Corruption and unethical management is a legitimate global economic concern as it can have a direct and substantial impact on the longevity and the economic success of an organisation, an industry and a country. As a result of individuals having more readily available access to information, much attention has been given to unethical behaviour and organisational ethical violations over the last decade. Recent events have indicated that business ethics is an organisational concern with mammoth implications for business. For example, Esterhuyse (1999, p. 27) reports that South Africa has lost astronomical amounts of money due to office or white-collar crime. Organisations’ attempts to become globally competitive will be hampered by the behaviour of employees who are unethical at work. Therefore, it is imperative that organisations implement measures to increase ethical awareness and behaviour in their employees. This research study deals with business ethics in the automotive cluster of the Eastern Cape Province and proposes a model that can assist an organisation in improving its ethical culture. The main question that this research study addressed was: To what extent do the strategies of human resource departments contribute to establishing and maintaining an ethical organisational culture? To answer the above question it was necessary to address the most universal characteristics of ethical organisations. To this end the role of the human resource department in attempting to develop and sustain an ethical organisational culture is discussed. Thereafter, various ethical models are outlined and evaluated. Lastly, the proposed ethical model for establishing an ethical organisational culture is presented. Based on the theoretical findings of the literature survey which outlined the characteristics of ethical organisations and the interventions required to improve the ethical functioning of an organisation, a questionnaire was developed and distributed to organisations within the automotive cluster in the Eastern Cape Province. The empirical results obtained from the survey indicated dominant consensus regarding the model (see Chapter Four). The main findings from this research are that 74.7 per cent of organisations that participated in the empirical study had implemented a code of ethics. However, the majority of these organisations had not implemented the identified critical and optional interventions (see to Chapter Four) required to operate as an ethical organisation. The study also revealed that 49.4 per cent of respondents believed that the human resource manager is responsible for organising and coordinating an ethical initiative within the organisation. Respondents in this study stated that the benefits of operating ethically are the improved financial position of the organisation (76.5 per cent), the enhanced morale of employees (95.3 per cent), positive stakeholder perception (93 per cent), better long-term strategic sustainability (94.3 per cent) and superior social responsibility (85.9 per cent).

Many organisations are continuously searching for methods which can be used to improve performance. One such method is by means of implementing a performance management programme. This research study addresses the influence that a performance management programme has on the achievement of organisational and individual performance. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature study was performed to determine the views on performance, and on performance management programmes. The study also included an investigation into the extent to which a performance management programme should be aligned with organisational and individual goals. Questionnaires, developed from the literature study, were distributed amongst randomly selected respondents, in order to determine the extent to which a specific organisation manages performance, in line with the guidelines provided by the literature study. The information obtained from the questionnaires were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature study in order to identify shortcomings in the influence that the performance management programme has on the achievement of organisational and individual goals at the selected organisation. The final step of this study entailed the formulation of recommendations. Three of these recommendations are regarded as critical to ensure the successful improvement of performance by means of a performance management programme: Firstly, it is of utmost importance that training and development, and the necessary resources to achieve objectives is provided. Secondly, feedback forms an integral part of a performance management programme. Those who provide feedback, need to acquire the necessary skills, so as to ensure that both positive and negative feedback is given to employees, which could ultimately enhance performance. Thirdly, the success of a performance management programme resides with both management and employees. Management need to be committed to the programme, and the well-being of their employees. Management also needs to be able to eliminate problems that negatively influence performance. On the other hand, employees need to realise that a performance management programme is not only linked to pay, but also the development of each individual, and the improvement of performance.

