Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: People are often referred to in a Human Resource Development context as the organisation‟s most important resource in recognition of the important knowledge and learning they bring to the organisation (Bierema & Eraut, 2004). South African organisations experience a shortage of this valuable and important resource due to the country‟s social political past which was led by the Apartheid system. South Africa today still suffers from the consequences of the history of racial discrimination which was lead by the Apartheid system. This system was one of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government of South Africa between 1948 and 1993 and it deprived the majority of South Africans of the opportunity to develop and accumulate human capital. South Africa‟s past has thus left the previously disadvantaged group members with underdeveloped competency potential, as opposed to the not previously disadvantaged group members, and this has subsequently led to adverse impact in valid, fair (in the Cleary sense of the term) strict-top-down selection. This underdeveloped competency potential prohibits these individuals from succeeding in the world of work. Because of the importance of labour it is crucial that the South African labour force be developed to reach its full potential. Adverse impact in personnel selection refers to the situation where a selection strategy affords members of a specific group a lower probability of being selected compared to members of another group (Boeyens, 1989). There thus lies a vast reservoir of untapped human potential in this country, and a method to identify these individuals is required. The fact that adverse impact is created during personnel selection does not necessarily mean that selection procedures are responsible for the adverse impact. Adopting a problem orientation involves using careful analysis to identify the root causes of a problem (Bierema & Eraut, 2004). In South Africa an intellectually honest solution to the problem of adverse impact would be to provide development opportunities, rather than searching for an alternative selection instrument, to those individuals who have been denied opportunities in the past in order to develop skills, abilities and coping strategies necessary for job performance. This does not imply that affirmative action should be abolished; it rather suggests that the focus of this corrective policy should shift towards a more developmental approach. More emphasis should be placed on providing the previously disadvantaged with the necessary training and development to foster the necessary competency potential to succeed in the world of work. Affirmative developmental opportunities will entail giving previously disadvantaged individuals access to skills development and educational opportunities aimed at equipping them with the currently deficit skills and knowledge. A need exists to identify individuals who will gain maximum benefit from these developmental opportunities and who display the highest potential to learn, as resources for such developmental programmes are scarce. Attempts at accelerated affirmative development will be effective to the extent to which there exists a comprehensive understanding of the factors underlying training performance and the manner in which they combine to determine learning performance (De Goede & Theron, 2010). De Goede (2007) has already conducted a study to identify such individuals. Selection alone, although important and necessary, is not sufficient to ensure successful affirmative development interventions. Additional interventions are required, post-selection, to ensure success. The primary objectives of this study are consequently to build onto De Goede‟s (2007) foundations and it is therefore necessary to describe De Goede‟s (2007) model, explain its underlying argument, report on the fit of his proposed structural model and also to report on the findings regarding the specific causal relationships which he proposed. De Goede‟s (2007) existing learning potential structural model was expanded with the inclusion of additional non-cognitive variables in order to gain a deeper understanding of the complexity underlying learning and the determinants of learning performance. The hypothesised learning potential structural model was empirically tested and evaluated and achieved good close fit. Modification