Thesis (M.B.A.: Business Studies Unit)-Durban University of Technology, 2008. xi, 96 leaves / The amalgamation of municipalities came into effect as a legislative requirement brought about a number of challenges for the local government. One such major challenge relates to the impact that these amalgamations will have on human resource practices of the various municipalities. Literature study reveals that during any merger or amalgamation, less attention is paid to the human element of a merger until the merger is almost complete. This lack of attention impacts negatively on the merger results. Like other municipalities, Ethekwini Municipality is a product of this legislative requirement. It was formed as a result of the amalgamation of different municipal entities that had different human resource practices. The problem facing eThekwini Municipality is the misalignment of human resources policies and their effect on the working environment. This study looks at the impact of this amalgamation on the human resources practices of the eThekwini Municipality. The sub-objectives of the study are: to ascertain employees’ perceptions of amalgamation; to determine whether employees believe that the human resources’ matters are handled in a manner that will bring about stability and equity in the workplace; and to establish whether different perceptions exist between employees of the former Durban Metro Central and those of the erstwhile entities.

No abstract available.

The main objective of the study is to explore the accountability of the ward councillors through the application of the Batho Pele principles in Lukhanji Municipality. Accountability is regarded as the key aspect for any government in which it should be monitored and maintained. The main problem to be addressed by this study is the ways in which the ward councillors can improve accountability applying the Batho Pele principles. To address the research problem and to achieve the aims of this study, an empirical research was done by distributing self-administered questionnaires to the participants in Lukhanji Municipality. The research findings revealed that in Lukhanji Municipality poor accountability of the ward councillors in which it needs improvement. Another finding is that poor accountability is caused by the lack of understanding of the Batho Pele principles, lack of understanding of the accountability mechanisms and poor relations between the community and ward councillors. The research findings of the study pointed to the necessity to make a set of recommendations on improving accountability through the application of Batho Pele principles in Lukhanji Municipality.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the current recruitment and selection policy of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) and to determine whether the recruitment and selection practices comply therewith. To establish whether the policy enhances DWAF’s objective to improve its service delivery, a content analysis of the recruitment and selection policy was executed. To determine whether the recruitment and selection practices comply with the written and accepted policy a questionnaire was designed based on the provisions of the policy and best practices. The questionnaire was personally delivered to 50 potential respondents, of which 35 completed it. The completed questionnaires were processed and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2000. The policy was found to be well researched, comprehensive and efficient to DWAF’s missions and objectives. It however showed signs that indicate the danger of being applied inconsistently. Clarity in terms of procedural sequence and conditions for use eluded some policy provisions, making it acceptable to assume and base decisions on the users discretion. Trained human resource managers guide recruitment and selection practices. The study concluded that the policy was being implemented: the recruitment and selection practices within DWAF complied with its accepted policy. There are standardisation on advertising as recruitment method, and interviewing as selection method. The recruitment and selection activities that are not mentioned within the recruitment and selection policy are done at the line manager and human resource manager’s discretion - this is found to be inconsistent and potentially dangerous to the process. DWAF employs recruitment and selection as tool to enhance performance management and effective service delivery. Recommendations are made to assist DWAF in its quest to achieve maximum return on investment from its human capital.

This qualitative study was undertaken to determine the organizational values shared by the professional employees of the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Related topics that contributed to the literature review included human and organizational values, organizational culture, strategic planning, and the philosophical foundations of the Cooperative Extension Service. Focus group interviews were conducted in each of the five administrative districts and on the University of Florida Campus. A total of 40 individuals took part in the group interviews. Transcripts of the interviews were read, coded, and sorted by themes to develop a list of twelve categories of values shared by the professionals interviewed. Coded sections of the transcripts were transferred to a descriptive matrix in order to reduce and simplify the analysis. Three groupings of values emerged from the data and were described as "communities" of values. The three communities were personal, Personal values mission-related, and structural values. were rewards, relationships, and personal history. Mission-related values were organizational history, research-based information, relevance, comprehensiveness, life-long education, diversity, and service. structural values were shared ownership and system linkages. These three communities were depicted in figures that described the relationships of the values to one another. The final discussion described the inter-relatedness of the three communities in the overall organizational structure. Recommendations were made for further study and program development for the Florida Cooperative Extension Service.

