The main aim of this study was to establish the biographical and business variables as predictors of of success of small business' owners in South Africa. is based on secondary information obtained from the national venture capital organisation. value of the level The study files of a The sample consisted of 569 small business owners active within 435 businesses. The statistical analysis strategy implemented was aimed at eliminating chance and capitalisation on chance in an attempt to eventually identify discriminants in a more accurate, valid and reliable manner. One-way Analyses of Variance with Bonferroni's Ranges test specified (only ordinal and interval scale variables) and Chi-square (only nominal scale variables) were used to initially investigate relationships among level of success of small business owners and biographical and business variables. Stepwise Discriminant analyses was then used to determine the relationship between level of success of small business owners and biographical/business variables. Significant differences in the level of success of small business owners were found for five biographical and seven bus iness variables. Discriminant analyses was then used to predict level of success of small business owners by means of the significant biographical/business variables identified in the first phase of the statistical analysis (Chi-square, One-way Analyses of Variance, Stepwise Discriminant Analyses). The results of the study revealed that certain biographical and business variables are promising as predictors of the level of success of small business owners. The results are discussed in terms of (1) implications for the selection criteria of venture capital organisations in selecting possible successful small business owners and (2) future economic policies for South Africa. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1992.

The relationship between stress and wellness has been superficially studied in the past. The aim of this research is therefore to explore the relationship between stress and wellness. To discover this relationship a quantitative, structured questionnaire research method is used. The literature review illustrates the relationship between stress and wellness with specific regard to educators. These constructs are considered individually and then in correlation with each other. Throughout the review a critical approach is adopted to demonstrate various downfalls with the current research in the areas of stress and wellness. The participants were selected using a representative, non-probability sampling strategy from Sivananda Further Education and Training College in KwaZulu-Natal. The participants for the research totalled 71 employees (46 educators and 24 administration staff). A biographical questionnaire, the Occupational Role Questionnaire and the Perceived Wellness Survey were used to collect the data. The data was then analysed using descriptive statistics, frequencies, factor analyses and bivariate correlations in SPSS. The results predominantly suggest that the stress levels for the staff at Sivananda FET College are in the normal range while the wellness levels are generally above average. There is also evidence of there being 19 significant relationships between the dimensions of stress and wellness. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Industrial Psychology (IP) has a major impact on millions of workers and thousands of organisations and is given increasing reign in deciding and influencing human affairs within the organisation, thereby playing an important role in society. The field of IP however has been used to uphold the status quo, showing a preference for management over workers. There is also a lack of self-reflexivity, and a failure to address ideology and power relations and the methodological assumptions underlying research and practice. This research project aims to address these problems through the analysis of research articles on a contemporary topic, namely, quality of work life. The aim is to find out whether published research on quality of work life reflects a managerialist ideology in both its’ latent and manifest content. A review of previous research and a theoretical and conceptual background is presented. Critical discourse analysis was used to analyse research articles. It was found that research articles draw on an HRM discourse and uphold power relations and dominant ideologies. There exists within published research and in all likelihood, social practice, the dominance of a managerial perspective and the presence of a managerial ideology. Critical perspectives tend to be marginalised. It is necessary that the critical perspective be brought more into the mainstream, and for industrial/organisational psychologists to challenge the status quo. Points for discussion and recommendations are presented. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010

This study examines the problems relating to alcohol abuse in the workplace. The factors investigated include workplace safety, absenteeism and tardiness, productivity, and job satisfaction. Questions were also included to ascertain the individual's alcohol consumption patterns, both current (past 30 days) and over the past year. Finally, questions pertaining to the organisations' rules and policies on alcohol consumption were asked. The survey was undertaken in three organisations, two of which were private, and the third was a government department. The research sample of 280 subjects was drawn using the cluster sampling method. The data obtained from the sample was quantitatively analysed, by making use of various descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data analysis was also conducted. Results indicated that a mere 2.5% of the subjects were notified by their organisations about the problems of alcohol abuse in the workplace. It is essential that organisations provide adequate information to their employees, both on the organisations' rules and policies on alcohol consumption, and on the workplace consequences of excessive alcohol consumption. Furthermore, a recommendation which follows from the results is that the organisations should implement an alcohol and drug abuse programme, which would ideally consist of a written policy on alcohol consumption at work, and the establishment of an Employment Assistance Programme (EAP), in addition to testing for alcohol levels at work. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2000.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