This research focussed on the performance of individuals in work teams. The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the team processes which could explain time-associated differences, in the performance outcomes of individuals within work teams, in teams whose members had moderately interdependent tasks and received hybrid pay incentives. The extant literature has a large body of work on teams in general; there also exists a large amount of work on currently understood relationships between task-interdependence, pay incentives, team processes, and performance. However, although task-interdependent work teams with hybrid pay incentives are common in many labour-intensive business environments, the current literature is thin on the identification of specific team processes which link long-term performance differences in comparable teams. Secondly, few studies on work-team performance, in the current literature, incorporate time as a predictor variable. This research investigated the effects of the introduction of performance-based hybrid pay incentives to members of work teams; the research also investigated the nature of explanatory, time-linked team processes which could be associated with performance variances between these work teams. A review of the literature on work team effectiveness, pay incentives and performance in work teams, resulted in hypothesised relationships between the interdependent tasks of work team members, hybrid pay incentives for supervisors, and overall team performance over time. The research focussed on variances between the team processes for good and poor teams to design a work team process and performance model, which could be used to predict performance variance between teams over time in the field. The study was conducted on bulk-cash deposit processing teller work teams. These work teams were located at geographically dispersed processing centres (18 cash centres), where each work team was composed of an average of 6 members, comprising a team supervisor, and a combination of permanently employed tellers (regular tellers) and tellers on renewable fixed term contracts (contract tellers), in a financial services firm. Using a longitudinal research design, the study used mixed methods, incorporating a control group time-series design. Quantitative performance data included the number and accuracy of deposits processed and attendance records; the data also included ratings on behavioural measures for professionalism. Individual and team-level performance related data was collected from over 480 individuals, in monthly buckets over a period of thirty four months (N=16,358 teller data months), during which a pay incentive for performance was introduced as the first intervention (IV1), followed - after eight months - by a second intervention (IV2), which was the allocation of tellers into teams, whose supervisors received hybrid pay incentives. Using a multiple case study approach, qualitative data was collected using semi-structured individual and group interviews incorporating rating scales, for individuals and focus groups, in two phases of data collection periods. The interviews were lagged to findings from analyses performed on the quantitative data collected. Using a combination of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the quantitative component of the study, emerging-themes analysis for the qualitative component, and structural modelling techniques, 1) as expected, the introduction of pay incentives for regular tellers was associated with statistically significant increases in the volumes of deposits processed per unit time, with a large effect size; 2) the introduction of individual pay incentives for regular tellers was associated with statistically significant increases in overall individual performance, with a medium effect size; 3) the combination of the introduction of individual and hybrid incentives, and the allocation of supervisors to teams, was associated with statistically significant additional increases in the volumes of deposits processed per unit time and accuracy of deposit processing for both regular and contract tellers, within high performing teams; 4) internal team processes (intra-team communication, target-setting and coaching, progress monitoring and feedback) explained the variance in inter-team performance over time; 5) team coordination and target-setting were the intervening variables in the relationship between pay incentives and team performance. A predictive performance model for performance in interdependent work teams with a combination of individual and hybrid pay incentives was developed, based on the quantitative and qualitative findings from this study. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

M.Ed. / Since the inception of education, assessment has Formed an integral part of the education system. Assessment in education implies the standard of applicability of assignments. Educational assessment serves to assess, grade and group teachers into categories by means of standardized guidelines. Schools where educational assessment is implemented, show clearly the constructive effect on pupils of this policy. Furthermore, it is abundantly clear that in these schools positive behavioural patterns are noted with teachers. Being subjected to continual assessment should result in enhanced professionalism in teachers. By being stimulated to assess themselves professionally, teachers will be motivated towards improving their own achievement with regard to work performance, professional development and towards fostering meaningful personal relationships with other members of the staff. In the past decades headmasters have become increasingly involved in identifying and training prospective leaders with promotion in mind. Selfassessment is imperative to the teacher who seeks promotion. The motivation and support eminating from the headmaster with regard to professional excellence, creativity and innovation will decide the extend to which his staff will respond to the inservice training opportunities provided for them. The movement towards instituting selfassessment facilities for the teacher manifests a new approach whereby the teacher can meaningfully come to terms with his own aspirations and realize his aspirations. Furthermore, the real leaders on the staff will be identified and future promotions can be realistically made. The character of a school is defined by the integrity of its training staff. The professional development of a teacher is what the managerial leader in a school is concerned about. A headmaster should be sensitive to the need in his staff to develop professionally: effective, meaningful and objective assessment on the part of the headmaster can stimulate professional growth in his staff. It follows therefore that self assessment, viewed objectively and maturely by all parties concerned, plays an important role towards establishing an accepted and effective method of teacher assessment.

