abstract: The current paradigm to addressing the marginal increases in productivity and quality in the construction industry is to embrace new technologies and new programs designed to increase productivity. While both pursuits are justifiable and worthwhile they overlook a crucial element, the human element. If the individuals and teams operating the new technologies or executing the new programs lack all of the necessary skills the efforts are still doomed for, at best, mediocrity. But over the past two decades researchers and practitioners have been exploring and experimenting with a softer set of skills that are producing hard figures showing real improvements in performance. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Construction 2014

Although there is a handful of research on Emotional Intelligence in organizations, there is a lack of research between Emotional Intelligence and the adjustment process of international students. This research aimed to gain a greater understanding of the adjustment process of international students in the United States.

The 21st century world of work is characterised by increased global competition, a relentless drive to cost effective measures, work pressure, highly constrained budgets, higher levels of unemployment, constant economic fluctuations, political instability as well as corruption. The general aim of this study was to determine the relationship between emotional intelligence and occupational stressors amongst firefighters in a metropolitan municipality. Although there has been some research conducted on stress amongst firefighters in South Africa, there has been no research on the two constructs of occupational stress and emotional intelligence of firefighters. The study was done through a quantitative research method. The sample was selected by using the nonprobability sample of convenience. The sample was obtained by selecting any seven (7) of the 21 fire stations randomly. The sample consisted of 150 firefighters who completed a Biographical Information Questionnaire, Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I 2.0) and the Sources of Work Stress Inventory (SWSI). The questionnaires were analysed using SPSS, the correlation and multiple linear regression results indicated that there is a relationship between the two constructs, emotional intelligence and occupational stress amongst firefighters and that those with a higher level of emotional intelligence experienced less stress and those who scored lower on emotional intelligence experienced high levels of stress. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organizational Psychology)

African American entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, lack the emotional intelligence required to be self-employed and remain in business. The purpose of this qualitative interview study was to gain a robust understanding of what strategies African American entrepreneurs can adopt to increase emotional intelligence, which will aid them in remaining in business beyond the first 5 years. The central research question focused on common understandings of the strategies African-American entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, adopt to increase their emotional intelligence such that it contributes to them remaining in business beyond the initial 5 years. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was the emotional intelligence theory. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample consisting of 15 African American entrepreneurs from Houston, TX who have been in business for a minimum of 5 years. The interviews consisted of open-ended questions. A thematic analysis was conducted on 15 interviews. Eight themes were developed from the data analysis: emotional intelligence, leadership styles, emotional reactions, maturity level, training, business sustainability, communication, and flexibility. Consistent emotional intelligence training emerged as useful in African American entrepreneurs' business sustainability. The potential implications for positive social change stem from African American entrepreneurs developing more sustainable organizations. The findings of this study may be used by stakeholders and organizational leaders to provide the opportunity to build more emotionally intelligent organization.

The criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence according to Mayer & Salovey (1997), ability model of emotional intelligence was investigated. Specifically, psychology (n+207) and engineering (n=195) students were compared on the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2 (MSCEIT). The primary factor structure of the MSCEIT was found to be valid with some revisions needed in terms of the reliability and content of the MSCEIT. The second-order factor structure of the MSCEIT was partially confirmed. In terms of the criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence, psychology students were found to exhibit higher levels of the ability to manage emotions in relationships, the ability to understand emotion as well as the ability to facilitate emotions. Engineering and Psychology students exhibited the same level of general emotional management and the ability to accurately identify emotion. Therefore the construct validity of emotional intelligence was partially confirmed. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence according to Mayer & Salovey (1997), ability model of emotional intelligence was investigated. Specifically, psychology (n+207) and engineering (n=195) students were compared on the Mayer, Salovey and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test version 2 (MSCEIT). The primary factor structure of the MSCEIT was found to be valid with some revisions needed in terms of the reliability and content of the MSCEIT. The second-order factor structure of the MSCEIT was partially confirmed. In terms of the criterion groups validity of emotional intelligence, psychology students were found to exhibit higher levels of the ability to manage emotions in relationships, the ability to understand emotion as well as the ability to facilitate emotions. Engineering and Psychology students exhibited the same level of general emotional management and the ability to accurately identify emotion. Therefore the construct validity of emotional intelligence was partially confirmed. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Magister Commercii - MCom / Research (Sartain et al., 2006) indicates that engagement demands a more thoughtful way to address the everyday realities of organisational life. The current research endeavours to elucidate the relationship between emotional intelligence and work engagement amongst leaders in a financial service organisation undergoing change. / South Africa

