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

The research investigates the retention of employees in the institutions of higher learning and the focus is placed on the Central University of Technology: Free State (CUT). The research is undertaken because the employees at the Central University of Technology: Free State, are resigning from their positions and join rival institutions and other organisations. This creates a problem on part of students, fellow employees and management. There is therefore, a need to find reasons behind these mass resignations of employees and also to look at the retention strategies that can be employed to keep employees at the Central University of Technology: Free State. In order to address the above purpose of the research, various retention strategies to keep talented employees are discussed, and factors that lead to employees leaving the institutions are also placed under the spotlight. The discussion shows that talent management has a direct relationship with employee needs and motivation. Qualitative and quantitative methods of research are used to analyse the retention strategies employed at the Central University of Technology: Free State. The findings of the research reveal that factors such as working environment, satisfying work-life, personal career development, emotional exhaustion as well as rewards versus performance exacerbate mass exodus of talented employees at the institution. It is also disclosed that there are retention strategies in place but are not effectively implemented. The findings revealed that managers and supervisors play crucial roles in the interpretation and implementation of strategies. Working conditions should be improved so that employees stay with the institution and perform to the best of their ability. Training should be made compulsory for every employee as it provides necessary skills. Best performance and rewards should match performance in order to keep employees at the institution. / Public Administration and Management / M. Admin. (Public Administration)

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Research suggest that increasing employee commitment and satisfaction impacts on employee productivity and job performance, and has implications for job related behaviours such as absenteeism, turnover and tardiness. Moreover, literature also suggests that downsizing and cost-cutting negatively impacts on the satisfaction and commitment of employees and impacts on the effectiveness of organisations. The contention is that in order to reconcile the need to achieve high quality and organisational effectiveness in an environment of declining per capita resources and change, it will be necessary to secure a high level of commitment and satisfaction from all those employed in the higher education sector. This study sought to investigate the factors that produce commitment and satisfaction in academic and support staff respectively and to understand any important similarities and differences that may exist.

Managing on the middle level of the academic environment has become an essential managerial competency, particularly in a large library of an Open Distance Learning (ODL) institution which serves 400,000 students with a diverse student profile. The research focus of this study in the ODL environment is thus on management and organisational theories that indicate what it takes to be a good manager. This is a positivist case study which triangulates data collection methods. Quantitative data and qualitative data were collected. The findings indicate a 94,7% response rate to the survey questionnaire and 100% participation of the invited ODL middle managers in interviews. Interviews were conducted with ODL Library middle managers who operate on the level of supervisor, manager, deputy director and director. Findings revealed ODL Library middle managers‟ perception of success and that they worked and planned for career progression that was facilitated by relevant qualifications and experience, that the external support received from their families and the use of develop ment strategies and various approaches, such as personal career planning; performing secondary management roles in the ODL Library; attendance at management short courses, all influenced their successful appointment as middle managers. It further indicates that an optimum career path is influenced by factors such as ability, communication, hard work and determination. Development strategies pertain to management and leadership development which enable ODL Library middle managers to perform the role of manager in both a Library and Information Science environment, ODL environment and management environment which foster an understanding of their role in strategic planning. The most important competencies to be acquired are planning and administration, emotional intelligence and self-management, communication and teamwork. The study reveals that a high premium was placed on the importance of the selected success definitions, strategies and competencies, but that own success measured against these was lower. The subsequent recommendation is to develop ODL Library middle managers in terms of factors and strategies that lead to career success and to ensure the use thereof. / Information Science / D. Litt. et Phil. (Information Science)

It has been widely reported that despite high health expenditure and a myriad of policies in place, South Africa’s health outcomes are worse than those in many lower income countries. The adverse health outcomes are even more pronounced in a rural province such as the Eastern Cape Province. Consequently, the Eastern Cape Department of Health (ECDOH) had turned to Private Public Partnerships (PPP) with the hope of mitigating some of the challenges beleaguering the health system in the province. This study evaluated the impact of the implementation of one of the PPP models at an Eastern Cape Hospital on key employee job outcomes. This is crucial as there had not yet, been this type of scientific assessment of the impact of the PPP model since the inception of the PPP about half a decade ago. Theoretical guidance of the study was provided by the Job Characteristics Theory (JCT) of Oldham and Hackman (1975), which predicted that changes in five core characteristics of a job will affect three critical psychological states which will in turn impact on key employee job outcomes. Uniquely, this study veered away from the traditional quantitative approach to the application of the JCT but rather adopted a qualitative case study approach. There is historical evidence that cross cultural validation of a theory in a new setting (a South African PPP hospital in this instance) benefits from an initial qualitative study. Data collection and analysis were guided by the JCT. Primary data collection was by semi-structured, face to face, one on one interviews. The analyses of the data specifically employed pattern matching and explanation building techniques, all underpinned by the JCT. Validity of interview data was strongly contributed to by available relevant case study documents. This study found that indeed, the implementation of this PPP model brought about changes in all five (JCT) core job characteristics of clinical staff, but to varying degrees in the three unique shared service areas. Interestingly, the three psychological states were found to have been impacted upon by changes in the JCT core job characteristics but also by factors related to the context of the job, such as quality of supervision and co-worker relationship. In contrast to the predictions of the JCT, this study also found that the key job outcomes were impacted directly by such contextual factors as the recent availability of specialists and staff shortages, among others. It also emerged that the PPP implementation has directly evoked a perception of inequity and breach of psychological contract among clinical staff working at the shared service areas. Among the three shared areas, the accident and emergency unit was discovered to have had the worst overall impact. Due to the importance of contextual factors at this PPP setting, key recommendations were directed towards improved management of the jobs. It is also recommended that a follow-up quantitative study be commissioned to further explore the main themes that emerged from this study. This research report is presented in three sections. Section 1 is the evaluative report itself, structured as an academic paper. Section 2 expands on the literature that was briefly reviewed in Section 1 while Section 3 outlines, in greater details, the research methods followed during the conduct of the research and the justifications thereof.

