The benefits of informal mentoring are numerous and organisations have recognised these benefits in terms of organisational development. There has been an attempt to harvest these benefits through the introduction of formal mentoring programmes as a tool to fast track and then ultimately retain internal capability. This research on formal mentoring programmes occurred within a qualitative paradigm and data was obtained through document analysis and interviews from five mentoring pairs in one organisation and four mentoring pairs in another. The data was then presented and analysed in terms of the models proposed in the literature. The aim of this research was to evaluate formal mentoring programmes within South African organisations based on a framework provided by the literature. It was found that the literature proposed no formal evaluation model and thus, one was developed based on models of programme evaluation and formal mentoring implementation models. On the evaluation of the two formal mentoring programmes, it was found that there are some issues raised in the literature that are pertinent to both organisations but that there were also issues that were only relevant to one of the programmes. According to the research the differences in perceived success of the mentoring programme lay in the goals of the programme relating to the broader goals and culture of the organisation. It is recommended that future research investigate the impact of organisational culture on the effectiveness of formal mentoring programmes. The research also identified a need for supportive resources although this study did not assess the appropriateness and sufficiency of the resources. Organisations also need to implement effective evaluative practices in order to implement effective changes to the programme.

This study examines the conditions for successful online mentoring in order to develop writing skills in English in a workplace setting. Chapter 1 gives the background and context of the study. Problems to be addressed in the study and the aims, objectives, hypotheses and their rationale are presented. This is followed by testing procedures, research design, sources of data and research procedures. In Chapter 2, the literature review supports the hypotheses on the need for collaboration in materials development and delivery, mentoring relationships, motivation and computer and Internet efficacy. Chapter 3 presents the findings from the case study bringing into focus problems that would jeopardise a mentoring programme if training providers do not pay attention to the hypotheses. The findings are collated and the hypotheses are confirmed. Conditions for successful online mentoring are spelt out in Chapter 4. The study concludes that online mentoring works once the conditions are properly followed. / English Studies / M.A. (TESOL)

The South African government, in an attempt to accelerate economic growth and development, has identified the SMME sector and entrepreneurs as a vehicle capable of bringing about this change. Unfortunately, this growth has been stifled due to the high failure rate of entrepreneurial businesses in the SMME sector. A possible solution for SMMEs and entrepreneurs is the introduction of mentoring. Mentoring entrepreneurs is the function of nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs by providing them with professional skills development and moral support in an attempt to positively impact on the business's sustainability. The study is the first of its kind in that it relates specifically to entrepreneurship mentors. This study empirically endeavours to determine the basic profile of entrepreneurship mentors in South Africa and their skills sets. The study aims to represent the importance of the skills as represented in the model and to understand the entrepreneurship mentoring environment in South Africa. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Thesis (MPhil (Industrial Psychology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / The impact of HIV/AIDS on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is little known in South Africa. SMEs are arguably the largest employer, nationally, particularly in the Western Cape. Unfortunately, SMEs fall within the profile of businesses that have neither measured the prevalence and impact of HIV/AIDS on their businesses, nor devised a response to it. Realizing the risks and costs posed by HIV/AIDS in their business partners, chief executive officers of Western Cape corporate employers, signed a pledge to mentor SMEs. This paper focuses specifically on the mentorship programme of South African Breweries (SAB), which uses taverns and shebeens as a platform for education and awareness programmes in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This was a comparison study, which measured the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) of trained and untrained tavern owners in four geographical areas to determine how business has responded to the epidemic. A quantitative research approach was used. The study revealed that the experimental group (trained tavern owners) displayed greater basic knowledge and understanding of HIV and AIDS, than the control group (untrained tavern owners). Some of the challenges facing workplace programmes were the involvement in programmes without enough information. The study concluded that without capacity building through methods such as instruction, coaching, providing experience, modeling, advising, training, information sharing and resources by corporates, the negative impact of HIV/AIDS in SMEs will not be mitigated. While the survey results suggest the need for greater involvement by corporates in mentoring programmes, further research on the role of the private sector in HIV/AIDS management is necessary.

