Abstract  In this study I explore everyday leadership in a philosophical and existential perspective, based on a field study with three deep interviews with leaders for non-profit organisations that offers alternative social, school and care activities as a complement to the welfare that society provides. A fourth voice that is contributing to the study material and running throughout the text in reflections, discussions and analyses is mine, and thus my professional experiences are also part of the research material. Existentialism and the book of Simone de Beauvoir For the moral of ambiguity, together with Aristotle's thoughts of virtue and practical knowledge, are the basis in my philosophical approach to the field study in which I attempt to explore everyday leadership in the welfare sector. Factual evidence is taken from scientific reports, as well as from scientific literature. These are used for comparisons regarding the actuality of the study and the definition of concepts such as leadership. With the interview questions I seek to encourage conversations and reflections on how it is to be a leader in the encounter between one’s own inner conviction and the external circumstances in which the leader is located. The intention is to seek better understanding of leadership in a social organisation, and how the professional role interacts with the person who takes this role. Through conversations and reflections I investigate in what way the moral approach of leadership and how the interviewee relates to the context in which he or she is active. The leaders' experience, thoughts and reflections on their professional role constitute the basis for discussion and analysis. The conversation reflects the moral values ​​and approaches of the interviewed leaders in the profession and, conversely, the impact of the professional role in the personal sphere. / Sammanfattning   I denna essä som bygger på en fältstudie bestående av tre djupintervjuer med ledare för social och idéburen verksamhet inom vård, skola och omsorg utforskas vardagens ledarskap i ett filosofiskt och existentiellt perspektiv. Begreppet idéburna organisationer syftar till enskilda organisationer, vilka bedriver icke vinstdrivande verksamhet i syfte att komplettera samhällets insatser inom välfärdssektorn. En fjärde röst i essän som bidrar till studiematerialet och löper genom texten i reflexion, diskussion och analys är min egen, och mina yrkeserfarenheter utgör också en del av empirin. Existentialismen och filosofen Simone de Beauvoirs bok För en tvetydighetens moral är, tillsammans med Aristoteles’ tankar gällande dygd och praktisk kunskap, filosofiska ansatser i analysen och diskussionen av fältstudien om vardagligt ledarskap. Faktaunderlag hämtat från forskningsrapporter tillika med vetenskaplig litteratur utgör bollplank för jämförelser gällande studiens aktualitet till dagens situation och bestämning av begrepp som till exempel vad ledarskap innebär. Intervjufrågorna söker bjuda in till samtal och reflektioner om hur det är att vara ledare i mötet mellan en egen inre övertygelse och yttre omständigheter. Intentionen är att söka utforska hur det är att vara och arbeta som ledare för en social verksamhet, och hur den professionella rollen samverkar med människan som intar denna roll. I samtal och reflektioner undersöks hur ledarskapet och den intervjuades moraliska förhållningssätt relaterar till det sammanhang ledaren är verksam i. Ledarnas erfarenheter, tankar och reflektioner om sin yrkesroll är utgångspunkt för diskussion och analys. Samtalen speglar de intervjuade ledarnas moraliska värderingar och förhållningssätt i yrkesutövandet, och omvänt, vilken inverkan yrkesrollen har i den personliga sfären.

This master's thesis deals with the identification and the analysis of the changes in society which lead to questioning the basic principles of human rights from the point of view of Czech non-profit organisations. In this study, it is important to divide the definition of human rights into their legal aspect, i.e. as rights of people, and their institutional aspect, i.e. as the moral imperative of equality and liberty. The latter is the main objective of this study, and is in this thesis labelled as the human rights. While the legal aspect of human rights is hard to change and to challenge, the institution of human rights is confronted by both the politics and the public. Because of their unique position between the political and the public spheres, non-profit organisations who advocate the human rights were chosen as the research sample. The dimensions of the researched phenomenon are divided into decreasing political influence of countries promoting the human rights, and increasing distrust in the legitimacy of the human rights. Findings from the research uncover the unequal intensity of the potential reasons of the changing attitudes towards the institution of human rights, and we can identify the political sphere as the creator of the boundaries in which the public reacts. As a result, this...

