Thesis (MDev. ) -- University of Limpopo, 2011 / The provision of Employee Assistance Programme in a working environment such as a municipality is very crucial. In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme to justify its existence to the outside world and to assess the impact of its fulfilment to its objectives, evaluation is therefore necessary. The aim of this research study was to ascertain the implementation of the EAP at the Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District with special focus on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization and also the programme adequacy. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Forty two (42) employees of various ranks or level’s in the municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study, and they were from all the four main centres of the municipality i.e. Makhado, Waterval, Dzanani and Vuwani. Summary of the Main Findings A high percentage (81%) of the employees knew of the existence of an EAP within the municipality, and meetings appeared to be the main awareness strategy. − The attitudes of employees towards the EAP were positive, this state of affairs points to the usefulness of the EAP service. − The EAP provided by the Municipality was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. − The utilization rate of the EAP in the Municipality was very low as only 17% of respondents indicated that they had utilized the service before. − The majority of referrals were conducted by supervisors while only 9.1% were self referral. The majority of respondents did not answer the question implying various reason/s and could also mean lack or poor knowledge and information about referrals within the programme. (iv Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province − The majority of employees did not respond to the question on whether they were satisfied with the EAP within the municipality, and that could translate into low knowledge and information about the programme. − The majority of employees were generally happy with the current location of EAP in the municipality. − The majority of employees viewed EAP as confidential and the level of trust in the EAP staff was high. − The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and never participated in its formulation. − The majority of employees felt that EAP services were useful, and this means that provision of proper information might encourage employees to use the service. − Most employees suggested that frequent dissemination of information to employees through meetings, workshops and other regular contact sessions could enhance the EAP in the municipality. Recommendations The following recommendations with regard to the employees’ familiarity with the EAP are important: o That more awareness sessions be conducted with all employees, especially those at regions unit so that adequate information is cascaded to all employees of the municipality. o The awareness sessions should be conducted at least quarterly involving all regions, and the EAP Advisory Committee should meet at least bi-monthly to discuss aspects to improve and enhance EAP services in the municipality. o It is also recommended that additional qualified EAP personnel, with at least minimum qualifications in Social Work and, or Social Psychology, or any relevant (v Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province qualifications and experience in EAP be appointed to run the programme on full-time basis. o That evaluation of the programme implementation should be conducted using the participatory strategies such as suggestion boxes, arranging focus groups and bench-marking with other institutions. The recommendation to allow employees opportunities to submit suggestions, in-puts and give feedback regarding the programme will no doubt assist in the improvement and promotion of the programme. o The Makhado Municipality should utilize different marketing strategies as recommended by EAP literature, such as the following: i. The use of promotional material such as brochures, leaflets, and posters that are user-friendly and in languages understandable by all employees of the municipality. ii. Outreach programmes: The EAP unit needs to regularly visit all the regional offices of the municipality in order to intensify information sharing to employees about the EAP. These can also include decentralising EAP workshops to the periphery offices in order to reach the employees who are far away from the head office in Louis Trichardt. The above-mentioned could serve as effective strategies in promoting and maximising the visibility of the EAP, and may close the gap on information not reaching all employees in the municipality thereby increasing its penetration rate.

Thesis (LLM ( Labour Law)) --University of Limpopo, 2013. / The study will analyse the fairness or unfairness of precautionary suspensions and the rights of employees in the Public Service who are placed on precautionary suspensions with reference to section 23(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, which states that: (1) “ Everyone has the right to fair labour practices” Section 186(2)(b) of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 defines what an unfair labour practice is with specific reference to a precautionary suspension. It reads thus: (2) “ Unfair labour practice means any unfair act or omission that arises between an employer and an employee involving – (b) the unfair suspension of an employee or any other unfair disciplinary action short of dismissal in respect of an employee” The study will also look at circumstances under which precautionary suspension is invoked on Senior Management Service employees in the public service in terms of chapter 7, clause .2.7(2) of the Senior Management Service Handbook, 2003. Decided cases will be referred to which shows that one of the reasons why many precautionary suspensions are set aside when challenged in court, is because some employees who are assigned to deal with labour issues in the government departments are not competent to deal with those issues. The issue of political appointments impacts directly on service delivery if people are appointed to positions because of political affiliation than competency.

