The aim of this study was to determine employees' perceptions of the fairness of employment equity practices. It was conducted in an organisation in the Health Services industry, using a Diversity Questionnaire. The sample size was 520 and 245 responses were received, constituting a 47% response rate. Employees' responses were measured along 10 dimensions of employment equity. The unit of analysis was the group according to gender, race, age and job level. Independent t-tests and analysis of variance techniques were used to determine any statistically significant differences in perceptions between groups. Statistically significant differences were found between race groups and job levels. Gender and age did not significantly affect employees' responses. The research concluded that compliance with organisational justice requirements is as important as compliance with legislative requirements. Ultimately, every organisation should adapt its employment equity strategy according to its specific demographic and environmental context. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Admin.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / In an attempt to make South Africa a more just society after the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994, the South African society had to undergo a number of radical changes which impacted the social, economical, political and educational arena. These changes have influenced recruitment, retention and turnover. Changes at leadership levels in the private and public sphere coupled with a huge exodus of highly skilled professionals are evident as topics of equality and social justice appear at the top of company agendas. Many proponents have conducted research on organisational justice and the fact that more than twenty five thousand articles have been published on job satisfaction attest to the importance of these two variables on organisational performance. In an article examining past, present and future states of organisational justice it is argued that organisational justice has the potential to explain many organisational behavioural outcome variables. An investigation of the relationship between organisational justice perceptions and work behavior found job satisfaction to be made up of a large fairness component. The rationale behind the support for the study is the argument that employees who perceive that they have been fairly treated is likely to hold positive attitudes about their work, their work outcomes and their managers. If South African organisations wish to remain competitive then organisations need to understand how perceptions of justice influence attitudes and behaviour and consequently affect the success of the organisation. Agricultural Colleges, a division of the Department of Agriculture are no exception. The Agricultural Colleges' primary aim is to provide training to its prospective communities, and is continuously being evaluated in terms of how well its academic employees achieve its vision, mission and goals. It is evident from responses to job advertisements, low morale and high turnover that most of the academic employees in Agricultural Colleges are dissatisfied with their jobs, pay, management and the institutions based on their current salary. Attracting, recruiting and retraining highly skilled, internationally marketable and mobile employees are critical factors in determining the present and future success in agricultural training in South Africa. Limited research to examine the effects of organisational justice on organisational outcomes in an environment where the workforce consists of academics is the gap this research attempts to fill. This study is designed to assess the impact of organisational justice on job satisfaction of academic employees in agricultural colleges in South Africa. Also, to determine whether biographical values influence the relationship between organisational justice and job satisfaction. / South Africa

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / As organisations struggle to meet the demands placed on them by contextual challenges, they place more emphasis on relationships for effective organisational functioning. Trust is a critical component of workplace relationships and has been linked to numerous beneficial organisational outcomes. However, as trust is difficult for organisations to influence directly, Perceived Organisational Support may encompass a set of actions organisations can take that directly create workplace trust. The aim of this study was to elucidate the relationship between workplace trust and Perceived Organisational Support. Workplace trust was examined as a three-dimensional model, with the trust referent (Organisation, Immediate Manager, Co-Workers) forming each dimension. Perceived Organisational Support was examined as a two-dimensional model, based on performance-reward expectancies (“Contribution”) or socio-emotional need fulfilment (“Well-being”). A multi-method survey methodology yielded n = 212 participants in a South African organisation. The consolidated questionnaire sought biographical information from the sample as well as their responses to the Workplace Trust Survey and the Survey of Perceived Organisational Support. The reliability coefficients of the Workplace Trust Survey, Survey of Perceived Organisational Support and each of the dimensions were established as sufficient. Next, Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed that a three-dimensional factor structure for workplace trust and a two-dimensional factor structure for Perceived Organisational Support can and should be used in a South African sample. Correlation analysis indicated a significant, positive relationship between each dimension of workplace trust and both of the dimensions of Perceived Organisational Support. Regression analysis confirmed that Perceived Organisational Support contributes to a significant proportion of the variance in workplace trust. However, there was one exception: The Contribution dimension of Perceived Organisational Support did not contribute significantly to Trust in Co-workers. This research, based on a South African sample, confirms much of the previous international research into the relationship between Perceived Organisational Support and workplace trust. In addition, it makes two new contributions to the field. First, it found that Perceived Organisational Support can and should be considered a two-dimensional construct in a South African sample. This is in contrast with international studies that indicate a uni-dimensional construct for Perceived Organisational Support. Second, by using the two-dimensional Perceived Organisational Support construct, it found that only the Well-being, and not the Contribution, dimension of Perceived Organisational Support had a significant, positive impact on workplace trust. Recommendations are made for future research, based on limitations of the current study as well as on the research results.