<p> Firefighters are known for putting their own lives on the line in order to protect others' lives and property. The events of September 11^th, 2001, pointed this out to the entire nation. The fact that firefighters are willing to run into burning buildings while others are trying to get out, or face situations that others find horrific, points to the fact that these individuals are motivated to serve and put service above self. However, even firefighters deal with issues of chronic stress and burnout. Considering the critical role firefighters play in society, it is important to delineate what motivates them to persevere in their chosen field. Firefighters across the country may be either volunteers, typically in smaller rural settings, or paid professionals in urbanized communities. This dissertation provided research into intrinsic and extrinsic motivation relative to professional firefighters in a union environment. Through quantitative research involving a nonexperimental design with a validated and reliable survey instrument, fire chiefs and union represented firefighters were queried as to the degree that firefighters were intrinsically or extrinsically motivated. The results showed that firefighters were, for the most part, motivated through intrinsic means. However, the collected data also demonstrated that extrinsic motivation through forms of recognition is also desired by firefighters. The overall result of this research provides options for fire service leaders to consider in maintaining a highly motivated cadre of firefighters, and thus reducing the potential for chronic stress and burnout to occur. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Firefighters, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation</p>

<p>The 21st century has awakened a call for new leaders to cope with the demands of the rapidly changing world of work which emphasises flatter structures, and a more democratic style of leadership. When looking at the changing competencies of the new leader, it is postulate that leadership takes into consideration the emotional attributes as well as the rational aspects of the individual. From this it becomes evident that the leaders of the 21st century would have to be emotionally intelligent to motivate employees to achieve organizational goals. The aim of this study was to investigate if there is a relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles in middle to senior managers.</p>

A sample of 304 supervisors was randomly drawn from the Durban-Pietermaritzburg metropolitan areas to investigate the relationship between quality of work life and organisational commitment. Organisational commitment and quality of work life questionnaires were used to analyse the relevant constructs. The results indicate that there is a significant relationship between organisational commitment and some quality of work life factors (organisational climate, work group processes, supervisory leadership, task characteristics, general satisfaction output, role behaviour, utilisation and future orientation). There is, however, no significant difference in organisational commitment across the biographical variables of marital status, age, length of service and span of control. Overall, the research indicates that there is a significant relationship between organisational commitment and quality of work life. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1993.

<p> This study explored the influence of supervisee intrapersonal and interpersonal regulatory characteristics on supervisor-rated evaluation of supervisee performance given within the context of a counseling supervision relationship. A sample of 60 counseling supervisee and supervisor dyads from University Counseling Centers were surveyed, both electronically and in paper form. By examining the most frequently studied correlates to performance within counselor trainee supervision, the study aimed to address a gap in the research literature understanding of the self-regulatory influences on performance evaluation. Regression analysis was used to address the hypothesis that the independent variables of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, working alliance, and attachment orientation would account for a significant portion of the variance in total performance scores of the dependent variable of supervisee performance.</p><p> Results of this study indicated that the independent variables did not have a significant relationship with the outcome variable of performance evaluation. Post hoc analyses found that supervisor attractiveness did have a significant relationship with performance. Organizational literature has long advanced theories that attachment and emotional intelligence are integral to the supervisory relationship. Previous research has found independent relationships between emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and working alliance and performance; however, this was the first study that looked at their collective influence on performance with the additional influence of attachment orientation. The results of this study suggest that the strength of the relationship of emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, working alliance, and attachment orientation to performance is not as great as previously reported. Additionally, and more importantly, the data suggest that references to attachment and emotional intelligence in organizational theory may be misguided or at best optimistic. The supervisory relationship, while complicated, may not be as interpersonally influenced as hypothesized, but post hoc analyses confirm that attraction does influence performance evaluation. These results suggest a possible new direction for future research.</p>

<p> This study examined the propensity to engage in Organizational Retaliation Behaviors (ORBs) when perceiving organizational injustices in a group context. Situational scenarios were developed that incorporated distributive, procedural, and interactional justice and were administered to 211 individuals, along with a measure of the propensity to engage in ORBs directed towards group members and group leaders distinctly. Moreover, an individual's degree of narcissism was also assessed to explore its relationship to one's propensity to engage in ORBs. Analysis of Variance revealed a strong relationship between the condition exemplifying injustice and ORBs, in addition to a higher tendency of expressing ORBs towards group members when compared to group leaders. Furthermore, narcissism did not significantly impact the degree to which individuals expressed their propensity to engage in ORBs.</p>