Ph.D. / The purpose of this study was to explore the lived reality of the work of Human Resource practitioners in South Africa in relation to the socio-economic context of their organisations and to consider how appropriate or not their responses might be to the impacts of that context on their work. This was explored through a qualitative study wherein interviews with 50 volunteer practitioners from all types of organisations spread across the country were conducted and compared to views of 17 informed commentators in this field. It was found that the work of Human Resource practitioners is signficantly impacted by social and economic factors external to the workplace, but that the current response by practitioners is probably not as appropriate as it could or should be. A role for human practitioners as “social activists” was identified and factors influencing whether such a role is played were explored. Frameworks of appropriate actions are proposed at both strategic and individual contributor level to support this role. The role of Human Resource professional bodies in addressing social issues in South Africa is challenged and a framework proposed to improve the extent to which leadership is given to Human Resource practitioners and to increase the visibility and voice of the profession in contributing to alleviation of societal problems. Recommendations for implementation of the proposed frameworks are proposed. One of the most significant recommendations is for Continuing Professional Development to provide coaching support based on Constructive-Developmental theory to enhance the ability of Human Resource practitioners to cope with the high levels of complexity that they encounter in their roles. Further research into a proposed model of influencing factors in the social activist role is recommended.

Prof. W.M. Conradie

M.Comm. (Human Resources Management) / The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of knowledge sharing as an intervention geared toward improving employee engagement. In the process of pursuing this purpose, literature on employee engagement and knowledge sharing was reviewed. The literature reviews culminated in the development of operational models for both employee engagement and knowledge sharing and an illustration of the link between these two multi-dimensional constructs. The employee engagement research instrument consisting of a 12-item questionnaire and a 5-point Likert scale was developed in line with theoretical requirements. The research was located within an undisclosed provincial government department in Gauteng, South Africa. This was done to ensure the confidentiality of the participants and the specific government department concerned as disclosure could possibly compromise the political sensitivity of the activities of the department. A sample of one-hundred 100 employees was selected from an available population of 189. The research consisted of three phases; a baseline survey, which sought to establish the existing level of employee engagement, an intervention phase, conducted over a three day period consisting of eight knowledge sharing interventions, and a post-assessment phase, which endeavoured to establish if any differences to the level of engagement would be evident, when compared to the pre-assessment state of engagement. The study found no significant difference between the pre and post test scores of the experimental group and concluded that knowledge sharing does not have a significant impact on increasing the level of employee engagement. It further concluded that despite not being significant that the greatest impact was evident in the cognitive dimension of employee engagement. This study goes on to recommend that further longitudinal intervention research studies are needed to establish the impact of the different motivators that drive fluctuations in the level of employee engagement. The study also recommended that a theoretically reliable instrument be developed, which targets all dimensions of employee engagement (the physical, emotional and cognitive components). The instrument will allow for the establishment of existing levels of employee engagement and an indication of areas of improvement to ensure targeted interventions are conceived.

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Com. / The purpose of this study is to identify important factors for the formulation of a strategy for the management of change within the Johannesburg region of the Allied/United division of ABSA. The need for such a strategy arose after indications of a low level of motivation and a negative climate were identified within the organization. In this study the level of motivation and the climate is tested and the connection of these aspects with the process of change taking place within ABSA is studied. The situations within Allied and United are also compared...

M.Com. (Industrial Psychology) / Work engagement is defined as “a positive, fulfilling, work related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication, and absorption” (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2010; Schaufeli, Salanova, González-Romá, & Bakker, 2002, p. 74). It is therefore critical for organisations to pay careful attention to the effect that total rewards have on engagement to ensure the highest level of work engagement within the organisation. Previous studies have shown that very little research has been conducted in the South African context to examine total reward strategies and how these programmes specifically relate to work engagement. The overall purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between total rewards and work engagement and to further determine which reward category predicts work engagement. The model proposed by Nienaber (2010) includes all the core dimensions under rewards and was therefore used for this study. Total rewards for the purpose of this study include: Base Pay, Performance, Career Management, Contingency Pay, Quality Work Environment, Benefits and Work-Home Integration. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and The Rewards Preferences Questionnaire were administered to a random sample (N = 318) of South African employees in various different divisions and positions within several organisations. The results indicated that Total Rewards explained 14% of the variance within Work Engagement. Furthermore, only Performance and Career Management, and Work- Home Integration were significant predictors of Work Engagement. In relation to the gender and age as moderating variables, it was found that these two constructs did not act as moderators between total rewards and work engagement.