According to the latest Education Statistics Report published by the Department of Basic Education in March 2013, there were 12 680 829 learners and students in the basic education system in 2011, who attended 30 992 education institutions and were served by 441 128 educators. The vision of the Department of Basic Education is of a South Africa in which all our people have access to lifelong learning and education and training, which will, in turn, contribute towards improving the quality of life. Ultimately this will influence the building of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic South Africa. The emphasis is on excellence. Therefore maintaining high standards of performance and professionalism is a national imperative. However, this has not always been the case in terms of performance. For more than a decade we have witnessed dismal results in literacy and numeracy. This was accompanied by a low throughput rate. Despite the poor matric, literacy and numeracy results in South Africa as well as the low throughput rate, no teacher has been formally charged for poor performance in the last two decades. South Africa’s education budget is regarded as one of the highest in the developing world. Since 1993 the education budget has also grown substantially. South Africa’s education expenditure on education has grown from R30 billion in 1994/05 to R101 billion in 2007/08. Spending on education grew even further from R207 billion in 2012/13 to a projected R236 billion in 2014/15. Additional allocations of R18.8 billion over the medium term are accommodated, including equalisation of learner subsidies for no-fee schools and expanded access to grade R.6 Over the rest of the medium-term-expenditure framework (MTEF),7 spending on education, sport and culture will amount to R233 billion in 2013/14. The investment in education has not yet yielded the desired results and the outcome of education is not in keeping with the substantial input. This crisis in education is one of the major challenges facing Government, Administrators, educators, parents and children of today. According to Spaull,9 the South African government spends the equivalent of $1225 (R12440.26)10 per child on primary education, yet accomplishes less than the government of Kenya which spends only the equivalent of $258 (R2620.80)11 per child. Various reasons such as poverty, management, leadership, imbalances of the past, two unequal education systems, poor management, training and development, non-accountability, role of government and unions, have been identified for the poor state of our education system. However, what is noticeably absent and hardly mentioned in any of the position papers, is that not a single teacher has been held accountable and dismissed for incapacity for the poor performance in the education sector. Unfortunately, there is no record in any of the provincial education departments’ annual reports that a teacher has been dismissed or at least placed on a formal programme of incapacity for poor performance. Therefore, we have to ask the question: “Are we getting value for money?".

Performance management was implemented in the public service, including the South African Police Service, in 2001. The aim of implementing performance management in the public service was to improve the performance of all public servants. It was envisaged that the initiative for implementing performance management in the public service would entrench a culture of accountability, leading to improved service delivery. The effective utilisation of performance agreements, as a tool to align individual and organisational performance in the Motherwell Cluster Detective Service, was considered in this research. The contents of the individual detectives’ performance agreements and job descriptions in the Motherwell Cluster were analysed and compared with the contents of the SAPS Detective Service strategic objectives and performance indicators, as reflected in the SAPS Annual Performance Plan for 2012/2013. Interviews were conducted with Detective Service employees in the Motherwell Cluster, to determine whether the employees received training on the implementation of the Performance Enhancement Process, as the SAPS Performance Management and Development System. Research findings revealed that the contents of the respective individual detectives’ performance agreements and job descriptions were not aligned to the contents of the SAPS Detective Service strategic objectives and performance indicators. In areas where alignment was found, such alignment was so minimal that there was no meaningful correlation between an individual detective’s performance and organisational performance. The suggested recommendations are based on the findings of this study, which should be taken seriously if there is a desire to improve service delivery by the Detective Service. Apprehension, conviction, and sentencing of an offender can cause potential offenders to refrain from committing criminal acts for fear of apprehension and punishment.

