Organisations today are in a state of ever accelerating rate of change. Globalisation of the economy, increasing competition, technological innovation as well as global competition are seen to bring about the ever-accelerating pace of change in the working environment worldwide (Christen 2005:241). For this reason, employees are challenged by changes in their careers that they never anticipated, changes which in the long-run, result in stress conditions that bring negative consequences for both employees and the organisation in their wake. This chapter will provide the background to the topic of the study and survey what other studies have revealed about it. The objectives of the study, the research questions, the research objectives over and above the necessary hypotheses will also be mentioned and to conclude, the chapter will provide the theoretical framework in support of this study.As we may be aware, we live in a world of change, where everything constantly has reformed. Organisations are also part of that big change especially in the new millennium where re-engineering, downsizing, outsourcing and restructuring have become common terms associated with many organisations. Although a number of studies have tried to determine how organisational restructuring benefits the organisation, little has been done to find out how the welfare of employees is affected by the restructuring initiatives. This study investigates the perceptions that employees have of organisational restructuring. It investigates how their job satisfaction, career mobility and their stress levels are affected by restructuring process after the restructuring process as well the stress that such employees experience due to restructuring. A survey was conducted at Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, where data was obtained from 121 respondents and statistically analysed. The findings reflect a negative association between restructuring and stress levels and career mobility. The findings show that job satisfaction was still experienced by the employees at LHDA and that most respondents see organisational restructuring as something that benefits the organisation and has little to do with the interests of the workers.

Former Eastern Airlines flight attendants were surveyed regarding their levels of union, organizational, and dual commitment, union participation, strike participation and support, and current feelings of job stress, job affect and job satisfaction. It was found that union commitment was positively correlated with union participation. Due to the unique situation at Eastern, it was also found that there was no difference in levels of strike participation and support between those dually committed and those unilaterally committed to the union. Strike participation and support also correlated positively with one measure of current job stress. Other findings included a positive correlation between job affect and satisfaction, and a negative correlation between both of these measures and job stress.

Contact Centre agents operate in closely monitored and highly controlled environments and their work consists of solving service requests or assisting customers with information on products or services. Consequently their work involves a great deal of emotional labour and stress. It is not surprising then, that the working environment of the Contact Centre is reported to have a negative impact on the levels of Quality of Worklife of Contact Centre agents, and that in the Contact Centre context, it is likely that low levels of Quality of Worklife exist. It is argued that it is important for organisations to be particularly aware of the Quality of Worklife perceptions of their employees should they want to address Quality of Worklife levels and benefit from the positive consequences of higher levels of the construct. Numerous variables are reported to play either an antecedent, moderating, mediating, or consequential role in relation to the Quality of Worklife construct. A systems model of Quality of Worklife is developed, which illustrates the inter-relationships of these variables and how they affect and are affected by the Quality of Worklife construct. It is argued that leadership is an important antecedent to Quality of Worklife, and this is the antecedent of interest in this study. It is proposed that it is not just any leadership that will contribute to an improved Quality of Worklife, particularly within a challenging context such as the Contact Centre environment. Rather, it is suggested that certain qualities of leaders will have a greater influence on Quality of Worklife. For example, leaders who focus on relationships and are caring - characteristics associated with servant leaders - are deemed more suitable for the Contact Centre context. The research also proposes that there are close associations between Servant Leadership and Trust, which in turn has the potential to affect Quality of Worklife positively. It is argued, therefore, that Trust mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife in the customer service frontline context. While there is a broad base of literature available on servant leadership that focuses on the senior or executive level of leadership, Van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) have argued that it is also relevant at the middle level of management and have validated an eight dimensional measure of servant leadership that is suitable for this management level. The Van Laar, Edwards and Easton (2007) Quality of Worklife model is also argued to be an appropriate model and measure of the Quality of Worklife construct, due to the robustness of the instrument design and the appropriateness of its underlying theory to the context of this research. Research has shown that leadership can have a significant relationship with Quality of Worklife. Moreover, a review of the literature on servant leadership reveals that trust, satisfaction, general well-being, and commitment to their jobs increases when employees are exposed to leadership behaviours associated with servant leadership. There is however, no evidence in the literature of any investigation of the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife, or of research investigating the partial mediating effects of Trust between these two constructs. Research was conducted to test this relationship. A survey questionnaire was administered amongst a sample of 555 Contact Centre agents, who were employed in eight different organisations. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures were conducted in STATA (V15.0), to test and validate the factor structure of Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife models. The research also produced a Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife structural equation model that supported the hypotheses of the relationships between the constructs. Mediation analysis confirmed Trust’s role as a mediator between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. The structural equation model confirmed that synergies between Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife exist, and that Trust partially mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. It is therefore argued that an increase in Servant Leadership behaviour by the manager or supervisor of frontline staff has a positive association with increases of Trust, as well as positive associations with Quality of Worklife experienced by employees in the frontline context. Moreover, it is also posited that the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife is partially mediated by Trust of the supervisor. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations made for management practice and further research.

