There is a perception that municipal employees are not committed to their jobs of delivering essential services to the residents.This perception is often exacerbated by media opinion that tend to project an unacceptable image about the work ethics and behaviour of public sector officials. Local government is at the coalface of services delivery in South Africa.Almost all complaints and service delivery protests are directed by communities to municipalities. This necessitates that local government employees should always be ready to serve the people with passion and vigour. From the advent of democratic dispensation in South Africa in 1994 the transformation of the public sector has become one of the central priorities of government.The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) sets the agenda of a developmental state and outlines objects of local government in Sections 152 and 153 of the supreme law of the land. Flowing from this Constitutional mandate a legislative and policy framework is enacted to guide the municipalities to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services to communities .In this respect the study argues that central to the delivery of services is the human capital. The researcher asserts that it is not the building or any other municipal asset that will ensure delivery of quality services to citizens, but the employees. Employees have a responsibility to ensure that goals and objectives of the OR Tambo District Municipality are realised. The researcher contends that there is a perception that there could be low levels of job satisfaction within the workforce of ORTDM .This could have a negative effect to the provision of basic services to the public .Thus this study is aimed to investigate factors that may affect employee satisfaction in the ORTDM. High level of job satisfaction amongst employees may cause ahighly dedicated and committed workforce. The consequence of that could be a positive impact on municipal performance.

As a country, South Africa has undergone major social and political changes, specifically over the past two decades. Along with these changes, new legislation such as the scrapping of the Group Areas Act, changed the face of residential areas to one where suburbs now reflect the demographics of the country. Inevitably, changes in the business world also came about, one significant change being the promulgation of the Employment Equity Act (No.55 of 1998) which regulates employment practices in an attempt to make the workforce a true reflection of the South African population. The change in labour legislation came at a time when the effects of globalisation increased levels of competition amongst organisations. Understandably, certain business leaders raised concerns that the introduction of the Employment Equity Act could lead to a lowering of standards and therefore competitive advantage. The purpose of this research was to establish if these early concerns were indeed valid and if the implementation of this legislation had any negative impact on Telkom SA Limited (Telkom), the organisation selected for this study. Particular attention was paid to investigate the impact of the implementation of the Act on three critical areas of business, namely: Productivity; Profitability; and Customer satisfaction. In order to achieve the objectives of the research, the following approach was followed: Firstly, a comprehensive literature study was conducted to determine what led to the passing of this legislation and to establish what the literature revealed about the advantages and challenges of a diverse workforce; Secondly, the views of Telkom management in the Eastern Cape on the impact of the implementation of employment equity were obtained by means of an empirical study which involved the completion of a comprehensive questionnaire; and Lastly, the responses to the questionnaire were collated and analysed to determine the extent to which Telkom had implemented the legislation, and if the company had experienced any negative effects due to this implementation.

Anti-corruption measures are put forward as a panacea to effective procurement system, among other things, which ultimately improve service delivery. Corruption has demonstrated remarkable durability and flexibility to survive in all socio-economic systems with the conception of a corruption-free economy in reality, is hardly possible. Given this background, this study sought to evaluate the efficacy of the already implemented anti-corruption measures in the procurememt procecesses of Marondera municipality. To understand their effectiveness, relevant literature was reviewed. Different scholars point against the ineffectiveness of these measures, with Corruption Perception Index (CPI) from previous research showing devastating results in Zimbabwean local institutions. A further discussion of corruption cenception, different anti-corruption measures and legal frameworks gave a greater understanding of the area under study. In this study, a sample of 80 respondents was identified and data collected from them using both snow ball and purposive sampling methods. Thirty-five of them were females respondents and forty-five were male respondents from Marondera municipal community, with different demographic characteristics which was used for comparison of responses. Questionnaires and interviews were used as research instruments. Both the Quantitative and Qualitative research methods were used in the anaylsis of the data, to increase validity and reliability of the feelings.

The purpose of the study was to explore the use of certain psychometric procedures and to study their value in relation to the problems of selection and prediction of prison personnel. The tests selected were the Wesman Personnel Classification Test, the Kuder Preference Record, form CH, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and the Manson Evaluation. The criterion used to evaluate the tests was supervisors' ratings based on a forced distribution rating scale which measured only one trait, namely job proficiency. The total sample consisted of 100 employed prison officers and all were rated for job proficiency. Sub-samples from the main sample were formed from the extreme ratings of the whole group. Thus, the top 27 per cent represented the successful group and the bottom 27 per cent the unsuccessful group. The tests were analyzed individually. Mean profiles for the total sample were computed for all test variables and were compared with the published norms for each test. Mean scores and standard deviations for both groups of officers were computed and these data were examined for significant differences between the two groups. From an analysis of the mean scores 14 out of 35 test variables significantly discriminated between the two groups. The best predictor proved to be the Social Service scale of the Kuder Preference Record. The next best predictor was Part I (verbal) of the Personnel Classification Test. Biserial correlation coefficients from widespread classes were also computed. These coefficients were generally of a low order, ranging from .04 to .49. Fourteen coefficients were significantly greater than zero. A scattergram analysis of all tests and subtests was also undertaken to determine the best critical scores. This analysis revealed that, for practical purposes, six scales yielded effective cutting scores. The six scales in descending order of effectiveness for selection purposes were Part I, Personnel Classification Test, the Kuder Social Service scale, the MMPI Psychasthenia scale, the MMPI Depression scale, the MMPI Hostility scale, and the Manson Evaluation Total score. In general, the results indicate the psychometric tests have value for the screening of prison officers. However, it is indicated that the results must be employed with caution until a further validation study is carried out on a sample of officers that is more representative of the population upon which it is intended to use the tests, viz., a sample of job applicants. / Arts, Faculty of / Philosophy, Department of / Graduate

This study consists of literature research providing background and basic knowledge on layoff-related issues, and analysis of data obtained through a survey of human resources professionals in 30 mid-size Southern California cities. The survey provided information on the layoff experiences of respondents' cities and the current state of affairs pertaining to layoff policies, procedures and perceptions.

