The main aim of the study was to investigate the Career Orientation profiles of first year and second year MBA students at the University of Natal in order to establish what particular profiles were prevalent amongst students with the view of using those as the diagnostic schedule of those that are likely to succeed in their careers. The first aim of the study was to compile the profile of first and second year MBA students. The second aim of the study was to determine MBA students' career orientation profiles. A standardized Schein's Career Orientation Inventory Scale was used in the study in order to achieve the objectives of the second aim. The researcher constructed a biographic questionnaire in order to achieve the objectives of the first aim. The measuring instrument was administered to groups of first and second year students. One hundred questionnaires were analysed, seventy for the first years and thirty for second year students. The sample consisted of 42 first year male students and 28 first year female students, and 18 second year male and 12 second year female students. The findings according to the first aim of the study, i.e., the compiling of the profiles of the first and second year MBA students, revealed that there was no significant difference in terms of age, marital status, level of education, employment sector and salary range between the two groups of MBA students. The findings based on aim two, i.e., determining the career orientation profiles revealed that the most dominant career anchor for both groups of MBA students was the Pure Challenge followed by Autonomy / Independence. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

The present study investigated the attitudes of middle managers towards organisational change within the automotive industry in South Africa. As a result of global recession, the automotive industry has been going through a series of changes but at a very slower pace. An empirical investigation was undertaken using a sample of seventy two (72) middle managers drawn using the cluster sampling technique. An organisational change attitude questionnaire adjusted to suit the automotive industry environment was employed to collect data. The findings of the study indicated that middle managers have positive attitudes towards technological change (59%), Innovative Change (84%) and Total Quality Management (65%) However, middle managers indicated that they have negative attitudes towards re-organisation. There was moderate significant relationship between factors influencing attitudes (administration, participation, communication and the threats and benefits) and the attitudes portrayed. Factors such as administration of the change process, threats and benefits of the outcomes as well as opportunity for personal growth were found to be highly influential to middle managers attitudes towards change. In all cases, demographic variables such as gender, age and experience played a significant role in the views of middle managers towards organisational change. Key words: Attitudes, organisational change, middle managers, factors influencing attitudes and automotive industry.

The aim of this study is to investigate the validity of an assessment centre as a predictor of managerial training results. For this purpose, the assessment ratings of 77 white, male, middle managers, who had taken part in a Middle Management Assessment Centre (MMAC) in a South African service organisation, were compared to the results they achieved on a Senior Management Training Course. From the statistical analyses conducted, correlation coefficients, corrected for restriction of range, of -0, 03, 0,32 and 0,22 were obtained between the Overall Assessment Rating and a theoretical, practical and total grade criterion respectively. These results indicated that the MMAC was a valid predictor of practical and total course grades, but an invalid predictor of theoretical course grades. Explanations for the results obtained are provided and three recommendations are made concerning the use of the MMAC to predict training results. Directions for possible future research are also provided. / Die doel van hierdie studie is om die geldigheid van 'n takseersentrum as 'n voorspeller van bestuursopleiding resultate te ondersoek. Vir hierdie doel is die takseeraanslae van 77 blanke, manlike bestuurders, wat aan 'n takseersentrum vir middelbestuur in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse diensorganisasie deelgeneem het, met die resul tate wat hulle tydens 'n Senior Bestuur Opleidingskursus behaal het, vergelyk. Die statistiese ontleding wat uitgevoer is het korrelasiekoeffisiente, na regstelling vir die beperking van verspreiding (correction for restriction of range), van -0,03, 0,32 en 0,22 tussen die Totale Punt Beoordeling van die takseersentrum en drie opleidingskriteria opgelewer. Hierdie drie opleidingskriteria was 'n teoretiese-, praktiese-, en totale opleidingspunt onderskeidelik. Verduidelikkings vir die resultate wat behaal is word verskaf en drie aanbevelings word gemaak met betrekking tot die gebruik van die takseersentrum om opleidingsresultate te voorspel. Rigtings vir moontlike toekomstige navorsing word ook aangedui. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The Apartheid Philosophy resulted in creating a heterogenous society in South Africa, with each group having its own distinctive culture and value-orientation. Organizational values, influenced by personal value-orientation employed by White managers, could be challenged by appointing members of this heterogenous society into positions previously held by White managers, thereby emphasizing the need for congruence between organizational and personal value-orientation. The literature study revealed not only the existence of both Individualism and Collectivism, but the co-existence thereof in individual value-orientation and the existence of Ubuntuism as another form of collectivism - the latter being analogous to humanism. Through this empirical study the value-orientations of managers from either Black or White cultural backgrounds, were assessed, using a value-orientation questionnaire. The findings of the present study, although inconclusive, demonstrated that Black and White managers do not differ significantly in terms of their value-orientation at work. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / When the new South African Government was elected to power in 1994 it had a special mandate to provide appropriate services to all the people of the country. This was, still is and will continue to be a massive responsibility of government and one that requires total commitment by people at all levels of government. However, the negative effects of the legacy of the past apartheid education and training system cannot be over emphasised in this regard. The need for redress and re-skilling of public servants as a result of the changing and ever-increasing demands for quality service delivery puts a lot of emphasis on further development and underscores and further supports the issue of lifelong learning in the Public Service. However, far more complex are the people leadership and shifts in management mind-set that must happen. Yet, unless people in the government sector change how they think and work, service delivery outcomes will fall short of what the poorest and most vulnerable citizens need. The legislative frameworks seek to transform a culture of Public Service delivery from prescribing service packages to citizens, to putting citizens at the centre of service delivery through the Batho Pele (“meaning” the People First) Principles. In giving credence to the above and the enormity of the challenge of quality service delivery, the researcher of this research report narrowed down the scope of the research to the Provincial Government Western Cape. The “new” Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC), after the 2009 national democratic elections, has embarked on a process termed “modernisation” The modernisation project spans across all activities that are under the control of the PGWC. The human resource development function of the province is one such function that is being repositioned in terms of the modernisation project objectives. This, therefore, means by implication that the training and development aspects of the human resources development were reassessed. This was re-enforced by the following statement from a provincial document titled blueprint- provincial training (2010) – “One of the major causes of poor service delivery is the fact that employees are not adequately skilled or that skills have become out-dated”. This brings into focus the rational for the topic of this research report: Exploring the need and use for management coaching to develop senior management competencies within The Provincial Government Western Cape, v and the stated aim of this research report: Exploring the need and use of management coaching to develop the management competencies of the Senior Management Service (SMS) employee component within the Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC) and furthermore, make recommendations based on the findings of the study as to the need and application of management coaching within the PGWC. This research is exploratory and used qualitative research techniques. The study is undertaken as not much actual literature is available on the topic that is being researched. This in essence justifies why the research is exploratory as qualitative methods are particularly well suited to studies which canvas a variety of opinions and stakeholders (Ebrahim, 2008). The data analysis method used is content analysis which is defined as a systematic, research method for analysing textual information in a standardised way that allows evaluators to make inferences about that information. The research followed the steps in using content analysis as the method to analyse the results from semi-structured, open-ended interviews conducted with 14 individuals identified as the stakeholder group. To assert that the research result based on content analysis is valid is to assert that the results do not depend upon or are generalisable beyond the specific data, method or measure of a particular study.

