Orientador: Rodolpho Telarolli Junior / Banca: Aureluce Demonte / Banca: Luis Henrique Montrezor / Resumo: A promoção de um estilo de vida mais ativo na terceira idade tem sido utilizada como estratégia importante para desenvolver melhora nas condições de saúde e na qualidade de vida dos idosos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi caracterizar a prática de atividade física em indivíduos idosos, bem como identificar parâmetros de qualidade de vida, prática de exercício físico e estado nutricional no município de Taquaritinga-SP. A amostra foi composta por mulheres e homens com idade acima de 65 anos praticantes de atividade física em dois locais diferentes, 35 avaliados em uma academia e os outros 35 em um projeto para idosos da prefeitura municipal. A maioria dos integrantes da amostra foi do sexo feminino. Dentro das faixas etárias 76% eram aposentados e 24% continuam na ativa. Em relação á classificação de IMC observou-se que 15% são obesos e não foram observados desnutridos. Entre os homens o percentual médio de gordura foi de 25,31% estando acima do recomendado. Entre mulheres, o percentual médio de gordura foi de 41,21% apresentado o resultado acima do recomendado. As médias de porcentagens de gordura para os dois sexos foram estatisticamente diferentes (p<0,05). Em relação à distribuição de gordura abdominal no sexo masculino 50% estão dentro dos padrões de normalidade. Já os outros 50% estão fora desses padrões. Já no sexo feminino 16% estão dentro dos padrões de normalidade, enquanto que 84% estão fora desses padrões. Quanto aos problemas de saúde que referiam, destaca-se a hipertensão arterial (38,6%), problemas de coluna e artrose (18,5%), diabetes (10%), alterações na taxa de colesterol (3%), ocorrendo outros problemas como depressão, hipotensão, gastrite, tontura, câncer, problemas renais e circulatórios (23,9%) sendo que aproximadamente 6% deles se consideravam saudáveis. Quanto á pressão arterial, 18 idosos apresentaram... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The promotion of life style more active in the third age has been applied as an important strategy to develop a better condition of health and in the quality of aged life. The aim of this study was to characterize the practice of physical activity in aged as identify parameters of life quality, physical exercise and nutrition at Taquaritinga municipality. The sample was accomplished with women and men over 65, practicing of physical activity in two different places, 35 of them were evaluated in academy and the other 35 in a project for aged in municipal city hall. The majority was women corresponding 80%, 76% were retired and 24% were working. According to IMC classification 15% were obese and there wasnþt innutrition. Among the percentage of fat., the average in men was 25,31%, being over the recommended average. Among the women was 41,21% also over the average. The averages of fat concentration for both were different (p<0,05). According to the distribution of abdominal fat in men, 50% were in pattern. The others 50% were out of these ones. In women, 16% were in the patterns, while 84% were out. There were problems of health reported as hypertension (38%), backache (18,5%), diabetes (10%), alterations in the levels of cholesterol (3%) and other diseases an melancholia, gastritis, dizziness, cancer, renal problems and circulatory (23,9%) being about 6% of them healthy. With reference to arterial pressure 18 aged showed a great condition, corresponding 26% of the samples and 23 normal level (33%). All of them were practicing of physical activity and participated in more than one modality, the majority practiced elongation (80%), while walk (62%), dance (52%), hydro gymnastic (30%), general gymnastic (16%)and other modalities (4%). There were four causes of these ageds practiced physical activity: leisure (62%), medical prescription (21%), health (14%) and physical condition (7%). / Mestre