M.Tech (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of procedural, distributive and interactional justice on job satisfaction among members of the South African Police Academy, Thabong. A critical function of the South African Police Service (SAPS) is to ensure that the inhabitants of South Africa are safe. Members of the SAPS need to be committed and have a high morale to ensure that the vision of the SAPS is fulfilled. This study advocates the application of the equity theory. People prefer to work in an environment that is perceived as just. Employees will experience satisfaction with their job in terms of equity when the equity theory is applied. However, inequity will lead to tension at the workplace. In order for the officers as employees of the SAPS to function effectively, it is essential for the SAPS to ensure that their employees are satisfied. In this study, a quantitative approach was applied to gain an understanding of the influence of organisational justice (OJ) dimensions (PJ, DJ, IJ) on job satisfaction (JS). This involved administering questionnaires to 234 employees who were attending management courses at the SAPS Academy, Thabong in the northern Free State province of South Africa. Two primary tests were used to assess the suitability of the data for factor analysis. These tests are the Kaiser-Meyer Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the correlations among the constructs. A means analysis was conducted to assess the perceptions of the employees in respect of PJ, DJ, IJ and JS. Multiple regression analysis was executed to examine whether the independent variables of PJ, DJ and IJ predict the dependent variable JS. The Cronbach alpha coefficient test provided an adequate indication of reliability of the instrument. Face/ content, construct and convergent validity methods were applied to establish validity of the study. A positive relationship between the OJ and JS was found in this study. The SAPS will be able to improve the JS levels of SAPS officers by making positive improvements when applying OJ to influence the various elements of JS identified in this study. This will effectively enable SAPS officers to meet the challenge of providing improved service. The proper implementation of OJ will ultimately lead to the organisations success as well as the progression of its employees. Since the SAPS depends on human resources, the organisation is required to assess the current OJ practices and create a working environment that stimulates and motivates employees so that their JS levels increase. The recommendations proposed for this study offer vital information on OJ practices that could assist the SAPS to improve the perceptions of employees. Accordingly, the application can improve employees’ low morale resulting from unfairness and injustice, thereby increasing the JS levels amongst employees. The findings of the research may generate guidelines for OJ practices. Recommendations include a systematic and transparent reward system that recognises employees’ excellent performance and rewards them accordingly. Another recommendation is the creation of a well-structured consultative forum to grant employees an opportunity to provide management with their perceptions of unfair practices. Future research should extend to other sectors within the public sector environment, as well as expanding the research to include several other JS elements.

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The purpose of this study was to determine the perception of organisational justice on job satisfaction among administrative staff members at a university of technology in South Africa. A critical function of the administrative staff at a university of technology is to ensure that all students and other staff members are assisted as effectively and efficiently as possible. Administrative staff at a university of technology in South Africa needs to be committed and have a high morale to ensure that the vision of the University of Technology is fulfilled. This study promotes the application of the Equity Theory. People prefer to work in an environment that is perceived as just. Employees will experience satisfaction with their job in terms of Equity when the Equity Theory is applied fairly. However, inequity will lead to tension at the workplace. In order for the administrative staff at a university of technology in South Africa to function effectively, it is essential for a university of technology to ensure that their administrative staff is satisfied. In this study, a quantitative approach was undertaken to gain an understanding of the perception of organisational justice and its dimensions on job satisfaction. This involved distributing questionnaires to 200 administrative staff at a university of technology in South Africa. Two primary tests were used to assess the suitability of the data for factor analysis. These tests are the Kaiser-Meyer Olkin measure of sampling adequacy and Bartlett’s test of sphericity. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to examine the correlations among the constructs. A means analysis was conducted to assess the perceptions of the employeesin respect of distributive justice, procedural justice, interactional justice and job satisfaction. Regression analysis was executed to examine whether the independent variables of distributive justice, procedural justice and interactional justice predict the dependent variable job satisfaction. The Cronbach alpha coefficient test provided an adequate indication of reliability of the instrument. Face/content, construct and convergent validity methods were applied to establish validity of the study. A positive relationship between organisational justice and job satisfaction was found in this study. The administrative staff will be able to improve the job satisfaction levels of other administrative staff by making positive improvements when applying organisational justice to influence the various elements of job satisfaction identified in this study. This will effectively enable administrative staff to meet the challenge of providing improved service. The proper implementation of organisational justice will, ultimately, lead to the organisations’ success, as well as the progression of its employees. Since a university of technology depends on human resources, the organisation is required to assess the current organisational justice practices and create a working environment that stimulates and motivates employees so that their job satisfaction levels increase. The recommendations proposed for this study offer vital information on organisational justice practices that could assist a university of technology to improve the perceptions of administrative staff. Accordingly, the application can improve employees’ low morale resulting from perceived unfairness and injustice, thereby increasing the job satisfaction levels among administrative staff. The findings of the research may generate guidelines for organisational justice practices. Recommendations include a systematic and transparent reward system that recognises employees’ excellent performance and rewards them accordingly. Another recommendation is the creation of a well-structured consultative forum to grant employees an opportunity to provide management with their perceptions of unfair practices. Future research should extend to other sectors within the public sector environment, as well as expanding the research to include several other job satisfactionelements. Further, research using both mediation and moderation to investigate the associations between organisational justice and job satisfaction is recommended.

