The restructuring of the South African higher education system ranges widely across mergers and incorporations, the creation of new institutional forms, regional-level programme collaboration and rationalisation. The Council on Higher Education (CHE) calls for greater productivity and more cost-effective deployment of resources. Such changes need to be managed effectively in order for staff and managers to adapt and find new ways to operate effectively within the changing environment and to maintain job satisfaction. The aim of this study was to critically evaluate job satisfaction levels during the transitional period of merger in the case of Walter Sisulu University (WSU), as organisational excellence can be achieved when employees experience job satisfaction. The research method employed to gather data was that of quantitative design. The sample consisted of academics and non-academics of WSU employees from the former Border Technikon, Eastern Cape Technikon and University of Transkei. The instrument used to collect data was a modified version of the 1977 Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ). Of the 130 respondents 69 were academics and 61 non-academics. Key findings of the study indicated that there are more factors that contribute to job dissatisfaction compared to those factors that contribute to job satisfaction dimension. The results also indicated that the majority of respondents were dissatisfied with most of the job satisfaction factors. The paper recommends that, during a transitional period, human capital issues should be accorded the proper attention and should be addressed early in order to maintain high staff morale (job satisfaction). This will create a smooth transition during which employees will feel valued and experience job satisfaction. / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

M. Tech. Fire Technology. / Aims to determine the level of job satisfaction of the City of Tshwane EMS employees.

The non-profit sector is one that is of great importance as it responds to the needs of society, and hence gives support to various social and economic endeavours. Particularly, residential child care work is a response to the ever increasing number of children who are orphaned, abandoned, neglected and affected by the HIV/Aids pandemic. Residential child care workers provide institutional care to such children. The role of a child care worker is one that is reported to be highly pressured and involves many challenges which have the potential of impacting on the quality of care that is provided by the care giver to the children. In light of the increasing research done on the area of happiness within the workplace which shows that happiness contributes to overall organisational success and helps employees cope with challenges this study explored this construct among residential child care workers; a research area which remains under researched. The aim of the study was to explore the subjective experiences of happiness among residential child care workers using positive psychology as a conceptual framework. The study sought to gain an understanding of the perceptions and experiences of happiness among residential child care workers through Seligman’s (2002) framework of achieving happiness through pleasure, engagement and meaning. The exploration of the subjective experiences of happiness among residential child care workers was done through the use of Fredrickson’s (1998) Broaden and Build Theory. The study used a qualitative research design and residential child care workers were interviewed on their perceptions and experiences of happiness. The findings suggested that, even through the challenges that the residential child care workers faced, there was still an overall sense of happiness that the care givers experienced in relation to their work. This was generally as a result of the nature of their work and their alignment to the overall mission of the children’s home. The findings suggested also that it was through the orientations of pleasure and meaning that the greatest happiness was experienced. This experience of general happiness in their work made the residential child care workers feel as though they could deal with challenges and also contributed positively to their role as child care givers. The findings of the study contribute to the increasing body of knowledge in the area of happiness and the experiences of residential child care workers. The findings can also help managers and directors of children’s homes know which aspects to encourage and cultivate in their employees for the experience of happiness and positive work relations and experiences. This can ultimately contribute positively to overall success of orphanages and children’s homes, and also to the quality of care that is given to children. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Thesis (M.B.A.)-Business Studies Unit, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 xxvi, 221 leaves / The research problem investigates to what extent the introduction of change has affected employee motivation and job satisfaction with reference to organizational productivity.

Job satisfaction and organisational commitment have been found to both be inversely related to such withdrawal behaviours as tardiness, absenteeism and turnover (Yousef, 2000). Moreover, they have also been linked to increased productivity and organisational effectiveness (Buitendach &amp / de Witte, 2005). This is furthermore postulated to have an influence on whether employees will have a propensity to remain with the organisation and to perform at higher levels.<br /> <br /> According to Bishay (1996), the teaching profession ranks high on the success list of a society. In conjunction with this, &ldquo / teachers' organisational commitment and general job satisfaction&rdquo / (Howell &amp / Dorfman, 1986, p. 37) have been identified as important to understanding the work behaviour of employees in organisations.<br /> <br /> Job satisfaction amongst teachers is a multifaceted construct that is critical to teacher retention and has been shown to be a significant determinant of teacher commitment, and in turn, a contributor to school effectiveness. Research, however, reveals wide&ndash / ranging differences in what contributes to job satisfaction and group differences according to demographic factors (Shan, 1998).