The purpose of this study was to determine employees' attitudes and perceptions toward the effectiveness of workplace violence prevention training within a U.S. Government service agency with 50 offices located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the phenomenon of workplace violence, the movement toward prevention programs and policies and the implementation of prescreening processes during hiring and violence prevention training. Chapter 2 contains a thorough review of pertinent literature related to violence prevention training and the impact of occupational violence on organizations. This topic was worthy of research in an effort to make a significant contribution to training literature involving organizational effectiveness due to the limited amount of research literature covering the area of corporate violence prevention training and its effect on modifying attitudes and behaviors of its customers. The primary methodology involved the assessment of 1000 employees concerning their attitudes and perceptions toward the effectiveness of workplace violence prevention training. The research population were administered a 62 item online assessment with responses being measured, assessed, and compared. Significant differences were found calling for the rejection of the three study hypotheses. Chapter 4 described the findings of the population surveyed and recommendations were identified in Chapter 5.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of size of performance pay increases on employee perceptions critical to the success of merit pay programs. Perceptions investigated in this study included: 1) instrumentality, 2) expectancy, 3) performance appraisal administration, 4) performance appraisal content, 5) trust in city management, 6) pay communication, and 7) importance of pay. It was hypothesized that individuals who received above average performance pay increases would exhibit significant positive changes toward perceptions of interest while individuals who received below average performance pay increases would exhibit significant negative changes toward perceptions of interest. / Master of Science

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: THE COMPETENCY PROFILE OF A TRAUMA DEBRIEFER IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN POLICE SERVICE: Trauma debriefing interventions are done in the South African Police Service to prevent the onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The existing trauma debriefing team rendering this service consists of psychologists, social workers and chaplains. There is currently no selection model or procedure available to select successful trauma debriefers and evidently not all professionals can automatically function effectively in a trauma work environment. The need has thus arisen to develop a competency profile of a successful trauma debriefer from which a selection battery can be develop. Before a profile can be compiled, a job analysis has to be done to discover the competencies of a trauma debriefer. For the purpose of this study the functional job analysis method was used and it can be described as: "Who performs what action for wat reason with which tools, equipment or job aids following what instructions." The information gathered from questionnaires to debriefers, questionnaires to victims of trauma, the critical incident method and a focus group were used to compile a job description for a trauma debriefer. Information was also obtained regarding the competency potential of a successful trauma debriefer specifically concerning knowledge (capacity) and personality traits (dispositions). Ten different trauma debriefer competencies were identified and discussed in conjunction with the mentioned competency potential. The given profile can now form the basis for the development of a selection battery for a successful trauma debriefer. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Trauma-ontlonting in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisie diens word gedoen om Posttraumatiese Stresversteuring sover moontlik te voorkom. Trauma-ontlonters, wat uit sielkundiges, maatskaplike werkers en kapelane bestaan, word gebruik om die diens te lewer. Daar bestaan egter geen keuringsmodel vir die keuring van die traumaontlonters nie. Die literatuur en die praktyk het dit bewys dat nie alle professionele persone noodwendig effektiewe traumawerkers is nie. Die nodigheid het dus ontstaan om 'n bevoegdheidsprofiel van 'n suksesvolle ontlonter saam te stel en daaruit 'n keuringsbattery te ontwikkel. Alvorens 'n profiel saamgestel kan word, moet 'n posontleding gedoen word om inligting oor die bevoegdhede van die trauma-ontlonter te bekom. Vir die doeleindes van hierdie studie is die funksionele posontledingsmetode gebruik wat beskryf kan word as: "Who perform what action for what reason with what tools, equipment or job aid following what instruction." Om die inligting te bekom is van vraelyste aan ontlonters, vraelyste aan getraumatiseerde lede, kritieke insident metode en 'n fokusgroep gebruik gemaak. Hieruit is die trauma-ontlonter se posbeskrywing opgestel. Verder is inligting bekom oor bevoegdheidspotensiaal van 'n suksesvolle traumaontlonter. Dit behels kennis (kapasiteite) en persoonseienskappe (disposisies). Dit is ook uit die literatuur en vanaf onderwerpkundiges bekom. Tien ontlontersbevoegdhede is geïdentifiseer wat omskryf is en waarby die bevoegdheidspotensiaal ingeweef is. Vanuit hierdie profiel kan 'n keuringsbattery ontwikkel word.