Thesis ( M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The provision of Employee Assistance Programme in a working environment such as a municipality is very crucial. In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme to justify its existence to the outside world and to assess the impact of its fulfilment to its objectives, evaluation is therefore necessary. The aim of this research study was to ascertain the implementation of the EAP at the Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District with special focus on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization and also the programme adequacy. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Forty two (42) employees of various ranks or level’s in the municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study, and they were from all the four main centres of the municipality i.e. Makhado, Waterval, Dzanani and Vuwani. Summary of the Main Findings A high percentage (81%) of the employees knew of the existence of an EAP within the municipality, and meetings appeared to be the main awareness strategy. − The attitudes of employees towards the EAP were positive, this state of affairs points to the usefulness of the EAP service. − The EAP provided by the Municipality was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. − The utilization rate of the EAP in the Municipality was very low as only 17% of respondents indicated that they had utilized the service before. − The majority of referrals were conducted by supervisors while only 9.1% were self referral. The majority of respondents did not answer the question implying various reason/s and could also mean lack or poor knowledge and information about referrals within the programme. (iv Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province − The majority of employees did not respond to the question on whether they were satisfied with the EAP within the municipality, and that could translate into low knowledge and information about the programme. − The majority of employees were generally happy with the current location of EAP in the municipality. − The majority of employees viewed EAP as confidential and the level of trust in the EAP staff was high. − The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and never participated in its formulation. − The majority of employees felt that EAP services were useful, and this means that provision of proper information might encourage employees to use the service. − Most employees suggested that frequent dissemination of information to employees through meetings, workshops and other regular contact sessions could enhance the EAP in the municipality. Recommendations The following recommendations with regard to the employees’ familiarity with the EAP are important: o That more awareness sessions be conducted with all employees, especially those at regions unit so that adequate information is cascaded to all employees of the municipality. o The awareness sessions should be conducted at least quarterly involving all regions, and the EAP Advisory Committee should meet at least bi-monthly to discuss aspects to improve and enhance EAP services in the municipality. o It is also recommended that additional qualified EAP personnel, with at least minimum qualifications in Social Work and, or Social Psychology, or any relevant (v Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province qualifications and experience in EAP be appointed to run the programme on full-time basis. o That evaluation of the programme implementation should be conducted using the participatory strategies such as suggestion boxes, arranging focus groups and bench-marking with other institutions. The recommendation to allow employees opportunities to submit suggestions, in-puts and give feedback regarding the programme will no doubt assist in the improvement and promotion of the programme. o The Makhado Municipality should utilize different marketing strategies as recommended by EAP literature, such as the following: i. The use of promotional material such as brochures, leaflets, and posters that are user-friendly and in languages understandable by all employees of the municipality. ii. Outreach programmes: The EAP unit needs to regularly visit all the regional offices of the municipality in order to intensify information sharing to employees about the EAP. These can also include decentralising EAP workshops to the periphery offices in order to reach the employees who are far away from the head office in Louis Trichardt. The above-mentioned could serve as effective strategies in promoting and maximising the visibility of the EAP, and may close the gap on information not reaching all employees in the municipality thereby increasing its penetration rate.

