Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1990.

<p><strong>Problematik</strong>: Precis som många andra turismföretag så präglas dykföretag av säsongsarbete. Under lågsäsongen arbetar året runt personalen med få turister och kollegor och under högsäsongen arbetar de intensivt tillsammans med säsongsarbetare i ett halvårs tid i en destination full av turister. När lågsäsongen närmar sig minskar turistmängden och säsongsarbetarna. Det är en livsstil för båda grupperna, men också en tillfällig period för säsongsarbetarna och en vardag för året runt personalen. Personalen har således olika förutsättningar, intressen och behov och deras arbetsmotivation skiljer sig beroende på om de är åretruntarbetare eller säsongarbetare. Som arbetsgivare är det viktigt att ha förståelse för dessa skillnader för att kunna motivera personalen på bästa möjliga sätt, både under de stillsamma och de hektiska perioderna.</p><p><strong>Syfte</strong>: Syftet är att klargöra vilka motivations- och välmåendefaktorer som driver de åretruntanställda och säsongsanställda på Kon-Tiki att arbeta i en verksamhet med sådana speciella arbetsförhållanden, vad som motiverar dem att prestera sitt yttersta både för sin egen och företagets skull. Detta bidrar till en ökad förståelse för hur man som chef ska kunna leda och arbeta med motivation och välmående av anställda inom ett dykföretag i turismbranschen. Syftet är även att se på om det finns skillnader och likheter mellan grupperna angående deras syn på motivations- och välmåendefaktorer.</p><p><strong>Metod</strong>: Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ undersökning för att få en djupare förståelse för vår problematik och vårt syfte. Arbetet innehåller litteratur om psykosocial arbetsmiljö, motivation, välmående och tourism employee management. Teorierna baseras främst på Herzbergs två-faktor teori, Hackman och Oldhams arbetskaraktäristiska modell för arbetsmotivation samt Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll modell. Det empiriska materialet är insamlat via intervjuer med anställda på Kon-Tiki. Intervjufrågorna är baserade på 25 faktorer vilka har betydelse för den psykosociala arbetsmiljön.</p><p><strong>Resultat</strong>: Tillsammans skapar faktorerna en helhetsbild av upplevelsen av att vara arbetstagare på Kon-Tiki och de är därför lika viktiga för personalens motivation och välmående. Åretruntarna är generellt mer nöjda på Kon-Tiki än vad säsongarna är. Detta kan bero på att åretruntarna har varit anställda länge, arbetar året runt och därmed har god insikt om verksamheten samt bättre kontakt med ledningen, vilket gör att de har ett större inflytande och ansvar. Säsongarna arbetar endast för en tillfällig period och har kanske inte samma företagstänk som de tillsvidareanställda har, vilket gör att de ser olika på saker. Trots detta, och att man mest umgås med personer inom sin egen grupp, upplevs gemenskapen vara bra. Resultatet visade att anställningsformen har stor betydelse för den anställdes upplevelser av att vara arbetstagare på Kon-Tiki. Deras förutsättningar och behov skiljer sig, vilket måste beaktas av ledningen i dennes arbete mot en mer nöjd och motiverad personal.</p> / <p><strong>Problem</strong>: Diving companies are distinguished by seasonal work just as many other tourism companies. The all year around staff work with few tourists and colleagues during the low season and during the high season they work intense for six months together with seasonal workers in a destination full of tourists. When the low season approaches, both the tourists and seasonal workers decrease. It is a lifestyle for both groups, but a temporary period for the seasonal workers and an everyday life for the all year around workers. So the staff have different conditions, interests and needs and their work motivation differ depending on if they work all year around or seasonal. It is significant to have understanding for these differences as an employer to be able to motivate the employees in the best way possible, both during the tranquil and hectic work periods.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Purpose</strong>: The purpose is to clarify which motivation and well-being factors that strive the all year around workers and seasonal workers at Kon-Tiki to work in a business with such special work conditions, what motivates them to perform to their fullest both for their own and the companies sake. This contributes to a greater understanding for how managers can lead and work with motivation and the well-being of employees in a diving company and in the tourism business. The purpose is also to see if there are differences or similarities between the groups.</p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Methodology</strong>: We chose to do a qualitative study to be able to get a deeper understanding of our problem and purpose. It includes literature about psychosocial work environment, motivation, well-being and tourism employee management. The theories are mainly based on Herzbergs two-factor theory, Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model and Job Design as well as Karasek and Theorell's demand-control model. The empirical material was collected through interviews with employees at Kon-Tiki. The interview questions are based on 25 factors that have significance for the psychosocial work environment.</p><p><strong>Results</strong>: Together the factors create a comprehensive view of the experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki, why they are equally important for the employees' motivation and well-being. The all year around staff are generally more pleased at Kon-Tiki than the seasonal workers. Reasons might be the fact that the all year around staff have been employed for a long time, work all year around and therefore have a greater knowledge of the company and a better contact with the leadership, which gives them more influence and responsibility. The seasonal staff only work for shorter periods and might not have the same business think as the others, which might cause their different opinions. In spite of this, and the fact that the personnel mostly associate with people within their own groups, they believe they have a good fellowship at work. The results show that the type of employment has a big significance for the employee's experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki. Their conditions and needs differ, which must be considered by the management in their work towards a happier and motivated personnel.</p>