indices calculated as part of the structural equation modelling suggested a specific addition to the existing model that would improve the fit. One modification was subsequently made to the model after the consideration of the full range of fit indices, standardised residuals, modification indices and parameter estimates. No paths were removed. This decision was taken because the path-specific hypotheses that were tested referred to the specific paths when they were included in the specific model. Deleting insignificant paths from the model would therefore change the original hypotheses. The final revised structural model achieved good fit. The limitations of the research methodology, the practical implications of this study, and recommendations for future research are also discussed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In die konteks van Menslike Hulpbronontwikkeling word daar vele kere na mense verwys as die organisasie se belangrikste hulpbron uit erkenning vir die belangrike kennis en leer wat hulle na die organisasie bring (Bierema & Eraut, 2004). Suid-Afrikaanse organisasies ervaar „n tekort aan die waardevolle en belangrike hulpbron weens die land se verlede onder leiding van die Apartheidsisteem. Suid-Afrika ly vandag steeds onder die gevolge van die geskiedenis van rassediskriminasie onder leiding van die Apartheidstelsel. Hierdie stelsel is gebaseer op wetlike rasseskeiding, afgedwing deur die Nasionale Party regering in Suid-afrika tussen 1948 en 1993. Hierdie sisteem het die meeste Suid-Afrikaners die geleentheid op toegang tot ontwikkelingsgeleenthede ontneem. Suid-Afrika se verlede het die lede van die voorheen benadeelde groepe gelaat met onderontwikkelde bevoegdheidspotensiaal, in teenstelling met lede van bevoorregte groepe. Dit het daartoe aanleiding gegee dat geldige en regverdige (in die Cleary sin van die begrip) streng bo-tot-onder keuring „n nadelige impak teen voorheen benadeelde individue tot gevolg het. Die onderontwikkelde bevoegdheidspotensiaal verhoed die voorheen benadeelde groepe om suksesvol in die werksplek te wees. Weens die belangrikheid van arbeid is dit noodsaaklik dat die Suid-Afrikaanse arbeidsmag ontwikkel word om sy volle potensiaal te bereik. Nadelige impak in personeelkeuring verwys na die situasie waar „n keuringstrategie lede van „n spesifieke groep „n laer waarskynlikheid van keuring bied in vergelyking met lede van „n ander groep (Boeyens, 1989). Daar bestaan dus „n reuse onontginde reservoir van menslike potensiaal in hierdie land en „n metode om hierdie individue te identifiseer word benodig. Die feit dat „n nadelige impak geskep word tydens personeelkeuring beteken nie noodwendig dat die keuringsprosedures verantwoordelik is vir die nadelige impak nie. Die aanvaarding van „n probleemoriëntasie vereis die gebruik van „n versigtige analise om die grondoorsake van „n problem te identifiseer (Bierema & Eraut, 2004). In Suid-Afrika sal dit „n intellektueel eerlike oplossing ten opsigte van die probleem van nadelige impak bied om ontwikkelingsgeleenthede te voorsien aan daardie lede wat geleenthede misgun is in die verlede, om vaardighede, vermoëns en hanteringstrategieë wat benodig word vir werksprestasie te ontwikkel, eerder as om „n ander keuringsinstrument te soek. Daar word glad nie hiermee geïmpliseer dat regstellende aksie tot niet gemaak moet word nie. Daar word slegs voorgestel dat die fokus van regstellende aksie meer ontwikkelingsgerig moet wees. Groter klem moet dus daarop geplaas word om lede van voorheen benadeelde groepe die geleenthede te gee om die nodige bevoegdheidspotensiaal te ontwikkel om suksesvol in the werksplek te wees. Regstellende ontwikkelingsgeleenthede sal voorheen benadeelde individue toegang gee tot opleidings en ontwikkelingsgeleenthede wat daarop afgestem is om hulle van die nodige vaardighede en kennis te voorsien wat hulle kortkom. „n Behoefte bestaan om daardie indiwidue te identifieer wat die grootste voordeel uit hierdie ontwikkelingsgeleenthede sal trek en wat die hoogste vlak van leerpotensiaal het, aangesien hulpbronne vir die doel baie skaars is. Pogings tot versnelde regstellende ontwikkeling sal net suksesvol wees tot die mate wat daar „n omvattende begrip is van die faktore wat onderliggend is aan leerprestasie en die wyse waarop hulle kombineer om leerprestasie te bepaal (De Goede & Theron, 2010). De Goede (2007) het reeds so „n leerpotensiaalnavorsingstudie