Rapid changes in the business environment as a result of globalisation, mergers and acquisitions, skills shortages and demographic changes in the workplace have led to a greater realisation of the importance of talent management and its role in ensuring a sustainable and successful organisation. Attracting and retaining talent has become one of the most important activities for organisations in order to ensure their competitive advantage. Companies must now differentiate themselves from competitors by offering current and potential employees an employment offering that they value. The employee value proposition (EVP) communicates to the internal and external workforce why they should work for and remain with a particular organisation. Identifying the attributes that employees' value is important in attracting and retaining the best talent. The aim of the study was therefore to identify the EVP drivers that a) attract and b) retain employees as well as those attributes that drive both attraction and retention. The influence of demographic variables, such as age and gender, on attracting and retaining employees was also explored. A structured questionnaire, based on the Corporate Leadership Council‟s EVP model, was developed and respondents were asked to indicate the importance they attach to each EVP attribute. A total of 204 respondents from 13 medium-sized to large-sized organisations in South Africa, participated in the study. The results showed that the quality of senior leadership, quality of managers and the organisation's reputation for managing people were the most important EVP drivers of both attraction and retention. The size of the organisation's workforce was the least important attribute for both attraction and retention. In addition, the results revealed there were no significant differences between EVP attributes that attract and retain males and those that attract and retain females. Furthermore, age plays a significant role in attracting and retaining talent. These results have significant implications for companies as they should design their EVP‟s based on what employees' value and deem to be the most important to them. Organisations need to start focusing on the generational differences that are present in today's business and adapt their EVP‟s accordingly.

This study aimed to evaluate the critical factors influencing project success at an automotive OEM in the Eastern Cape. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the critical success/failure factors in project management at an automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and to compare the results to similar studies conducted in various industries and under different socio-economic, political and cultural conditions. The research methodology for this study included a literature review of previous studies as well as insights from various authors highlighting points deemed crucial for project success. A survey was conducted at an automotive OEM to determine which factors had the greatest influence on project success; respondents were asked to rank their views on a Likert Ranking Scale. An online survey was used to capture all responses. The data collected was analysed using statistical software (Statistica Version 10.0). The empirical study was conducted on 52 employees involved in projects at the OEM; the study was carried out across various departments including Purchasing, Logistics, Quality, Engineering, etc. The final process of the study included an evaluation of findings. On the basis of the survey responses received, it was possible to identify critical success factors in project management that are related to the automotive OEM. These results were used to draw conclusions and develop various recommendations. The conclusions centered on the project success factors defined in the survey. The results were then compared to previous studies, and discrepancies between survey findings of the current study and those of past studies were discussed. The recommendations focused on the top three items identified in each factor group. The results of both past studies, as well as the present study highlight the crucial role the project manager plays in project success. Good co-ordination skills, efficient management of resources and effective leadership were identified as key characteristics of successful project managers. Proper communication was identified as one of the most crucial points in project teams. This study revealed that the ability of the project team to handle unexpected crisis is also an important contributing factor towards project success, along with effective monitoring. Top management support was the most crucial factor towards project success in the factors related to the organisation; this is similar to studies done by previous authors.

The legitimate existence of the Project Management Profession in the South African construction industry needs to relate to positive project influence on the industry roleplayers. This study assessed the perceived lack of recognition and acceptance of Project Management as a stand-alone profession relating to: · Appointments of Project Managers being questioned due to a perceived lack of influence and impact on project success. · Project Managers not being recognised as an integral part of the industry. · Project Management not being perceived as having a unique and defined function. Interviews were held with 23 industry role-players made up of clients, contractors and consultants. The interviews solicited input on the role-players’ perception and experience related to the influence of Project Management over the past 10 years, not only on a list of success criteria relative to their own role in the industry, but also their perception of the influence on the other defined role-player groups. Included in the interview questionnaire was also a range of general questions to refine the feedback and further test the hypotheses. The data were interpreted and analysed by comparing the feedback of the respondents as a combination and separately as groups. The results of the study indicate that: · Project Management could be seen as a legitimate part of the industry; · The industry role-players perceive Project Management as making an impact and having a growing influence on the industry; A specific but broad set of skills are required by Project Managers; · The Project Management function cannot be fulfilled by other consultants, but there are project related criteria which should be considered before making a final judgment. These criteria relate to project size and complexity; and · Project Management is currently perceived to be more related to a specific person’s skill than to a specific profession. The study’s aim was to influence and inform the views of industry role-players on the appointment of a Project Manager in the construction industry.