Motivation is considered to be the desired positive willingness that prompts a person to action. The factors that influence or lead to this positive willingness, are considered to be motivation factors, and include specific needs, wants, drives or impulses (Hersey &amp / Blanchard, 1988).<br /> <br /> People are motivated by different things, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. For some, it is power and money that motivate them while for others, it is flexibility or a social workplace. According to Herzberg&rsquo / s theory, intrinsic factors are motivators or satisfiers and can be described as a person's relationship with what she or he does, many related to the tasks being performed (Buitendach &amp / De Witte, 2005 / Mehta, Anderson &amp / Dubinsky, 2000). Extrinsic factors, also known as hygiene factors or dissatisfiers, have to do with a person's relationship to the context or environment in which she or he performs a job (Buitendach &amp / De Witte, 2005 / Mehta et al., 2000). Some individuals are highly motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. This is supported in a study amongst medical students (Beswick, 2002). In another study by Shim, Gehrt and Goldsberry (1999), it was found that students entering a career in retail viewed intrinsic aspects as the most important predictor of a retail career, followed by lifestyle flexibility aspects and then extrinsic aspects. Furthermore, research within a service organisation has indicated that various biographical factors have an influence on work motivation (Bezuidenhout, 2001). However, limited research has been conducted to determine whether biographical factors have an influence on work motivation within the retail industry.<br /> <br /> The aim of the study was to investigate the motivation of retail managers in a retail organisation in the Western Cape. Furthermore, it investigates whether the motivation levels of retail managers are influenced by their biographical variables. The Work Satisfaction and Motivation Questionnaire developed by De Beer (1987) and a self-developed biographical questionnaire was administered to elicit work content, promotion, supervision, reward and recognition in relation to work motivation. The questionnaires were distributed to the target population (n=236) of retail managers which were inclusive of store managers, store assistant managers and department managers. Convenience sampling was used to draw a sample (n=109) of male and female retail managers. Statistical analyses involved both descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA, Multiple Regression Analysis, Pearson&rsquo / s Correlation Co-efficient and Scheffe&rsquo / s test). The results revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between the investigated dimensions of work motivation and satisfaction. It was found that the investigated dimensions of motivation only account for 49.5% of the variance in total motivation experienced by retail managers. Furthermore, significant differences were found between the biographical variables and responses to the questionnaire. It is suggested, for future research that a proportionate stratified random sample be drawn which will allow the findings of the study to be reliably generalised to the population. Furthermore, it is also recommended that future research consider dimensions of motivation, such as, achievement, responsibility, security, autonomy, feedback and morale, which are not investigated in this study.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South African organisations within both the private and public sectors of the economy are investing heavily into their talented employees, in an attempt to derive a sustainable competitive advantage. This competitive advantage is threatened when employees engage in turnover behaviours. This study is directed at understanding those factors that contribute to employees’ intention to quit following employees’ perceptions of training and development initiatives. Empirical support has been found that certain line management talent management competencies would result in the retention of talented employees. This study investigated an existing talent management competency structural model, with a specific focus on two talent management competencies related to employee development, namely: Talent Management Mindset and Develops Others. Furthermore, this study investigated the inclusion of additional latent variables (Organisational Trust, Perceived Organisational Support, and Felt Obligation) that may potentially explain additional variance in various organisational outcome variables (i.e. Job Satisfaction, Affective Commitment, Normative Commitment, and Intention to Quit). Through understanding how line managers’ competence on talent management competencies influence employees’ perceptions of organisational development initiatives and how these employee perceptions are causally related to Intention to Quit, organisations will be in the prime position to effectively address the issue of employee turnover, through structured talent management retention programmes. The results of the current study showed that the original structural model displayed good fit. Based on the modification index values calculated for the G and B matrices, a number of modifications were made to the structural model. Following the modifications to the original model, the fit of the model improved, and support was derived for numerous causal relationships proposed in the model, whist others were not supported. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Suid - Afrikaanse organisasies in beide die privaat – en openbare sektor maak beduidende beleggings in hul talentvolle werknemers in ‘n poging om ‘n volhoubare mededingende voordeel te bewerkstellig. Hierdie mededingende voordeel word egter bedreig wanneer werknemers die organisasie verlaat. Die studie het ten doel gehad om die faktore te verstaan wat bydra tot werknemers se diensverlatingsvoorneme gegee hul persepsie van opleiding en ontwikkelings - inisiatiewe. Die empiriese bevindinge toon dat sekere lynbestuur - talentbestuurbevoegdhede lei tot die behoud van talent. Die studie het ‘n bestaande talentbestuur bevoegdheids model ondersoek, met ‘n spesifieke fokus op twee talentbestuur bevoegdhede wat verband hou met werknemer ontwikkeling, naamlik: Talentbestuur – ingesteldheiden Ontwikkeling van Ander. Die studie het voorts ook die insluiting van addisionale latent veranderlikes (Organisatoriese Vertroue, Waargenome Organisatoriese Ondersteuning, en Verpligting Ervaar) ondersoek wat moontlik addisionele variansie in verskeie organisatoriese uitkoms veranderlikes kan verklaar (i.e. Werkstevredenheid, Affektiewe Verbintenis, Normatiewe Verbintenis, en Diensverlatingsvoornemes). Deur te verstaan hoe lynbestuurders se bevoegdheid op talentbestuur bevoegdhede werknemers se persepsies van organisatoriese ontwikkelings-inisiatiewe beïnvloed en hoe hierdie persepsie oorsaaklik verband hou met Diensverlatingsvoorneme, sal organisasies in ‘n gunstige posisie wees om diensverlating op ‘n effektiewe wyse aan te spreek deur middel van gestruktureerde talentbestuur behoud programme. Die resultate van die huidige studie toon dat die oorspronklike strukturele model goeie pasgehalte behaal het. Na aanleiding van die modifikasie–indekswaardes wat bereken is vir die G en B matryse , is ‘n aantal veranderinge aan die strukturele model gemaak. Nadat die veranderinge aan die oorspronklike model aangebring is, het die pasgehalte van die model verbeter en steun is verkry vir verskeie oorsaaklike verwantskappe wat voor gehou is in die model, terwyl ander nie steun verkry het nie.

