Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Management Sciences: Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of job satisfaction on organizational effectiveness at Buffalo City College in the Eastern Cape. When job satisfaction levels are low, the organizations efforts to attain organizational effectiveness may be compromised. For any organisation to be effective, it should have satisfied and committed workers. The levels of employee performance may be increased by job satisfaction in an organisation including the further education and training sector. The individual commitment of employees in the workplace may be stimulated by job satisfaction. This means that the satisfaction of employees is necessary for the development of any establishment. A quantitative methodological style was used for the collection of data in this study. The target population consisted of 100 lecturers at Buffalo City College. The personal method of administering the questionnaire was used and a 75% response rate was obtained. The Statistical Program for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 was used for statistical examination. Significant findings emerged from the empirical analysis and results. Some respondents experienced job satisfaction while others experienced dissatisfaction with growth opportunities, pay, working conditions and recognition. The recommendations highlighted that top management should consider improving the working conditions of employees and opening up opportunities for individual advancement of the workers. Further, it was recommended that top management of Buffalo City College should pay a fair salary to the lecturers and involve them in decision making particularly on those things that have a direct impact on them. The study concludes by providing directions for future research. / M

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences: Human Resources Management, Department of Human Resources Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. 2017. / Higher education institutions are particularly vulnerable to the loss of their highly qualified employees to better rewards and benefits from the private sector and other higher education institutions. Talent retention and employee turnover, therefore, are major concerns for higher education institutions (HEIs). Without well qualified and committed academic staff, no academic institution can really ensure sustainability and quality over the long-term. Owing to the competition for scarce skills, the attraction and retention of quality employees has emerged as the biggest challenge in human capital management, this phenomenon has also arisen in universities of technology. To attract and retain employees, organisations need novel reward systems that satisfy them. Employee rewards are an important component in exchange of employee contribution. It is generally accepted that employee rewards plays a significant role to attract, motivate, satisfy, retain and maintain commitment among employees in any organisation while ensuring a high standard of performance and workforce stability. Essentially, it is understood that reward systems in higher education institutions are at fault because they do not provide individuals with rewards that they value. The overall outcome of the study is to benefit employees, rewards practitioners and institutions by attracting and retaining talented employees. The study focuses on the academic staff at two universities of technology, namely, Central University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology. A quantitative research approach was employed with a semi-structured questionnaire comprising a 5 Point Likert Scale to determine the influence of employee rewards on job satisfaction and organisational commitment among academic staff at universities of technology. The target population for the present study comprises all academic staff at Central University of Technology and Tshwane University of Technology (from level of lecturers, senior lecturers, head of departments and professors). The target population for this research was obtained from the Human Resources Management Department at both universities of technology. The source list indicates that both UOTs equated to staff of 1 089 (CUT = 296; TUT = 820). A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 279 sample respondents of academic staff. Data obtained from 225 respondents and 8 uncompleted questionnaires yielded a response rate of 78%. Systematic sampling was used to select target respondents, nth element was drawn on every 4th element for the entire sample. The data collected from the responses were analysed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and AMOS, version 24.0 for Windows. Three main data analysis techniques are employed: descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM). Two models are employed in CFA to test dimensional structure of employee rewards. These include a model that allows all factors to be freely correlated, a proposed model was tested for correlation and a structural model. All factors are correlated because they measure one higher order factor, where all indicators test if they measure only one construct. The results of CFA provide solid statistical evidence that affirm relationship among constructs. However, some factors do not converge towards the job satisfaction construct in a South African context. Work-life balance and fringe benefits provided a negative correlation to job satisfaction. A significant statistical relationship is seen between employee rewards, job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The SEM results affirm that compensation, performance management, recognition, talent development and career opportunities have a positive and significant influence on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction has a significant effect on organisational commitment while total rewards components performance management, recognition, talent development and career opportunities has a positive and significant impact on organisational commitment. However, employee rewards have a significant effect on job satisfaction and organisational commitment. These results, therefore, can aid remuneration specialists in higher education institutions with specific reference to universities of technology to implement these total rewards components in order to affect job satisfaction while ensuring organisational commitment among academic staff. This study would benefit if these models are tested with an alternative data set. The research also suffered from a limitation common to survey research and SEM. Due to time and money constraints, it is a cross sectional sample at one specific point in time. As a result, while causal relationships can be inferred, they cannot be generalised towards other universities of technology in South Africa. / D

