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

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / The amalgamation of municipalities came into effect as a legislative requirement brought about a number of challenges for the local government. One such major challenge relates to the impact that these amalgamations will have on human resource practices of the various municipalities. Literature study reveals that during any merger or amalgamation, less attention is paid to the human element of a merger until the merger is almost complete. This lack of attention impacts negatively on the merger results. Like other municipalities, Ethekwini Municipality is a product of this legislative requirement. It was formed as a result of the amalgamation of different municipal entities that had different human resource practices. The problem facing eThekwini Municipality is the misalignment of human resources policies and their effect on the working environment. This study looks at the impact of this amalgamation on the human resources practices of the eThekwini Municipality. The sub-objectives of the study are: to ascertain employees' perceptions of amalgamation; to determine whether employees believe that the human resources' matters are handled in a manner that will bring about stability and equity in the workplace; and to establish whether different perceptions exist between employees of the former Durban Metro Central and those of the erstwhile entities. A stratified random probability sample of 150 employees was selected. The sample was drawn from 5 former entities that now form eThekwini Municipality, namely: Inner-west, Outer-west, Metro Central, North and South Operational entities. Using face-to-face interviews, employees were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results of the research revealed that there was generally a positive perception of the amalgamation process amongst employees. The study also revealed that different perceptions exist between the employees of the former entities and those of Metro central It is recommended that, during a merger, management should have detailed work plans. The plans should detail how the organization will deal with the structure of the organization, its people, culture, technology and processes. Secondly, management should consider a total reward system as opposed to total cost package. / M

The diploma thesis examines human resource management in Nemocnice Jindrichuv Hradec Hospital, Inc. In the beginning, I described how the hospital management and hospital owner. In the next section, I analyze personnel activities. At the end, I present the final evaluation, which includes the evaluation of the hospital management, individual personnel activities, and propose measures that will improve hospital management and leadership of human resources.

This thesis analyzes the structure of positional places for graduates in the regional offices, particularly in the Jihočeský Region, Jihomoravský Region, Karlovarský Region, Plzeňský Region and Region Vysočina. It examines the requirements that are imposed on candidates for the position of the regional office. Then the thesis focuses on the profile of the graduate School of Management, specializing in public sector management and regional development, and determines whether the knowledge are applicable to positions in the regional offices.

Thesis (M.A. (Organisational Psychology))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, 2016. / The purpose of this study was to explore cashiers’ and management’s perceptions of the usefulness of a company-provided employee assistance programme (EAP) with particular reference to wellness counselling. This study focused specifically on the four principles governing EAPs, namely; confidentiality, referral system, helping process and handling of outcome. Fifteen participants were recruited for this study from a cash centre of a financial institution in Johannesburg. There were ten males and five females. A qualitative methodology was used to collect and analyse data. The instruments used to collect data were two participant-generated text schedules, one for cashiers and the other for managers. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The results of the study showed that both employees and management found the EAP useful in the workplace. The direction for future research in South Africa could focus on conducting a longitudinal study to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of wellness counselling / MT2017

In fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Systems. In the Division of Information Systems , School of Economic and Business Sciences. University of Witwatersrand 2017 / This thesis is about how an organization adopted an information system (IS) and the subsequent current use of that system. That is, the relevance of this thesis is premised within the adoption and use of IS research fields. The adoption and use of systems is still a key IS issue as organizations strive to find ways to justify investments while the research issue is in striving to profoundly describe the adoption and use behavior. The thesis employs Human resource information systems (HRIS) as the system under study, with a South African university being the context. HRIS are adopted and used in organizations, including universities, to facilitate human resource functions and practices. The adoption and use of HRIS is often critical to achieving organizational visions and mandates; however, literature in this field is still in its infancy, with no known study conducted with a South African university context. To this point, there was a need to study behavior during HRIS adoption and the subsequent use behavior, in order to inform an efficient and appropriate ongoing use. Existing scholarly HRIS literature focus on either its adoption or its use, but hardly addressing both concurrently. This thesis argues that adoption may inform present use, and therefore, paramount to study both facets, and in the same locale. The study sought to understand how HRIS was adopted as well as understand how it is presently used, in the context of a South African university. The research argument driving the thesis is that HRIS is realized in a multidimensional environment, and thus, there is a need for a framework that may inform both adoption and use dimensions. The framework ought to be cognizant of the contextual determinants which influence both adoption processes and use behavior at varied levels, so that HRIS is adopted and used effectively and efficiently, sensitive to the South African context. To conceptualize the multidimensional framework, the study was underpinned by Upper echelon theory; Social cognitive theory; Technology, organizational and environment framework; and Task-technology fit, as theoretical lenses. Majority of HRIS adoption or use studies take a positivist stance; however, this thesis deemed an interpretivist philosophy as a more appropriate stance to understanding the complexities of adoption iii and use. A qualitative inductive approach using a case study research strategy was the methodology followed. Semi-structured interviews, field observations and institutional documents were ways to collect data. The empirical data were analyzed following thematic analysis and content analysis techniques. Literature and the interpretation of study findings informed the conceptualization of the multidimensional framework for the adoption and use of HRIS. The thesis contributes theoretically by providing a framework that informs adoption and use; practically, the framework may be used by policy and decision makers to improve use and appropriate use of HRIS; Methodologically, the thesis shows how a case study following the interpretive philosophy may be a better alternative to profoundly describe and explain adoption and the use of HRIS; finally, the thesis contributes to context by giving insights unique to South African universities. Keywords: Adoption and use framework, Human resource information systems Interpretive case study, Multidimensional, South African university / GR2018

