Thesis (DPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 1977. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: see item for full text / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: sien item vir volteks.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

This study investigates human resources management, training and development and their compliance with the skills development legislation and the link to the strategic goals of the Cape Technikon. The Cape Technikon is known as a previously &ldquo / white&rdquo / or advantaged institution. The institution's political history and consequent demographic profile display some scars of ignorance. This resulted in the institution's neglecting to invest in the development of those competencies needed to function in a constantly changing education, training and development environment. The success of any organisation depends on its human resources, who are the most important asset of any organisation, therefore effective and efficient human resources management and training and development management play a critical role in the well-being of employees. Human resources training and development policies, practices and activities guide the institution with implementation and should be considered to take on a strategic role to achieve their objectives.

No description available.

This study examined training evaluation practices in U.S. nonprofit sector organizations. It offered a framework for evaluating employee training in the nonprofit sector and suggested solutions to overcome the barriers to evaluation. A mail survey was sent to 879 individuals who were members of, or had expressed an interest in, the American Society for Training and Development. The membership list consisted of individuals who indicated association/nonprofit or interfaith as an area of interest. Data from the survey show that training in the nonprofit sector is evaluated primarily at Level 1 (reaction) and Level 2 (learning). It also shows decreasing use from Level 3 (application) through Level 5 (ROI). Reaction questionnaires are the primary method for collecting Level 1 data. Facilitator assessment and self-assessment were listed as the primary method for evaluating Level 2. A significant mean rank difference was found between Level 2 (learning) and the existence of an evaluation policy. Spearman rho correlation revealed a statistically significant relationship between Level 4 (results) and the reasons training programs are offered. The Kruskal-Wallis H test revealed a statistically significant mean rank difference between "academic preparation" of managers with Level 3 evaluation. The Mann-Whitney U test was used post hoc and revealed that master's degree had a higher mean rank compared to bachelor's degree and doctorate. The Mann-Whitney U test revealed that there were statistically significant mean rank differences on Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Level 5 evaluation use with the barriers "little perceived value to the organization," "lack of training or experience using this form of evaluation," and "not required by the organization." Research findings are consistent with previous research conducted in the public sector, business and industry, healthcare, and finance. Nonprofit sector organizations evaluate primarily at Level 1 and Level 2. The existence of a written policy increases the use of Level 2 evaluation. Training evaluation is also an important part of the training process in nonprofit organizations. Selecting programs to evaluate at Level 5 is reserved for courses which are linked to organizational outcomes and have the interest of top management.

In a quasi-experimental field study, two posttraining interventions composed of relapse prevention (RP) strategies were compared and tested for the effects on participant transfer outcomes. Participant retention of training content, skill maintenance, use of relapse prevention strategies, and self-efficacy served as the dependent variables. Self-efficacy was also tested as a mediator between the experimental treatment levels and both participant skill maintenance and participant use of RP strategies. Participants (n = 39) included managers, directors, and supervisors from various departments within a multi-national telecommunications organization located in a large southern city. After participating in a four-hour leadership development training, two of the three groups participated in a 30-40 minute training where they received one of two RP interventions. One intervention included the steps of (1) identifying potential obstacles to positive training transfer, (2) predicting the first lapse to pretraining behavior, and (3) applying relevant coping strategies to thwart a lapse. The alternative RP intervention included the same steps in addition to a goal setting step. Descriminant descriptive analysis was used to test for group differences across the response variables and to identify on which variables the groups differed. Three separate regression equations were used to test for the mediating relationship of self-efficacy between the RP treatment levels and participant skill maintenance and participant use of RP strategies. Results indicated minimal, but non-statistically significant results between treatment levels and each of the response variables. Self-efficacy was not found to mediate the relationship between RP treatment level and participant skill maintenance or participant use of RP strategies, but did function as a strong predictor of both variables. Suggestions for future research include using additional motivational and efficacy variables to better explore group differences and including efficacy-inducing methods both in training design and as part of a transfer intervention to enhance training transfer. Further, specific suggestions concerning conceptual and psychometric refinement of the RP construct are discussed.

Thesis (MTech. Degree. Knowledge management ) / Organisational performance is a manifestation of knowledge sharing, which has an effect on the overall competitiveness of an organisation. Knowledge shapes individual actions and behaviours, which sometimes conflict with the norms, structures and systems of the organisation. A knowledge gap was identified amongst employees at higher institutions of learning in South Africa. It enables some employees to perform their jobs more effectively than others. Knowledgeable employees are expected to share their knowledge with others to increase productivity and efficiency within their environment. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Generally, employees may behave differently within an organisation due to their diverse background or according to their skills and stock of knowledge. Two case studies were conducted to investigate the impact of knowledge sharing on organisational performance. Factors affecting knowledge sharing were identified from the findings of both case studies. A framework was developed to encourage the flow of knowledge sharing that will enhance overall performance in organisations, particularly at higher institutions of learning. Contingency theory was employed in the analysis of the data.