Rugby refereeing requires its practitioners to possess certain qualities. MacIntyre (1981) emphasises the importance of moral goods defined with respect to a community of virtuous persons engaged in a social practice. Whereas a virtue ethics account of playing and coaching has evolved (Brown, 1990; McNamee, 1995), little philosophical work exists on the role and status of elite match officials. The significance attached to the outcome of elite sport contests provide principled and instrumental reasons as to why this particular sporting aspect requires attention. Existing sports officiating research deals primarily with psychological (Bar-Eli et al., 1995; Boyko et al., 2007; Nevill et al., 2002; Weinberg et al., 1990) and physiological issues (Castagna et al., 2007; Inácio da Silva et al., 2008; Reilly et al., 2006). This work does little to explain the role and function of elite officiating. This interpretive study aims to enhance role understanding within a MacIntyrean framework, using elite Rugby Union officiating in Wales as its particular context. It examines the extent to which elite Rugby officiating can be considered part of a social practice by investigating the elite referee’s role as an arbitrator of justice and fairness and other responsibilities that may constitute the internal goods and virtues that safeguard the game. This analysis provides principled foundations for identifying those aspects of the referee development structure that represent ‘good practice’ and those that require reform. Key findings suggest (i) that Rugby refereeing is unique within sports officiating, (ii) that officiating is an integral yet imprecisely understood part of the practice; what Morgan (2007) refers to as a social collaboration and (iii) that greater interactivity between playing, coaching and officiating would enhance the growing understanding of Welsh Rugby as a commodified product. Subsequent recommendations include implementing a holistic approach to developing the game through the creation of a Rugby triumvirate and maximising the limited resources in the referee development process through early talent identification.

The Swedish refugee policy during the 1930’s and during the beginning of the Second World War can be described as restrictive. In the year 1939 the number of refugees in Sweden was about 4000. By the year 1945 the number was approximately 200 000. The responsibility for the reception of the refugees was mainly the governments. Since the late 1920’s, Swedish politics where largely formed by the Social Democratic party’s idea of the welfare state. Central to this idea and embodied in society was labour as almost a moral obligation. This thesis examines the relationship between the refugees, government bodies and the labour market policies in Sweden during the years for the Second World War. The purpose is to explore the government’s labour markets bodies’ relationship to refugees and labour by studying the government’s state officials. How was this relationship organized? Much of the previous research in the related area has focused on the government’s bodies rather than their state officials. Therefor this thesis adds a new perspective to this research area. The main questions of interest are how the labour market government bodies and their state officials where organized, and the challenges they were put before in the meeting with the refugees.A hypothesis for the thesis is that refugee reception and labour market politics are linked. A natural step in the reception of refugees is for government bodies to mediate them to the labour market. Refugees tend over time to transfer to labourers. A sociological theoretical approach in the thesis is that the individual is subordinated to the governing structure. In this regard, the state officials are to be seen as acting agents through the governing structure. Hence, two following questions regarding their autonomy in this structure are interesting: where the state officials to be regarded as agents acting out the policies directed to them? Where they also able to form policies? The primary source material consists of memorandums, reports and correspondence written by state officials. The research methodology is qualitative.The thesis results show that much of the government bodies’ work was made up by compromise and the ability to adapt to the current circumstances, dictated by the war. The state officials also seem to have been able to, in smaller cases, form policies. But mainly their actions should be regarded as part of a collective larger formative element (“formativt moment”) - the war itself dictated their options and formed Swedish labour market policies. The thesis also points to new areas of research. Could the same research model be applied on other, for example neutral, countries during the same period? Keywords: The Second World War, refugee reception, refugees, labour market policies, state officials