No description available.

Cette thèse vise à apporter un éclairage philosophique sur l'œuvre cinématographique d'Alfred Hitchcock. Plus spécifiquement, il est question d'envisager les phénomènes esthétiques et narratifs afin d'évaluer la pertinence de ses films en matière de morale. Pour ce faire, nous proposons un travail en quatre étapes : tout d'abord, il faut prendre le temps nécessaire pour consolider les fondements théoriques de l'exégèse. La première partie s'efforce donc de mettre en place les éléments principaux pour la connaissance de son œuvre, du contexte de production et de ses caractéristiques les plus pertinentes. Par la suite sont envisagés les apports théoriques et conceptuels des critiques dans la filiation de laquelle se situe ce travail : la politique de réhabilitation d'Hitchcock opérée par les Cahiers du cinéma porte ses fruits aujourd'hui encore, malgré la nécessité de dépasser leur approche spiritualiste. Ainsi, cette thèse se veut leur héritière, tout en revendiquant l'utilité de perspectives alternatives comme celles de Robin Wood ou de William Drummin. Le second moment se propose d'entrer dans la diégèse hitchcockienne et d'analyser le plus justement possible les particularités du monde fictionnel créé à travers la cinquantaine de films constituant le corpus. Cette étude met en valeur l'idée d'un pessimisme latent qui se manifeste à travers une contingence ambivalente, une menace de la fatalité, une ambiguïté des fin heureuses, et une critique presque généralisée des institutions. La représentation des personnages n'est pas plus heureuse dans la mesure où l'antagonisme traditionnel méchants / bons est faussé par un manque d'héroïsme des protagonistes et une sympathie récurrente des vilains, dont la mise en scène particulièrement ambiguë favorise un rapport non conventionnel de la part des spectateurs. La troisième partie tente de dépasser cette inquiétude généralisée en montrant que les ressources personnelles des protagonistes, associées à leur rencontre parfois traumatisante avec le monde les amène à rendre possible une certaine éthique des rapports humains. Le couple engagement / dévouement est au centre de ce développement, permettant de mettre en avant la possibilité d'une évolution des personnages : d'une amoralité initiale, résultat d'une hostilité généralisée et d'un égoïsme primaire, ils peuvent prétendre au statut de véritables héros, porteurs ou représentants de valeurs et de vertus liées à l'altruisme et à l'acceptation du monde. Enfin, le dernier mouvement propose une étude de la réception, dont le but est de comprendre la position spectatorielle. Pour ce faire, nous analysons les procédés permettant le partage des expériences, afin de parvenir au concept de « vicarialité » qui semble le plus à même de décrire la forte implication et la conscience de soi qui résulte de l'esthétique hitchcockienne. Le moment final est centré sur la constitution du jugement moral du spectateur et sur la pertinence de cette œuvre dans la vie éthique du public. / This thesis aims at bringing a philosophical perspective on Alfred Hitchcock's cinematographic work. More specifically, we intend to consider the aesthetic and narrative phenomenons in order to value the moral relevance of his films. To do this, we suggest a four stage work : firstly, one needs to take the time to strengthen the theoretical basis of the exegesis. The first part strives to introduce the main elements to for a proper study of his work, its context of production and its most relevant features. After this non exhaustive glance, we'll address the conceptual and theoretical contribution of the critics in the filiation whose approach we share. The politics of Hitchcock's rehabilitation by the Cahiers du cinéma still bears fruits today, despite the necessity to exceed their spiritualist approach. Therefore, this thesis claims the inheritance while calling upon different critics, likes William Drummin or Robin Wood. The second moment investigates Hitchcock's diegesis in order to analyse as correctly as possible the features of this fictional universe created through the fifty or so films of the corpus. What emerges from this study is the idea of a latent pessimism which shows itself through an ambivalent contingency, a fatality threat, ambiguity of the happy endings and an almost generalized criticism of the institutions. The character's presentation is not happier inasmuch as the traditional antagonism villains / good people is corrupted by a lack of heroism from the protagonists and a recurrent sympathy from the villains, the mise en scène of which leads to an unconventional connection with the spectator. The third part tries to exceed this widespread anxiety by showing that the protagonists' personal resources, associated with their (sometimes traumatizing) encounters with the world leads them to make a certain ethics of human relationships possible. The pair engagement / devotion is at the centre of this development and allows us to point up the possibility of an evolution of the characters: from an initial amorality resulting from a general hostility and a primary egoism, they can pretend to become real heroes, bringing or exemplifying values and virtues linked to altruism and acceptance of the world. The last step offers a study of the reception of the films; the aim is to understand the spectatorship's position. To do this, we analyse the processes leading to the sharing of the experiences, in order to reach the concept of “vicariality”, which seems the most suitable to describe the strong implication and the self-consciousness resulting from the hitchcockian aesthetics. The final moment is centred on the constitution of the moral judgement of the spectator and on the contribution of Hitchcock's work on the moral life of the spectators.