This study investigated the relationship between job engagement and locus of control on the one hand, and organisational citizenship behaviour on the other among non-academic and academic employees of the University of Fort Hare. Job engagement and locus of control were the independent variables and organisational citizenship behaviour was the dependent variable. Data was drawn from a sample of 300 participants. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. It consisted of four sections including biographical and occupation data questionnaire. To measure job engagement, the 18-item Rich et al., (2010) job engagement scale, with a 5-point Likert scale was used. To measure locus of control, the 16-item Spector (1988) work locus of control scale was used, with 6-point Likert scale. To measure organisational citizenship behaviour, the Fox & Spector (2011) 20 item organisational citizenship behaviour questionnaire, with a 5-point Likert scale was used. Data was analysed using various statistical techniques including the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Technique and the generalised linear regression model. The results indicated that job engagement has a significant positive correlation with organisational citizenship behaviour and locus of control also has a significant positive correlation with organisational citizenship behaviour. However the results also indicated that when job engagement and locus of control are put together, they do not account for a significantly higher proportion of variance in organisational citizenship behaviour than each of them separately. Furthermore, as far as OCB-P and OCB-O are concerned, the results indicated a partial support of the research hypothesis that job engagement and locus of control together account for a significantly higher proportion of variance in organisational citizenship behaviour than any of the two separately. The study recommends that managers in organisations must focus on improving job engagement and promoting internal locus of control in order to ensure high levels of organisational citizenship behaviour.

The shortage of skilled professionals in the health sector has been an ongoing problem. This has resulted in poor service delivery and ultimately increased patient deaths. The primary objective of this study was to develop a conceptual model to retain scarce skilled professional workers in the health sector. An exploratory study was conducted which included both professionals and non-professionals in the pathology sector. Recruitment was done from a population of 207 employees. In total 188 employees responded, of which 116 were professionals and a comparator group of 72 being the non-professionals. The study was conducted in three phases. In the first phase, quantitative data collection methods such as the job diagnostic survey, career orientation inventory, organisational commitment questionnaire and intention to quit questionnaire were used to assess the characteristics of the groups of interest. The relationship between the independent and dependent variables were calculated. The results revealed that only a few of the traditional predictors influenced retention in the professional group. The predictors worked much better for the non-professional group. It was concluded that traditional retention strategies are not suitable to retain professionals in the health sector. The second and third phases utilised qualitative methods. The second part of the study related to identifying factors which retain professional staff. Following interviews with 15 professionals, ten themes were identified which relate to the retention of professionals. The third phase of the study consisted of interviews with 3 managers, and this was to determine what the managers can do to influence retention. A retention model for the professionals was then developed. This model not only contributes to the body of knowledge, but is also a useful managerial tool to manage professionals in the health sector / Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) / D.B.L. (Business Leadership)

South Africa has been brain drained of nurses and doctors and the Eastern Cape as a Province within South Africa is not an exception. Its rural nature has caused many nurses and doctors loose interest of serving in its facilities. This study sought to describe factors that can influence retention especially of nurses in the rural health facilities of the Eastern Cape Province and develop recommendations for nurse managers on how to retain nurses in rural areas. The major inferences drawn from this study is that nurses are dissatisfied with lack of promotional opportunities, lack of professional support, facing drastic responsibilities but with less income, tremendous workloads, emotional demands and unrealistic salary package. The researcher believes that the nurse managers have a crucial role to play in ensuring nurse retention and the recommendations drawn from this study can contribute in improving the work environment. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)