Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The increasing use of temporary and part-time employment in recent decades was initially expected to lead to negative effects for the individual. The empirical evidence, however, has been equivocal and the consequences are therefore still unclear. This thesis adopts a psychological approach to alternative employment by investigating how heterogeneity in employment contracts together with individual differences associate with work attitudes and subjective well-being. It comprises four studies in which questionnaire data is used to study differences among temporary workers (Study I & II) and differences in the alternative workforce (fixed-term, on-call, and part-time workers) compared to permanent full-time workers (Study III & IV), in order to analyze the impact of different types of contracts together with individual differences. Study I found that attitudes, role stress, and health varied across different patterns in individuals’ backgrounds and contract forms. Study II demonstrated that distinct patterns of voluntary and involuntary contract motives and of work involvement associated with differences in reported work-related and general well-being. Study III showed that well-being and organizational attitudes were related to individuals’ job and contract preferences and, to some degree, heterogeneity in contract types. Study IV revealed that individuals’ perceptions of job conditions (control, demands, and job insecurity) predicted well-being, whereas type of employment contract was found to be less important. Employment contract forms, however, interacted with individual diversity in Study III and IV. The thesis concludes that differences among individuals are important for understanding the implications of different types of alternative employment contracts. Future research should focus on these interactive mechanisms to better understand the consequences of alternative employment forms.

Acknowledging the critical role that occupational factors play in employee health, researchers have tried to understand ways to reduce the harmful effects of work on employee health. As the process by which individuals recharge resources that have been depleted, recovery has been recognized as important due to its potential to mitigate the negative effects of work on employee well-being. Although the recovery literature has continued to grow, many questions remain unanswered. The purpose of the present study was to expand our knowledge of recovery by examining situational (job characteristics) and individual (trait guilt) predictors of recovery and investigating psychological attributes of off-job activities. An experience sampling design was used to understand relationships among focal variables at day level. Hypotheses were tested using the data from 99 full-time employees living with a full-time working spouse and at least one dependent. The results suggest that daily job characteristics serve an important role in recovery such that they relate to recovery experiences of psychological detachment and relaxation. However, job characteristics did not have significant relationships with the choice of off-job activities. With regard to subjective experiences of off-job activities, findings demonstrated considerable variance across individuals. Further, psychological attributes of off-job activities were found to relate to recovery experiences although the results were not always consistent with expectation. Next, little support was found for the moderating role of trait guilt in the relationship between job characteristics and off-job activities. Finally, consistent with previous research, recovery experiences related to better well-being outcomes.

Marknadsstrukturen för djursjukvården har förändrats på grund av de riskkapitalbolag som sedan slutet av 2011 började visa starkt intresse och köpte upp ca 85 djursjukhus och djurkliniker runtom i Sverige. Från att ha varit kraftigt decentraliserad har nu djursjukvården på kort tid omstrukturerats till några få stora koncerner som till stor del dominerar branschen. Med detta som bakgrund är det högst aktuellt att skapa en förståelse för vad ägarförändringen och omstruktureringen i den svenska privatdjursjukvårdsbranschen har medfört för effekter på personalens arbetsmiljö i de riskkapitaluppköpta företagen. Tidigare forskning har visat att företagsuppköp har effekter för personalens arbetsmiljö. De effekter som studeras är personalens upplevelse av arbetsuppgifter, arbetsbelastning, engagemang, arbetsplatsbyte, rekrytering och uppsägning efter riskkapitalbolagens uppköp. Studien genomfördes genom utskick av en webb-baserad enkät via e-mail till personal som arbetar på uppköpta djursjukhus och djurkliniker. Resultaten visade på att arbetsuppgifter och arbetsbelastning inte har påverkats i en större utsträckning av riskkapitalbolagens uppköp, medan engagemang, arbetsplatsbyte, rekrytering och uppsägning är effekter som har påverkats och förändrats efter företagsuppköpet. Studien bidrar med en ökad förståelse för de effekter riskkapitalbolagen har skapat inom djursjukvården. Personalen är en mycket viktig resurs och personalens upplevelser av arbetsmiljön påverkar företaget såväl internt som externt. / In the end of 2011 private-equity firms suddenly showed a huge interest in veterinary healthcare and started investing in about 85 animal hospitals and animal clinics in Sweden. From being an extremely decentralized organization, the veterinary healthcare today primarily consists of a few large companies that dominate the veterinary healthcare industry. The objective of the study is therefore to clarify how private-equity firms and restructurings affect the employees’ work environment by analyzing six different effects. Earlier studies have shown that company buy-outs have major effects on the work environment and working conditions. The most important effects analyzed in our study are the employees’ perception of the changes in job characteristics, workload, commitment, turnover intention, recruitment and downsizing. The survey was conducted through a questionnaire and was sent out to employees who work at animal hospitals and clinics that have undergone a buy-out by private-equity firms. The results show that private-equity firms did not have a significant impact on job characteristics and workload. On the other hand the buy-out of the animal hospitals and clinics had a significant effect on the employees’ perception of commitment, turnover intention, recruitment and downsizing. The study contributes to a greater understanding of the effects private-equity firm buy-outs generate in the veterinary healthcare industry. Employees are an important resource in veterinary healthcare industries and employees’ perception of the work environment and wellbeing affect the entire organization.