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Commerce. Johannesburg, South Africa, May 2016 / Since McKinsey and Company (1998) coined the term “the war for talent” (Axelrod, Handfield-Jones, & Welsh, 2001; Michaels, Handfield-Jones & Axelrod, 2001) in response to a lack of highly skilled and talented employees in the labour market and the need for organisations to compete for this limited talent pool, the topic of talent management has received a remarkable degree of practitioner and academic interest (Bhatnagar, 2007; Collings & Mellahi, 2009; Vaiman, Scullion & Collings, 2012). The scarcity of highly skilled and talented employees has resulted in a paradigm shift, with the “old reality” (people need companies) replaced by new business realities (companies need talented and highly skilled people). This has forced organisations to institute aggressive talent management policies, practices and strategies to attract, develop, and optimise the available talent in both the broader market place and specific industries. The effective management of highly skilled and talented employees has also emerged as a major source of competitive advantage for organisations, resulting in desirable consequences such as organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and lower turnover intentions. Based on this premise, this study sought to investigate the direct and indirect (mediated) relationship between employees’ perception of the organisation’s current talent management practices, organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction and their intention to quit the organisation. The mediating characteristics of organisational commitment, employee engagement, and job satisfaction on the relationship between the perceived talent management practices and employees’ intention to quit are also investigated. A cross-sectional, survey-based descriptive research design utilising quantitative research methods was adopted to acquire information and primary data needed for analysis. The study was carried out on highly skilled and talented employees (supervisors, line managers, senior managers and directors) of a multinational fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) food manufacturing company in South Africa. The target population of the research comprised of (N = 267) 267 employees of the surveyed organisation with a sample size of (N = 151) 151 respondents. A standardised questionnaire adapted from five instruments ̶ talent management practices (Human Capital Institute, 2008), organisational commitment (Allen & Meyer, 1990), employee engagement (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003), job satisfaction (Weiss, Dawis, England, & Lofquist, 1967), and intention to quit (Arnold & Feldman, 1982) measured on a Likert type of scale was utilised to collect primary data. A non-probability sampling technique (convenience sampling) was used to collect primary data. The scales used in the study reported Cronbach Coefficient Alphas above the minimum recommended 0.70 margin (Field, 2009) suggesting that the measuring instrument is reliable. The study utilised multiple linear regression analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The results showed direct significant relationships between the variables under study, suggesting that investing in effective talent management practices relating to talent acquisition, workforce planning, talent development, performance management, talent retention, and other practices may result in desirable outcomes for the organisation. These include enhanced organisational commitment, high levels of employee engagement, increased employee job satisfaction, and reduced turnover intentions. It is recommended that organisations in South Africa and the organisation under study, in particular, develop talent management practices and strategies that can be implemented and applied in the organisation in order to attract and retain highly skilled and talented employees. It is further recommended that organisations develop effective, practical and holistic talent management practices and strategies that will not only attract talent, but also address organisational commitment, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and the retention of highly skilled and talented employees, thus boosting organisational performance and productivity. / MT2017

Submitted for the partial (25%) fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Management in the field of Public and Development Management in the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management at the University of Witwatersrand March 2016 / In the past few years, the contribution of the performance culture to the overall success of the organisation has prompted interest to explore the concept. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine facets that are perceived to be contributing to the performance culture and how employees in the Mpumalanga Department of Culture DCSR perceive such facets as causal factors to the performance of the organisation. This study is a qualitative descriptive study and semi semi-structures interviews were conducted. Eight participants were requested to take part. Two participants are from the head office and two from each of the three districts. All interviews were conducted face to face. Interviews were recorded on tape, transcribed and assessed according to themes. The overall findings of this study were that there are negative perceptions of performance culture as assessed according to the London School of Economics Eight Dimensions Performance Culture Model. / MT 2018

A full research dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management by research and dissertation, March 2016 / In an effort to improve performance, efficiency, accountability and effectiveness of public sector organisations, the Government of Lesotho has adopted a variety of reforms; one of these is the Performance Management System. However, despite its implementation more than a decade ago, the Performance Management System in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho is not producing the anticipated results. Performance management is a tool designed to improve organisational performance by channelling the tasks and activities of employees towards the goals of the organisation. Therefore the overarching purpose of the study is to describe and explain the reasons why the Performance Management System in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho is not producing the anticipated results. Through the qualitative approach, interviews and focus groups were used to collect data from the purposely selected sample of Ministry of Health employees. In addition, documents relating to the Performance Management System in the Ministry of Health have been used as data collection methods. Among other reasons, the study found that the Performance Management System (PMS) in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho is not producing the expected results because of lack of knowledge about the PMS by lowerlevel employees, absence of individual work plans, lack of feedback and lack of integration of Performance Management systems. In conclusion, the study found that the core reason for PMS not producing the anticipated results in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho is its misapplication and a lack of adherence with the legal framework on PMS. The study identified a series of concepts related to performance management, such as the setting of the organisational goals, planning, ii monitoring, evaluation, feedback and rewards, and improvement programmes. However, it has been discovered that in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho, some performance management concepts such as feedback and improvement programmes are not used, whereas some, such as performance evaluations and rewards, are wrongly applied. The theoretical and conceptual implication of this for the study is that there is little integration between the PMS processes and employees’ activities in the Ministry of Health in Lesotho / GR2018

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