In recent years, organizations have invested increasing financial and labor-related resources on employee training. The assumption is that training will benefit the organization through improved performance which will result in greater efficiency, greater customer satisfaction and, ultimately, increased revenue and profits. Further, employees are assumed to benefit because their improved performance should lead to career advancement and increased compensation. However, measuring the effect of training on employee performance has been problematic due to the difficulty of isolating the effect of training from other human resource management practices and environmental and organizational influences. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to test a model for predicting merit pay increase, job promotion and performance ratings from measures of general and finance training, as well as employee tenure, gender, educational level and organizational level. It was found that while significant contributions (i.e., betas) were made by finance and general training for performance ratings, promotion and merit pay increase, they did not increase the variance accounted for by tenure, organizational level and gender.

The purpose of this research study was to measure and understand if there was a change in the psychological contract post-acquisition and if so, did this change have a positive, negative or no effect on employee performance. Previous research and literature has suggested that identity was a critical measure of post-acquisition success (2011, p. 26; Weber&Drori, 2011, p. 76) leaving employee performance unmeasured. Rouzies (2011) further suggested that a merger or acquisition can lead to a drop in psychological attachment, identification and commitment to the acquired organisation (2011, p. 25). In addition, Chambers (2008) also made mention of personnel and culture integration being underestimated (p. 16). Therefore, this research has measured psychological contract (identity, culture and communication) in terms of employee performance (potential turnover, job satisfaction and productivity) in the context of post-acquisition integration.The results showed that changes in the psychological contract affect employee performance positively. Equally, if not more, important is maintaining the psychological contract in the post-acquisition integration process and thereby avoiding a drop in employee and acquisition performance.Identity and culture are strong influences of employee performance. The data collected suggested that identity positively impacts employee performance. More specifically, there was a slight positive impact on potential turnover and a more positive impact on job satisfaction and productivity. Culture also positively impacted employee performance. When measured against potential turnover, this impact was slightly positive while job satisfaction and productivity were more positively impacted.Communication was found to be important in reducing potential turnover. From data collected, communication does not impact job satisfaction and productivity. However, the data suggests that communication was adequately handled in the post-acquisition integration process.Recommendations were made dealing with principles to be considered preacquisition, on the importance of minimising disruption and maintaining continuity during post-acquisition. Based on the findings in this research, the psychological contract needs to be maintained in terms of identity, culture and communication. This will in turn ensure that employee performance is maintained post-acquisition. This implies that in addition to financial due-diligence being performed prior to a merger or acquisition, organisations need to be aware of employees’ feelings and attitudes towards the impending change.Future research may look at measuring psychological contract and employee performance in post-acquisition integration across different industries and countries or the same variables could also be measured pre-acquisition. Alternatively, additional variables such as extra-role behaviour and affective commitment could be added to the assessment tool to measure employee performance more closely. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Leaders and the strategies they employ to enhance employee performance are essential to retaining an organization's competitive advantage. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies used by supply chain management managers to improve employee performance in the workplace. The conceptual framework for this study combined elements from Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation, Adams's equity theory of motivation and leadership, and transformational leadership theories. Participants were selected via the purposeful sampling of 6 successful supply chain managers in the District of Columbia's metropolitan area. Data were obtained using semistructured face-to-face interviews, interview notes, transcripts, and a thorough review and analysis of organizational documents. Data were analyzed using Yin's 5-step approach to data analysis. Four themes were identified: strategies associated with enhancing employee performance with an emphasis on training, barriers that prevented leadership from achieving performance improvement objectives, tools leaders used to measure employee performance and the leadership style of the manager with an emphasis on the use of the participative leadership style. The findings of this study may contribute to social change by providing supply chain managers with resources required to enhance overall employee performance in the workplace, which in turn may lead to increased overall organizational productivity, helping to ensure the prosperity of the organizational leaders, employees, their families, the surrounding communities, and the local economy.

Performance Management is both a strategic and an integrated approach to delivering successful results in organizations by improving the performance and developing the capabilities of teams and individuals. The term performance management gained its importance and popularity in the1980’s when the competitive pressures in the market place started rising. This is when organizations felt the need of introducing a comprehensive performance management process into their systems for improving productivity and performance effectiveness. Performance management can be regarded as a continuous process of managing the performance of people to get desired results. Performance management is beneficial to major stakeholders of an organization by clearly describing what is supposed to be done for attaining certain desired goals. However focus on performance management may be fruitless without the existence of effective implementation, proper organizational design and management systems.

