During the apartheid era, that is, before 1994, principals tended to regard schools as their properties. Principals were expected to manage schools on their own without consulting the rest of the staff. From 1994 with the advent of a new political era, South Africa ended up having one National Education System. That system came up with many changes. In the new education system, the management of the school was taken from being the principal‟s duty only, to the responsibility of a management team which is referred to as the school management team (SMT). Because of the democratic nature of the SMT, it is required that educators work co-operatively as a team. The researcher has observed that this has been a challenge in some schools where principals resisted change. On the other hand, principals of schools are facing challenges due to a lack of cooperation amongst their subordinates. The establishment of SMTs does not nullify the authority of the school principal but the challenge that lies therein is that each member of the SMT must play his or her role properly. The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges facing SMT members in the GET band schools of Circuit 2 in Centane. A qualitative investigation was undertaken with the purpose in mind to develop a better understanding of the challenges facing SMTs in Circuit 2. This study was undertaken among 5 schools in Circuit 2 in Centane which falls under Butterworth District. The researcher used convenience sampling in selecting the SMTs of schools that would participate in this research study. Due to the fact that the researcher is a principal in one of the schools in Circuit 2 he could obtain easy access to SMTs of other schools in the Circuit. The following stakeholders were identified and participated in the selected schools: principal, deputy principal and Head of Department. Qualitative data were collected through semi- structured interviews. The study was framed within the interpretive approach, and sought to unpack the perceptions of SMT members with regard to team-management . An interpretive paradigm made it possible for the researcher to gain an in-depth understanding of SMT members‟ perceptions of team-management within their contexts. The outcomes pointed to several challenges ranging from the SMT terms of reference, cooperation, sources of support and stress as a result of the work overload involved. Based on the findings, SMTs have brought the phenomenon of cooperation to the fore, and cooperation may be perceived to have many advantages. However, in order for the SMTs to play a meaningful role in curriculum management and governance issues, there is a need for them to be conversant with issues and kept abreast of developments in education as a system. It is therefore recommended that members of the SMT be exposed to continuing professional training and development in the aforementioned governance areas.

<p>The nonprofit sector has historically faced a multitude of challenges that threaten sustainability. Such continues even today. Nonprofit organizations struggle to respond to changes imposed by external environmental influences. These changes revolve around accountability and resources. With all of this, the sector now faces yet another challenge of a significant executive leadership deficit. During the past ten years to the present, the sector has experienced a mass retirement of baby boomer executives. The nonprofit sector has warned of the leadership deficit. However, nonprofit organizations have failed to urgently respond to the developing leadership void. Nonprofit organizations tend to not address executive leadership needs of the organization until an occurrence of vacancy. While nonprofit organizations are encouraged to utilize successor planning, under utilizing is prevalent. This qualitative research explores nonprofit executive successor planning from a phenomenological approach. The research emphasizes perspectives of twelve nonprofit executives who experienced leadership transition during the years 2008&ndash;2012. The research approach is framed by theories of organizational management and human behavior. This research informs the issue of nonprofit successor planning utilization decisions in two areas. One area is the influence of incumbent executives in facilitating successor planning. A second area is consideration of ascribing resource value to the executive position. Such can encourage strategic assessment and planning for future leadership needs. Findings of the research indicate continued under utilization of successor planning characterized by the following: a reality of nonprofit executives facing operational distractions; governing boards avoiding the issue of leadership transition; and nonprofit organizations under utilizing strategic planning. </p>