La culpabilité est une émotion introspective résultant de la réflexion sur l'association entre le soi et ses propres torts. Parce que la culpabilité montre les aspects probablement désagréables du soi, les individus sont motivés à se déculpabiliser. D'après les théories traditionnelles de la culpabilité, la culpabilité vient de processus cognitifs de haut niveau et son intensité dépend du niveau d'attribution de la faute au soi. Ces théories, fondées sur les théories standards de cognition, soulignent les aspects intellectuels et rationnels de la culpabilité. Les théories de l'embodiment rejettent la séparation entre les états corporels et situationnels et la connaissance. Les stimuli sociaux peuvent produire des états somatiques et susciter des réponses dans le soi. Les états corporels et viscéraux du soi peuvent susciter des états affectifs. Selon les théories personnifiées, la culpabilité doit aussi être influencée par des états corporels et situationnels. Nos études ont visé à comprendre les influences des facteurs corporels et contextuels sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Une première étude (N=65) a comparé l'efficacité de l'observation et de la personnification de nettoyage sur la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que (a) l'observation de nettoyage a pu déculpabiliser les individus et les conduire à se comporter moins prosocialement mais qu'elle était moins efficace que la personnification de nettoyage ; (b) la personnification du concept de nettoyage a pu apaiser les jugements moraux sévères. Deux études (N=393) ont ensuite exploré l'effet de l'approbation sociale sur la déculpabilisation au moyen de la personnification du concept de la propreté. Les résultats ont montré que l'approbation sociale était un facteur important dans la personnification du concept de la propreté et qu'elle a pu modérer l'effet du concept de propreté sur la déculpabilisation. Deux études (N=141) ont enfin analysé l'effet de l'épuisement et de la restauration d'énergie sur la culpabilité et la déculpabilisation. Les résultats ont montré que l'épuisement a diminué le sentiment de culpabilité puis le comportement prosocial, et que la restauration d'énergie a pu restaurer la capacité d'éprouver de la culpabilité. Nos travaux montrent que, la culpabilité est une émotion morale et prosociale qui est dépendante de facteurs corporels et situationnels. Des changements de statuts corporels et contextuels peuvent contribuer à déculpabiliser les individus. / Guilt is an introspective emotion resulting from the reflection on the association between the self and one's own wrongs. Because guilt shows the undesirable aspects of the self, people are motivated not to feel guilt. According to traditional theories of guilt, guilt comes from high-level cognitive processes and its intensity depends on the extent to which the fault is attributed to the self. These theories, which are based on standard theories of cognition, emphasize the intellectual and rational aspect of guilt. Embodied theories reject the separation between situational and bodily states and knowledge. Social stimuli can produce somatic states and elicit responses in the self. The visceral and bodily states in the self can generate affective states. According to embodied theories, guilt could also be influenced by bodily and situational states. Our research aimed to understand the influences of bodily and contextual factors on guilt and reducing guilt. One study (N = 65) compared the efficacy of observation of cleansing and the embodied cleaning on reducing guilt. The results showed that the observation of cleaning could make people feel less guilty and lead them to behave less prosocially. But it was less effective than embodied cleansing. Two studies (N = 393) explored the effect of social approval on reducing guilt through the embodiment of the concept of cleanliness. The results showed that social approval was an important factor in embodiment of the concept of cleanliness and it could moderate the effect of the concept of cleanliness on removing guilt. Two studies (N = 141) studied the effect of depletion and restoration of energy on guilt and reducing guilt. The results showed that depletion could reduce guilt feelings and subsequent prosocial behavior and that restoration of energy could restore the ability to feel guilt. In conclusion, guilt is a moral and prosocial emotion which is dependent on bodily and situational factors. Changes in bodily and contextual states can cause people to feel less guilty.

