M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Com. (Business Management) / Personnel motivation is one of management's most important tasks, but due to a lack of understanding of the nature of motivation, it is also frequently neglected resulting in losses to the organisation. The purpose of this document was to perform a motivation study on the supervisory staff of a railway maintenance depot. With the results of this study the cause of the low level of motivation was determined, followed by recommendations to management in order to address these problem areas ...

M.Phil. (Human Resources Management) / The objective of this study was to identify and describe organisational factors that affect learning transfer in the South African Public Service. The study was conducted utilising a mixed method approach with both qualitative and quantitative methods enjoying equal status and implemented concurrently. 5 participants (Managers) from the department were interviewed using semi structured interview methodology as part of the qualitative methods and the findings were interpreted using the thematic content analysis technique and various themes were identified. It was found that factors that affect learning transfer include resource availability, supervisor role, mentorship and coaching, non-alignment of training goals with organisational goals, poor organisational planning and weak controls, management and leadership change, resistance to change and organisational culture. The above factors confirmed that there was a link between organisational context and transfer of learning, this being one of the questions that the study sought to respond to. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 150 respondents and 90 questionnaires were received back, this constituted a 60% response rate. The data from the questionnaires was interpreted using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Factors that were identified as affecting learning transfer include opportunity to practice, positional power and peer support, resource availability, performance culture, management support, feedback and reward and organisational monitoring mechanisms. The findings from the two methods were integrated and corroborated each other which strengthened the value add of utilising mixed method approach. A description of the organisational factors affecting learning transfer was provided in addition to them being identified. The study proposed that governmental institutions like Palama conduct a large scale research throughout the public service utilising a mixed method approach as part of impact analysis, this study will provide the basis on which to initiate the project.

MBA / The Information Technology (IT) industry is currently faced with a shrinking pool of IT professionals as a result of the increasing demand for these professionals. One of the major contributors to the increasing demand is the rapidly advancing technological markets, which have resulted in a widened gap between the availability and demand of IT professionals. The increasing demand for skilled IT professionals has resulted in the war for talent as organisations fight to attract and retain individuals who possess the types of skills that are scarce. The war for talent is pressurising organisations to start devising strategies for attracting and retaining targeted employees. Standard Bank South Africa Group IT (SBSA GIT) has also been affected by the war for talent. This study was conducted in order to understand some of the challenges facing the SBSA GIT leadership regarding employee retention. This study was conducted using the interpretive, case-study research design which was conducted through interviews held with the SBSA GIT leadership. The sample of interviewees comprised of four directors and thirteen senior managers. The interviews also revealed that SBSA GIT is affected by the shrinking pool of IT professionals. The interviewees indicated that there is a shortage of the skills set for which the leadership team is looking in the industry. The research findings indicate that high employee turnover is the main contributor of the skills shortages in the SBSA GIT department. The interviewees stated that the non-existence of a proper retention strategy for SBSA GIT has made it difficult for them to identify the type of skills that are critical to the organisation and which must be retained. The absence of this strategy has made it difficult for the department to come up with the standardised way of retaining employees. As a result, there is no consistency as to what managers do in their individual units. The issue of salaries was also raised as contributing factor to high turnover of employees. The interviewees stated that employees who have been with the organisation for a long time are not paid market related salaries, and end up leaving the organisation. This iv study also identifies some initiatives that can be implemented by SBSA GIT to reduce employee turnover. The recommendations provided in this study are the proposed solutions as to how the defined objectives can be realised. These recommendations include implementing the talent management process, creating dialogue with the employees, designing the employee value propositions that will be specific to SBSA GIT, and identifying the methodology that will be implemented by SBSA to implement the employee retention strategy.

M.Ed. / Over the years, and even now, the Department of Education is busy trying to find a better method of managing and empowering educators with the aim of attaining whole school development. By proposing educator developmental appraisal systems the department was intending to develop educator instructional performance. This study concentrates on educator's instructional development inside the classroom through clinical supervision and its contribution to whole school development. The literature indicated that educators are negative to the style of supervision currently in use. Information obtained from different books clearly states that clinical supervision is a process that directly involves both the educator and supervisor. It stresses mutual understanding and co-supervision between educator and the supervisor. This research used a structured questionnaire to collect data on the opinions of the respondents in seven of the nine provinces in South Africa. The questionnaire contained 79 items and ten of these items were relevant to clinical supervision. The structured questionnaires were distributed to a convenient stratified sample in seven of the nine provinces. Based on the information from the questionnaire, each item relevant to this particular research study was analyzed and discussed. After the factor analysis, the significance of the difference between the factor mean scores of various groups for each of the factors that make up whole school development were analysed and explained. The data obtained indicates that a pleasant classroom climate is an important need of each learning situation. An atmosphere of collegial relationships among staff and the principal is a pre-requisite for whole school development. It appears as if the instructional development of educators can be better achieved through the implementation of the process of clinical supervision.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The purpose of this study is to show that local government as a section of the public sector can contribute to the improvement of productivity, and more specifically labour productivity, in South Africa. An empirical study was undertaken to determine the methods applied by the Town Council of Alberton in order to improve labour productivity to such an extent as to be awarded a Golden National Productivity Award in 1987. Reference is made to the application of principles re1evant to the improvement of labour productivity as found in the literature. The role of the National Productivity Institute with regard to instruments for the improvement and measurement of productivity, is discussed. The reasons for Alberton's success are identified, the one being management's total commitment to the improvement of productivity. The other being the staff's involvement in productivity improvement and the fostering of their needs for self-actualisation through participative management. The Town Council of Alberton's achievements regarding the improvement of labour productivity, are evaluated. Recommendations are made for application by the Town Council of Alberton specifically and local authorities in general. Although the endeavours of the Town Council of Alberton to improve labour productivity form the subject of this study, it is assumed that this town council is not the only local authority to have developed and implemented strategies for the improvement of productivity. This study concludes that local authorities are in a position to contribute to economic growth and the creation of prosperity by means of effective productivity management.

