M. Tech. Business Administration / The Department of Water Affairs has implemented the Performance Management and Development System for more than ten years, but every year the Department of Water Affairs Human Resources department has been dealing with various complaints from both supervisors and supervisees which signals some level of dissatisfaction with the system. The difficulty of measuring performance and the involvement of subjective human judgment makes the design of performance management systems challenging. This study was undertaken as an attempt to ascertain the employee perceptions of the procedural, distributive, and interactional fairness of performance assessments in implementing the Performance Management and Development System within the Department of Water Affairs.

M. Tech. Business Administration / Over the past few years, there has been increasing evidence in the literature on performance management of the importance of performance management (PM) as a tool to increase desired employee outcomes. The South African public service is facing significant challenges on several fronts in sustaining its human resource management so that it will be instrumental in providing quality service delivery to all public stakeholders in the 21st century. The continued success of any public institution in the service industry depends on its employees' contribution and commitment. This means that human resources are a vital resource that contributes to a public institution's effectiveness. In order to improve service delivery in the public sector, performance management was introduced as a means of improving employee outcomes in the Water Trading Entity (WTE). The purpose of this study was to investigate how the current performance management practices within the WTE (e.g., providing employees with feedback on strengths and weaknesses; development needs; resources needed by employees; as well as opportunities for monitoring) are related to the achievement of specific desired performance outcomes. The research was undertaken in the WTE that operates within the Department of Water Affairs.

M. Tech. Labour Relations Management

Assessment Centres within the South African Workplace: Relationship between a Situational Judgement Test and Ability and Personality Measures.This research investigates the relationship of a specific situational judgement test, Scenarios, to that of ability and personality measures through a discriminant validation study. The Scenarios Test was developed in order to assess the construct of Managerial Judgement within the work context. Despite the fact that this instrument has demonstrated reliability and validity evidence, this has been primarily obtained within a European context. Therefore, this study will contribute towards the growing body of evidence supporting the psychometric integrity of the use of Scenarios within a South African context. Moreover, this research aims to determine whether or not a situational judgement test of Managerial Judgement provides information relating to constructs which are not sufficiently measured by ability tests and personality questionnaires. The results indicate that there is significant inter-correlation between the scales of Scenarios, but not between Scenarios and the other instruments used (cognitive ability tests and a trait personality measure). This may support the hypothesis that SJTs could measure a broader underlying construct, such as tacit knowledge, as well as the fact that they may provide unique information relating to candidates‟ potential job performance which is not provided by tests of ability and personality. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

This study evaluates the implementation of a performance management system within a division of a company operating in the pulp and paper manufacturing industry. The research has been carried out in order to establish the perceived effectiveness of a performance management system as well as to identify areas where the system can be improved upon. An empirical study was carried out in the form of an e-mailed questionnaire to approximately 350 employees at Paterson grading level Upper C to Upper 0 across all mills, covering all aspects of the performance management system which included the process of establishing individual performance agreements, performance feedback as well as performance rewards. An analysis on the relationship between salary, salary increase percentage and performance positioning was also carried out. The survey data showed an overall positive level of satisfaction with the performance management system. A shortcoming, however, was found in the link between performance and pay, which very few of the employees surveyed were satisfied with. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Classroom–based assessment, also referred to as continuous assessment (CASS), is a formal and important part of the evaluation of South African learners. The weight attached to CASS varies according to the levels of grades. More importantly, it is only in Grade 12 that CASS marks of all the learning areas or subjects are combined with external summative assessment marks for a decision of awarding a National Senior Certificate. Continuous assessment (CASS) is formative in nature. This implies that learners receive feedback on their performance throughout the year. The feedback learners receive ought to prepare them well for the external summative assessment. If learners have been prepared well for the external summative assessment, we would expect their marks to be consistent with their level of achievement in CASS. However, according to the Department of Education (2003c), having witnessed the first year of CASS implementation in 2001, both national and provincial examination authorities realised that the implementation of CASS was problematic in certain schools. In the analysis of the 2001 and 2002 Senior Certificate examination results by the South African Certification Council (SAFCERT), huge discrepancies were found in certain schools between the raw CASS marks and the adjusted examination marks of the same learners in a number of subjects. The SAFCERT reported that in 2001 a total of 10 182 examination centres supplied CASS marks that were more than 20% above the adjusted examination marks. This document-based study examines the extent of the discrepancies between learners’ CASS marks and the marks they obtained in external summative assessment. It also tentatively suggests possible reasons for the discrepancies. To this end, this study compares scores for CASS marks of English First Additional Language (ENGFAL) to scores for the same learners in the external summative assessment. The documents recording learners’ CASS marks come from four schools in Ilembe District, KwaZulu-Natal. Although my mini thesis focuses on the extent of the discrepancy, my analysis also makes some initial suggestions of some possible reasons for the discrepancies between CASS and external summative assessment marks. These tentative reasons are a lack of teacher knowledge in administering CASS; large classes; the demanding administrative load of teachers; an interest in passing as many learners as possible; not wanting to create tension, especially within small, close-knit communities; and in many cases, generally dysfunctional schools. My main suggestions for addressing the problem of discrepancies include: providing better in-service training for teachers in regard to their knowledge of subject content and assessment practices; making available to teachers an item bank with samples of assessment questions and tasks; encouraging teachers to become active participants of professional teacher organisations; encouraging greater parental participation in informal assessment; and by establishing assessment committees in schools. In addition, the government could appoint more teachers to reduce overcrowded schools and classrooms, fund the establishment of functional libraries, promote and monitor English as a medium of instruction from as early as the Intermediate Phase. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: ’n Ondersoek van die Teenstrydighede by Punte vir Deurlopende Evaluering en Eksterne Summatiewe Assessering by Engels Eerste Addisionele Taal in Graad12 Deurlopende evaluering (DE) is ʼn formele en belangrike aspek by die evaluering van Suid-Afrikaanse leerders. Die gewig wat aan DE toegeken word, varieer na gelang van die vlakke van die onderskeie grade. Dit is belangrik om daarop te let dat die DE-punte net in Graad 12 by al die leer areas of vakke gekombineer word met eksterne summatiewe assesseringspunte om die toekenning van ʼn Nasionale Senior Sertifikaat te bepaal. Deurlopende evaluering (DE) is formatief van aard. Dit beteken dat leerders gedurende die jaar deurlopend terugvoer ontvang oor hul prestasie. Die terugvoer wat hulle ontvang, is veronderstel om leerders deeglik voor te berei vir die eksterne summatiewe assessering. Indien leerders deeglik voorberei is vir die eksterne summatiewe assessering, sou verwag kan word dat die punt wat hulle behaal by die eksterne summatiewe assessering ooreenstem met die vlak van hul prestasie by DE. Volgens die Departement van Onderwys (2003c) is daar egter na die eerste jaar van die implementering van DE in 2001 deur beide die nasionale en provinsiale eksamenowerhede tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat die implementering van DE in sommige skole probleme skep. By die analise van die 2001- en 2002-uitslae van die Senior Sertifikaat eksamen deur SAFCERT is groot teenstrydighede by sommige skole opgemerk tussen die onverwerkte DE-punte en die aangepaste eksamen punte van dieselfde leerders in ʼn aantal vakke. SAFCERT het verslag gedoen dat ʼn totaal van 10 182 eksamen sentra in 2001DE-punte verskaf het wat 20% hoër was as die aangepaste eksamen punte. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die omvang van die teenstrydigheid tussen die punte wat leerders tydens DE behaal het en die punte wat hulle in eksterne summatiewe assessering behaal het, te ondersoek. Die studie sal ook tentatiewe voorstelle maak oor die redes vir die teenstrydigheid. Om dit te kan doen, sal ek die DE-uitslae en die uitslae van die eksterne summatiewe assessering van dieselfde leerders vir Engels Eerste Addisionele Taal vergelyk. Die leerders is afkomstig van vier skole in die IIembe Distrik, KwaZulu-Natal. Alhoewel my minitese op die omvang van die teenstrydigheid fokus, bied my analise ‘n paar moontlike oorsake vir die afwyking tussen DE-punte en eksterne summatiewe assessering aan. Dit kan tentatief toegeskryf word aan: ʼn gebrek aan kennis by onderwysers oor die toepassing van DE, groot klasse, die veeleisende administratiewe las op onderwysers, die strewe om soveel as moontlik leerders te laat slaag om nie spanning veral in klein geslote gemeenskappe te veroorsaak nie en oor die algemeen in baie gevalle bloot disfunksionele skole. My belangrikste voorstelle om die probleem van teenstrydighede aan te spreek, is om meer insette aan onderwysers te voorsien om sodoende hul kennis van vakinhoud en assesseringspraktyke uit te brei, om ʼn item bank met voorbeelde van assesseringsvrae en -take beskikbaar te maak, om onderwysers aan te moedig om aktief deel te neem aan professionele onderwyser organisasies, en om groter ouerbetrokkenheid aan te moedig by informele assessering om assesserings komitees in skole tot stand te bring. In aansluiting hierby moet die regering meer onderwysers aanstel om die oorbevolking in skole aan te spreek, die instel van funksionele biblioteke befonds en Engels as ʼn medium van onderrig van so vroeg as die Intermediêre Fase bevorder en monitor.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / To access data please use IBM SPS Statistics software. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The human resource function attempts to proactively and reactively affect the work performance of employees through advice, diagnosis and interventions in a manner that will benefit the quality of the product and service an organisation provides to the market. In this study a generic performance construct (that can be applied to non-managerial, individual positions), was defined based on previous studies in the area of generic performance. A South African performance measure was designed accordingly that can be used to obtain multi-rater assessments of the generic, non-managerial, individual performance construct. This questionnaire was validated by evaluating the fit of the measurement model, using confirmatory factor analysis. Most of the data for this study was obtained from OK Furniture. A few questionnaires were completed by a non-probability sample of non-managerial personnel from a variety of organisations. The total sample size comprised of 205 respondents. Item and dimensionality analysis was performed on the 12 subscales to assess the success with which they represented the underlying performance constructs. In the item analysis two items were identified as somewhat problematic but both were judged not to be sufficiently problematic to delete them from the GPQ. Results from the dimensionality analysis showed satisfactory evidence that the items of each subscale reflect a common underlying factor. A spectrum of goodness-of-fit statistics was used to assess the measurement model fit. The hypothesis of exact fit was rejected but the hypothesis of close fit could not be rejected (p>.05). The position that the measurement model fits the data closely in the population was found to be a tenable position. The fit indices reflected good model fit in the sample. The measurement model parameter estimates indicated that the indicator variables represented the latent performance dimensions satisfactorily. Discriminant validity was investigated. Mixed evidence on discriminant validity was obtained. The sample size of this study was satisfactory when viewed from the perspective of statistical power given the method of item parcelling that was used, but a larger and more representative sample would have been preferable in that it would have allowed the GPQ measurement model to be fitted with individual items as indicator variables. Another limitation seemed to have been the language of the questionnaire. Informal feedback suggested that some respondents, especially those that are not fluent in English, struggled to fully understand all the questions. Recommendations for future research are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die menslike hulpbronfunksie in organisasies poog om die kwaliteit van die produk of diens wat die organisasie aan die mark lewer te verbeter deur werknemers se werksprestasie proaktief en reaktief te beïnvloed deur middel van menslike hulpbronbestuursadvies, -diagnose en -intervensies. In hierdie studie is 'n generiese prestasiekonstruk gedefinieer (gerig op individuele nie-bestuursposte) gebaseer op vorige studies van generiese prestasie. Dit is hoofsaaklik gemik op individuele nie-bestuursvlak poste. ‘n Suid Afrikaanse prestasiemeetinstrument is ontwikkel wat gebruik kan word om multi-beoordelaar assesserings van die generiese nie-bestuursprestasiekonstruk te verkry. Die vraelys is gevalideer deur, met behulp van bevestigende faktorontleding, die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te ondersoek. Die meerderheid data vir hierdie studie is verkry vanaf die OK Furniture-kettingwinkelgroep. Enkele vraelyste is ook voltooi deur 'n nie-waarskynlikheid steekproef van nie-bestuurspersoneel van ander organisasies. Die totale steekproefgrootte het bestaan uit 205 respondente. Item- en dimensionaliteit-analise is uitgevoer op die 12 subskale om die sukses waarmee hulle die onderliggende prestasiekonstrukte verteenwoordig te evalueer. In die item-analise is twee items geïdentifiseer wat moontlik problematies kan wees maar nie sodanig problematies dat dit hul verwydering uit die GPQ regverdig het nie. Die resultate van die dimensionaliteit-analise het aangetoon dat die items van elke subskaal inderdaad redelik bevredigend ’n gemeenskaplike onderliggende faktor reflekteer. 