A fishery-dependant monitoring method of the recreational shore-based fishery was undertaken in the Goukamma Marine Protected Area (MPA) on the south coast of South Africa for a period of 17 months. The method used was a roving creel survey (RCS), with dates, times and starting locations chosen by stratified random sampling. The MPA was divided into two sections, Buffalo Bay and Groenvlei, and all anglers encountered were interviewed. Catch and effort data were collected and catch per unit effort (CPUE) was calculated from this. The spatial distribution of anglers was also mapped. A generalized linear model (GLM) was fitted to the effort data to determine the effects of month and day type on the variability of effort in each section. Fitted values showed that effort was significantly higher on weekends than on week days, in both sections. A total average of 3662 anglers fishing 21 428 hours annually is estimated within the reserve with a mean trip length of 5.85 hours. Angler numbers were higher per unit coastline length in Buffalo Bay than Groenvlei, but fishing effort (angler hours) was higher in Groenvlei. Density distributions showed that anglers were clumped in easily accessible areas and that they favored rocky areas and mixed shores over sandy shores. Catch documented between October 2008 and December 2009 included a total of 361 fish, of 27 species from 12 families. Sparidae had the highest contribution (12 species). A Shannon-Weiner diversity index showed that diversity was higher in Buffalo Bay (0.81) than Groenvlei (0.57). Catch composition of retained fish (336 individuals) showed that the six numerically most important species were blacktail (Diplodus sargus capensis) (66 percent of catch), followed by galjoen (Dichistius capensis) at 11 percent, Cape stumpnose (Rhabdosargus holubi), belman (Umbrina robinsonii) and strepie at 3 percent, and elf (Pomatomus saltatrix) at 2 percent. Catch composition of an earlier study in Goukamma (Pradervand and Hiseman 2006) was compared with the present study, as well as data from the De Hoop MPA, which is closed to fishing. A multi-dimensional scaling plot of catch composition showed tight clustering of the De Hoop samples, and high variability among the Goukamma samples. A bray-curtis similarity index and dendrogram of similarity between study sites and study periods showed that there was an 83 percent similarity among De Hoop samples and a 75 percent similarity among Goukamma samples (ignoring the two outliers). The two sites are different with respect to species composition, but this is expected because they are different areas. Differences between time periods in Goukamma (i.e. the previous study versus the present study) were not significant. The most significant result from the catch composition analyses is the high variability among the Goukamma samples. This can be explained by the variable fishing methods used by anglers in Goukamma, compared with the standardized fishing methods used by researchers in De Hoop, and the fact that fish are more abundant and populations are more stable in De Hoop – giving higher sample sizes which reduce the variability in the statistics. Species-specific CPUE was calculated for the six numerically most important species. In both sections, CPUE was highest for blacktail, with an average of 0.133 fish per hour for Groenvlei, and 0.060 fish per hour for Buffalo Bay, over the 12 months. The second highest CPUE values per section were 0.030 for galjoen in Groenvlei and 0.039 for strepie in Buffalo Bay. Remaining CPUE values ranged from 0.014 (belman in Groenvlei) to the lowest value of 0.001 (strepie in Groenvlei). Total estimated CPUE for these six species in the MPA using the estimated effort and catch results amounted to 0.018 fish per hour. An annual estimated 3897 fish were landed in the reserve during 2009. Most fish (n=2481, 64 percent) were caught in the Groenvlei section. Numbers of blacktail were the highest of all species, within both sections (2353 fish). Strepie was the next most common (561 fish), but was caught almost entirely within the Buffalo Bay section (97 percent of individuals), followed by galjoen (548 fish) caught mostly within the Groenvlei section (92 percent of individuals). Size comparisons of the six species between the Goukamma and De Hoop MPAs showed that ranges in size are similar, but there are substantial differences in mean sizes between the two MPAs. Sample sizes of all species from the Goukamma MPA were too small to draw conclusions about stock status, except for blacktail. The Goukamma MPA is a popular fishing destination and angler effort is high. It can be considered a node of exploitation for surf zone fish, for which it provides no protection. Even though the MPA allows shore angling, sustainable fishing practices should be incorporated in management plans if the MPA is expected to protect and conserve its stocks. Of noteworthy concern is the occurrence of illegal night fishing (the public may not enter the reserve between sunrise and sunset) which leads to underestimates of catch and effort (night surveys were not conducted because of safety concerns). It is recommended that more communication should take place between the angling community and the reserve management. Sign boards giving information on species which are under pressure, and why they are under pressure, with a short explanation on their life cycles, is advised. The roving creel survey method was suitable for the study area and delivered statistically rigorous results. I thus recommend that it is continued in the future by management. I make some recommendations for reducing costs of future surveys, as well as for altering the survey design if funds are very limited.

