Thesis (MTech (Public Relations Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007. / In the twenty first century, companies are forced to transform and adapt continually to ensure their survival and to stay competitive in a demanding and challenging business environment. Yet, 70 per cent of all change initiatives fail and 28 per cent of the variance of change successes is directly linked to employees. Research shows that one quarter to one third of the reasons why change fails or succeeds, is directly linked to employee communication. Change implementation failures come at a high cost to organisations. Research shows that poorly communicated strategies are the reason for approximately 14 per cent of lost financial value and that poor communication is the second largest factor that contributes to the failure in implementing strategic change. This mini-dissertation aims to investigate change communication has and impact on the relationship between employees and the organisation. The communication approach of Transnet during the implementation of its Four Point Turnaround Strategy was investigated. Employees indicate that organisational change cannot be introduced without regular up-ta-date communication to employees. Once the Executive Management of Transnet actively communicating started with Transnet employees, employees became more positive and supportive of the changes. However, concluding the sale and belatedly informing the employees of Transnet Housing thereof increased employee resistance, negativity and non-commitment. The contribution this mini-dissertation will make to the public relations field lies therein that through proper change communication, change can be implemented successfully within an organisation. Inadequate change communication however negatively impacts on the employee/organisational relationship and this in turn affects change implementation negatively. Change implementation failure ultimately added costs to the company in terms of time and money. This understanding could assist organisations to save millions, and in cases like Transnet, it could minimise huge losses and negative impacts on the economy during organisational change implementation.

M.Comm. (Strategic Management) / The volatile and politically challenging climate in which business has to operate during the period of transition to representative government and a subsequent non-apartheid political dispensation in South Africa calls for a new innovative approach towards corporate social involvement. The challenge posed is no less than to make a visible and adequate contribution towards the socio-economic and socio-political reconstruction and development ofthe country. The ultimate purpose of this involvement by business in development is to create an environment which will be conducive to economic growth and profitable business. The socio-economic realities of the South African society dictate the focus and direction of corporate social involvement programmes, but the perceptions and opinions of the major stakeholders in development including the political and social role players within the recipient domain - are also to be recognised. For a social involvement programme to be effective and efficient, three major areas of involvement have been identified. As a corporate citizen a company has a responsibility to assist in the maintenance of society through grants and donations to non-governmental organisations and development agencies. It also has an obligation to render support to existing development projects and to create appropriate support mechanisms and programmes to facilitate development. In the process the private sector provides a delivery system for the transfer of technology from its source to appropriate recipients. One of the most significant obstacles preventing accelerated development is, however, is the lack of institutional capacity within local communities. The private sector, therefore, must also focus on people centered development and the establishment of appropriate processes to enhance socio-economic as well as socio-politlcal development. With all the resources vested within the company - not in the corporate social involvement function only, but also in other disciplines - business has a substantial contribution to make. This study focuses on the development of an integrated approach towards corporate social involvement, including the integration of internal and external resources within the influence sphere of the company. It also endeavours to develop an integrated development process to bring about synergy between traditionally opposing sides of the socio-political arena in South Africa. It departs from the central premises that people who depend on each other for economic survival and growth, have to co-operate, regardless of the political, cultural or religious differences between them. Research has been based on experience in the workplace and interaction with a wide variety of practitioners in the corporate social involvement field. The study concludes that South Africa needs to address the issues prohibiting real economic growth, including the socio-economic and socio-political deficiencies, with vigour if the country is to become a strong contender in the world economy. The private sector can only make a substantial contribution through its social involvement programmes if an integrated approach is followed to empower the programme. This does not imply unnecessary increases in social budgets during periods of economic decline. Through the integrated development process which is developed in the study, the expertise, organisation, financial resources and facilities of all the role players external and internal to the company - are mobilised to accept joint responsibility and ownership for the development of their own destinies.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / The objective of this research can be summarised as follows: To understand the fundamental concepts of BPR To demonstrate the importance of people in the successful implementation of BPR To highlight the most common errors that lead to failure at re-engineering Business Process Re-engineering (Chapter two) is designed to bring about a drastic change in the way a companyconducts business. This is achieved by identifying core business processes and re-engineer them to gain competitive advantage. The kind of organisation that is most likely to be successful at BPR is one that already has a high degree of leadership (Chapter three) that can create a vision, articulate values, and create a climate in which business executives, managersand line personnel can all grow, flourish and have an impact on the way work is done. Chapter four is a case study to illustrate through a practical example how common errors lead to BPR failure.

D. Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) / The business environment is constantly changing. This appears to be the only certainty in the business world. Since the business environment has a bearing on the performance of organisations it is important to study such change influences. In the fast-changing business environment it would be beneficial to know what enables organisational growth and success. As with each living organism, it is postulated that organisations possess a Genetic Code that is shaped by many factors and held together by organisation's architecture. It is generally' believed that the development of a Genetic Business Code for growth will assist in understanding the problem of change and will dispel the cloud of confusion of what makes an organisation successful. The first aim of this study was to identify a Genetic Business Code for Growth. Based on scientific beliefs related to both positivist and humanistic philosophical assumptions, the second aim was to develop an appropriate methodology to built a Business Code. The third aim was to use the results of this study as a departure point to explore the possibility of developing an assessment tool to assess organisations, determine their current "Code", and identify gaps for renewal interventions. A quantitative methodological framework, supplemented by a qualitative approach, was used in this study. The Repertory Grid technique was used to interview 22 Chief Executive Officers and Executive Managers in the Transport Industry. In this data collection process a total of 231 constructs were developed. Through a developed data-analysis process these constructs were reduced to 89 constructs in an integrated profile of first- and second-order constructs with opposite poles. Deductive and inductive strategies were applied in the classification of constructs. The result ofthis study was the identification of a Genetic Business Code for Growth. The Genetic Code for all known organisms has two strands and is therefore referred to as the "double helix". However, the Genetic Business Code for Growth consists of three "Strands", namely Leadership, Organisational Architecture and Internal Orientation. Based on this information an integrated model was developed with the Internal Orientation Strand in the center of the "triple helix". The study's conclusions confirmed the value of identifying a Genetic Business Code for growth in the Transport Industry.

M.Com. (Business Management) / This study does a formal analysis of the impact of transformation and the management of change within Eskom. The micro and macro environments are characterised by many imminent changes, forcing Eskom to transform. Externally the Employment Equity Act, Labour Relations Act, Affirmative Action and so forth were promulgated impacting on the very essence of the work force. A transformation process was introduced into Eskom and the study highlights the impact it had on employees as well as their reactions to it. With the transformation - change from functional organisation to a process or value chain organisation - officially finalised in April 99, Eskom is now in a mode of continuous improvement. With the implementation of the Employment Equity Act No. 55 of 1998 it will help to redress the inequalities inherited from the past. The act will have an effect on every designated employer in South Africa. It encompasses the transformation of the demographic profile of Eskom's total work force so as to be a true reflection of the South African community. The act emphasizes on the eradication of unfair discrimination in various areas in the labour market, as well as the implementation of affirmative action programmes. The focus will be on the development and training of previously disadvantaged groups. Eskom has a diverse workforce with various cultures present in one business environment. Each employee has an unique personality with unique ideas and opinions. Optimal management of such diversity as an asset will enable Eskom to reach all targets set in the equity plan and the successful eradication of any direct or indirect discrimination in the organisation...

It is beyond debate that each job lost due to restructuring means a lost taxpayer, and hence lost tax revenue, more poverty and increased crime. South Africa and the world at the large have to deal with this problem head – on in view of the acute need to better the lives of people and encourage investment. Technological advancement should be embraced and used to benefit people and stimulate economies, and that is further challenge in its own right. In Chapter 8 of the White Paper on Transformation of the Public Service dated 15 November 1995 (hereinafter, the White Paper), it is said that: “The Government of National Unity has embarked upon a concerted and comprehensive programme of administrative restructuring and rationalisation (my emphasis) with the object of: (a) Creating a unified and integrated service. (b) Creating a leaner and more cost-effective service.” Various strategies are listed in the White Paper, and the fundamental approach advocated is to right size, adjust remuneration structures, retrench and contract – out services.

The primary aim of this thesis is to explore, through organisation development (OD) consultants' accounts, the meaning of 'capacity building' in the South African development context. The need for theory development in this area is apparent from two interrelated vantage points. Firstly, while 'capacity building' is an increasingly espoused development approach, it is seen to be a confusing and ill-defined concept, for which there exists no adequate theory. Secondly, there is an growing call within the OD field to perfonn 'recOIlllaissance' (Weick,1990) on OD as it is being practised in different socio-historical and organisational contexts, so as to discern future trends for this discipline. Due to the lack of documented debate which grounds OD issues in the South African development sector, OD practitioners' 'capacity building' interventions were seen to provide suitably unchartered terrain for this study. Given that theory generation was intended, the general epistemological principles provided by Glaser and Strauss's (1967) 'grounded theory' methodology were adopted. As a way of avoiding some of the criticisms and limitations of this approach, this thesis followed later conceptualisations of this method, in particular its reframing within the social constructionist idiom. In accordance with this perspective, this study directed attention to the ways in which OD consultants, in a non-governmental organisational (NGO) sector known as 'intermediary' NGOs, accounted for their 'capacity building' role in this development context. The results, based on in-depth interviews with ten OD consultants, indicate that 'capacity building' is an elusive and inchoate concept with more than one meaning for the participants. Their narrative account variously constructs 'capacity building' as value-driven OD process facilitation; funder and market regulated service provision; and people-driven product delivery. As a result of this multi-vocal construction, the participants' accounts reveal that OD consultancy in this sector is primarily concerned with 'managing the tensions' of the consultants' ambiguous and contradictory roles. By examining how the tensions articulated by the consultants inhere in their relationship to the environment in which they operate, this thesis firstly explores how the contradiction and anlbiguity attached to this concept can be traced to different stakeholder expectations of 'capacity building'. Secondly, it exanlines how these different stakeholder discourses conflict with each other and with an OD perspective. Thirdly, through an explication of the core category of 'managing tensions', it explores the image of OD consulting as a 'shifting and inconstant balancing act'. Fourthly, it shows how there exist wider contextual forces operating in the development sector which serve to throw these consultants 'off balance' and into delimited and 'received' service provision roles which run counter to their raison d'etre. Finally, the research examines new ways of approaching the 'capacity building' question and of understanding the nature of OD consultancy. It concludes with an attempt to respond to a conceptual aporia in OD literature by examining possible alternative images and metaphors for the role of the OD consultant.