Attrition in Higher Education continues to present academics, researchers and professionals with an ongoing dilemma. Achieving a fair balance between the academic rigour of meritocracy and the wider access agenda of social inclusion, demands that entrance criteria incorporates measures beyond the traditional prior academic attainment. Emotional Intelligence has been presented in the literature as a valid and reliable predictor of retention and performance in industry and researchers have suggested that similar benefits may be found in education. In this dissertation, the construct of Emotional Intelligence was explored, reviewing contemporary models and their respective measurement tools. A self report tool for measuring ‘trait’ Emotional Intelligence was selected from the review and used to examine the predictive relationship between emotional intelligence and the outcomes at the end of the first year of undergraduate nurse education namely: clinical practice performance; academic performance and course attrition by nursing and midwifery students. The sample group consisted of a cohort of student nurses and midwives (N = 178) who commenced their training in 2007. A significant predictive relationship was found between emotional intelligence and clinical practice performance (r = 0.75, N = 116, p < 0.05); emotional intelligence and academic performance (r = 0.16, N = 168, p < 0.05) and emotional intelligence and attrition (r = 0.31, N = 178, p < 0.05). Age was also found to predict attrition (r = 0.25, N = 178, p < 0.05) while prior academic attainment was found to predict academic performance (r = 0.20, N = 168, p < 0.05). The dissertation proposes the inclusion of measures of emotional intelligence as an aid to recruitment and selection processes in nurse and midwifery education. It also recommends that other practice based vocational programmes, within the higher education sector, consider exploring emotional intelligence in their recruitment and selection processes.

In a fast paced change external and internal business environment in which businesses are to deliver to their maximum capacity, there is little room for resistance to change by employees. Acknowledging all the elements responsible for resistance to change within the corporate world, the study aimed to find if there is any relationship between the emotional intelligence of employees and their resistance to change initiatives which slows down company potential to stay abreast of market needs. By making use of a 4-point Likert type scale and questionnaire data was collected from 47 pharmaceutical representatives based in 5 different provinces within South Africa. The analysis was done based on a variety of statistical methods such as Mann Whitney, Spearman’s rho’s. The results suggest that there is a definite relationship between the overall emotional intelligence of employees and resistance to change. The study focusses its efforts on the pharmaceutical industry that offers service and products to healthcare professionals. Perhaps research on other sectors of the business could offer a broader view of the impact of emotional intelligence on resistance to change as the representatives only make up a small proportion of the overall business. An important insight of this study is that emotional intelligence has proven to play a very significant role in a variety of functions of the business and deserves deeper investigation and attention. Although only a small share of the business formed part of the sample of the study, it is clear that the company has to address resistance to change and the initiators thereof. Little study has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence and resistance to change within the South African market, adding available data relating to the topic relationship and importance. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

In a fast paced change external and internal business environment in which businesses are to deliver to their maximum capacity, there is little room for resistance to change by employees. Acknowledging all the elements responsible for resistance to change within the corporate world, the study aimed to find if there is any relationship between the emotional intelligence of employees and their resistance to change initiatives which slows down company potential to stay abreast of market needs. By making use of a 4-point Likert type scale and questionnaire data was collected from 47 pharmaceutical representatives based in 5 different provinces within South Africa. The analysis was done based on a variety of statistical methods such as Mann Whitney, Spearman’s rho’s. The results suggest that there is a definite relationship between the overall emotional intelligence of employees and resistance to change. The study focusses its efforts on the pharmaceutical industry that offers service and products to healthcare professionals. Perhaps research on other sectors of the business could offer a broader view of the impact of emotional intelligence on resistance to change as the representatives only make up a small proportion of the overall business. An important insight of this study is that emotional intelligence has proven to play a very significant role in a variety of functions of the business and deserves deeper investigation and attention. Although only a small share of the business formed part of the sample of the study, it is clear that the company has to address resistance to change and the initiators thereof. Little study has been done on the relationship between emotional intelligence and resistance to change within the South African market, adding available data relating to the topic relationship and importance. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015