Thesis (MTech(Management))-- Cape Technikon, 2002 / Outcomes-based Education was introduced to the South African education system in 1996 with the implementation of Curriculum 2005. The first post-apartheid Minister of Education, Professor Sibusiso Bhengu, set himself the task of radically reforming the education system and of eliminating everything which had emanated from the apartheid regime. This work has been continued by the present Minister of Education, Mc Kadar Asmal. The reformation of the education system and the implementation of Curriculum 2005 by the government was based on the advice of international experts. This advice was garnered at a premium in costs, but there is a general view that South African circumstances were not always taken into consideration. In many instances there is a feeling that Curriculum 2005 was forced upon the educators. This study focuses on education in South Africa, past and present, as well as the perceptions of Curriculum 2005 by educators, and whether educators are really motivated by it. This study also focuses on certain problematic areas in Curriculum 2005 and suggests possible solutions.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / Occupational challenges exist in all working environments, and affect all levels of organisational personnel from top management to employee levels. State hospitals in South Africa place occupational demands mainly upon registered nurses who make up most of the hospital staff. The focus of the research investigation concentrated mainly on a population of three groups of registered nurses at a state hospital in Cape Town. They are staff nurses, professional nurses and enrolled nursing assistants. These nurses are experiencing a decline in morale, due to staff shortages, a lack of resources and a perceived lack of leadership. They experience various levels of stress, which affect their personal health and morale. The objective of the research was to analyse the impact on the state registered nurses of three main contributors of occupational challenges faced by these nurses, namely a lack of resources, staff shortages and a perceived lack of good leadership. The nurses are employed to provide quality care for patients in state hospitals.

Thesis (DEd (Education))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / Teaching is one of the most challenging and demanding professions in the world. It seems as though teachers are being stretched to the limit and that this has a negative impact on educator morale. Expectations placed on educators seem to be expanding exponentially in South Africa. A study has been undertaken to analyse and assess educator morale in schools in the Wellington area. The main aim of this study was to establish which factors influence educator morale. The aims that emerged was a literature study about educators’ morale and to establish how educators’ morale influence the functioning of schools. The last aim of the study was what can be done to assure continuous high educator morale. The literature study formed the starting point of this investigation. The literature study was followed by a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods within an interprevistic research paradigm. A questionnaire was used to collect data and feedback was given to three focus groups. The questionnaire concentrated mainly on aspects on national and provincial level, those in the school community and on school related levels whilst the third group related to the daily educational task of the educator in the classroom. The qualitative instrument was handed out to 137 respondents in schools in the Wellington area. The validity of the responses and the findings were tested by means of feedback to the focus groups to get their views about the findings of the literature study and the feedback from the questionnaires. The reliability of the data was tested by means of interviews with three focus groups. Triangulation was applied by means of qualitative and quantitative research methods, a literate study and focus group interviews. In conclusion, recommendations were provided to improve educators’ morale in schools in South Africa.

Thesis (DTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012. / This study's main aim was to develop a model of employee satisfaction for health-related professions in South Africa. Health-related professions refer to a variety of practitioners who work in the healthcare sector mostly in support capacity to the clinical or medical practitioner. They include laboratory technologists, pharmacists, radiographers, emergency medical services (paramedics), nurses, and optometrists. These practitioners comprise a diverse group who deliver high quality care to patients across a wide range of care pathways and in a variety of settings. This band of professionals was chosen as the focus of the study because most studies, which relate to health workers' satisfaction and motivation in South Africa, have concentrated on medical doctors and nurses without a commensurate interest in other health-related professionals. The study is a multi-faceted one, and incorporates both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study is also exploratory because no model of this kind exists amongst health-related professions of South Africa. Permission to access selected institutions for the study was granted before the researcher approached the population for the study. The researcher decided not to use a sample, but to include all members of this population in the participating institutions in order to get as many participants as possible. From a total population of 987, only 117 usable questionnaires were returned. Data that was collected was coded for Statistical Program for Social Science (SPSS) suitability. SPSS was utilized to generate the frequency and descriptive statistics. The data collection instrument was the Plus Delta Organizational Climate Questionnaire, which was modified on the basis of a preliminary study. The data instrument achieved a coefficient alpha (Cronbach) of 0.8, which extended its reliability. With the use of factor analysis, this study was able to identify seven (7) factors which influence employee satisfaction within the health-related professions in South Africa. These factors include Role Clarification and Job Design, Equitable Performance Management, Integrated Leadership and Knowledge Sharing and Self-efficacy, while the other factors include Family-friendly Work Environments, Leader Credibility and Innovation, and Excellent Customer Relations and Technology. These factors make up the model of employee satisfaction for health-related professions considered in this research. While the researcher suggests that further studies should be conducted in order to establish the validity of the model, the researcher also makes a call for a data collection instrument to be distilled from the model. However, this study will undoubtedly add to the sparse literature on health-related practitioners. This position is assumed because most literature on health professions' job satisfaction/dissatisfaction favours doctors and nurses. The study will also assist in understanding some of the reasons for the often reported sense of job insecurity among practitioners in South Africa. The study has produced a model, which health-related professions can utilise to manage themselves better. It is hoped that the model will serve health-related professions with better gains, such as reduction in health-related professional attrition, elimination of low levels of trust between management and staff and reduction in high incidences of absenteeism, which constituted research problems of this study.