Avusa Publishing (East Cape) (APEC) publishes several of the oldest and best known newspaper products in the Eastern Cape. The Eastern Province Herald is currently the oldest daily morning newspaper in South Africa and the average daily circulation of the paper is 25 000. Its main distribution is in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area, as well as the area up to the Garden Route and as far East as Port Alfred. APEC also publishes the Weekend Post. According to the financial statements and circulation and advertisement figures of the company, the revenue generated by the company has not increased, but stayed stagnant. In addition to this, the daily circulation of the flagship publication, The Herald, has decreased from 29 000 in 2005 to 24 000 in 2008. As the company only generates revenue from two sources, namely advertising sales and the sale of newspapers, the above mentioned situation negatively affects the financial wellbeing of the company. The management dilemma that needed to be researched was how APEC's circulation and advertising income could be increased. The primary objective of this study was therefore to improve APEC's sales success by investigating the determinants of such sales success. More specifically, the study investigated the influence of determinants such as newsworthiness, value proposition, brand awareness, customer service, customer loyalty, credibility and new media on sales success, as measured by increased circulation and advertising revenue. Convenience sampling was used to select 287 employees working for the company. A mail survey was conducted among these 287 employees, but only 114 usable questionnaires were returned (a response rate of 40 percent). The empirical results revealed that brand awareness, customer loyalty and the use of new media technologies exerted a significantly positive influence on the sales success of APEC. The results further showed that newsworthiness, editorial credibility, value proposition and customer service exerted no significant influence on the APEC’s sales success. Despite the latter findings, the results revealed that there was a high level of trust and loyalty in the editorial content of APEC, as well as the perception of good value for money among both readers and advertisers. The managerial implications of these findings are discussed and areas of future research are recommended.

Lean philosophy is based on the continuous quest to improve the organisation’s processes by creating a culture and operating principles which eliminate all non value adding activities within organisation‘s processes. Manufacturing firms consider the adoption of the Lean tools as basic requirements for achieving World Class operational excellence or Best Practice. For some time, lean has been used by the manufacturing organizations. Most organizations understand that lean will help them survive global competition and stay in business. According to Hanna (2007:1), service industries, in general, are a long way behind manufacturing in terms of operations and improvements, and not all lean manufacturing ideas translate from the factory floor to office cubicle. The objective of this study is to investigate how lean manufacturing tools can be used to improve efficiency, customer service and enhance the embedding of a continuous improvement culture in the South African Revenue Services East London office Taxpayer Service business area. The activities that took place in the Taxpayer Service business area from 21 July 2008 until 31 October 2008 were observed. During the observation period, taxpayer services staff members were engaged formally, using surveys to assess their underlying mindset and behaviour as well as informally, using unstructured interviews to solicit more information on activities taking place and the reasoning behind certain actions. The movements of taxpayers who visited the branch office were monitored and the time it took for taxpayers to be assisted was measured as well as the time it took taxpayers to be assisted by a service agent or service consultant. To see if the available resources were used efficiently, the numbers of service channels available were compared to the number of service channels occupied. The results of the survey and observations are analysed and interpreted.