Both development and post-structuralist anthropologists have critiqued development. Development anthropologists are concerned that development does not take adequate account of the social and cultural factors of developing nations, while post structuralists question the ontology of development and assert that domination over developing nations is inherent in the concept of development. To examine the social effects of development projects I conducted ethnographic research for a nine-week period on social relations at Sagana Fish Farm, located two kilometers from Sagana Township in the Kirinyaga District of the Central Province of Kenya. (The population of Sagana Township is approximately 5,885 people.) I obtained thirty-one semi-structured interviews, also relying on participant observation and informal interviews with civil servants (permanent employees) and casual laborers (temporary employees). I analyzed information obtained during interviews and participant observation within the context of power and resistance theory. Civil servants tended to value the presence of development projects because projects made structural enhancements and renovations to the fish farm. Development projects presented civil servants the possibility for skills development and additional income to fish farm employees and created temporary employment for individuals from neighboring communities. Civil servants stated that an inexpensive source of protein was available in the form of fish, chicken, and milk as a result of the work of development organizations. However, they also expressed concerns regarding the sustainability of development projects due to tension between expatriate development project workers and fish farm employees, inadequate information sharing and technology transfer, and financial and human resource mismanagement in the Kenya civil service. Casual laborers discussed the possibility of skills development through their work with development projects at the fish farm and expressed concern about their employment conditions. They were concerned about low wages in contrast with the intensity of their labor; insecure terms of employment; an absence of protective equipment at their work site; health and medical issues; and the availability of treated drinking water. Other concerns were associated with dignity, tribalism, and a fear of power of expatriate development workers and Kenyan civil service officers. Based on the above findings I made the following recommendations were made: implement cultural sensitivity training for expatriate development workers; develop project plans that foster a sense of investment in project operations; provide discounted fish to casual laborers; improve the work conditions of casual laborers; establish a health clinic; and provide informal loans to facilitate technology transfer. / Graduation date: 1999

The title of The Edifice Complex presents two metaphors which combine to form the focus of this study's research. The first of these refers to the Oedipus Complex of Freudian psychology: metaphorically, Marine recruits fall in love with the folklore of the Marine Corps they wish to join, yet unwittingly change that Corps over time, thus figuratively killing the older generations of Marines--their forefathers in uniform. In the second metaphor, the edifice is the structure of informal folklore and recorded history; the complex is the rites of passage or maze traversed in time by Marines. As Marines are indoctrinated in the Marine Corps' culture, they internalize the meanings of the edifice's building blocks: its symbols, rituals and myths. Bit by bit, generations of Marines individually and collectively alter the shape of the metaphorical maze and change the meanings of some elements of folklore. The purpose of the study was to analyze the causes and effects of cultural change affecting Marines and the Marine Corps from the mid-1950s to the mid1980s. Using ethnographic field methods and content analysis, the researcher investigated internal and external planned and unplanned changes in the Marine Corps. Cultural data was collected during 1984 and 1985 from print, motion picture and other media, and through interviews with Marine infantrymen, recruiters, journalists, drill instructors, historians, musicians and others, in several cultural settings. The study focused on the cultural reality of primarily male, enlisted Marines. Findings support the working hypothesis that folklore is a behavior-shaping tool which the Marine Corps effectively uses to control the behavior of Marines. Findings reveal that cultural changes have allowed or caused some Marines to value the Marine Corps materially as a source of valuable competencies and material rewards rather than professionally or patriotically as the calling of the profession of arms. Conclusions of The Edifice Complex parallel conclusions in organizational change theory, in that changes in the symbolic realm of the organization's culture are most difficult to change but have significant impact upon members of the organization. Findings and conclusions are also mutually supported in the educational, social and behavioral psychologies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 270-295).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1986.

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M. Tech. Human resources Management / The retention of employees is very important for many organisations to survive and prosper in today's economy. While organisations invest in the training and development of their employees, return on investment cannot be guaranteed, as skilled employees continue to be lost to competitors. The need for a competitive advantage necessitates the development of employees and retaining them. The study examined the retention dynamics of bursary holders at the Department of Labour. The study's objective was to investigate bursary holders' intention to leave, and their reasons for considering leaving the Department of Labour, while testing whether these factors differ according to demographic variables, including gender, age, region, number of years at the Department of Labour, qualifications and level of position, thereby conducting an analysis of employee retention needs.