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The South African mining industry is facing rising levels of skills shortage. According to reports, there are a number of reasons for this, one being the low number of graduates who enrol for engineering related qualifications versus the number of graduates who eventually graduate with an engineering qualification. More emphasis needs to be placed on bursaries for university candidates, as well as training in organisations, to groom graduates in this field. The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between job characteristics, communication with the manager, organisational commitment, social support and job satisfaction for a sample of employees in South Africa, and specifically to determine whether social support plays a moderating role in this relationship. The participants were a convenience sample of trainees in a mining training academy, in the North–West Province. Participants’ informed consent was sought by explaining what the general purpose of the study is as well as including on the cover page of the questionnaire information around details of the study. Participants had the option of either posting the questionnaires after completing it in their own time (stamped envelope was supplied) or handing the completed questionnaire into their human resource department. This method allowed everyone to complete the questionnaire in their own time. Regarding the relationship between job characteristics (i.e. job autonomy, job challenge, and communication with the manager); all were positively correlated to the outcome variable, namely job satisfaction. None of the interaction terms were significant predictors of the outcome variable (job satisfaction). A conclusion can be drawn from this that social support does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between the measured independent variables (job characteristics and manager communication) and the outcome variable (job satisfaction). However, when only social support from supervisor and colleagues and the job characteristics were considered, it was seen that job autonomy, feedback and social support from colleagues are significant predictors of job satisfaction. This finding indicates that it is not only important for trainees to experience autonomy in the execution of their tasks, but that they also need collegial support and good feedback about such performance in order to experience job satisfaction. In conclusion, recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The South African mining industry is facing rising levels of skills shortage. According to reports, there are a number of reasons for this, one being the low number of graduates who enrol for engineering related qualifications versus the number of graduates who eventually graduate with an engineering qualification. More emphasis needs to be placed on bursaries for university candidates, as well as training in organisations, to groom graduates in this field. The main purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between job characteristics, communication with the manager, organisational commitment, social support and job satisfaction for a sample of employees in South Africa, and specifically to determine whether social support plays a moderating role in this relationship. The participants were a convenience sample of trainees in a mining training academy, in the North–West Province. Participants’ informed consent was sought by explaining what the general purpose of the study is as well as including on the cover page of the questionnaire information around details of the study. Participants had the option of either posting the questionnaires after completing it in their own time (stamped envelope was supplied) or handing the completed questionnaire into their human resource department. This method allowed everyone to complete the questionnaire in their own time. Regarding the relationship between job characteristics (i.e. job autonomy, job challenge, and communication with the manager); all were positively correlated to the outcome variable, namely job satisfaction. None of the interaction terms were significant predictors of the outcome variable (job satisfaction). A conclusion can be drawn from this that social support does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between the measured independent variables (job characteristics and manager communication) and the outcome variable (job satisfaction). However, when only social support from supervisor and colleagues and the job characteristics were considered, it was seen that job autonomy, feedback and social support from colleagues are significant predictors of job satisfaction. This finding indicates that it is not only important for trainees to experience autonomy in the execution of their tasks, but that they also need collegial support and good feedback about such performance in order to experience job satisfaction. In conclusion, recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