M. Tech. (Department of Labour Relations Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / In South Africa, rail transport is an important element to support economic development and this service is provided by the railway company as the focus of this study. Similar to other companies, the selected railway company depends on its employees as a crucial resource to execute duties aimed at the realisation of its objectives. For the company to remain successful, its employees must have positive behaviours and attitudes and have the ability to work in a fair and just environment. Organisational justice, as an indicator of a fair and just work environment, and organisational citizenship behaviour, influence work-related behaviours and attitudes and are critical for the smooth operation of any organisation. Currently, the railway company seems to have a high number of reported incidents relating to organisational citizenship behaviour including misconduct, disciplinary, criminal and/or civil action. This might be an outcome of employee perceptions of organisational justice. This study examines the relationship between organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviour for the first time in the rail industry in South Africa. Drawing on the Social Exchange Theory, the primary aim of this study is to investigate employees’ perceptions of organisational justice and their effects on organisational citizenship behaviour in a railway company in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The study adopted a deductive research approach and a quantitative method was used to collect data. Utilising a structured questionnaire, respondents were solicited to provide their demographic variables and their responses to four different measurement scales, namely procedural justice, distributive justice, interactional justice and organisational citizenship behaviour using a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1=strongly disagree to 7=strongly agree. Using convenience sampling, questionnaires were distributed to 400 identified employees of the railway company in Johannesburg, Gauteng. A total of 378 questionnaires were returned and this constituted the sample size of the study. The Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient was used to find the strength of relationships with the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. To assess the employees' perceptions of organisational justice, their levels of organisational citizenship behaviour and the relationship between the constructs, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation and regression analysis were used. Based on the findings, the results of the correlation analysis revealed no significant relationships between all three dimensions of organisational justice (procedural justice, distributive justice, interactional justice) and organisational citizenship behaviour. Regression analysis also resulted in no predictive relationships between organisational justice and organisational citizenship behaviour. Evidence indicates that the fairness of distribution, procedures and interactions are not the key contributors in affecting the level of organisational citizenship behaviour of employees at the railway company. The study makes various recommendations including that management should treat employees fairly and equally and apply fair decision-making processes with fair outcomes. Additionally, to improve, increase and keep the standard of OCB, an organisational policy on organisational justice should be in place, which must constantly be updated. Research on OJ and OCB is still limited, particularly in the field of rail transport, as this study is the first and only study that has been conducted in South Africa. This represents an opportunity for academics and labour relations practitioners to further engage in research on antecedents and outcomes of organisational behaviour in the railway industry.