Problematik: Precis som många andra turismföretag så präglas dykföretag av säsongsarbete. Under lågsäsongen arbetar året runt personalen med få turister och kollegor och under högsäsongen arbetar de intensivt tillsammans med säsongsarbetare i ett halvårs tid i en destination full av turister. När lågsäsongen närmar sig minskar turistmängden och säsongsarbetarna. Det är en livsstil för båda grupperna, men också en tillfällig period för säsongsarbetarna och en vardag för året runt personalen. Personalen har således olika förutsättningar, intressen och behov och deras arbetsmotivation skiljer sig beroende på om de är åretruntarbetare eller säsongarbetare. Som arbetsgivare är det viktigt att ha förståelse för dessa skillnader för att kunna motivera personalen på bästa möjliga sätt, både under de stillsamma och de hektiska perioderna. Syfte: Syftet är att klargöra vilka motivations- och välmåendefaktorer som driver de åretruntanställda och säsongsanställda på Kon-Tiki att arbeta i en verksamhet med sådana speciella arbetsförhållanden, vad som motiverar dem att prestera sitt yttersta både för sin egen och företagets skull. Detta bidrar till en ökad förståelse för hur man som chef ska kunna leda och arbeta med motivation och välmående av anställda inom ett dykföretag i turismbranschen. Syftet är även att se på om det finns skillnader och likheter mellan grupperna angående deras syn på motivations- och välmåendefaktorer. Metod: Vi valde att göra en kvalitativ undersökning för att få en djupare förståelse för vår problematik och vårt syfte. Arbetet innehåller litteratur om psykosocial arbetsmiljö, motivation, välmående och tourism employee management. Teorierna baseras främst på Herzbergs två-faktor teori, Hackman och Oldhams arbetskaraktäristiska modell för arbetsmotivation samt Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll modell. Det empiriska materialet är insamlat via intervjuer med anställda på Kon-Tiki. Intervjufrågorna är baserade på 25 faktorer vilka har betydelse för den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. Resultat: Tillsammans skapar faktorerna en helhetsbild av upplevelsen av att vara arbetstagare på Kon-Tiki och de är därför lika viktiga för personalens motivation och välmående. Åretruntarna är generellt mer nöjda på Kon-Tiki än vad säsongarna är. Detta kan bero på att åretruntarna har varit anställda länge, arbetar året runt och därmed har god insikt om verksamheten samt bättre kontakt med ledningen, vilket gör att de har ett större inflytande och ansvar. Säsongarna arbetar endast för en tillfällig period och har kanske inte samma företagstänk som de tillsvidareanställda har, vilket gör att de ser olika på saker. Trots detta, och att man mest umgås med personer inom sin egen grupp, upplevs gemenskapen vara bra. Resultatet visade att anställningsformen har stor betydelse för den anställdes upplevelser av att vara arbetstagare på Kon-Tiki. Deras förutsättningar och behov skiljer sig, vilket måste beaktas av ledningen i dennes arbete mot en mer nöjd och motiverad personal. / Problem: Diving companies are distinguished by seasonal work just as many other tourism companies. The all year around staff work with few tourists and colleagues during the low season and during the high season they work intense for six months together with seasonal workers in a destination full of tourists. When the low season approaches, both the tourists and seasonal workers decrease. It is a lifestyle for both groups, but a temporary period for the seasonal workers and an everyday life for the all year around workers. So the staff have different conditions, interests and needs and their work motivation differ depending on if they work all year around or seasonal. It is significant to have understanding for these differences as an employer to be able to motivate the employees in the best way possible, both during the tranquil and hectic work periods. Purpose: The purpose is to clarify which motivation and well-being factors that strive the all year around workers and seasonal workers at Kon-Tiki to work in a business with such special work conditions, what motivates them to perform to their fullest both for their own and the companies sake. This contributes to a greater understanding for how managers can lead and work with motivation and the well-being of employees in a diving company and in the tourism business. The purpose is also to see if there are differences or similarities between the groups. Methodology: We chose to do a qualitative study to be able to get a deeper understanding of our problem and purpose. It includes literature about psychosocial work environment, motivation, well-being and tourism employee management. The theories are mainly based on Herzbergs two-factor theory, Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model and Job Design as well as Karasek and Theorell's demand-control model. The empirical material was collected through interviews with employees at Kon-Tiki. The interview questions are based on 25 factors that have significance for the psychosocial work environment. Results: Together the factors create a comprehensive view of the experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki, why they are equally important for the employees' motivation and well-being. The all year around staff are generally more pleased at Kon-Tiki than the seasonal workers. Reasons might be the fact that the all year around staff have been employed for a long time, work all year around and therefore have a greater knowledge of the company and a better contact with the leadership, which gives them more influence and responsibility. The seasonal staff only work for shorter periods and might not have the same business think as the others, which might cause their different opinions. In spite of this, and the fact that the personnel mostly associate with people within their own groups, they believe they have a good fellowship at work. The results show that the type of employment has a big significance for the employee's experience of being an employee at Kon-Tiki. Their conditions and needs differ, which must be considered by the management in their work towards a happier and motivated personnel.