The purpose of this study was to determine if extended periods of time out of the training environment has an effect on the retention of training. The rationale for conducting this study was based on the fact that little research has been done in this area. The findings of the study indicated that extensive periods of time out of training do significantly influence the amount of training retained fromone loadmaster course to the other. Additionally, there was a significant relationship between the number of days out of training and the posttest scores. The optimum training break between courses appears to be between 10 and 20 days. Training retention is apparently affected by time.

Thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Management (in the field of Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation) to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand September 2017 / While the literature shows that local government is the closest tier of government to the citizens of South Africa, the communities are denied some benefits of its existence, resulting in service delivery protests that are largely attributed to the lack of public accountability. It is therefore the aim of the study to understand how South African ward councillors understand, perceive and use Monitoring & Evaluation mechanisms to instil public accountability. A structured interview guide in the form of an online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 201 ward councillors. From the study questions, the following alternative hypotheses were tested using regression analysis and T-test: i. There is a positive relationship between the knowledge of public accountability of M&E mechanisms. ii. There is a positive relationship between perceptions of public accountability and usage of M&E mechanisms. iii. There is a difference in the use of M&E mechanisms betweengender (males and females) to foster public accountability within local government. Contrary to expectations, the study findings revealed that there was no relationship (0.431<0.05) between the knowledge of public accountability and usage of M&E mechanisms. Similarly, only 02.60% of the variation of the usage of M&E mechanisms (dependent variable) could be explained by perceptions of M&E mechanisms (independent variable). Lastly, the findings revealed that the observed difference between the samples means (4.0-4.34) was close and not convincing enough to suggest that the usage of M&E mechanisms between female and male ward councillors differed significantly. In all the findings alternative hypotheses were rejected and null hypotheses accepted. In conclusion, it is evident that ward councillors understand the concepts relating to public accountability; however, the knowledge has not been comprehended fully and utilised to instil public accountability within local government. An in-depth analysis on public accountability practices within local government in South Africa will strengthen scientific knowledge on public accountability. / MT 2018

No description available.

Multi-Attribute Utility Technology (MAUT) was investigated as an alternative organizational training evaluation method. Research questions focused on what problems emerge in involving stakeholders in training evaluation, what technical problems emerge in the application of the MAUT steps, and what can be learned about the credibility of MAUT results and their impact on decision making. Five employee training courses offered by a city government training unit were evaluated. Two groups of stakeholders developed desired course attributes and indicators using MAUT. Survey data collected from students and their immediate supervisors provided indicator measurements. Location measures and utilities were provided to stakeholders and students. Stakeholders then evaluated MAUT from the participant perspective. Positive and negative findings had implications for the effective use of MAUT. Positive findings were that stakeholders valued the group process and opportunity to have input to the evaluation; surveys were useful for measuring attribute indicators; the development of attributes, indicators, weights and location measures presented no technical problem; and, that MAUT results were credible to students and Stakeholders. Negative findings were that stakeholder availability was very difficult to obtain; not all stakeholders could deal with the conceptual tasks of MAUT; surveys were not feasible for attribute development; calculation and interpretation of MAUT utilities were seen as too complex by stakeholders; and, the use of MAUT results to influence decisions was hindered by the perceived complexity and the absence in the study of the primary decision maker for training. It was concluded that a major strength of MAUT is that it affords the investigator the opportunity to easily tap into the organizational culture and political setting of a program. In addition, the strengths of MAUT as a training evaluation method are highly dependent on inclusion of all relevant stakeholders, a strong commitment of stakeholder time, stakeholder ability to communicate values and priorities, and, the clear and simple reporting of MAUT results. Detailed recommendations for the effective use of MAUT are provided. / Ph. D.

The Virginia Cooperative Extension Service is considering a set of procedures to evaluate agent performance. In an attempt to help this consideration process, this study was undertaken to investigate the standards of the Performance Review, Analysis and Planning (PRAP) system. Adaptations of the FRAP system have been utilized by Extension organizations in other states. However, validation procedures have not been conducted by those states. Because of the history and concerns of the Cooperative Extension Service in Virginia, this research effort focused on the effects of race and gender in assessing the level of performance described in the PRAP standards and the relevancy of the standards to the job of an Extension agent. Also studied were the effects of program area, position, and employment location of the rater. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used in the study. The sample for the quantitative portion of the study consisted of the Virginia Extension field staff population. An eighty-three percent (83%) instrument return rate was experienced. The qualitative portion involved twelve field interviews with agents in two of the six Extension administrative districts. The PRAP standards were found to be relevant to the job duties and responsibilities of Extension agents in Virginia. Furthermore, no significant differences were found by program area, position, or geographic location of employment. Significant statistical differences were found by gender and race. Qualitative evidence was found to support the race differences, however, differences by gender were not found in the qualitative data. / Ed. D.