This study explored factors that influence attitudes towards performance management among staff in the Core Network Field Operation (CNFO) of Telkom Eastern Cape. Performance management concerns achieving organisational goals efficiently and effectively. An observation by a manger that the staff were not performing optimally and were displaying a negative attitude towards performance management, necessitated an objective investigation into the reasons for such attitudes and also to be derivative of a corrective solution. This qualitative study was done in the form of a descriptive open ended survey involving geographically dispersed employees. Factual evidence gathered from the result of the study supports the literature that people have different views of performance management. A direct consequence of the different views could be in the inconsistent application of performance management. Solutions and possible corrective actions to improve employee participation and perception as sought by this study are contained in detail in the report / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / Keywords: organisational justice, procedural justice, distributive justice, interactional justice, organisational citizenship behaviour. The purpose of this study is to investigate employees’ perceptions of organisational justice and their effects on organisational citizenship behaviour. This study advocates that the way employees perceive organisational justice affects their organisational citizenship behaviour in their current organisation. The fact that employees play a central role in the realisation of an organisation’s goals makes it critical for any organisation to have employees who are willing to go beyond what is required of them. In this study, a quantitative research paradigm and an exploratory research method were used to investigate a sample size of 226 employees working at the SAPS Academy, Paarl. In order to minimise the study bias, systematic sampling was used to ensure that the sample accurately reflected the larger population (N=457). Data were collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire and the results of the correlation analysis revealed that all three dimensions of organisational justice are significantly and positively related to organisational citizenship behaviour. Organisational justice also showed a strong predictive relationship with organisational citizenship behaviour. Based on the findings of the empirical survey, it was revealed that if organisational justice practices are implemented appropriately, employees holding key positions may be likely to display more organisational citizenship behaviours. Therefore, it was recommended that, to address negative perceptions of organisational justice, a strategy should be formulated to ensure that employees are treated fairly in terms of the dimensions of organisational justice. It was also recommended that when developing and implementing such a strategy, barriers should be addressed that could:  influence the availability of accurate and complete information for decision making; and  influence the dissemination of information pertaining to job decisions. It is further recommended that rewards programmes be reviewed to ensure that employees will experience fairness when comparing their own payoffs with those of fellow employees and perceive just distributive justice practices. vii The study concludes by recommending that a “Code of good practice – communication policy” be developed that would enable the displaying of social sensitivity and dignified, respectful and acceptable behaviour by employees in a managerial position towards their subordinates. The findings and recommendations of this study are important to employers as they provide crucial information regarding the types of activities organisations could engage in for employees to consider them as acceptable organisational justice practices. Such involvement in acceptable organisational justice activities can improve employees’ organisational citizenship behaviour and reinforce effective and efficient service delivery in their current organisation. The implications for future research indicate that a comparative study testing the differences between different groups based on certain biographical traits, such as gender, marital status, age, educational level, income and length of service in the South African Police Service, is advisable as it would assist in determining how such biographical traits might influence the various dimensions of organisational justice. Furthermore, the study could also be expanded to include a broader national sample within the Division: Human Resource Development and other divisions within the South African Police Service.

The purpose of this study was to explore employee perceptions of performance appraisal in two public Technical Education Vocational Entrepreneurship and Training (TEVET) institutions located in the Southern Province of Zambia. This study followed a quantitative research approach using the census method to obtain data. Seventy-three (73) participants out of a total population of 129 at varying employment levels consented and participated in the study. A 59 item self-administered questionnaire was administered to obtain responses. The main conclusion from this study was that employees held positive attitudes about performance appraisal. The study found that the performance appraisal system was integrated into institutions’ culture and that the respondents were satisfied with the performance appraisal process and that 68% of the respondents agreed that the performance system in their institution was fair. However, concerns about the low frequency of appraisal meetings were noted. The frequency of performance evaluation on how well the employees were meeting their targets was mostly once in a year. This called for urgent attention by the management of the institutions to ensure that at least two appraisals were conducted in a year. The study also found evidence of rating standards varying from supervisor to supervisor. The study recommended that supervisor training in rating formed part a continuous process. These findings and the recommendations in this study are expected to be of benefit to the principals and supervisors in the institutions. The findings of the study contributed to the knowledge in the field of education management and leadership by providing empirical evidence about employee’s perceptions about performance appraisal in the two public TEVET institutions in Zambia. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study explored factors that influence attitudes towards performance management among staff in the Core Network Field Operation (CNFO) of Telkom Eastern Cape. Performance management concerns achieving organisational goals efficiently and effectively. An observation by a manger that the staff were not performing optimally and were displaying a negative attitude towards performance management, necessitated an objective investigation into the reasons for such attitudes and also to be derivative of a corrective solution. This qualitative study was done in the form of a descriptive open ended survey involving geographically dispersed employees. Factual evidence gathered from the result of the study supports the literature that people have different views of performance management. A direct consequence of the different views could be in the inconsistent application of performance management. Solutions and possible corrective actions to improve employee participation and perception as sought by this study are contained in detail in the report / Business Management / M. Tech. (Business Administration)