gedoen. Keuring alleen, alhoewel belangrik en noodsaaklik, is nie voldoende om suksesvolle regstellende ontwikkelingsingrypings te verseker nie. Verdere addisionele ingrypings word na keuring benodig om sukses te verseker. Die primêre doelstellings van hierdie studie is gevolglik om op De Goede (2007) se fondasies te bou. De Goede (2007) se model is beskryf, sy onderliggende argument is verduidelik, verslag is gedoen oor die pasgehalte van die voorgestelde strukturele model en ook oor sy bevindinge aangaande die spesifieke, oorsaaklike verwantskappe wat hy voorgestel het. De Goede (2007) se bestaande leerpotensiaal strukturele model is gewysig en uitgebrei deur die toevoeging van addisionele nie-kognitiewe veranderlikes om ‟n meer indringende begrip van die kompleksiteit onderliggend aan leer en die determinante van leerprestasie te verkry. Die strukturele model is empiries getoets en geëvalueer en die model het „n goeie passing getoon. Modifikasie-indekse bereken as deel van die strukturele vergelykingsmodellering het „n spesifieke baan uitgewys wat die passing van die model sou verbeter indien dit bygevoeg word tot die bestaande model. Die strukturele model is dus aangepas deur die addisionele baan by te voeg tot die bestaande model na die oorweging van die volle spektrum pasgehaltemaatstawwe, gestandaardiseerde residue, modifikasie-indekse and parameterskattings. Geen bane is verwyder nie. Die besluit is geneem omdat die baan-spesifieke hipoteses wat getoets is, verwys het na spesifieke bane toe hulle ingesluit is in die spesifieke model. Verwydering van bane wat nie statisties beduidend was nie, sou dus die oorspronklike hipoteses verander. Die bevinding was dat die finaal-gewysigde strukturele model die data goed gepas het. Die beperkinge van die navorsingsmetodiek, die praktiese implikasies van die studie en aanbevelinge vir toekomstige navorsing word ook bespreek.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Imperative changes in the global economy continue to change the complexion of many organisations in their quest to remain competitive. Hitherto, their strive to have sustainable competitive advantage is challenged by factors such as increased competition, market volatility, geographically dispersed operations, customer awareness, raising workforce diversity and stringent regulatory regimes. These factors have driven, and in turn, have been driven by an increasing complexity of products, services and the processes that create value, resulting in changes in the structural and functional dimensions of the organisation. Equally, industry captains and scholars alike acknowledge the shift in value creating assets from the traditional land, labour and capital to intangible assets such as knowledge and information becoming the most important resources an organisation can muster. The combination and integration of intangible assets such as human resources, structural and relational resources have been grouped under the umbrella of intellectual capital. This study sheds light on the unique variables which accelerate intellectual capital as leverage for optimising competitive advantage and collates them with the case study findings of the research conducted at an international oil and gas company headquartered in South Africa. These variables include human capital attributes, such as competencies, tacit knowledge or experience, communities of practice, and competitive intelligence; relational capital attributes such as brand, customer loyalty, corporate social responsibility, and partnerships or joint ventures; and structural capital attributes such as corporate culture, leadership philosophy, and technology or systems. The research design follows a case study approach and applies the method of content analysis of annual reports and of analysing the content of the oil and gas company, Sasol's, four-year annual reports to establish the disclosure of intellectual capital. In conclusion, this study finds that the realisation of sustainable competitive advantage for any organisation, particularly blue chip companies like Sasol, is the choice to implement a unique wealth-creating strategy, namely leveraging its intellectual capital. This study highlights that intellectual capital has the potential to offer companies sustainable long-term benefits through intangible assets that are inimitable, that is, current and potential competitors would not be able to duplicate of imitate.

