M. Tech. Business Administration / The aim of this research was to determine factors that contribute to improving performance of employees in the SAPS and those factors that hinder efficiency during performance appraisals. To achieve these objectives, the study used a qualitative approach to explore and obtain a complex and detailed understanding of factors that influence the performance management system (PMS) of the SAPS.

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As a result of the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996 and various other factors, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services by developing and introducing proactive personnel capacity-building programmes. By 1999, 15 such programmes had been developed. The need subsequently arose for a comprehensive impact assessment and cost-benefit analysis of these programmes and the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity-Building Programmes (EPCaP) study was launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Anger Management, Assertiveness and Conflict Management Programmes, as well as a cost-benefit analysis of the Life Skills programmes as a whole, formed part of this research. Objectives: This study had two primary aims. The first was to determine the effect of the Assertiveness, Conflict Management and Anger Management programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS personnel. The second was to carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the Life Skills programmes as a whole. Method: In the case of the effect measurement, a comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used. Eighteen measurement scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and completed by 627 experimental group respondents, 150 comparison group members and 32 presenters. In the cost-benefit analysis, a comprehensive, computerised ROI analysis programme that was developed by Meyer et al. (2003) was primarily used. It measured the interventions' return on investment (ROI), net present value (NPV), payback period, internal rate of return (IRR) and learning cost per attendee. Results: By means of the triangulation of measurements it was ascertained that the three personnel capacity-building programmes had a practical significant effect on the respondents' knowledge, attitude and behaviour. They could, therefore, be considered as effective tools in the hands of Police Social Work Services which not only empowered SAPS personnel to lead more productive professional lives, but also enhanced their personal well-being. The cost-benefit analysis indicated that the Life Skills Programmes represented a worthwhile investment of the organisation's time, money and effort. In its first year of implementation alone, it produced a return on investment (ROI) coefficient of more than 1700%. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

There is an apparent lack of in-depth knowledge about the processes that may underlie the interaction between work and home life, and their relationships with employee health and well-being. Work and home has traditionally been considered as separate domains, but during the past decade of democracy, transformation developments (eg, Affirmative Action, Employment Equity) changed the nature of the labour market and economy. This facilitated the increase in the number of working single-parent, dual-earner families, and of women participating in the workforce, which in turned influenced the work-home interaction of employed individuals. Furthermore, various researchers regard burnout and engagement as important constructs to consider in the well-being of employees. The level of a person's wellbeing subsequently affects his/her functionality in both the work and home spheres. Thus, there is a need to identify ways which both the individual and the organisation can apply to increase personal well-being and the balance between work and home life. South Africa has 11 different national languages, and only 8,3% of the population actually speak English at home. Language differences should therefore be taken into account when administering questionnaires. Studies in South Africa generally report race, education, language, and understanding of English as the main factors which impact on construct and item comparability of psychometric tests. There is consequently an obvious need to translate research instruments before they are administered to individuals from different language groups. If language differences are not taken into account, invalid conclusions regarding the constructs under study could be made, with serious implications for culturally diverse settings such as in South Africa. The objectives of this research were to translate the Survey Work-Home Interaction Nijmegen (SWING), Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS) and Utrecth Work Engagement Scale (UWES) into Afrikaans and Setswana, and to investigate the construct validity, construct equivalence and reliability of these instruments. Furthermore, differences between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction and well-being were investigated. Finally, a structural model was tested, which included job characteristics, negative and positive work-home interference (WHI) and well-being (burnout and engagement). A cross-sectional survey design was used. Random samples (N = 685) were taken from police stations in the North West province. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to determine the construct validity and equivalence of the measuring instruments and to test the structural model. The results indicated that work-home interaction can be described as a four-dimensional construct consisting of negative WHI, positive WHI, negative home-work interference (HWI), and positive HWI. This factor structure was equivalent across all three language groups and all the scales were reliable. A four-factor model was confirmed for burnout and included exhaustion, cognitive weariness, cynicism and professional efficacy. A one-factor model was found for engagement. Both translated instruments were found to be equivalent for the three language groups. Furthermore, a second order factor analysis revealed that the underlying structure of well-being consists of two negatively related and equivalent factors, namely burnout (exhaustion, cognitive weariness and cynicism) and an enlarged engagement construct (engagement and professional efficacy). Members reported more negative WHI than negative HWI, and more positive HWI than positive WHI. Statistically significant differences exist between demographic groups regarding work-home interaction based on language, gender, marital status. parental status and education. Statistically significant differences of wellness exist between demographic groups based on language and educational level. The results of the structural equation modelling revealed that job demands were directly and positively associated with negative WHI and burnout, while job resources were directly and positively associated with positive WHI and work engagement. This also indicates the partial mediating effect of WHI between job characteristics and wellness. In addition, a lack ofjob resources was associated with higher levels of burnout. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Harsh realities exist in the South African Police Service (SAPS) that require concepts such as burnout and work engagement to be studied in the context of work-related well-being. Although these difficulties relate to police officials experiencing work-related trauma, more stressors seem to manifest on an organisational level, which in turn affects the psychological well-being of police officials. This study seeks to focus on the burnout and engagement of members of the Local Criminal and Record Centre (LCRC) in the SAPS. The members of the LCRC are exposed to severe occupational stressors relating to their job content, which necessitates research in occupational stress relating to the health of SAPS members. For the purposes of this study, the model of occupational stress, commitment and ill health of Cartwright and Cooper (2002) will be utilised to explain strain and organisational commitment. Work-related well-being, on the other hand, can best be explained by referring to the model of well-being developed by Schaufeli and Bakker (200 1 ). Since job demands play a central role in burnout, it is necessary to implement preventive organisationally-based strategies to address high job demands. Upon reviewing stress research, it became clear that a serious lack of intervention research exists. Little information is available about the work-related well-being of SAPS members, whilst no documented research could be found regarding the effects of an intervention programme on the work-related well-being of LCRC members. The study aimed at utilising three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) on organisational and individual level. An integrated classification scheme of both the positive and negative aspects of work-related well-being on the organisational and individual level was developed and presented to members from the LCRC over a one-year period. The research method for each of the three articles of this study consisted of a brief literature review and an empirical study. An availability non-randomised sample was selected because the entire in-tact group of the LCRC of the SAPS (N=111) in the North West Province was included in the study. A survey design was used to achieve the research objectives of both Articles 1 and 2, whilst a longitudinal survey design was utilised in Article 3, where the same instruments were administered at two different times (over a one-year period) to the same group of participants. The measuring instruments used in this study are the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), Health subscales, Organisational Commitment subscales, the ASSET questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was implemented to test a structural model of work-related wellbeing. A good fit was found for the model in which perceived job demands contributed to burnout which, in turn, impacted on ill health. Work wellness was determined by the relationship between two opposite constructs, namely burnout and engagement. The work-related well-being of members of the LCRC was affected by an environment of high job demands and inadequate resources. In Article 2, multiple regression analyses showed that occupational stress explained 19% of the variance in psychological ill health and 17% of the variance in physical ill health. A two-step multiple regression analysis conducted with the variables in their continuous form revealed that control was a statistically significant predictor of both physical and psychological ill health, while job overload statistically significantly predicted psychological ill health. Occupational stress also explained 17% of the variance in individual commitment and 16% of the variance in organisational commitment. It was concluded that individual commitment moderated the effects of stressful work relations on ill health. LCRC members portrayed a high risk to fall ill due to exhaustion; they were less enthusiastic about their job and tended to derive a lower sense of significance from their work. In addition, members showed a major risk for developing low affective commitment due to low work engagement. Exhaustion influenced the way members view their job demands, organisational and social support, as well as growth opportunities available to them. A lack of advancement opportunities and job insecurity contributed to feelings of exhaustion and cynicism. Another objective of this study was to evaluate interventions used to promote work-related wellbeing of LCRC members. Although no significant differences were found between the pre- and post-measurements, some positive aspects did flow from the interventions. For instance an active effort by management to address resource needs. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Background: Due to various factors, such as the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services by developing and introducing proactive personnel capacity building programmes (PCBP's). Fifteen PCB programmes had been developed by 1999, which gave rise to the need for a comprehensive impact assessment of these programmes. This resulted in the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity Building Programmes (EPCBP) research project that was launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes formed part of this comprehensive study. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) and Coping with Change (CWC) programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS personnel. Method: The comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used during this research. Six measuring scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and completed by 196 (HLS) and 184 (CWC) experimental group respondents, 38 (HLS) and 41 (CWC) comparison group members and 10 (HLS) and 7 (CWC) presenters. Results: With the help of various measuring instruments and the triangulation of measurements, it was determined that the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes had a practical significant effect on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents. It was concluded that these programmes were effective tools in the hands of Police Social Work Service (PSWS) because they not only empowered SAPS personnel to lead more productive professional lives, but also enhanced their personal well-being. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

HIV and AIDS is the most prevalent and destructive pandemic to occur in South Africa's recorded history. Due to the increase of infection and deaths rates within the South African Police Services, the Peer Education programme was developed as a prevention strategy to deal with the scourge of HIV and AIDS. The programme came into being as a result of the strategic alliance between the South African Police Services and the South African Civil Military Alliance on HIV and AIDS, which led to the South African Defence Force HIV and AIDS programme being aligned to meet SAPS challenges. An external consultant was appointed to oversee the alignment which resulted in the Peer Education programme being identified as a strategy to fight the scourge of HIV and AIDS in the South African Police Services. This programme is an integral part of the Police Social Work Services personnel capacity building programmes. A comprehensive study into the programme's effect and return on investment (ROI) was undertaken in 2001. This thesis will report on the effect of the HIV and AIDS Peer education programme as well as its return on investment coefficient. Objectives The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the HIV and AIDS Peer Education programme on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS employees, as well as the programme's return on investment coefficient. Method The study used an experimental research design and triangulation. It involved an average of 294 SAPS employees (228 for the experimental groups and 66 for the comparison groups) with 32 social workers presenting the programme. The programme was also subjected to a structured and comprehensive return on investment analysis. Results Through the triangulation of measurements it was ascertained that the HIV and AIDS Peer education programme had a practical significant effect on the employees' knowledge, attitude and behaviour and improved their personal and professional well-being. The Return on Investment analysis conducted indicated that the programme was of financial benefit to the South African Police Services in comparison with the input by the organisation and the output realised as a result of the activities of the Peer Educators. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

HIV and AIDS is the most prevalent and destructive pandemic to occur in South Africa's recorded history. Due to the increase of infection and deaths rates within the South African Police Services, the Peer Education programme was developed as a prevention strategy to deal with the scourge of HIV and AIDS. The programme came into being as a result of the strategic alliance between the South African Police Services and the South African Civil Military Alliance on HIV and AIDS, which led to the South African Defence Force HIV and AIDS programme being aligned to meet SAPS challenges. An external consultant was appointed to oversee the alignment which resulted in the Peer Education programme being identified as a strategy to fight the scourge of HIV and AIDS in the South African Police Services. This programme is an integral part of the Police Social Work Services personnel capacity building programmes. A comprehensive study into the programme's effect and return on investment (ROI) was undertaken in 2001. This thesis will report on the effect of the HIV and AIDS Peer education programme as well as its return on investment coefficient. Objectives The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the HIV and AIDS Peer Education programme on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS employees, as well as the programme's return on investment coefficient. Method The study used an experimental research design and triangulation. It involved an average of 294 SAPS employees (228 for the experimental groups and 66 for the comparison groups) with 32 social workers presenting the programme. The programme was also subjected to a structured and comprehensive return on investment analysis. Results Through the triangulation of measurements it was ascertained that the HIV and AIDS Peer education programme had a practical significant effect on the employees' knowledge, attitude and behaviour and improved their personal and professional well-being. The Return on Investment analysis conducted indicated that the programme was of financial benefit to the South African Police Services in comparison with the input by the organisation and the output realised as a result of the activities of the Peer Educators. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Social work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.