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Providing basic local administration has become one of a vast variety of priorities for all municipalities within the South African context. Municipalities need to be instrumental in South Africa’s socio- economic upliftment against issues like poverty and underdevelopment because government policy requires municipalities to play a developmental role. Taking cognizance of the transformational changes within the South African government, the local government, within its three categories, inherited growing responsibility for basic service delivery. This was primarily because the democratic South Africa has inherited a public sector marred by fragmented and gross inequalities at all levels of government activity (Mathekga & Buccus, 2006). The effectiveness of good local governance may rely on the capacity of local government structures, participative of municipal leadership and employees, to provide an integrated development approach to social and economic development issues and to supply essential services congruent with the needs and desires of the local communities (The Institute for Democracy in Africa, 2010). Municipalities need to be in a position to identify and prioritise local needs, determine adequate levels of services and allocate necessary resources to the public (COGTA, 2009c). The role of local government in, amongst other things, is to promote a better life for all by creating jobs, alleviating poverty, which is imperative in achieving a prosperous civilization. The transformation of local government, as it stood during the apartheid period, was aimed at removing the racial basis of government and making it a mechanism for the integration of society and the redistribution of municipal services from the rich to the poor. Thus, local government is the key site of delivery and development and is central to the entire transformative project of the new South Africa. In order for any municipality to be accountable for delivering a basic human right towards local communities, as stipulated in the Constitution of 1996, it is imperative that the relationship between the internal stakeholders of the local municipality is sound. The test would be to see how the municipal employees’ perception of trust influences the trust relationship between employees and managers in the local government sphere. Taking cognizance of the manner in which local government mechanisms and its related structures are administered, the research will aim to establish how important the vertical trust relationship between municipal employees and managers is, as a contributing factor for effective service delivery to its communities. Attention will focus on the conceptualization of vertical trust between employees and managers within local government in South Africa as well as to determine whether municipalities’ performance indeed have a link with vertical trust relationship between the relevant employees and managers. This will be explained within a broader perception by focusing on relevant theories of trust, which include the theories related different types- and dimensions of trust, and influence of the trust relationship within the local government sphere. The research focused on the performance of a Category B municipality within the geographic area of the Western Cape, and how the vertical trust relationship between employees towards managers and the subsequent performance of the municipalities would influence effective service delivery. A Category B municipality within the Eden district was identified as an institution that, within the broader government sphere, has been complimented and accolade due to continuous improvements in service delivery over the last few years. Five dimensions were examined by conducting a survey in order to establish the perceptions of municipal employees relating to the dimensions of job satisfaction, employee empowerment, communication, management reporting and performance management. These perceptions were assessed by interpreting the responses of (N = 205) respondents from the Category B municipality. The main finding was that the respondents were very negative towards how they experience the five dimensions within the Category B municipality. Based on the internal consistency of the five dimensions, the results of the research were of concern as a significant part of the respondents portrayed some sort of animosity towards how they perceived and responded to the statements. This is contrary to the Category B municipality’s continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests, as compared to other municipalities within the geographical area of the Western Cape. This research highlighted that, although the attitudes towards most of the statements were negatively experienced by the respondents, the Category B municipality still managed to get accolades for continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests. The revelations from the respondents highlight a sense of effective and efficient performance by the category B municipality with a mainly negative workforce. This poses a concern as to the proposition of this research in terms of how significant the role of such trust between affected parties play within the dynamics of this Category B municipality. The primary reason for this observation relates to the researcher’s view that it has become critical for management to get personally involved in managing the emotional part of its employees, in order to ignite a sense of belonging to the municipality where employees will put renewed emphasis on the trust towards all levels of the organizational hierarchy. It can be concluded that, in order for vertical trust to be of significance within the dynamics of this Category B municipality, the concept of vertical trust relationship can be nurtured by employing a working environment based on mutual respect, dignity, cooperation and honest communication. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Providing basic local administration has become one of a vast variety of priorities for all municipalities within the South African context. Municipalities need to be instrumental in South Africa’s socio- economic upliftment against issues like poverty and underdevelopment because government policy requires municipalities to play a developmental role. Taking cognizance of the transformational changes within the South African government, the local government, within its three categories, inherited growing responsibility for basic service delivery. This was primarily because the democratic South Africa has inherited a public sector marred by fragmented and gross inequalities at all levels of government activity (Mathekga & Buccus, 2006). The effectiveness of good local governance may rely on the capacity of local government structures, participative of municipal leadership and employees, to provide an integrated development approach to social and economic development issues and to supply essential services congruent with the needs and desires of the local communities (The Institute for Democracy in Africa, 2010). Municipalities need to be in a position to identify and prioritise local needs, determine adequate levels of services and allocate necessary resources to the public (COGTA, 2009c). The role of local government in, amongst other things, is to promote a better life for all by creating jobs, alleviating poverty, which is imperative in achieving a prosperous civilization. The transformation of local government, as it stood during the apartheid period, was aimed at removing the racial basis of government and making it a mechanism for the integration of society and the redistribution of municipal services from the rich to the poor. Thus, local government is the key site of delivery and development and is central to the entire transformative project of the new South Africa. In order for any municipality to be accountable for delivering a basic human right towards local communities, as stipulated in the Constitution of 1996, it is imperative that the relationship between the internal stakeholders of the local municipality is sound. The test would be to see how the municipal employees’ perception of trust influences the trust relationship between employees and managers in the local government sphere. Taking cognizance of the manner in which local government mechanisms and its related structures are administered, the research will aim to establish how important the vertical trust relationship between municipal employees and managers is, as a contributing factor for effective service delivery to its communities. Attention will focus on the conceptualization of vertical trust between employees and managers within local government in South Africa as well as to determine whether municipalities’ performance indeed have a link with vertical trust relationship between the relevant employees and managers. This will be explained within a broader perception by focusing on relevant theories of trust, which include the theories related different types- and dimensions of trust, and influence of the trust relationship within the local government sphere. The research focused on the performance of a Category B municipality within the geographic area of the Western Cape, and how the vertical trust relationship between employees towards managers and the subsequent performance of the municipalities would influence effective service delivery. A Category B municipality within the Eden district was identified as an institution that, within the broader government sphere, has been complimented and accolade due to continuous improvements in service delivery over the last few years. Five dimensions were examined by conducting a survey in order to establish the perceptions of municipal employees relating to the dimensions of job satisfaction, employee empowerment, communication, management reporting and performance management. These perceptions were assessed by interpreting the responses of (N = 205) respondents from the Category B municipality. The main finding was that the respondents were very negative towards how they experience the five dimensions within the Category B municipality. Based on the internal consistency of the five dimensions, the results of the research were of concern as a significant part of the respondents portrayed some sort of animosity towards how they perceived and responded to the statements. This is contrary to the Category B municipality’s continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests, as compared to other municipalities within the geographical area of the Western Cape. This research highlighted that, although the attitudes towards most of the statements were negatively experienced by the respondents, the Category B municipality still managed to get accolades for continuous and improved financial performance and non-existent service delivery protests. The revelations from the respondents highlight a sense of effective and efficient performance by the category B municipality with a mainly negative workforce. This poses a concern as to the proposition of this research in terms of how significant the role of such trust between affected parties play within the dynamics of this Category B municipality. The primary reason for this observation relates to the researcher’s view that it has become critical for management to get personally involved in managing the emotional part of its employees, in order to ignite a sense of belonging to the municipality where employees will put renewed emphasis on the trust towards all levels of the organizational hierarchy. It can be concluded that, in order for vertical trust to be of significance within the dynamics of this Category B municipality, the concept of vertical trust relationship can be nurtured by employing a working environment based on mutual respect, dignity, cooperation and honest communication. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Sociology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Edith Cowan University, 2007. / Submitted to the Faculty of Business and Law. Includes bibliographical references.