Customer service excellence (CSE) is the common thread that binds all businesses; as without customers no trade can take place. The South African retail sector is one of the drivers of the economy and it is important that CSE is continuously monitored to ensure that standards of excellence are maintained. What remains unknown and unmeasured is the impact of the employees and the organisation on CSE. The retail sector is dependent on its customer facing employees to be the face and character of the store. Investment in advertising and other media exposure must ultimately be tested when a consumer visits a store and experiences the CSE on the ground and in real time. The investment for the retailer becomes worthwhile if the real face of the company reflects the promises made in the media; and that is in the hands of the men and women who work in the stores. This study sought to find out the impact of employees and organisations in the Centurion mall based retail stores on CSE. Literature was reviewed and quantitative and qualitative research methods was undertaken by means of questionnaires that were distributed to the staff and management of national branded stores in the malls around Centurion. The results obtained were then discussed in terms of each variable tested. The study found that organisational commitment, employee education and employee training have a strong relationship to customer service excellence.

Research suggest that increasing employee commitment and satisfaction impacts on employee productivity and job performance, and has implications for job related behaviours such as absenteeism, turnover and tardiness. Moreover, literature also suggests that downsizing and cost-cutting negatively impacts on the satisfaction and commitment of employees and impacts on the effectiveness of organisations. The contention is that in order to reconcile the need to achieve high quality and organisational effectiveness in an environment of declining per capita resources and change, it will be necessary to secure a high level of commitment and satisfaction from all those employed in the higher education sector. This study sought to investigate the factors that produce commitment and satisfaction in academic and support staff respectively and to understand any important similarities and differences that may exist.

Research suggest that increasing employee commitment and satisfaction impacts on employee productivity and job performance, and has implications for job related behaviours such as absenteeism, turnover and tardiness. Moreover, literature also suggests that downsizing and cost-cutting negatively impacts on the satisfaction and commitment of employees and impacts on the effectiveness of organisations. The contention is that in order to reconcile the need to achieve high quality and organisational effectiveness in an environment of declining per capita resources and change, it will be necessary to secure a high level of commitment and satisfaction from all those employed in the higher education sector. This study sought to investigate the factors that produce commitment and satisfaction in academic and support staff respectively and to understand any important similarities and differences that may exist.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / Organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) is discretionary behaviour of employees that display altruism, courtesy, conscientiousness and loyalty towards co-workers and the organisation. OCB is important, since it promotes efficient and effective functioning of the organisation (Organ, 1988: 4). Research suggests that OCB is related to perceptions of organisational justice (OJ). OJ refers to fairness of decision making processes in the workplace, employees’ perceptions, and the influence of OJ on workplace behaviour. Perceived fairness determines the extent of employees’ OCB contributions to the organisation. OCB may be increased if employee perceptions of OJ are improved (Moorman, 1991: 845). Anecdotal evidence suggests that many workers at the research site (Company A) display negative OCB, hence identifying a need for this study. The main objective of the study was to determine employee perceptions of OJ, levels of OCB, and to test the nature of the relationship between perceptions of OJ and OCB at Company A. Employees at Company A (N=130) were surveyed regarding their perceptions of OJ and their willingness to display OCB. Cross sectional, quantitative data was collected in a paper based survey, by using existing instruments that were formulated from validated standardised questionnaires to measure OJ and OCB. Responses were analysed, and the results of the study showed that certain components of OJ are related to OCB at Company A. Understanding the effect that management practices have on perceptions of OJ will enable management at Company A to improve interaction with employees in an effort to improve employees’ perceptions of fairness. This should enhance employee/management relations, encourage more citizenship behaviour from employees, and ultimately benefit the organisation.