This study is a descriptive analysis of corporate learning resource centers. The study was designed to incorporate historical background and current status, organization and personnel, types and amount of alternate delivery instruction, and selected cost considerations in the establishment and maintenance of a learning resource center. A functional definition was furnished, with a deliberative attempt to encompass related synonyms. Discussion included training types or instructional delivery medium distinctions. A contribution of this study was the development, field testing, and enhancement of a survey instrument, which reflects the steps to be followed by those planning implementation of any learning resource center. Findings of this study indicated that learning resource centers were young and transitioning to increased on-line individualized and self-paced learning. Training and learning will become much less interdependent. Training types will increasingly become nontraditional and technology driven. Courseware will be received and managed remotely. Partnerships and cooperative efforts are mandates for business and higher education. Learner mobility will become normative, not the exception. Internet training will rapidly increase, most quickly among small business. Learning resource centers will continue to become more cost effective. This study proposed the redefinition of both learner and educator roles within a changing learning resource center environment. It was suggested that the learner role must become more active and that the corporate educator role, as a result of technology, will increase in passivity, tending toward that of facilitation. Implications and recommendations were specifically noted for both business and higher education. Specified nomenclature of "learner centers" or clearly "learner centered" has been advocated, reflecting the continuing evolution of the learning resource center. Technology, instructional media, mobility, availability and sharing of resources, less formalization, life-long learning, fiscal issues, Internet access, information and knowledge explosion, and downsizing, all combine to provide the view and demarcation of the new "learner centers."

Mini-dissertation was submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Durban Institute of Technology, 2007. / The first formal Homeopathic education programme in South Africa began in 1989 and was instituted by Technikon Natal, now Durban University of Technology – DUT. The course offers a Master’s Degree in Technology in Homeopathy. Similarly Witwatersrand Technikon now University of Johannesburg began offering the course from 1993. Since the first (from DUT) intake there have been 13 years of graduates. Included in the course is excellent homeopathic training and a comprehensive medical training programme, consisting of anatomy, physiology, pathology, histology and diagnostics subjects. Although a statutory requirement no postgraduate internship training regarding graduates of this programme has been formalised. Thus this study was deemed valuable as it aimed to provide clarity on past internship received and a perception of what an internship ought to entail. The purpose of this retrospective survey was to determine the perceptions and opinions of M.Tech:Homeopathy graduates around the current non-implementation of statutory internship, in order to inform the formulation of an appropriate and effective homoeopathic internship, as required by Act 63 of 1982 (as amended). Other objectives included gathering data/perceptions regarding the contents and outcomes of a proposed Homeopathic internship as perceived by M.Tech:Homeopathy graduates. As well as assessing/determining the possible existence of associations between demographic factors and the perceptions around internship regarding its recommended contents and outcomes. / M

The study used a pre-/post-test design within a secondary analysis of existing de identified data obtained from a major Northeastern hospital for use by permission, in order to evaluate the impact of a communication cultural competency training of hospital registration personnel focused on teaching the collection of gender identity and sexual orientation data (SOGI). The study’s convenience sample (N=240) was diverse, given 34.6% (N=83) identified as White/Caucasian, 28.3% (N=68) as Hispanic/Latino, 27.1% (N=65) as Black /African American, and 10.0% (N=24) as Asian. For gender identity, 74.6% (N=179) identified as female, and 15.8% (N=37) as male. Those who identified their sexual orientation as heterosexual comprised 79.6% (N=191) of the sample. The mean time in current role for the sample was 3.97 years (Min = 1-1 to 6 months, Max = 6-over 10 years, SD = 1.547). For example, 18.3% (N=44) indicated being in their current role for between 5-10 years. Some 74.2% (N=178) indicated that they know someone who is LGBTQ+. Of note, 16.7% (N=38) indicated that they had other training in the last three months. Cronbach’s Alphas ranged from .858-.978 for the 11 new study scales, as very good to excellent internal consistency. As main study findings, paired t-tests for all five global scale scores (knowledge, self-efficacy, skill/ability level, and personal preparation for collecting SOGI data—and engagement in recommended SOGI data collection behavior) demonstrated significant differences from pre- to post- training in this sample (p˂.000; Bonferroni Significance level, p<.007). This suggested that participation in the training was associated with statistically significant improvements from pre- to post-training for knowledge, self-efficacy, skill/ability level, personal, and engagement in recommended SOGI data collection behavior. Through backward stepwise regression, having higher post-training self-efficacy was significantly predicted by: higher pre-training personal skill/ability (B=.589, SEB=.468, p=.000); and, higher post-training overall evaluation (B=.244, SEB=.305, p=.000). The adjusted R-squared value for this model was 0.346, meaning that 34.6% of the variance for higher post-training self-efficacy for collecting for collecting patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity data was explained by this model. Findings suggest the need for further dissemination, implementation and evaluation of the new communication cultural competence training.