M.Ed. / The Department of Education in North West is inundated with disputes as a result of procedures not being followed, in respect of promotional posts. This state of affairs has caused the Department a lot of money, a lot of stress to those affected as well as affecting the progress of many schools in the North West Province. The aim of this study is to describe a prevention strategy to be used in order to reduce the number of disputes experienced in the Department of education. In this work exploratory and descriptive, qualitative design is mainly used. The aim being to develop new insight into the phenomena and to increase understanding. Through interviews, the research has been able to explore and describe the viewpoints of, Director for co-ordination, District managers, affected Education Labor relations Council, with regard to causes of such disputes. The researcher has been able to develop prevention and an intervention strategy in North West. Prevention strategies, focusing on causes of such disputes, should be designed taking cognizance of factors highlighted by this study such as low level of illiteracy among School Governing Body members and unclear procedures on selection.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Masters of Commerce in Management, 2018 / This study sought to contribute to a further convergence between three topical research areas: Personal Knowledge Management (PKM), Individual Work Performance (IWP) and SelfPerceived Employability (SPE). Specifically, this study investigated the moderating effect of SPE on the relationship between PKM and IWP. PKM is an interdisciplinary concept, connected with management science, information science; information technology and other disciplines. The shift from the industrial economy to the knowledge economy has contributed to the surfacing of the knowledge-based view of the organisations and the emergence of the concept of knowledge workers or “people who think for a living” (Davenport, 2005). Knowledge workers are individuals who possess or seek to develop unique cognitive competencies and skills built upon effective PKM. While it has been acknowledged in the literature that PKM encompasses a competency aspect on the one hand and a technological perspective on the other hand, the overall reflection conducted in this study claimed to be skills/competencies centric. In that regard, a competency model developed by Kirby (2005, 2008) comprising of four-fold dimensions was used in this study to measure PKM. These four dimensions include analytical competencies (ANL), social competencies (SOC), information competencies (INF) and learning competencies (LRN). The construct of IWP relates to the individual behaviours or actions displayed by knowledge workers which are relevant to the goals of the organisation. This implies that IWP focuses on behaviours or actions of workers rather than the results of these actions. In addition, these behaviours should be under the control of the individual, thus excluding behaviours that are constrained by the environment. IWP was measured using the three components relevant to the IWP namely task performance (TSK), contextual performance (CON) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB). Employability concerns the extent to which people possess the skills and other attributes to find and stay in the kind of work they want. Such individuals are assumed to display a greater propensity to IWP. SPE is relating to a self-assessment of the employees as to how the organisation they are working for value them as individuals. Most importantly, SPE is associated with v individuals’ self-perception of their merit based more on their personal competencies than features of their occupation. Through a review of relevant literature this study discussed how PKM impacts IWP, and how SPE can potentially impact that relationship. This study used a sample of working professional students studying at Wits Plus (the University of the Witwatersrand’s centre for part-time studies), Wits Business School and Wits School of Governance and will perform Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and hierarchical regression for data analysis. / XL2019

No description available.

No description available.

In an effort to demonstrate the usefulness of personality tests as predictors of job performance, it is common practice to draw a validation sample consisting of individuals who are currently employed on the job in question. It has long been assumed that the results of such a study are appropriately generalized to the setting wherein job candidates respond to personality inventories as an application requirement. The purpose of this manuscript was to critically evaluate the evidence supporting the presumed interchangeability of present-employees and job applicants. Existing research on the use of personality tests in occupational settings is reviewed. Theoretical reasons to anticipate differential response processes and self-report personality profiles according to test-taking status (present employees versus job applicants) are reviewed, as is empirical research examining relevant issues. The question of sample type substitutability is further probed via a quantitative review (meta-analysis) of the criterion-related validity of seven personality constructs (Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Optimism, and Ambition). Further, the meta-analytic correlations among these personality constructs are estimated. Test-taking status is examined as a moderator of the criterion-related validities as well as the personality construct inter-correlations. Meta-analytic correlation matrices are then constructed on the basis of the job incumbent and the job applicant subgroup results. These correlation matrices are utilized in a simulation study designed to estimate the potential degree of error when job incumbents are used in place of job applicants in a validation study for personality tests. The results of the meta-analyses and the subsequent simulation study suggest that the moderating effect of sample type on criterion-related validity estimates is generally small. Sample type does appear to moderate the criterion-related validity of some personality constructs, but the direction of the effect is inconsistent: in some cases, incumbent validities are larger than applicant validities. Alternatively, incumbent validities sometimes are smaller than applicant validities. Personality construct inter-correlations yield almost no evidence of moderation by sample type. Further, where there are between group differences in the personality construct inter-correlations, these differences have little bearing on the regression equation relating personality to job performance. Despite a few caveats that are discussed, the results are supportive of the use of incumbent samples in personality-test validation research. / Ph. D.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986. / Also available in print.