This Diploma Thesis focuses on comparison of organisational culture in state-controlled, commercial and non-profit organisations in the area of pre-school education. It is based on the Competing Values Framework developed by Cameron and Quinn, according to whom there are four types of organisational culture. The goal of this Thesis is to identify and describe the culture types in organisations in the above-mentioned three sectors, and to subsequently compare these types so that their similarities and differences can be revealed. The chosen method of research is a case study; the data was collected by a questionnaire survey among employees and by analysis of documents used in the organisations. My research has indicated that the organisational culture in the three sectors is similar in certain elements, but different in others. An established similarity is the presence of the clan culture, which is a friendly and informal working environment. Regarding the differences, the culture is more bureaucratic and hierarchic in a state-controlled organisation, while more dynamic and focused on innovations in commercial and non-profit ones.

In recent years the ideas of good governance and the responsibility of corporate South Africa to contribute to the society in which they operate have become an undeniable part of organisational conception. Indeed, South Africa is considered to be a leader in the field of corporate governance internationally. Forming part of governance practices is Corporate Social Investment (CSI) whereby corporate organisations contribute to causes and societal groupings in need of financial and other assistance. Among these societal groupings that receive support from CSI activities are non-profit organisations (NPOs) that rely on funding from their corporate donors for survival. Based on the exchange of funding and a shared attempt at social development, a relationship between the two parties emerges. From the perspective of the stakeholder theory, corporate organisations, through their CSI activities, and NPOs are stakeholders of each other and a positive relationship between them could strengthen their individual and collective goals. This study explored and described the relationship between corporate donors and recipient NPOs in order to understand the state of the relationship and to critically consider the way in which the relationship is defined, described and measured. First, the relationship was explored by means of partially structured interviews based on well-known relationship indicators where it appeared that the relationship is not only fraught with negative perceptions from both sides, but also where the relationship indicators used to explore the relationship were not entirely suited for the specific context of this relationship. The negative perceptions and inappropriate relationship indicators formed the basis of a theoretical inquiry of literature on CSI, stakeholder relationships and participatory development communication. Subsequently, the partially structured interviews and the literature review informed the design of two corresponding survey questionnaires that could test both findings quantitatively. The results of validity and reliability testing confirmed the qualitative finding that a contextualised measurement is suited for this relationship. A mix of existing and newly formulated items grouped in contextual elements and redefined relationship indicators was used to describe the relationship. A combined analysis of qualitative and quantitative results indicated that the relationship is not as negative as the qualitative research might have suggested (possibly a result of contextualised measurement); but that very specific relational challenges are present and it is suggested that these challenges need a realistic approach of which accurate description is a starting point. The research contributes twofold with the first contribution being a clearer understanding of the relationship between corporate donors and recipient NPOs and the second being a set of redefined and contextualised relationship indicators with which to define and measure this relationship. / PhD (Communication Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In recent years the ideas of good governance and the responsibility of corporate South Africa to contribute to the society in which they operate have become an undeniable part of organisational conception. Indeed, South Africa is considered to be a leader in the field of corporate governance internationally. Forming part of governance practices is Corporate Social Investment (CSI) whereby corporate organisations contribute to causes and societal groupings in need of financial and other assistance. Among these societal groupings that receive support from CSI activities are non-profit organisations (NPOs) that rely on funding from their corporate donors for survival. Based on the exchange of funding and a shared attempt at social development, a relationship between the two parties emerges. From the perspective of the stakeholder theory, corporate organisations, through their CSI activities, and NPOs are stakeholders of each other and a positive relationship between them could strengthen their individual and collective goals. This study explored and described the relationship between corporate donors and recipient NPOs in order to understand the state of the relationship and to critically consider the way in which the relationship is defined, described and measured. First, the relationship was explored by means of partially structured interviews based on well-known relationship indicators where it appeared that the relationship is not only fraught with negative perceptions from both sides, but also where the relationship indicators used to explore the relationship were not entirely suited for the specific context of this relationship. The negative perceptions and inappropriate relationship indicators formed the basis of a theoretical inquiry of literature on CSI, stakeholder relationships and participatory development communication. Subsequently, the partially structured interviews and the literature review informed the design of two corresponding survey questionnaires that could test both findings quantitatively. The results of validity and reliability testing confirmed the qualitative finding that a contextualised measurement is suited for this relationship. A mix of existing and newly formulated items grouped in contextual elements and redefined relationship indicators was used to describe the relationship. A combined analysis of qualitative and quantitative results indicated that the relationship is not as negative as the qualitative research might have suggested (possibly a result of contextualised measurement); but that very specific relational challenges are present and it is suggested that these challenges need a realistic approach of which accurate description is a starting point. The research contributes twofold with the first contribution being a clearer understanding of the relationship between corporate donors and recipient NPOs and the second being a set of redefined and contextualised relationship indicators with which to define and measure this relationship. / PhD (Communication Studies), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The research explored unique performance enhancing or inhibiting factors among Zimbabwean employees in non-profit organisations in Harare. Two research questions were formulated: “Are there unique work ethics inherent in employees in the non-profit sector?” The second research question is “What unique variables motivate and affect workers in the nonprofit sector?” The hypothesis assumed was that “the workplace performance of employees in the non-profit sector is affected by and dependent on unique factors that apply in the non-profit sector and not in profit sectors”. The analysis of the research sample identified unique performance factors: demotivation due to the absence of automatic promotions for high performing employees; opportunities for the advancement of employees through a policy of competitive recruitment and growth opportunities for local staff who can apply for international positions within the organisation. The hypothesis was accepted. The researcher recommended that non-profit organisations use creative sector-specific approaches to motivate employee performance. / Public Administration and Management / M. Tech. (Public Management)

