M.A. (Socialis Scientiae) / The gist of this extended essay is an exploration of the skills necessary to perform the planning function in management. The text is presented in two parts - a literature study and a documentation of the findings of an empirical investigation. In order to place the planning function in perspective the candidate starts by defining management as such and then discusses management in the research domain in which three specialist fields converge - management science, social work and health. Since the respondents function within the boundaries of a government setting, the influence of beaurocracy on management is included in the discussion. Subsequently all the managerial functions are described and the candidate indicates why planning is seen as the primary managerial function - it precedes all the other functions and in addition to having the status of an independent generic function, it is implicitly imbedded in the other functions. Eight categories of skills required in planning are identified: Visionary, projection, analytical, political, interactional, value-clarification, decision-making, and time-management skills. In each of these categories some abilities on the part of those who plan are indicated. The candidate then suggests a model for planning based on the literature that could be used in developing an integrated planning system for medical social workers. In the empirical part of the study the candidate attempts answering the following questions: 1. Are all the skills as mentioned in fact used by the respondents (in this case the top management section of the sub directorate of Social Work of the Branch: Health Services of the Transvaal Provincial Administration) and if they are used, how often? 2. With regard to which of these skills do respondents require extended training? Findings indicate that the respondents apply all 8 categories of skills and regard the majority of the 50 abilities as prerequisites. Learning needs were reported in respect of 13 of the abilities listed. Throughout this study the significance of the planning function in management is emphasized and the argument that managers need to develop specific knowledge and skills in order to perform effectively and efficiently is furthered.

M.A. (Social Work) / Etzioni (1964) states that our society is an organisational society. We are born in an organisation, educated by organisations and most of us spend much of our lives working for organisations. Work (including the work environment) and the family are critical factors in the life of an individual. These factors provide a sense of identity to the individual and also provide the values and.position of the individual in the community. Interdependence exists between the individual, his work and his family. Demands can be placed on the individual in the workplace or by his family that might have a negative influence on his productivity in the work environment. A primary research study was done to determine the nature of social work in a government institution, JG Strijdom hospital. This hospital functions as a bureaucratic institution. The sample of the study included all the departments in the hospital. The research sample was drawn from the variety of professional- to nonprofessional groups that are found in the hospital, these groups were subjected to a questionnaire containing the different factors pertaining to what might have a negative influence on the employee in the work place. The analyses of the results were done by grouping the primary and the secondary functions of the hospital. The primary function of the hospital can be described as patient care and the secondary function is the administration of the organization. The objectives of these two roles can clash in a certainarea where the human skills that are needed for the two different functions differ. These differences had an influence on the research results and subsequent requirements of a social workerin the workplace. The primary difference that was determined in this study was that the primary function was staffed by personnel that required assistance in self development. On the other hand the personnel of the secondary (administrative) function required assistance with their personal problems. The severity of the differences can be attributed to the present state of flux in the hospital. The hospital is in a state of merging with the Coronation hospital and a pending threat of affirmative action is hanging over the hospital.