Research that focuses on the relationship between job satisfaction and employee retention is of interest to researchers in different disciplines and the intensification of these interests has rendered the two concepts heterogeneous. Research of this nature is necessary in the discipline Public administration, and in particular public human resource management as niche area of specialisation. Job satisfaction, as an independent variable is complex, in that it is an outcome of interdependent and sometimes contradicting personal and institutional factors, attributes, characteristics or correlates. The ability of public institutions to retain employees in key positions is dependent on the effectiveness of managers in implementing employee retention practices. Legislation in the South African public service entrusts managers with the authority and resources to institute employee retention practices. Using a quantitative research method in which a specially designed research questionnaire was used to gather data from a selected sample of respondents in the SAPS, this study creates awareness about employees’ degree of satisfaction with SAPS’ key institutional factors. The findings reveal, despite the SAPS having instituted practices that are key to retaining employees, key institutional factors that the respondents are satisfied and dissatisfied with. In addition to proposing the development and implementation of the employee retention policy and strategy, this study highlights significant roles that managers should perform to retain employees in the SAPS and in the South African public sector in general. / Public Administration / D.P.A.

Purpose – This research paper falls within the interpretive research philosophy and considers talent management within the field of competitive advantage. It aims to explore the organisation members’ perceptions of talent, talent management, the factors perceived to facilitate competitive advantage and the role of leadership in the facilitation of talent management. It attempts to achieve a greater understanding of talent management as practically applied by organisations. Design/Methodology – A qualitative research approach in collecting and analysing data was implemented for this particular research study to address the research problem. The research design consists of a qualitative case study of one organisation. The organisation was purposively selected due to its superior performance in its particular industry. The data was collected by using in-depth interviews and observation and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Organisational documents supplemented the data collection process. Rationale – Current talent management literature shows a lack of understanding of talent and the role leadership plays in talent management. A number of authors have called for research which focuses on the perspectives of all stakeholders, especially at the individual level. It was also suggested that greater focus is allocated to small to medium enterprises, as multi-national corporations dominated the current literature. This research paper has the potential to increase levels of understanding at both organisation and individual level. This study examined TM from a range of perspectives, focused on a smaller organisation and is one of the few qualitative studies in the world within a developing country—research that is lacking in the literature. Findings – Participants held different views on talent and talent management, supporting the lack of consensus on these topics and the lack of a standardised understanding. The findings highlight that talent management was mostly perceived to involve the correct positioning of people within the organisation and that talent involved skills, knowledge and abilities to perform their roles well. Organisational structure, processes, and the lack of leadership ability were perceived as the dominant factors affecting the effective implementation of talent management practices. Talent management was perceived as important by the middle and lower-level participants of the study and was perceived as not important by higher-level participants—a contrasting finding due to the fact that the higher-level candidates felt that it was important to retain staff, understood the consequences of staff loss and that it was difficult to replace talent. Theoretical and managerial implications – The findings correspond with previous studies that the understanding of talent management is still lacking and thus potentially jeopardizes shaping a competitive advantage. The leadership cadre at the case organisation failed to see the importance of talent management and failed to link talent management to competitive advantage and ultimately failed to strategise potential talent management practices and effective talent management implementation. The modern business environment is changing and the realisation that talent management is of crucial importance to sustained competitive advantage is becoming evident. Limitations – The main source of error was a potential bias of results and a lack of rigorous data analysis, which was overcome by attending to the reliability of the research. Future research – There is potential for further empirical research to be conducted in other industries while maintaining focus on smaller businesses. The focus must also be maintained on the perspectives of all stakeholders in organisations. / Business Management / M. Com.

Staff training, education and development has come to the forefront in most organizations. Managers and employers have realized the benefits of training and developing their staff and various government initiatives have been introduced that highlight this. Library and Information Services took some time to realize the importance of training and developing their staff, more specifically continuing professional development. The study investigates staff training, education and development at the Durban Metropolitan Library (DML) and establishes the perceptions of staff about current training and development offered. The need for, and appreciation of the training and development offered, was evident. No structured program for staff training and development exist in DML. It is recommended that DML implement the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, previously known as the Library Association, Framework for Continuing Professional Development if it intends to survive in the competitive, changing environment. This will ensure that the organization functions according to the promulgated government regulations and has skilled, competent staff. / Information Science / (M.A. (Information Science))

This case study explores the experiences of eight newly appointed teachers at a school for intellectually disabled learners. A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed to interpret interview data. The literature study investigates the phenomenon of staff turnover and includes key literature themes such as adult learning theories of Senge and Vygotski, the life cycle of a teacher, the special school context and problems and needs experienced by beginning teachers. The key findings of the research were that beginning special education teachers experienced various problems and needs but that, with well planned structured support, these problems could successfully be overcome. The researcher has developed a set of guidelines, which could be used in developing a staff induction programme, aimed at raising the effectiveness of newly appointed teachers at a school for intellectually disabled learners. This research once again emphasizes the need for a well planned, structured induction programme. / Further Teacher Education / M. Ed. (Education Management)