Todays’ organizations are facing low levels of employee engagement, with a tendency to decrease evenfurther. Sustainability has been found to positively affect employee engagement as it providesemployees with a higher purpose in their work. Therefore, this research study reveals leaders’perception on the contribution of sustainability towards employee engagement, with a focus onmultinational organizations in the Öresund region. This qualitative study combines Herzberg´s “Two-Factor Theory” and transformational leadership to analyze the research findings with a theoreticalframework. The results display that sustainability has a significant influence on the level of employeeengagement and various activities of organizations and leaders contribute towards this. The researchalso underlines that there is a potential for organizations to implement further strategies in this regardand thereby not only strengthen the satisfaction and loyalty of their current workforce, but also gain acompetitive advantage in the future for attracting new talents.

The nursing home industry has been saturated for decades with culture change initiatives in an effort to improve resident quality of care. The direct care worker (DCW) is considered a critical position to achieving nursing facility quality improvements. Understanding what leads to job satisfaction for DCWs could result in improved resident care. The relationship DCWs have with their direct supervisor or upper-level manager can impact employee satisfaction. The purpose of this research is to identify factors that are associated with DCWs satisfaction with supervisor and management support. Data was obtained from 307 DCWs who were employed at 11 North Texas nursing homes. It was expected that factors affecting satisfaction with direct supervision and upper-level management would differ. In fact, the study found that the antecedents for employee satisfaction with supervisor support were participative decision-making/empowerment, age, information exchange and feedback. Furthermore, participative decision-making/empowerment, perceived competence, staffing, information exchange and feedback were found to affect direct care workers' satisfaction with manager support. In conclusion, this research provides a starting point towards a more holistic view of employee satisfaction with supervisor support by considering the preceding factors and its subsequent effects.

The quest for excellence in institutions is nothing new. Most of the twentieth century saw management sciences grappling with the question how to improve the productivity and general health of institutions through sound management principles and practice. In recent research, proponents of Total Quality Management have identified it as an essential strategy of successful institutions in a highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment. The overall aim of this study is the development of a framework for the implementation of Total Quality Management in the South African Air Force. As a first prerequisite, a theoretical and conceptual analysis is undertaken of Total Quality Management as it is discussed in a vast volume of published literature. In the process, Total Quality Management philosophy and principles are described within the context of organisational theory, mainly based on so-called quality guru prescriptions. The variety of definitions of Total Quality Management is studied to find an appropriate definition for this study. The primary and supportive Total Quality Management dimensions are identified in the available literature, and integrated into a framework, which is called the "Total Quality Management telescopic framework" for the purposes of the study. This framework is formulated for use in the development of an appropriate methodology to implement Total Quality Management in South African Air Force Bases. As a basis for the understanding of the empirical part of the thesis, the context and nature of the SA Air Force are also discussed, followed by the self-assessment methods already in use in the institution. The Total Quality Management telescopic framework is meant to provide a mechanism for the adoption of a systematic and ordered approach to the implementation of Total Quality Management in SA Air Force Bases. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire survey is undertaken to establish the nature and extent of Total Quality Management as an internal organisational arrangement for personnel in SA Air Force Bases. The framework developed from the study of the available literature is used as a basis for the survey research, which attempts to determine the main hypothesis of the study: "The attitude of personnel of the South African Air Force Bases towards the primary and supporting dimensions of the framework for the implementation of Total Quality Management is positive." With the aid of computerised reliability analysis (Alpha Cronbach) for the test, the above hypothesis is proven to be true on a statistical basis. The attitude of personnel at SA Air Force Bases towards the nature and scope of Total Quality Management is that it enables them to perform their daily tasks better, and that they accept the Total Quality Management effort positively, in spite of specific deficiencies, which the study has brought to light. With these deficiencies as a guide, recommendations are made for their elimination. The research undertaken during the course of writing the thesis has led to the deduction that the greater the extent to which Total Quality Management principles is applied, the greater the improvement in work performance among personnel. / Public Administration / DADMIN (PUBLIC ADMIN)

attitudes amongst the members of different races towards the implementation of affirmative action in the Correctional Services Department of South Africa. A literature study on affirmative action was completed and thereafter a questionnaire was developed. An emperical study was done by questionnaire on the determination of perceptions and attitudes of members of the South African Correctional Services Department towards the application of Affirmative Action policies. serious problems if not correctly managed. It was established that the success in any affirmative action strategy rests on the understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity as manifested in perceptions and attitudes. Management information systems needs to be effective and efficient at all times. Changing perceptions and attitudes increased passion and job satisfaction. Recommendations are made for further research on aspects highlighted by the findings. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