With the role of purchasing evolved from a paper pushing function to a strategic and value creating player in global businesses (Espich, 2004), the activities of purchasing professionals today are knowledge- and competence driven. The purpose of this study is to identify the competency needs of purchasing professionals at DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH (DFS), Europe’s largest Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP). It also seeks to explore the role of implicit participant knowledge in the process of competency identification and model development. For these reasons, a mixed-method case study at DFS is conducted. After reviewing the literature, a purchasing competency model is developed from scratch through exploring the target population’s self-image on competency needs and by contrasting these results to the view of purchasing department’s internal customers and management. The so developed model is then verified through participant observations and the identification of the implicit knowledge of competency needs of purchasing professionals. The study contributes to business practice and the theory of competency modeling. It identifies competencies in an area where little is known about competency requirements and explores the need to consider implicit participant knowledge in the model development process. The research outcomes are valuable to solve a real-world problematic situation through developing an activity based, multi-perspective and future oriented competency model. The study provides an example of how the aspect of implicit knowledge can be integrated when studying competencies. Results from this case in Europe’s leading ANSP are likely to be transferrable to other companies in the industry.

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Organisations worldwide are attempting to identify talent by using various assessment methods to evaluate competencies perceived to be core to the mandate of their organisations. In recent years recruitment and selection of individuals rely on assessment methods deemed to have high validity and reliability. One such assessment method used worldwide to evaluate top management is the assessment centre, commonly referred to as the AC. The main research problem of this study focussed on an evaluation of the extent to which the assessment centre method is effectively used for the selection and development of senior management employees in the public service of Botswana. The main research problem had eight sub-problems which were addressed through the following actions: A comprehensive literature study was conducted to define and establish the purpose of assessment centres. Moreover, the study aimed to establish the international best practice for the administration of the assessment centre as a tool for selection and talent development. Subsequent to the literature study an interview schedule and survey questionnaire were developed based on the literature. The interview schedule was used to obtain information from consultants who provide assessment centre services to the public service. The objective of the questionnaire was to obtain information from the recipients of the service and determine the extent to which that information compares with information obtained from the consultants. The questionnaire was distributed to a randomly selected population. The results of the empirical study were statistically analysed and interpreted and revealed that permanent and deputy permanent secretaries are more aware of the reasons for using the assessment centre method than directors and deputy directors. These senior management employees felt that the assessment centre is an effective tool for selection and development but the results from the assessment centre are not optimally used for development. The study revealed that generally the assessment centre process conducted in the Botswana public service is in line with international best practice of assessment centres. However, there are certain areas that need some improvement for the assessment centre to entirely conform to international best practice. These areas include the implementation of an assessment centre policy and the improvement of feedback and vital information provided to participants prior to the centre. The empirical study also revealed that senior management employees hold the view that many senior officers in the public service do not know the importance of the assessment centre method and are not comfortable to participate in such a centre. The assessment centre method has proven to be an effective tool for evaluating competencies. This is due to its use of multiple techniques, assessors, simulations and exercises. Theory has revealed that the assessment centre has higher validity and reliability than other assessment methods. However, due to the high costs of running assessment centres, some organisations take shortcuts and therefore jeopardise its validity.

The purpose of this study was to develop motivational strategies for motivating public sector workers in Kenya. To achieve this objective the following procedure was followed: • An examination of the public service was undertaken and the following factors were considered: The history of the public service; Past government reform programmes; The problem of corruption; Future government reform programmes; and The motivational climate in the service. iv • A literature survey was conducted on the approaches used by organisations in motivating employees. The findings were used to develop a motivational strategy model. On the basis of the strategies in the model, a questionnaire was developed for the empirical research study. • The empirical study was undertaken to examine the level of motivation in the public service and to identify the motivational strategies currently used in the public service in Kenya. The study also sought to determine the extent to which public sector managers agreed or disagreed that the motivational strategies developed by the study would be effective in motivating employees in their organisations. The results of the empirical study were incorporated into the integrated motivational strategy model presented in chapter six. The study established that the level of motivation among the public sector workers was extremely low. According to the research findings, 87 per cent of the respondents indicated that the level of motivation of employees in their organisation was low while 13 per cent indicated that it was high. It was also established that the climate in the public service was not conducive for motivating employees: the indicators were lack of job security; very low salaries; limited training and development opportunities; lack of career development programmes and lack of adequate working tools and equipment. It was further established that the government could no longer afford to make any substantial increases in salaries to the workers because the wage bill was extremely high at the level of 9.6 per cent of the GDP. It was observed that any further increases in salaries would v have a negative impact on the economy of the country. In view of the above, this study becomes extremely relevant as it suggests ways of enhancing the levels of motivation in the public service to improve service delivery in the public sector without allocation of vast financial resources. The study strongly recommends the application of the integrated motivational strategy model in its entirety; to enhance the level of employee’s motivation and work performance and achieve efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. The study also recommends that further research be carried out to determine the effects of corruption on employee motivation and ways of eliminating the vice in the public service.