M.A. / Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) can be defined as programs, sponsored by management and labor, that are specifically designed to identify and assist employees and their families with various difficulties that impair personal and occupational functioning. Adventist Community Services (ACS) is a welfare organization that identified the need within the organization for such a program. A needs assessment to determine the specific needs of employees and volunteers with regard to such a program is however necessary before it can be designed. The aim of this study is therefore to conduct an exploratory investigation into the needs of ACS employees and volunteers with regards to an EAP. The objectives of the study were firstly to determine the level of social functioning of respondents by using 25 subscales of the Multi-Problem Screening Inventory. From the analysis of the data gained through this instrument areas of concern (for example, self-esteem, depression, partner relationships, etc.)were identified that are to be incorporated in an EAP for the organization. Secondly, the Index of Job Satisfaction was administered in order to establish the level of job satisfaction of respondents. The majority of respondents reported a clinically significant level of job dissatisfaction, which provides a base line measurement for later evaluation of the EAP to be designed, as well as an indication of the necessity of such a program. The last objective of this study was to give clear guidelines for the development of an EAP for ACS,. including the structure and content of such a program. An inhouse model providing a comprehensive range of services is recommended and specific areas of emphasis were identified (for example, time management and productivity, etc.). The literature review that was embarked on for this study served as a theoretical basis for the study as well as for the designing of an additional questionnaire. This questionnaire was used to gather demographic information and practical details about the implementation of an EAP.

M.A. / Literature studies have shown that the organization, as well as the individual in the organization is directly affected by violence. The reasons and characteristics of violence have an emotional impact on the employee, and requires of him to work through the impact of incidents in his own time. The result of this process is delayed psychological growth, less creativity which eventually has an impact on productivity. Workmotivation is the force behind reaching goals individually as well as for the organization. External factors which includes violence, have an influence on the employee's ability to feel satisfied in his work situation. The goal of this research study is to determine if Eskom employees that were exposed to incidents of violence have a workmotivation profile that can be identified. A sample was selected with available statistics in Eskom, as well as the snowball method. The sample included 220 respondents. The respondents completed a unstuctured questionnaire, where they had to identify incidents in their work situation that made them feel good / happy, and incidents that made them feel bad / unhappy. The questionnaire was developed by Frederick Herzberg (1968) as part of his motivation hygiene theory where factors of worksatisfaction and rkdissatisfaction were identified. The results were computerized, and quantified by means of descriptive statistics. A workmotivation profile was constructed from the data. The study confirmed that a workmotivation profile of employees that have been subjected to incidents of violence can be identified. Determinants of worksatisfaction and work dissatisfaction were identified as responsibility, supervision, content of work, recognition, promotion, circumstances at work, personal circumstances and violence. On this profile violence received the highest percentage as a determinant of workdissatisfaction.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2014. / Consumer behaviour towards marketing communication has a cultural undertone. The forces of globalisation have made it imperative for marketing practitioners to further integrate culturally sensitive variations in marketing strategies. While cultural values are changing due to global trends, culturally sensitive consumer behaviour has attracted more complexities due to media learning. Therefore, the journey to creating a sustainable competitive advantage in a multicultural market such as South Africa entails the realisation of the growing individualistic tendencies of consumers’ cultural dispositions toward marketing communication. The study aimed at investigating the influence of cultural diversity on the perceptions of Africans and Indians in Durban toward marketing communication. The study investigated respondents’ cultural values in terms of the individualism-collectivism (IC) constructs based on marketing communication-specific cultural values (MCSCV). A quantitative study was conducted to attain the objectives of the study, with the use of a self-administrated questionnaire. African and Indian respondents were recruited using judgmental sampling at the main shopping malls in Umlazi and Chatsworth, respectively. The sample selection was based on the representation of respondents’ population in Durban. The study covered a sample size of 283 Africans and 92 Indians. The SPSS software was used to analyse data. The findings of the study reveal that both races showed more individualistic rather than collectivistic tendencies toward marketing communication. The choice of media of Africans and Indians is significantly influenced by their racial identities. Overall, the findings suggest that it is erroneous to direct stereotypic marketing strategies at culturally homogeneous/diverse groups. The study recommends that a thorough study of prevailing cultural cues in ethnic segments should precede the development of marketing communication strategies.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In order to help individuals feel more engaged within work organizations and more satisfied with their jobs, employers have started to administer stay interviews within organizations, with the end goal being to retain organizational members. Stay interviews have become a proactive solution to the retention problem and have been seen as an alternative to the exit interview. This study proposes that through the use of stay interviews, organizational members will feel more engaged, satisfied, and committed to an organization, which will ultimately result in the retention of organizational members.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Minimal attention has been devoted to examining the dimensionality of self-control. The present study tested a multidimensional model of self-control in which dimensions were based on the nature of the behavior required (i.e., persistence, initiation, cessation, or prevention). A total of 336 undergraduates completed measures of self-control and psychological well-being. Seventy-four of these participants completed behavioral self-control tasks representing the proposed subtypes. Participants’ GPAs were obtained from the Registrar. Stop self-control was inversely related to previously-validated measures of persistence (β = -.61, p = .010) and prevention (β = -.56, p = .040) self-control and demonstrated differential predictive ability of persistence and prevention compared to the other proposed subtypes. Initiation self-control was inversely related to life satisfaction (β = -.35, p = .012) and demonstrated differential predictive ability of life satisfaction compared to stop self-control. These results were interpreted with caution due to inadequate power and questionable validity of several of the behavioral self-control tasks. Both handgrip persistence (r = -.25, p = .033) and blinking prevention (r = -.29, p = .023) were associated with depression. These pairwise correlations were not significantly different from each other, suggesting that no conceptual distinction should be made between persistence and prevention self-control. Confirmatory factor analyses of self-report data revealed that items clustered based on domain rather than on type of behavior required for self-control exertion. Thus, the structure of self-control remains unclear. Limitations of the present study and implications for future research are discussed.