M.Com. (Business Management) / "In the three short decades between now and the twenty first century, millions of ordinary, psychologically normal people will face an abrupt collision with the future. Citizens of the world's richest and most technically advanced nations, many of them, will find it increasingly painful to keep up with incessant demand for change that characterises our time." (Toftler, 1983:18.) More than ajlecade and a half has passed since Alvin Toffler wrote his best seller, Future Shock. The year 2000 is less than 10 years away. Future shock is something each of us lives with every day. Things change around us constantly - from there the saying: "the only constant in life is change". As individuals, our lives become more and more complicated. As managers, we face increasing pressure and uncertainty (Manning, 1987:1). One of the most important skills a manager can have in his of her repertoire these days is the skill to manage change (Burke et a/.,1991:87). Managers must manage today's business effectively while creating a new and radically different kind of business for tomorrow. It's a daunting task, but it's one that cannot be postponed - the future simply won't wait (Manning, 1987:1). Within the South African context great challenges face management. South Africa is faced with addressing major political, economic and social imbalances. Traditionally, the business community has often been reluctant to play an upfront role in the political realm. The business of business is business, was a commonly heard adage. In 1988, the formation of the Consultative Business Movement was a small sign that business was starting to take seriously it's role in a changing society (Eloff, 1992:12).

M.Comm. / Powerful tides of change are surging across the world we live in. "To meet the challenges posed by a world that is changing at an ever-increasing pace, we must let go of values, and beliefs, and practices that have or shortly will become anachronistic and reformulate new ones that are congruent with changed circumstances." (Maynard & Mehrtens, 1993 :27.) The period of industrialisation - the Second Wave - belongs to the past, while a next wave of change - the Third Wave - is making its presence felt. Industrial-age companies are hierarchical and their source of strength lies in stability. In the new era demands for participation in management, shared decision making, personal growth, flexibility, change and network (flatter) organisational structures will intensify. The new long-term strategy for the South African motor industry was announced in March 1994 and brought about a permanent change in the industry. Survival of the local motor industry will depend on the ability to adapt to change. A mindtwist or mindset change is required of the people in the local motor industry. The South African motor industry is still entrenched in the industrial age with its hierarchical structures and its lack of focus on the individual and the customer. The lack of cooperation between manufacturers and their dealer networks stresses the need for network structures and cooperation. The current focus of the South African motor industry on product and market share needs to be changed to customer orientation and market creation. Market creation and focus on the needs of the customer must become a way of life for everyone involved in the industry. This will ensure that buying a car, owning it, running it, having it serviced will be a delightful experience for the customer. The acceptance and implementation of third-wave management principles is an issue for today - tomorrow may be too late!

M.B.A. / The research looks at the role of trade unions in the implementation of change in organizations and some of the factors that determine the success or failure of these initiatives. The need for this research came as a result of the many stand off's experienced between management and trade unions operating in organizations. The research focuses on the mining industry, which, historically, is heavily unionised. Since South Africa's first democratic elections, there have been many initiatives by government to try and uplift the previously disadvantaged. To be able to do this there need to be a shift in paradigm and the way of doing thins. This means a change in the way in which things are done and the way of thinking. For this to be possible several factors come into play for there to be successful implementation of change. The research aims to explore these factors and assess the extent to which such factors play a role in the success or failure of change in the South African context. The parameters or factors that were identified as key in change implementation are identified through an in depth literature study. These factors are tested in the South African context by means of a survey using a questionnaire developed using the finding derived from the literature study. The research targets individuals at different levels of the organization, who are key in determining the success or failure of change initiatives. The survey included Managers, trade union leaders and their members. The finding obtained from the questionnaires were collated and interpreted. These findings were validated through follow-up interviews with individuals from the different levels of the organization. Although South Africa is almost 10 years into its democracy, the research found that South African organizations were far from becoming democratic, which is one of the factors essential to the successful implementation of change in organizations. From the findings of the research recommendations have been made to assist in effective implementation of change in organizations.