An attempt was made to determine the presence of subjectivity in the appraisal system of a data processing company. Ninety-one clerks were given individual performance ratings by their supervisors, including an overall rating and ratings on seven performance dimensions. A multiple regression performed on these data resulted in a set of empirical weights. Supervisors were also asked to rank the relative importance of each of the seven dimensions to the clerk job. The mean rankings were regarded as apparent weights. A comparison of the empirical and apparent weights led to the conclusion that supervisors were not rating their employees according to what they said was important for successful performance, thus introducing an element of subjectivity into the system.

Performance Management is both a strategic and an integrated approach to delivering successful results in organizations by improving the performance and developing the capabilities of teams and individuals. The term performance management gained its importance and popularity in the1980’s when the competitive pressures in the market place started rising. This is when organizations felt the need of introducing a comprehensive performance management process into their systems for improving productivity and performance effectiveness. Performance management can be regarded as a continuous process of managing the performance of people to get desired results. Performance management is beneficial to major stakeholders of an organization by clearly describing what is supposed to be done for attaining certain desired goals. However focus on performance management may be fruitless without the existence of effective implementation, proper organizational design and management systems.

Stress is placed upon anything that is given special emphasis or significance, especially where this leads to, or involves, psychological, emotional and physical strain or tension. A part of it is therefore subjective, in that different reactions are produced in different individuals by the same set of circumstances. Stress is caused by a combined physical and psychological response to stimuli (stressors) that occur or are encountered during the course of living. The study will look at causes of stress and workplace stress and its impact on female employees' performance. Stressors from a general perspective will be identified. Further, workplace stress will be dealt with in detail using the integrated stress framework. The study will also look at effects on employees of negative feedback on self, as for example when a hierarchical superior in the course of an appraisal interview states that performance is unsatisfactory. The study will orientate towards a few questions such as: to what extent are individual well-being and performance similarly affected by stressors of various kinds, and to what extent to their effects appear to be distinct? What are the social and organizational conditions which give rise to the immediate stressors, and what qualities of personality and interpersonal relations mitigate the effects of stress? Creating workplaces that work for women and why the 'bottom-line' benefits workplaces that attract women are important components of this study. Further, organisations that target female consumers or clients is increasingly important as more women are entering the workforce and their spending power and disposable income continues to grow. To ensure a successful market focus on women, employers will want women employees to be a critical component of their organization. However, the mere presence of women in the workplace will not guarantee positive outcomes. What is required is a variety of best practice changes to ensure a work culture in which diversity is valued and effectively leveraged for better performance. A self-administered questionnaire will then be sent out to respondents to get their views on the effects of stress that they have felt in the past 12 months and how they rate their workplaces. Their views will also be sought on performance management issues and how to improve their performance management systems. A holistic approach which incorporates stress management into company health and i safety policies is viewed as the optimal strategy of this study. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

Poor employee performance is one of employer’s most common challenges. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of a Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP) used within an electricity supply company and identifying the contributing factors for managers and supervisors not utilizing the programme. The research method consists of two parts, a literary review and an empirical study. The empirical study was done by means of a survey conducted on a sample of 210 Eskom supervisors and managers of the North Western Region of Eskom. The measuring instrument consisted of a structured questionnaire, developed by the researcher. The results revealed that supervisors and managers are using PEP and that they see it as a good tool to manage poor performance. Respondents indicated very clearly that they need training to be able to address poor performance. The findings concerning the effectiveness of the PEP were inconclusive. The small sample size was a limitation to the study. The questionnaire proved to be lacking in determining the effectiveness of the Performance Enhancement Programme. The sample only included supervisors and managers in the North Western Region of Eskom. Further research needs to be conducted with a larger sample including employees on all levels. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Poor employee performance is one of employer’s most common challenges. The study aims to explore the effectiveness of a Performance Enhancement Programme (PEP) used within an electricity supply company and identifying the contributing factors for managers and supervisors not utilizing the programme. The research method consists of two parts, a literary review and an empirical study. The empirical study was done by means of a survey conducted on a sample of 210 Eskom supervisors and managers of the North Western Region of Eskom. The measuring instrument consisted of a structured questionnaire, developed by the researcher. The results revealed that supervisors and managers are using PEP and that they see it as a good tool to manage poor performance. Respondents indicated very clearly that they need training to be able to address poor performance. The findings concerning the effectiveness of the PEP were inconclusive. The small sample size was a limitation to the study. The questionnaire proved to be lacking in determining the effectiveness of the Performance Enhancement Programme. The sample only included supervisors and managers in the North Western Region of Eskom. Further research needs to be conducted with a larger sample including employees on all levels. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

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