The theoretical part of the work deals with education as such, it builds people's adult education and result in trends of management's education, both from a time past and present. The practical part deals with the comparison of the three schools on the basis of the qualitative description, analysis, comparison and synthesis. The result of the work is answer questions whether the school places equal emphasis on the same articles and where the contents of these articles on individual schools agree. It also includes recommendations for how to analyze, to achieve more meaningful capabilities.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this exploratory meta-study was to establish a foundation for the implementation of Service-Learning as a pedagogy into MBA programmes in South Africa. Three major interrelated contexts underpinned the study; a) the business sector, with its deep need for appropriately skilled managers and leaders, b) the social sector within which is situated a considerable number of currently or potentially economically active community organisations, and c) higher education, particularly with reference to its legislated transformation imperative. Service-Learning as a pedagogy has never been implemented in MBA programmes in South Africa, yet the literature suggests that it is one of the most effective management development tools available to educators. The mixed methodological approach taken in this study was based on the published perceptual shift from that of analysis to one of synthesis. In this paradigm, the basic tenet was that of investigating several constructs from different perspectives (the meta-study format) with the intention of combining them into a new coherent framework to offer the field of management education. Within this framework, data were gathered from several relevant populations, including business leaders and managers, MBA students, Service-Learning practitioners and community organisations. Through triangulation and aggregation of findings from the different sources, it was established that MBA students acting in a consultant capacity experienced real workplace learning in an authentic context, where the outputs of the work that they conducted via their academic assignments were utilised productively by the community organisations with which they worked. They were able to address at least some pressing social needs whilst meeting their academic objectives, measured using Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive outcomes. They also reported a high level of personal growth and increased awareness of the socio-economic fabric of the country. Although the findings from this research cannot necessarily be generalised to all MBA programmes in South Africa, they do suggest that Service-Learning has an important role to play in educating South African managers, whilst addressing social, economic and educational transformation needs. This research has established that MBA Service-Learning is a worthwhile pedagogy on which to conduct further research and implementation in South African business schools.

<p> The purpose of this study is to identify the importance of the manager's relationship with frontline staff. There continues to be a need for top leadership to understand clearly and value this relationship and provide managers with the support they need to deliver on their visions, missions, and corporate goals. The manager-staff relationship sets the tone for the frontline staff and creates an environment of trust. The communication the manager provides is pivotal to helping staffs understand the goals and vision top leadership established. In addition, the positive atmosphere created by this relationship helps to cement the staffs' commitment to the organization and reduces the turnover rate because job satisfaction increases. The positive impact on the morale of staffs by the manager-staff relationship is well documented in the literature. In a high-performing organization, communication flows both vertically and laterally (Robbins &amp; Judge, 2010). That is, leaders and managers pass communication downward to groups in lower levels and these groups provide feedback to higher-up staffs.</p>

<p> The purpose of the study was to explore the application of the strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results (SOAR) framework derived from the appreciative inquiry literature and through the lived experiences of California-based association management and non-profit executives leading professional societies, trade associations, or foundations. In addition, this research, using phenomenological interviewing techniques, aimed to determine whether or not association management executives working in California-based professional societies and trade associations changed their individual thought processes or behaviors as a result of attending a professional development program that demonstrated the SOAR framework. The research questions that guided this research were: (a) what changed mindsets were experienced as a result of an understanding with the SOAR framework in the strategic thinking process? and (b) what changed mindsets and organizational application were experienced as a result of an understanding with the SOAR framework in the strategic thinking process? </p><p> This qualitative study, using semi-structured interview questions, sought to explore and document the experiences of California-based senior association management executives with SOAR framework. This research aimed to add to the body of knowledge of SOAR as a result of expanded individual and organizational application of this approach as compared to other strategic thinking experiences. The study documents comparisons, by the non-profit executives involved in this study, between the more commonly known strategic thinking of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis and the positivity-focused SOAR framework.</p>

<p> The US airline industry has seen its share of woes with increased oil prices, several wars, acts of terrorism, and economic meltdowns to name a few. US Airlines have been challenged financially as evidenced by the realities of airline bankruptcies experienced by several legacy carriers that have struggled to remain financially viable. However, one major US airline and legacy carrier was for many years able to withstand the perils of bankruptcy, possible in most part due to the sacrifices made by its employees. This sacrifice was significant as the majority of an airline's total costs can be attributed to unionized labor. In what they believed to be a sacrifice that all employees would share, unionized flight attendants at Airline XYZ took a significant pay cut to help keep the airline out of bankruptcy, only to later see executives at the company receive bonuses while they continued to see cuts in labor and benefits. This study examines the sacrifices made by flight attendants at this major US airline, management, and the concept of broken agreements experienced in the aftermath of those sacrifices. It explores the concept of broken agreements and the perception of inequity as they relate to flight attendants and their decision to leave their careers at Airline XYZ.</p>