Recent years have brought the private and non-profit sectors closer together in terms of cross-sectional collaborations. As businesses have become more involved in communities, initiatives such as employee volunteering (EV)—where employees are encouraged to volunteer by their employers—are becoming more popular and are receiving more scholarly attention. However, the question still remains as to whether the main reasons behind cooperation are related to strategy: does interaction and communication in EV mirror a more ideal- or strategic approach? As EV programmes (EVPs) bring together actors with different world-views and perspectives, much can be learned from studying their interaction. The present study examined the nature of communication in EV and whether this communication reflects a strategic (based on self-interest) or ideal (corresponding to Habermas’s ideal speech situation and stakeholder dialogue) approach. In addition, the study looked at factors that, according to participants, facilitate improved communication and understanding in EV. The findings indicate that communication in EVPs largely reflected the strategic approach. However, the ideal approach is still apparent in some situations and can successfully be used given the right conditions--for example, in situations of long-term collaboration with increased experience when participants invest time, resources and motivation in building relationships. Time and honesty was also important factors. However, a range of barriers made collaboration more difficult. Pursuit of strategic short-term solutions and shortage of resources and time may hinder important dialogue and understanding.

Dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for PhD: Management Sciences, Department of Marketing and Retail, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / In South Africa, non-profit organisations were seen as vocal and active players in the struggle against apartheid. During the country’s transition period, non-profit organisations played a central role in mitigating the effects of apartheid’s unequal development and in mobilising opposition to the apartheid state. With the focus moving towards service delivery, non-profit organisations have continued to play a major role in filling gaps and advocating on behalf of those living in poverty. Non-profit organisations do not operate to advance their own interests, instead, they use society’s resources and goodwill to meet society’s needs. In the poor economic environment, stakeholders are unfortunately looking to cut back and save resources. It therefore becomes more critical for non-profit organisations to adopt relevant strategies to reach more stakeholders and to keep them involved and motivated. One such strategy that can be adopted is marketing, in particular relationship marketing. This study therefore sets out to investigate the role of relationship marketing within non-profit organisations in KwaZulu-Natal. A thorough overview of the literature was undertaken, mainly to investigate the nature of the non-profit sector in general as well as in South Africa, its marketing and the impact of relationship marketing. A mixed methodology was employed for this study. A census study using questionnaires was used to collect quantitative data whilst qualitative data was collected using a face-to-face, semi-structured interview schedule. The findings revealed that funding has become the main constraint faced by the non-profit sector. Many non-profit organisations have employed marketing tactics to assist them in promotion and fundraising. Relationship marketing was identified as a concept which can assist the non-profit organisations in building and maintaining relationships with their stakeholders. Respondents further positioned communication as the central point for relationship building. The results of the data analysis led to the creation of a framework which outlines the role of relationship marketing at non-profit organisations. This study has clearly indicated that relationship marketing forms a powerful strategy that non-profit organisations should apply to manage long-term relationships with their key stakeholders. / D

