials when it comes to formal education, and these place women at the disadvantaged end (Bankole & Eboiyehi, 2000). If one considers the educational measures, namely, the levels of literacy, years of education, and overall educational attainment, employed by this country to determine whether there are in fact observed differences between the education of boys and girls, the following was found: Males rate higher with respect to two of these measures, namely literacy and educational attainment, and are thus able to exhibit lower levels of poverty than females in South Africa. Men exhibit slightly higher literacy rates than women of the same age (Statistics South Africa, 2002), and men also rate higher than women when it comes to university education. With regards to primary and secondary school attainment v since 1994, the gender gap does appear to have disappeared. The ‘neoclassical model of labour-leisure choice’, as applied in this study, shows that as the wage rate increases, women have an incentive to reduce the time they allocate to the household sector and are more likely to enter the labour market. In South Africa, however, the increase in the female participation rate has merely translated into a rise in unemployment and has not been associated with an increase in the demand for female labour. This implies that South African women are being ‘pushed’ into the labour market due to economic need, rather than being ‘pulled’ into the labour market in order to earn a higher wage. Women are gradually becoming better represented at all levels across a wide range of occupations. Women, however, continue to face greater prospects of unemployment and to earn less than their male counterparts even when they do find employment. These lower female wages are partly as a result of ‘occupational crowding’, whereby women are over-represented in certain occupations resulting in excess labour supply which drives down the wage rate. It has been determined that the problem of occupational crowding is a real and immediate one and has been found to depress wages within certain female specific occupations.

In this treatise the South African law relating to unfair discrimination is discussed. The development is traced from the previous dispensation and the few pronouncements of the Industrial Court on discrimination in employment. Thereafter the actual provisions in the law presently applicable, including the Constitution is considered. With reference to leading cases the issue of positive discrimination by adopting affirmative action measures is evaluated and reference is made to other defences like inherent requirements for the job and a general fairness defence. The conclusion is reached that South African law is developing to give effect to the notion of substantive equality with a view to eradicate the systematic discrimination of the past.