Ph.D. / Most people‘s future aspiration and dreams are closely linked to the work activities that they engage in on a daily basis. Work is a central theme in human evolution and plays a key role in the social and economic spheres of human existence (Blustein, 2006; Donkin, 2001; Fouad & Bynner, 2008). However, the vocational landscape has undergone prolific changes in recent times and the way in which work is organised and performed has changed dramatically from preceding eras (Chipunza & Berry, 2010). These changes have contributed to the production of highly stressful and pressured working conditions that adversely impact employees‘ overall wellness (Blouin, Chopra, & Van der Hoeven, 2009; Marmot, Siegrist, & Theorell, 2006). Organisational responses to employee stress have historically been embedded in the pathogenic paradigm, which aims to minimise the direct financial cost of distressed and vulnerable employees through providing some form of prevention-based employee therapy (Wright, 2003). However, as organisations become increasingly dependent on employees who are willing to conduct multiple in-role and extra-role work activities they are shifting their focus towards the total wellbeing of their workers. Clearly, key organisational goals will not be achieved with a workforce that is simply healthy in the traditional sense of the word, implying that employees are symptom-free and do not suffer from physical illness (Ulrich, 1997). Instead, organisational goals will most likely only be achieved through the promotion of workforce wellness, which refers to not only counteracting the adverse impact of highly demanding work environments on employee health but also promoting engagement and flourishing at work. Research on occupational wellness has a rich tradition of describing and measuring the ways in which job characteristics external to the person (e.g. job design, technology, and organisational structure) impact on employees‘ well-being (Briner, Harris, & Daniels, 2004; Mark & Smith, 2010). Although occupational wellness has largely been associated with organisational and environmental factors recent research suggests that perceptions of work wellness are equally influenced by employees‘ individual cognitive-affective tendencies (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007; Bakker & Derks, 2009). Work wellness can therefore be viewed as a function of the dynamic interaction between job characteristics and personal attributes, with personality potentially moderating the relationship between stressor and strain outcomes (Swider & Zimmerman, 2010; Van den Heuvel, Demerouti, Bakker, & Schaufeli, 2010).

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Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives and consequently brought about a re-evaluation of the QWL these employees experience, as well as their trust in the organisation to support them. Responses to an internet-based survey methodology were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling. Results confirm a positive relationship between Managerial Practices and Organisational Trust, and a lower relationship between the dimensions of Personality and Organisational Trust. A positive relationship was noted between QWL and Managerial Practices, and a lower relationship between QWL and the Personality constructs. This study accentuates the importance of management to be aware of the trust employees have in the organisation as well as their experience of QWL, as it seems as though the Personality traits and Managerial Practices of managers influences both the trust relationship and QWL experienced by employees. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

One of the many issues facing dual-career families today is work family conflict (WFC). WFC is a source of stress due to incompatible roles that conflict with each other in terms of ones time and energy. This study was done to develop a valid reliable measure of career and family responsibility in hopes of adequately determining the source of WFC. The key point was to look at real and ideal selves, in terms of work and family responsibilities.

Recent organisational changes have refocused attention on the productivity and performance of sales representatives and consequently brought about a re-evaluation of the QWL these employees experience, as well as their trust in the organisation to support them. Responses to an internet-based survey methodology were analysed using quantitative techniques and structural equation modelling. Results confirm a positive relationship between Managerial Practices and Organisational Trust, and a lower relationship between the dimensions of Personality and Organisational Trust. A positive relationship was noted between QWL and Managerial Practices, and a lower relationship between QWL and the Personality constructs. This study accentuates the importance of management to be aware of the trust employees have in the organisation as well as their experience of QWL, as it seems as though the Personality traits and Managerial Practices of managers influences both the trust relationship and QWL experienced by employees. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

M. Tech. (Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / It is essential for universities of technology to employ academics who are willing to go beyond the requirements of the job to contribute to the university’s effectiveness. The developing trend in the organisational behaviour literature indicates that quality of work life (QWL) and job satisfaction are attitudes that have a major impact on organisational outcomes such as productivity, job performance, turnover intention and happiness. Although the relationship between the aforementioned constructs is considered important, there is a scarcity of research regarding these constructs in the context of a university of technology (UoT) in South Africa. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between quality of work life, job satisfaction and happiness among academics at a UoT in southern Gauteng, South Africa. A quantitative research approach and a survey-based descriptive method was used to achieve the primary objective. A structured questionnaire was distributed among 300 academic employees at a UoT in southern Gauteng, South Africa. Means and factor analysis were performed to gather insights of employees in terms of factors of QWL, job satisfaction and happiness of employees and to establish the underlying factors of the constructs respectively. Additionally, a correlation analysis was conducted to establish the strength and direction of the association among the constructs. Finally, a regression analysis was performed to determine the predictive relationship between the constructs. The results of this study indicated positive significant correlations between the factors of QWL, job satisfaction and happiness. Regarding model 1, QWL was entered as the independent variable, and job satisfaction as the dependent variable. With reference to model 2, the independent variable was job satisfaction and happiness the dependent variable. Regression analysis indicated positive predictive relationships between the five factors of QWL and job satisfaction and between job satisfaction and happiness. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the workload of academics should be reassessed to reduce pressure, task overload and mental exhaustion that will negatively impact on the QWL. Furthermore, employee involvement in decision making should be introduced to improve academics' job satisfaction. Finally, self-efficacy should be considered to assist academics to have confidence in their abilities to complete their work or achieve their goals.