No description available.

This thesis examines the implementation of the new digital information and communications technologies (ICTs) by the Women in Film and Television (WIFT) Non-government organisation (NGO) at the state, national and international levels through an ethnographic, participant observation case study, informed by the precepts of feminist research. A quantitative survey of Australian peak women's NGOs participating in the electronic mailing list - Pamela's List is also conducted mapping the context in which WIFT operates and providing an overview of Australian women's peak NGOs' uptake and use of ICTs. The findings are situated in relation to a review of the international surveys available on women's NGOs and the surveys and research reports available on the overall NGO sector, nationally and internationally. The study addresses two neglected areas in the ICT literature. For over a decade Feminist theorists have pointed to the omission of gender as a focus in studies on the new information and communications technologies. There has also been little research and few surveys into the uptake of ICTs by either women's NGOs or the broader NGO sector, nationally or internationally. The detailed, longitudinal case study of the implementation process from pre-establishment through to advanced use of digital communications by a women's NGO at state, national and international level is also unique. Combined with the survey, it affords the opportunity to not only document which ICTs are being adopted but also why particular technologies are being used over others and how they are being used. Despite key successes, the results show less than optimum uptake, a lack of advanced or strategic use, and the myriad of challenges shared by all three WIFT organisations, Australian women's peak NGOs, and the national and international NGO sector in utilising ICTs. The reasons for this are analysed revealing the conflicting values between the NGO sector and those underlying the development of ICTs and demonstrates that difficulties systemic to both the technology and the NGO sector are limiting access and utilisation by women's NGOs. While the myths of women as technophobic are seriously challenged by the findings, the study highlights the importance of gender factors in limiting access and uptake and shaping the use of ICTs. Australian women's NGOs' uptake is shown to be less than their mixed gender counterparts and the study also reveals a lack of acknowledgement by government of gender as a key factor in the uptake of ICTs. It is also shown that significant funding, infrastructure support and policy initiatives recognising the special technological and communication challenges of women's NGOs and the overall NGO sector are needed, if both are to fully and strategically embrace these technologies and function effectively in the new millennium. The significant contribution to knowledge of this thesis lies foremost in furthering the understanding of gender as a key factor in the uptake and utilisation of the new ICTs while at the same time challenging the patriarchal myth of women as technophobic. It thus contributes to the reconstruction of the epistemologies surrounding women's relationship to technology. The study also contributes to furthering the current very limited knowledge and understanding of women's NGOs and the overall NGO sector's uptake and use of information and communications technology. The knowledge and the critical insight provided is not purely historical but rather as the push to take up broadband begins, has relevance to this and future technological innovations. Without an understanding of the process, requirements and challenges faced by women's NGOs and the NGO sector in general, the existing problems will continue to be replicated. The material presented in this study will be useful to all women's organisations and NGOs contemplating establishing digital communications or wishing to review their current use of these technologies. It will also be of value to government and policy makers seeking to establish policies and initiatives that will enable NGOs to take up the new information and communication technologies.