Public administration seems to have shifted towards the New Public Management doctrines that emphasize performance management. The healthcare reforms have been a global phenomenon ever since the early 1980s, with the major focus on managerial restructuring, to produce a more responsive and efficient system (Liang and Howard , 2007:393). The South African public sector has gradually introduced a comprehensive performance management system, since the early 80s. In response, the Province of the Eastern Cape began the design and the development of a performance-management policy in early 2000. This policy was later refined and aligned to the National Department of Public Service and Administrations’s performance management policy. The policy was intially implemented in the Province of the Eastern Cape in mid-2003, through a Performance Management and Development System (PMDS). Moderating Committees were established at each level of government, and at the institutional level. The mandate of these Moderating Committees was to ensure the proper implementation of the perfomance-management policy. The purpose of the policy is to provide practical guidelines on the improvement of individual and organisational performance; however, the implementation challenges of this policy have been identified in Joe Gqabi Health District. This study evaluates the implementation challenges of performance-management policy at all the Joe Gqabi District Municipality public hospitals. The main objectives of the research study are, therefore, to : To provide exposition of the provision of the Province of the Eastern Cape performance management policy and regulatory guidelines; To analyse the utilization of performance-management information for determining emunerations, rewarding outstanding performance and for the development of the personnel; To provide a set of recommendations for the policy implementation to improve service delivery in the Joe Gqabi Health District. Both qualitative and quantitave methods were utilised to collect the data for the study. The research questionnaire was distributed to the eleven public hospitals in the Joe Gqabi Health District. The response rate was 52percent and this was considered adequate for scientific analysis and reporting. The research study reached the conclusion that there is generally poor adherence to policy guidelines in the district, in that: Although most hospitals have structured PMDS committees, their meetings are inconsistent, and are generally held only once a year during final assessment.  Performance contracts are signed very late, towards the end of the first quarter. Performance-related bonuses are also effected very late, and are considered a demotivating factor by most participants. The support provided by the provincial and district offices for the implementation of the performance-management policy was viewed as being quite inadequate by most of the participants. The majority of the respondents recommended that the policy be replaced by another form of performance management; however, some considered it adequate, but the implementation of the policy requires further attention. The study therefore came to the following recommendations: The Province and the District should provide consistent support to district hospitals for the implementation of the performance-management policy. The provincial offices should authorize performance-related payments timeously, and the district should effect these payments promptly. The co-ordination of the skills-development programme should be decentralized, in order for district hospitals to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in co-ordination. The Accounting Officers of the respective institutions should monitor the implementation of these policy guidelines to ensure compliance. The research findings conclude that provided the above recommendations are implemented, this would improve the implementation of the provincial performance-management policy, and service delivery in public hospitals in the Joe Gqabi District Municipality.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Its seems that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Outsourcing is now a major business for Information Technology Outsourcing Providers (ITOPs) and all their focus is on client retention and new business acquisition. Variables like Employee Satisfaction, Customer Loyalty, and Financial Performance and how they relate to Customer Satisfaction seem to have received ample research attention. The way the client perceives and rates the service, can be influenced by a couple of factors and Service Level Rating (SLR) is one of the factors under study. The main aim of the research was to investigate the relationship between Service Level Rating and Customer Satisfaction Rating (CSR) in Information and Communication Technology Outsourcing. Other variables like competency of the engineer, size of company and type of industry were also used to see if this relationship between SLR and CSR depends on these variables. A quantitative research approach is followed. Secondary data is used in the study as it is considered the most suitable given the variables under investigation. The main variables are Service Level Rating (SLR) and Customer Satisfaction Rating (CSR). Pre-testing was done to ensure reliability which solidifies the foundation for the analysis and results. The research showed that there is a strong negative relationship between Service Level Rating (SLR) and Customer Satisfaction Rating (CSR). However the results showed that client rates do not depend on the level of competency of the engineer providing the service. During SLA negotiations, managers need to be able to balance the effect of Customer Satisfaction and at the same time save the client on cost of delivery at a high Service Level after careful considerations of the factors that influence Customer Satisfaction. Although it is important to maintain customer satisfaction ratings, managers must understand the implications of the human elements of customer satisfaction. The results may not be generalised but are limited to the organisation under study. This research can open further areas of research in future across the ICT sector. More avenues need to be researched on the relationship between the two variables. In future the research could further investigate if the relationship between SLR and CSR is affected by level of the client within the organisation. The research could be extended across the ICT industries in South Africa, the developing and developed economies.

No description available.

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016. / The South African government has introduced PMDS as a tool to monitor and manage the performances of departments, institutions, teams and individuals in order to improve service delivery, and to counteract the legacy of poor performance. In order for the government to achieve this goal, PMDS implementers must be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills which will enable them to implement the system correctly, in compliance with the standards and procedures laid down in the government PMDS policy. The aim of the study was to determine the knowledge and practices of PMDS of supervisors who are tasked with the responsibility to supervise their subordinates. Methods A cross sectional descriptive quantitative study was carried out in the Greater Tzaneen Primary Health Care facilities. A total of 117 participants comprising of professional nurses, operational managers and assistant managers completed the questionnaires. These comprised largely of close-ended questions and some open- ended questions. Analysis of data was done using statistical software, SPSS 22.0 version and results were interpreted. Results Generally all the respondents had average (65.8%) understanding of the PMDS processes including the purpose and their roles as supervisors. However, a gap exists between the theoretical knowledge and the actual ability to practise PMDS which was found to be around 52%. There are areas of weakness that still need attention: unavailability of PMDS guidelines, lack of training of both supervisors and employees. Lastly, the nature of challenges which the respondents reported regarding PMDS implementation signifies that there might be underlying problems with PMDS which were not covered by this study, and these challenges, by far outweigh their confident knowledge and ability to practise PMDS. v Conclusion To improve the knowledge and ability to supervise PMDS, the following recommendations were brought forth: proper induction of all PMDS supervisors and periodic in-service training, PMDS policy manuals as a source of reference to be made available in the facility and all supervisors to be orientated how to use them.