The aim of this study is to investigate the validity of an assessment centre as a predictor of managerial training results. For this purpose, the assessment ratings of 77 white, male, middle managers, who had taken part in a Middle Management Assessment Centre (MMAC) in a South African service organisation, were compared to the results they achieved on a Senior Management Training Course. From the statistical analyses conducted, correlation coefficients, corrected for restriction of range, of -0, 03, 0,32 and 0,22 were obtained between the Overall Assessment Rating and a theoretical, practical and total grade criterion respectively. These results indicated that the MMAC was a valid predictor of practical and total course grades, but an invalid predictor of theoretical course grades. Explanations for the results obtained are provided and three recommendations are made concerning the use of the MMAC to predict training results. Directions for possible future research are also provided. / Die doel van hierdie studie is om die geldigheid van 'n takseersentrum as 'n voorspeller van bestuursopleiding resultate te ondersoek. Vir hierdie doel is die takseeraanslae van 77 blanke, manlike bestuurders, wat aan 'n takseersentrum vir middelbestuur in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse diensorganisasie deelgeneem het, met die resul tate wat hulle tydens 'n Senior Bestuur Opleidingskursus behaal het, vergelyk. Die statistiese ontleding wat uitgevoer is het korrelasiekoeffisiente, na regstelling vir die beperking van verspreiding (correction for restriction of range), van -0,03, 0,32 en 0,22 tussen die Totale Punt Beoordeling van die takseersentrum en drie opleidingskriteria opgelewer. Hierdie drie opleidingskriteria was 'n teoretiese-, praktiese-, en totale opleidingspunt onderskeidelik. Verduidelikkings vir die resultate wat behaal is word verskaf en drie aanbevelings word gemaak met betrekking tot die gebruik van die takseersentrum om opleidingsresultate te voorspel. Rigtings vir moontlike toekomstige navorsing word ook aangedui. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The Apartheid Philosophy resulted in creating a heterogenous society in South Africa, with each group having its own distinctive culture and value-orientation. Organizational values, influenced by personal value-orientation employed by White managers, could be challenged by appointing members of this heterogenous society into positions previously held by White managers, thereby emphasizing the need for congruence between organizational and personal value-orientation. The literature study revealed not only the existence of both Individualism and Collectivism, but the co-existence thereof in individual value-orientation and the existence of Ubuntuism as another form of collectivism - the latter being analogous to humanism. Through this empirical study the value-orientations of managers from either Black or White cultural backgrounds, were assessed, using a value-orientation questionnaire. The findings of the present study, although inconclusive, demonstrated that Black and White managers do not differ significantly in terms of their value-orientation at work. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)