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Retailing refers to the activities involved in selling goods or services to the final consumer for personal use as opposed to business purposes. It is a socio-economic system that gets people together to interchange goods and services for a small payment, which matches the final consumers’ needs. In South Africa, the industry has grown by a yearly average of 3 percent in the past eight years and Gauteng, as a province, contributed 26.5 percent to this growth. Therefore, the retail industry has been growing at a very slow rate. Letooane (2013:2) asserts that that there is a need for research in leadership power bases, QWL and how best the needs of employees can be satisfied to improve their intention to stay. In this reard, the primary objective of the study was to examine the relationship between leadership power bases, quality of work life (QWL) and intention to stay among employees at a selected retail outlet in Gauteng province. The research methodology applied to conduct the study was a consolidation of a literature review and an empirical study.The study focused on the work of French and Raven (1959) power sources, namely coercive, legitimate, reward, referent and expert power. It also looked at QWL as the nature of the workforce in retail today is generally very different from the workforce of the past decades. In addition, the study explored how QWL will assist retailers in enhancing their employees’ intention to stay. A quantitative research approach was followed in this study and a simple random probability sampling method was adopted. A structured questionnaire, divided into four sections, was utilised to survey 300 (both male and female) employees from three branches of the selected retail company in the Daveyton township. The pilot study preceded the main survey and the internal consistency reliability was ascertained. Of the 300 questionnaires distributed to the participants, a total of 285 responses were usable for data analysis (response rate of 95 percent). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0, was used to analyse data into descriptive statistics, reliability and validity analysis, correlations and finally, regression analysis, which was used to test the relationship among the constructs under investigation. The results indicated that coercive power base (β=0.456) and legitimate power base (β=0.210) contribute positively to the prediction of QWL, while reward power indicated a negative prediction of QWL (β= -0.044). Furthermore, the influence of QWL towards employees’ intention to stay was represented by a positive beta weight of (β=0.754). Additionally, all Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.764 to 0.913, (exceeding the threshold of 0.7) thus suggesting that all the items in the scale tap into the same underlying constructs. Results from this research study will assist retailers to increase the QWL levels in their companies by advancing the factors that were identified in this research study. Additionally, these results may enable retail store managers to comprehensively understand how employees perceive power bases and how these employees’ perceptions influence QWL and, subsequently, their intention to stay. The implications of the results are addressed as well as the limitations of the study and future research opportunities are further identified.

The aim of the study was to conceptualise psychological empowerment as perceived in a South African context in terms of the dimensions and contributing factors. The study was conducted by means of quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample included employees from different geographic areas, genders, races, level of education and positions in organisations in different sectors. Relationships between demographic variables and psychological empowerment were determined. To determine to what extent South Africans are psychologically empowered, according to Spreitzer’s (1995) model, means and standard deviations were calculated for the four dimensions (meaning, competence, self-determination and impact) and overall psychological empowerment (PE) and a percentile table was utilised to establish a norm and compare it with a norm established in previous research. Management practices were found to be significantly related to PE. However, when regression analysis was done, only the practices, motivation, delegation and job and role clarity significantly predicted PE. Perceptions of empowerment were investigated and it appeared that economic empowerment is emphasised in the media, while the majority of interview respondents seemed to have a balanced or positive view of empowerment as enabling. The psychological experiences of employees were explored and dimensions of psychological empowerment that are similar to what was found by previous research emerged. Some characteristics were found to be unique given the present context. Dimensions and characteristics that emerged from the study were resilience, sense of competence, sense of achievement, sense of control, sense of meaning, making a difference and empowerment of others. The theoretical frameworks proposed by Menon (2001) and Zimmerman (1995) were investigated, which confirmed the importance of a goal orientation and pro-active behaviour in psychological empowerment. These theories were evaluated and compared to cognitive theories as suitable frameworks for the study of psychological empowerment. Contributing factors that emerged from the qualitative study most prominently were opportunity and recognition. Locus of control emerged as a possible intrapersonal factor and it was explored further as a contributing factor. Together with the significant factors from the quantitative survey, these factors were employed to recommend a strategy for the development of psychological empowerment with the dimensions of empowerment as outcomes. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)