A well-run business combines motivated, trained employees with the right work environment to produce the greatest results at the least cost. When the results (from a product or service) do not exceed costs by a sufficient margin, at least one part of the system is not operating efficiently. This problem is caused by a production deficiency, which occurs when actual performance does not match the desired performance (Herem, 1979). In order to determine the root of this problem, two areas must be examined. These areas are (a) the nature of the work environment and its organizational structure, which may prevent performance in spite of employee effort, and (b) the employees themselves who may lack either the motivation or the skills to perform the job. Intervention can be designed for either or both of these areas to ameliorate the production deficiency. After implementation, the results of such interventions must be evaluated for their effectiveness. This paper will review the processes of deficiency assessment, intervention, and program evaluation as they might be found in a business or service setting.

The primary objective of this research was to determine the sources of tension during assessment processes and what could be done to improve employee performance in the Tshwane West District Office of the Gauteng Department of Education. In order to achieve the stated objective of the research, a sequential, explanatory, mixed method was employed in this research. The findings of the research reflected the sources of tension during the assessment process as a result of the lack of training on the part of managers on how to manage tension during the process. Managers are overburdened with work and they cannot cope with the number of employees under their supervision. This negatively affects the manner in which they conduct the assessments. Work balance and a distribution of tasks would assist in this regard. In addition, employees perceive the process as unfair and biased. Therefore, they have developed a negative attitude toward the system. To address the above challenges, this research proposes that managers involved in the performance management process should undergo training to equip them with skills to manage tension during assessments. An employee wellness programme should be made available to assist employees who are stressed about strained relations between them and their managers. A human resource representative could also be invited to sit in during performance reviews as a way of ensuring fairness and objectivity. It is also critical for managers to ensure that they are approachable to their own subordinates so that they have the opportunity to raise their concerns. / Public Administration and Management / M. (Public Administration)

The purpose of this study was to audit employee perceptions of the Sentara Health System performance appraisal system in a merit pay setting. To accomplish this, the study investigated variables having a positive relationship on employee perception of performance appraisal acceptability, fairness and accuracy. The study had three objectives: (1) integrate the current body of literature to develop variables that adequately describe employee perception of appraisal systems, (2) integrate these variables into several hypotheses that are consistent with current literature, and (3) test the hypotheses using Pearson product moment correlations. Nine variables hypothesized as depicting aspects of employee perceptions were conceptualized, and multiple indicators were developed for each variable. A questionnaire containing these items was randomly distributed to 300 employees throughout a large health care system. Results indicate that performance appraisal acceptability, fairness and accuracy had a positive relationship with supervisor trust, supervisor knowledge of performance, interview information, interview atmosphere, performance standard acceptability, participation in development, performance reward link and merit pay acceptability. All the hypotheses had significant positive correlations (≤.01). These findings were discussed in terms of the study limitations, suggested future research and implications for the organization studied, as well as other organizations with merit pay programs. / Master of Science

The study was designed to explore how nurses at a non-union pediatric hospital make meaning of the feedback they receive during their career from their annual appraisals. The qualitative study design used a survey, and from the survey participants, 21 interviewees were selected. Based on the survey responses and categorizing those responses by standard deviation from the mean, three groups were determined. It was expected that there would be differentiated patterns by group. The study identified seven findings that were consistent with the literature. However, there was one surprise. The recipients’ appraisal rating/score on their most recent appraisal was expected to impact their view of their experience, but this was not found to be the case. In fact, those with the lowest survey response scores (least favorable sentiment about appraisals) had the same or higher appraisal ratings when compared to the other two survey groups. With few exceptions, the interviewees expressed a wide variety of responses to interview questions, which is a sign of the dysfunction and lack of alignment of the appraisal tool, its administration, and recipients’ expectations. As a result, there was a lack of a common experience among the interviewees in total as well as within each of the three groups. What was confirmed was that appraisal recipients placed different priorities on multiple variables (experiential learning, coaching, process, power, bias, motivation, learning environment, feedback) that can interfere with the feedback between the leader and the recipient. This can limit the effectiveness of the appraisal and the meaning the recipients make from the feedback. The Introduction chapter highlighted that many employers are struggling with appraisals, as evidenced by the number of major companies over the last few years looking for new ways of providing feedback and casting the traditional appraisal aside. Appraisals are widely used, and much of the research has been completed by researchers in Psychology or Human Resources. Most often, the recipient has not been the focus of the research, or an Adult Learning lens was used. Understanding how an appraisal recipient makes meaning is complex and likely beyond the training and ability of most leaders. As a result, a principal recommendation of this study is that an intermediary who is a highly trained coach be integrated into the appraisal process for all employees. This would allow a personalized approach to be developed for each employee within a standard process.