Higher Education in the late 1990’s experienced significant problems with capacity due to many black students applying to enter previously white institutions (Jansen, 2002:159). The main concern of the new ANC government was the status of historically black institutions. They were unstable due to the migration away from black to white universities and technikons. This reduced their financial status and viability. In addition, the anticipated huge increase in black enrolments in higher education had not materialised (Finweek Survey, February 2009). In order to overcome both of these problems, the then Minister of Education decided to press ahead with a merger programme aimed at reducing the number of higher education institutions from 36 to 21 (Jansen, 2002:6). The primary objective of this research is to investigate the factors that influence employee perceptions of a post-merger Working Environment and Organisational Commitment: a case study of the administration staff in the Finance Department at Walter Sisulu University. There seems to be a lack of efficiently and effectiveness in the he operations of the Finance Department of Walter Sisulu University which this research will investigate through finding solutions to factors of improving the relationship between employee perceptions of their post-merger Working Environment and their Organisational Commitment. This exploratory study collected primary data through the distribution of questionnaires to 59 employees from the Finance Department at the Walter Susulu University, with a 69.12% response rate. The survey included closed questions that were analysed using statistical techniques. The findings revealed overall low scores of 31% for employee perception of their post – merger Working Environment and 50.21% for Organisational Commitment, together with its sub-dimension Affective, Continuance and normative. These scores are disturbing and need to be urgently addressed by the management of the Institution. The implication of the Finance staff’s low perception of their post – merger Working Environment and organisation Commitment is that the institution’s goals will be difficult to be fulfilled due to the low morale of the staff and the non-conducive working conditions. The Institution’s Management should be more transparent, more trustworthy, and more supportive towards staff members and have a good overall communication strategy.

This study investigates the impact of motivations, personal values and managerial skills of managers on the performance of Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. The failure rate of SMEs in South Africa is very high and it is of great importance to investigate the factors that can impact on the performance of SMEs. Financial and non-financial methods were used to measure SMEs performance. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires. Exploratory factor analysis was used to improve the research problems and enhance the validity of the research. Data analysis for this study includes descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. Reliability was tested using the Cronbach‟s Alpha while validity was ensured by using a statistician and by pre-testing the research instrument in a pilot study.

Perceived organisational support and organisational commitment plays a vital role in determining turnover intention. When employees feel that their organisation supports them levels of commitment can increase. Thus, employees feel more obligated because of favourable benefits such as organisational effectiveness and reduced turnover. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect perceived organisational support and organisational commitment have on turnover intention. The study followed a descriptive survey method. A questionnaire, measured on a Likert Scale was used to collect data from respondents. The sample comprised 98 academic staff at the University of Fort Hare and the response rate was 56.6 percent. The results indicated that perceived organisational support and organisational commitment are negatively and significantly related to turnover intention. The study also revealed perceived organisational support and organisational commitment on turnover intention did not account for a higher variance when put together, however moderate variance was found. Perceived organisational support in this study was identified as the most effective predictor of turnover intention. In addition to managerial implications and limitations of the study, direction for future research is also suggested at the end of this study. The findings of this study will help in terms of understanding the state of organisational commitment of academics and its relationship with their intentions to leave.

Employee commitment is one of the most important aspects that help an organisation achieve its desired goals. This study investigates the possible effects of gender and age differences between managers and employees on organisational commitment among lower-level employees in selected factories in the Buffalo City Metropolitan area. The organisational commitment instrument used in this research is the Meyer and Allen (1997) organisational commitment questionnaire which contains 18 items (6 items for each scale: affective commitment, continuance commitment and normative commitment). For this purpose, a sample of 100 lower-level employees was used. The results indicated significant differences in the unexpected directions in affective commitment and continuance commitment between male employees supervised by male managers and male employees supervised by female managers; male employees were found to have higher levels of affective and continuance commitment when supervised by female managers. Female employees were found to have a higher level of normative commitment when supervised by male managers than when supervised by female managers which was also in the unexpected direction. In addition, the study showed surprising results in terms of the social or cultural hypothesis where employees supervised by male managers and older managers were not significantly different in organisational commitment to those managed by female and by younger or same-age managers.