Purpose: The strategy-to-performance gap is a contemporary problem that causes organisations to perform less than optimal or fail. Leadership, strategy and performance are complex areas of research on the topic with lack of conclusive results, and solutions to the issue remain elusive. This study offered a clearer understanding of the problem. Design: This qualitative study explored leadership style in the context of strategy execution with the objective of offering a better understanding of performance and the strategy-to-performance gap. The study is a case study of selected organisations in the wine industry in South Africa. Data were collected via interviews on leadership figures and employees. Data were analysed qualitatively. Findings: The study confirmed the existence and issues surrounding the strategy-to-performance gap. Some findings concurred with previous studies on the gap and confirmed that it is intertwined with leadership and strategy execution issues. New themes were identified that contributed to the field of study and could prove to be valuable to narrow the strategy-to-performance gap in future. Value: Leadership is linked with performance in literature but there was limited research found on leadership style specifically in the context of the strategy-to-performance gap. This study confirmed issues surrounding the gap and it was found that the issue is a contemporary problem affecting organisational performance in various ways. This contributed to a better understanding of the problem. New themes that emerged could prove valuable to further research. Leadership and specifically leadership styles (as per Lewin) were found to influence and be interwoven with the strategy-to-performance gap. This study is original as it is the first study that explored leadership styles specifically in the context of the other key themes: strategy and the strategy-to-performance gap. The new themes that emerged are leadership style requirements from an employee satisfaction perspective as well as specific skills suggested to improve performance, all highlighted in the findings. Recommendations: Further research could explore leadership styles in more detail with regard to the strategy-to-performance gap. New themes in the context of strategy execution and leadership style could also be valuable. Future studies could also potentially evaluate the key themes with other measurement instruments such as different leadership styles or different performance criteria / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Subject background and discussion: In recent decades, issues of human rights, labor and environmental change has been hot topics world wide, which also has influenced the financial market. More and more investors use socially responsible investing (SRI) screens when constructing their portfolios. One form of SRI screen is to choose companies that have satisfied employees. Existing theory says that employee satisfaction is an intangible asset to the firm that will positively affect a firm’s performance in the future. Intangible assets are often unrecognized by the market and thereby not incorporated in the stock price. The efficient market hypothesis has been studied and debated for several decades. Proponents of the EMH argue that all available information is incorporated in the stock price, thus it is not possible to systematically beat the market. However, EMH is controversial, since research has shown different results regarding the possibility to make abnormal return from various investing strategy. Research question: Is it possible to make abnormal returns by investing in a portfolio of worldwide firms with top scores on the SRI screen employee satisfaction? Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to examine investor’s possibility to make abnormal return with controls for multiple risk factors by investing in worldwide firms with top scores in employee satisfaction. One sub-purpose is to examine how the market values intangibles depending on the degree of market efficiency. Another sub-purpose of the study is to test two different portfolio weighting methodologies, equally- and value weighted, and observe the differences between them. Theory: This study deals with the efficient market hypothesis and the concepts of SRI, employee satisfaction, intangible assets and several risk-adjusted measurements. Method: We have chosen to perform a quantitative study with a deductive approach to answer our research question. We used a sample size of 696 firms based on “Great Place to Works”- lists of companies with high employee satisfaction to construct sex portfolios with different holding periods and strategies. These portfolios have been explored and tested significantly with both equally and value weighted methods. Result/Analysis: The study finds significant evidence of an average annual abnormal return of 3,66% and 2,43% for our main portfolio over the market for equally- and value weighted, respectively, using the three-factor model. When adjusting for momentum, thus employing the four-factor model, all the predictive variables still identify strong persistence in the abnormal return, with statistical significance. Conclusion: The results show that it is possible to make abnormal returns, during the observed time period, regardless of the weighing methodology, although the equally weighted received higher abnormal returns. Thus, the market efficiency appears to be in weak form and does not fully value intangibles.