Outsourcing has become a popular trend in the last two decades and has been applied in both non-essential and critical business functions. It has been viewed as a vital source of competitive advantage and is expected to remain an important component in future business strategies. Over the past few years, the outsourcing of logistics functions in particular has shown strong growth. Thus, an abundance of research on the outsourcing of logistics is available. However, there has been little research on the outsourcing of material handling activities as a sub-component of logistics, nor its effect on a company’s operational performance. The purpose of this treatise is to determine the effects of outsourcing a South African automotive company’s material handling activities on its operational performance. It further aims to compare the company’s expected outcomes for outsourcing with actual outcomes. In addition, the factors which contributed positively and negatively to the operation of the outsourced material handling activities at the company, are established. The automotive company in this study is situated in Port Elizabeth, but due to confidentiality reasons the name of the company is not mentioned in the study. The study consists of a literature review on the background of outsourcing, outsourcing theories, outsourcing trends, important outsourcing considerations and gaps in outsourcing research. Primary data, collected through the use of a questionnaire to determine the effects outsourcing has on the company’s operational performance, is collected, reported and analysed in the study. The performance criteria used to determine these effects are: cost; delivery speed and reliability; flexibility; quality; the outsourcing relationship and the management of the outsourcing relationship. The study results reveal that the operational performance of the company remained the same after outsourcing.

An increase in global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re – look at their facility from an output and quality standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive advantage must at all times support the organisation’s objectives. It is therefore vital that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the everchanging needs of its market. The main objective of this research was to identify possible approaches that Johnson Controls South Africa (JCI SA) could pursue when implementing a Lean Manufacturing model. In doing this it will improve JCI SA’s manufacturing efficiency and quality, thus giving the organisation a competitive edge over its opposition. The research presented an empirical study of how a Lean Manufacturing model should be implemented in JCI SA. A theoretical and empirical study was conducted on how to successfully implement Lean Manufacturing within an organisation. The main purpose was to establish a theoretical Lean Manufacturing model that the organisation can utilise as a strategic plan to become the global leader in its market place.

Several Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) training workshops have been established to help transform correctional institutions worldwide. There is no evidence of any research on AVP conducted in the context of South African Schools to date. This research therefore aims to evaluate AVP training by the Quaker Peace Centre at five high schools on the Cape Flats. Taking a qualitative approach, the study provides a literary contextualization of the problem of violence in South African schools as well as the history of AVP programmes in South Africa and abroad. In respect of his data collection, the researcher used both evaluation forms submitted at the completion of training events, as well as a purpose-designed questionnaire, mailed to a convenience sample of 635 past participants in the training. The results of the study indicate that the AVP workshops have had an impact on the lives of the participants, and there is an acknowledgement of feelings of empowerment experienced by recipients, which enables sound recommendations to be made.

Manufacturing processes should operate at optimal levels in order to remain competitive in current economic environment. The optimal manufacturing performance can be achieved by overall equipment efficiency which is also a measurement for Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). The successful implementation of TPM has been evaluated at Faurecia Interior Systems. The research consisted out of a literature review into the elements and benefits of TPM. A questionnaire was sent to all operator level personnel at Faurecia Interior Systems to establish their views on the implementation level of TPM at the East London site. In conclusion, this research paper has also led to the development of recommendations which should improve TPM at the site.