<p> Disruptive Innovation theory explains how industry entrants can defeat established firms and quickly gain a significant share of their key markets, in spite of the fact that incumbents tend to be significantly more experienced and better resourced. The theory has been criticized for being underspecified: whilst the general mechanics of the phenomenon of disruptive innovation are clear, it has not been established which individual variables are essential to the process and which ones are merely ancillary. As a consequence, to date it has not been possible to build a predictive model on the basis of the theory managers can use to assess the disruptive potential of their own and their competitors' innovation projects. In this research project the predictive power of each of the main variables that are mentioned in the literature has been assessed on the basis of a qualitative analysis of five real world case studies. Only variables for which information can be collected using publicly available data <i>before</i> disruption happens have been retained. By clarifying the detail of disruptive innovation theory, this study has been able to address a key issue in the debate, namely, whether products that are more expensive and more complex than the market standard can ever be classified as 'disruptive innovations' or whether they should always be regarded as 'high-end anomalies'. In this study two distinct disruptive innovation strategies have been identified based on the current phase of the product life cycle, the current focus of mainstream demand and the market segments first targeted when coming to market. The first strategy entails growing an existing market by moving the focus of demand on to a secondary market driver as soon as customers begin to lose their willingness to pay a premium for upgrades in the performance areas they historically used to value. Early on in the product life cycle, disruptors can conquer the mainstream market 'from above' with products that are different and more reliable or more convenient <i> but not simpler or cheaper.</i> The second strategy creates a new separate market by offering a radically new type of additional functionality. Over time the new market replaces the old market. These products are likely to be expensive because of their small production run and difficult to use because they are the first models of their kind. High-end customers constitute a natural foothold market for these products as they are wealthy and highly skilled. </p>

Thesis (M.Ed.(Computer Integrated Education))-University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Employability has become a key consideration for graduates, and society. Increasingly the trajectory of individuals at age 18 involves the completion of an undergraduate level degree qualification. This thesis presents a sociologically grounded study into the dialogic construction of employability in final year hospitality students and recent hospitality graduates. Drawing on a nationwide sample of UK based hospitality graduates, as they transition beyond undergraduate level higher education, a new understanding of the way in which employability is narrated and individuals position themselves within the competitive context surrounding employability, has been uncovered. The study therefore evaluates the way in which employability is constructed and narrated as a result of graduates’ social and cultural capital, their experience of higher education, career focus and way in which identity is constructed. Through the utilisation of a dialogic narrative approach the social dimensions of employability have been considered within this study. As a result this research sits in contrast to the dominant conceptions of employability, whereby agency is elevated in importance, which pertain within society. The duality between structure and agency is taken into consideration by drawing on the work of Bourdieu and Giddens. Assumptions surrounding the somewhat linear trajectories into employment which are anticipated by many, are challenged and structural influences, identified through the multivoiced nature of dialogue are analysed in conjunction with the agency exhibited by individuals. Identity is also used in order to help understand employability and to frame the narrative and reflexive processes that are undertaken within the construction of graduates’ narratives of employability. Drawing on 28 interviews this study reveals how individuals narrate employability in different ways, based on their experience of higher education and intended trajectory, upon completion of their degree. The socio-cultural background of individuals is also highlighted as a mediating and influencing factor within the process of engagement with learning and development within higher education, and subsequent constructions of employability. It is argued that hospitality graduates are not effectively prepared for the transition into employment on completion of their degrees and therefore work needs to be done in order to better prepare them for employment both within and beyond the hospitality industry. The hospitality industry itself is also not doing enough in order to support the development of students and graduates in order to encourage career development within the field. This has led to a number of recommendations being made in order to better help the development of employability in hospitality graduates through undergraduate curriculum and associated work related experience.