The quest for excellence in institutions is nothing new. Most of the twentieth century saw management sciences grappling with the question how to improve the productivity and general health of institutions through sound management principles and practice. In recent research, proponents of Total Quality Management have identified it as an essential strategy of successful institutions in a highly competitive and rapidly changing business environment. The overall aim of this study is the development of a framework for the implementation of Total Quality Management in the South African Air Force. As a first prerequisite, a theoretical and conceptual analysis is undertaken of Total Quality Management as it is discussed in a vast volume of published literature. In the process, Total Quality Management philosophy and principles are described within the context of organisational theory, mainly based on so-called quality guru prescriptions. The variety of definitions of Total Quality Management is studied to find an appropriate definition for this study. The primary and supportive Total Quality Management dimensions are identified in the available literature, and integrated into a framework, which is called the "Total Quality Management telescopic framework" for the purposes of the study. This framework is formulated for use in the development of an appropriate methodology to implement Total Quality Management in South African Air Force Bases. As a basis for the understanding of the empirical part of the thesis, the context and nature of the SA Air Force are also discussed, followed by the self-assessment methods already in use in the institution. The Total Quality Management telescopic framework is meant to provide a mechanism for the adoption of a systematic and ordered approach to the implementation of Total Quality Management in SA Air Force Bases. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire survey is undertaken to establish the nature and extent of Total Quality Management as an internal organisational arrangement for personnel in SA Air Force Bases. The framework developed from the study of the available literature is used as a basis for the survey research, which attempts to determine the main hypothesis of the study: "The attitude of personnel of the South African Air Force Bases towards the primary and supporting dimensions of the framework for the implementation of Total Quality Management is positive." With the aid of computerised reliability analysis (Alpha Cronbach) for the test, the above hypothesis is proven to be true on a statistical basis. The attitude of personnel at SA Air Force Bases towards the nature and scope of Total Quality Management is that it enables them to perform their daily tasks better, and that they accept the Total Quality Management effort positively, in spite of specific deficiencies, which the study has brought to light. With these deficiencies as a guide, recommendations are made for their elimination. The research undertaken during the course of writing the thesis has led to the deduction that the greater the extent to which Total Quality Management principles is applied, the greater the improvement in work performance among personnel. / Public Administration and Management / DADMIN (PUBLIC ADMIN)

The purpose of the study was to identify a comprehensive measure of performance by assessing the relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction on the profitability of the commercial banking industry in Ethiopia. The study adopted unidimensional path models, multivariate approach and factor analysis in predicting the dependent variable, determining the independent variables and the sample size and justifying the objectives of the sturdy. Primary data were obtained through structured questionnaires from valid sample responses of 180 employees and customers selected on convenient sampling method. Profitability (ROA & ROE) was measured based on the average data from the financial statements of 2007/8-2001/12 of the banks. Variant of empirical studies and theoretical frameworks, drawn from motivational, psychological and behavioural theories, were used to formulate the hypothesis and establish the relationship between internal service quality, employee satisfaction, customer service quality, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty and profitability. Results of the study indicated internal marketing influenced employee job satisfaction which in turn partially influenced customer service quality and customer satisfaction; customer service quality influenced customer satisfaction which then influenced customer loyalty. But, no relationship was observed between customer loyalty and profitability. However, due to the timing gap of the data on profitability and the data on customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, the relationship is apparently realizable in the long run. Therefore, due emphasis is required by the management of the banks to exert the necessary strategic effort on employee satisfaction, customer service quality, and customer satisfaction because of their implicit effects on profitability. Finally, the relevance of the research to the literature on performance measurement is demonstrated by contextualizing comprehensive models in the context of commercial banking industry in Ethiopia. / Business Management / D.B.L.

attitudes amongst the members of different races towards the implementation of affirmative action in the Correctional Services Department of South Africa. A literature study on affirmative action was completed and thereafter a questionnaire was developed. An emperical study was done by questionnaire on the determination of perceptions and attitudes of members of the South African Correctional Services Department towards the application of Affirmative Action policies. serious problems if not correctly managed. It was established that the success in any affirmative action strategy rests on the understanding and acceptance of cultural diversity as manifested in perceptions and attitudes. Management information systems needs to be effective and efficient at all times. Changing perceptions and attitudes increased passion and job satisfaction. Recommendations are made for further research on aspects highlighted by the findings. / Penology / M.A. (Penology)

Master Thesis deals with the problem of employee satisfaction at Copy General. I am presenting here a new version of questionnaire created by optimizing the original version, which were designed according to circumstances and desired outcomes. I also analyze actual situation of employee satisfaction. In Thesis I am presenting solutions based on the outputs from research and conversations with managers.