The South African government, in an attempt to accelerate economic growth and development, has identified the SMME sector and entrepreneurs as a vehicle capable of bringing about this change. Unfortunately, this growth has been stifled due to the high failure rate of entrepreneurial businesses in the SMME sector. A possible solution for SMMEs and entrepreneurs is the introduction of mentoring. Mentoring entrepreneurs is the function of nurturing and supporting entrepreneurs by providing them with professional skills development and moral support in an attempt to positively impact on the business's sustainability. The study is the first of its kind in that it relates specifically to entrepreneurship mentors. This study empirically endeavours to determine the basic profile of entrepreneurship mentors in South Africa and their skills sets. The study aims to represent the importance of the skills as represented in the model and to understand the entrepreneurship mentoring environment in South Africa. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

This study examines the conditions for successful online mentoring in order to develop writing skills in English in a workplace setting. Chapter 1 gives the background and context of the study. Problems to be addressed in the study and the aims, objectives, hypotheses and their rationale are presented. This is followed by testing procedures, research design, sources of data and research procedures. In Chapter 2, the literature review supports the hypotheses on the need for collaboration in materials development and delivery, mentoring relationships, motivation and computer and Internet efficacy. Chapter 3 presents the findings from the case study bringing into focus problems that would jeopardise a mentoring programme if training providers do not pay attention to the hypotheses. The findings are collated and the hypotheses are confirmed. Conditions for successful online mentoring are spelt out in Chapter 4. The study concludes that online mentoring works once the conditions are properly followed. / English Studies / M.A. (TESOL)

DEd (Educational Management) / Department of Educational Management / The aim of this study was to explore the effect of mentoring as a strategy for teacher professional development. The study was underpinned by Vygotsky, Piaget and Bandura socio-cultural theories. The study is anchored on the interpretivist or constructivist paradigm to enable the investigator to deconstruct the realities of the experiences of practicing teachers during the mentoring process. The qualitative research approach was adopted in the study. The population comprised all teachers at six (6) selected high schools in the Thabina Cluster schools. Purposeful sampling method was employed to select 12 teachers that participated in the study. Qualitative data was generated through face-to-face interviews, observations and document analysis. Data was analysed thematically. The study established that teachers value and acknowledge the importance of mentoring as a strategy for teacher professional development. There is also a need for mentoring to be conducted with new teachers to offer them opportunities for professional growth. The study recommendations are that the Department of Education should develop and regularly implement mentoring programmes to enhance the competency of teachers. / NRF

This study is concerned with what is happening within a mentorship interaction between engineers aimed at knowledge transfer. The practice of knowledge transfer is contextualised within the knowledge economy that ideologically positions Western economies as knowledge holders and advanced, while positioning developing countries as knowledge deficient and backwards. The prevailing literature regards knowledge transfer as difficult to achieve and is primarily focused on factors that hinder its success, looking to causal relational factors between and within the participants, in particular the qualities of knowledge receivers. Constructing the relationship and the individuals engaged in knowledge transfer as problematic brings about certain types of relations between individuals and between groups. These bring into play the positioning of role players within knowledge transfer that is not neutral, creating asymmetrical power relations and impacting identity construction. Studies in knowledge transfer have examined the factors that inhibit successful knowledge transfer extensively and do not consider its discursive context or considerations of power relations. Based on the assumption that discourse produces social practices and individual identities within social, historical and cultural contexts, this study adopted a social constructionist perspective and suggests that the ways in which identities are constructed in a mentorship interaction affect how participants experience and make sense of their worlds, which has implications for the practice of knowledge transfer. Viewing power as embedded in relations, a Foucauldian Discourse Analysis was conducted of discursive constructions generated from 17 interviews of participants engaged in a multinational knowledge transfer project between South African and Saudi Arabian engineers. The analysis showed that the construction of self and other does have an impact on knowledge transfer between Saudi Arabian and South African engineers. The multiple identity constructions of the participants within the knowledge transfer relationship were resourced from dominant discourses that reveal different meanings attributed to the participants’ mentorship experience and showed the systematic setting up of self and other within unequal power relations that favour the self. The study suggests that deeper consideration should be given to the effects of othering and power within social interactions between individuals located in divergent contexts such as those that characterise knowledge transfer. / Psychology / Ph. D. (Consulting Psychology)