電子科技業市場競爭激烈且瞬息萬變，尤電子科技業為台灣主力產業之一，如何選對的人並留住好的人以提升企業績效、降低培訓與訓練成本，為企業得以永續發展與生存的關鍵。因此，越來越多的企業重視員工的工作滿意度，並著手進行組織內部員工的工作滿意度調查。本研究將針對H集團某一土城廠區員工作個案研究探討，藉由研究個人屬性變項中性別、年齡、年資、婚姻狀況、教育程度對工作滿意度的差異性及環境屬性變項中直屬主管領導型態與工作特性對工作滿意度的相關性，希望調查結果及建議可以提供相關人力資源管理工作者卓參。 本研究採結構式問卷，針對H集團某一土城廠區員工發放300份問卷，回收有效問卷292份，回收率為97.33%，主要研究結果顯示如下: 一、不同年齡的H集團員工工作滿意度有顯著差異存在。 二、不同直屬主管領導型態的H集團員工與工作滿意度有顯著相關存在。 三、不同工作特性的H集團員工與工作滿意度有顯著相關存在。 關鍵詞:工作滿意度、直屬主管領導型態、工作特性 / Electronics industry market is highly competitive and rapidly changing, especially electronics industry is one of the main industries in Taiwan, therefore, how to choose right people and retain right people to improve business performance and reduce training costs are the important issues for companies to find sustainable and survival solutions. Moreover, more and more enterprises pay attention to employees' job satisfaction and do job satisfaction survey internally. In this study, focus on one of Tucheng factory staff of H Group case studies for discussion of personal property by research variables gender, age, seniority, marital status, educational level of job satisfaction and environmental attributes the differences in variables immediate supervisor leadership style and job characteristics on job satisfaction relevance, hope the findings and recommendations can provide references related to human resources field workers. The study adopted a structured questionnaire for one of Tucheng factory staff of H Group and sent 300 questionnaires out, and returned 292 valid questionnaires, the recovery rate was 97.33%, the main research results are shown below: 1. A different age of H Group employees’ job satisfaction has significant differences. 2. Under different leadership of supervisors of H Group employees’ job satisfaction has significantly correlation exists. 3. A different job characteristics of H Group employees’ job satisfaction has significantly correlation exists. Keywords: job satisfaction, supervisor leadership style, job characteristics

Ledarskap är viktigt för att medarbetarna ska bli motiverade i arbetet. Inom bankbranschen har chefen höga krav på medarbetarna. Medarbetarna i bankbranschen är ofta högutbildade och det finns olika sätt att motivera dem. Medarbetarna kan motiveras med både inre och yttre motivationsfaktorer. Transformativt ledarskap är en ledarstil som motiverar medarbetarna att göra mer än vad som förväntas av dem. Den tidigare forskningen om transformativt ledarskap visar att det har en positiv betydelse för medarbetarnas motivation. Denna uppsats ämnar att undersöka: Vilken betydelse har ledarens transformativa ledarskapsbeteende för medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivation i bankbranschen? Studien syftar till att utveckla ett ramverk för att få förståelse för betydelsen av ledarens transformativa ledarskapsbeteende för medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivation i bankbranschen. I referensramen behandlas transformativt ledarskap, inre motivation utifrån Hackman och Oldhams motivationsteori och yttre motivation. Dessa komponenter bildar tillsammans ramverket. För att få förståelsen mellan transformativt ledarskap och inre och yttre motivation har en kvalitativ metod använts för insamling av empirin där en fallstudie gjordes på ett lokalt kontor hos en av storbankerna. Med utgångspunkt i den deduktiva metoden skapades frågor för att sedan kunna koppla samman transformativt ledarskap med inre och yttre motivation. Slutsatsen av studien visar att transformativt ledarskap har en betydelse för medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivationen i bankbranschen. Studien kommer även fram till att det mest betydelsefulla beteendet för medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivation är ta hänsyn till individen. Det minst betydelsefulla beteendet för medarbetarnas inre och yttre motivation var idealiserat inflytande. Studien visar även att stress har negativ påverkan på ledarskapet. / Leadership is important to get the employees motivated to work. In the banking industry the manager has high demands on the employees. Employees in the banking industry are often highly educated and there are different ways to motivate them. Employees can be motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Transformational leadership is a leadership style that motivates employees to do more than what is expected of them. The previous research about transformational leadership shows that it has a positive impact on employees motivation. This study aim to investigate: What meaning does a leaders transformational leadership behavior for the employees intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the banking industry? The aim of this study is to develop a framework to understand the meaning of the leaders transformational leadership behavior for the employees intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the banking industry. The theoretical reference frame involves transformational leadership, intrinsic motivation based on Hackman and Oldham job characteristics model and extrinsic motivation. In order to gain an understanding between transformational leadership and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation a qualitative method have been used to gather the empirical data. A case study was made on a local office at one of major banks in Sweden. With a deductive approach questions were created to be able to find the connection between transformational leadership and intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The conclusion of the study shows that transformational leadership has a meaning for the employees intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the banking industry. This study also find that individualized consideration has the most meaning for the employees intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. The behavior with least meaning for the employees intrinsic and extrinsic motivation was idealized influence. The study also show that stress has negative influence on the leadership.