'n Spektrum van pasgehaltestatistiek is gebruik om die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te beoordeel. Die hipotese dat die model die data perfek pas is verwerp, maar die hipotese van benaderde passing kon nie verwerp word nie (p>.05). Die pasgehalte maatstawwe dui op goeie modelpassing in die steekproef. Die skattings van die metingsmodelparameters dui daarop dat die aanwyserveranderlikes die prestasie-dimensies bevredigend verteenwoordig. Diskriminantgeldigheid is ondersoek. Gemengde bewyse van diskriminantgeldigheid is verkry. Beskou vanuit die perspektief van statistiese krag was die steekproefgrootte van hierdie studie bevredigende (gegewe die gebruik van item pakkies) ‘n Groter en meer verteenwoordigende steekproef sou egter wenslik gewees het insoverre dit die passing van die GPQ metingsmodel met individuele items sou toelaat. ‘n Verdere oënskynlike beperking was die vraelys se taalgebruik. Informele terugvoer dui daarop dat sommige respondente, veral dié wat nie vlot Engels praat nie, gesukkel het om sommige vrae te verstaan. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word gemaak.

Thesis (MTech (Public Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / The main aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of the PMS applied by the SAPS, using the case of Nyanga Metropole. The primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of employee performance management systems at the SAPS, in the Western Cape Province. The secondary objective of this study is to understand and investigate challenges experienced by SAPS while the PMS is implemented. To determine the existing practice and awareness of performance appraisal. To measure cooperation and coordination among members and other partners which will therefore assist in connecting jurisdictional tensions and prevent conflicts amongst members of SAPS and the community. To recommend workable approaches for improving the PMS, and suggest the performance management programmes that should be implemented and monitored for support of the SAPS. The rationale for selecting Nyanga was because it is a less developed location and also has a high poverty rate and lots of crime, which lead to affecting police member’s performance. The study employed mixed methods where data was triangulated between qualitative and quantitative sources. Mixed methods research provides strengths that offset the weaknesses of both quantitative and qualitative research. Mixed methods research provides more evidence for studying a research problem than either quantitative or qualitative research alone (Creswell, 2009: 12-13).

The poor academic performance of Engineering Science N3 students at the Port Elizabeth College for Further Education and Training prompted me to conduct this study. The aim thereof was to investigate the influence that a co-operative learning strategy would have on the test results of students who enrolled for this programme. The hypothesis being tested in this study was whether co-operative learning strategies would improve the test results of science students in the N3 Engineering Science class. A literature review on co-operative learning, its principles as well as the role of the lecturer as facilitator was conducted. In addition, the different types of co-operative learning techniques were investigated so that an approach conducive to the needs of students studying at Further Education and Training Colleges could be selected. The Student Team Achievement Divisions (STAD) technique was deemed to be the most suitable approach. Both qualitative and quantitative data gathering techniques are employed in this study. Interviews were carried out with fellow lecturers at the Port Elizabeth College to determine what teaching strategies are generally implemented in the N3 class. Experimental research involving two groups of 30 students was then conducted to determine the results of students. The one group (experimental) was subjected to an intervention, namely the STAD co-operative learning technique while the other group (control) was taught using the traditional method of talk and chalk. This intervention took place over a period of ix two weeks. However, prior to the co-operative learning intervention and before students were divided into groups, they were taught as a single group for a period of two weeks. The total time spent on this experiment was therefore four weeks. Student test scores gathered from the experiment was statistically analysed and reported on in chapter five. These results indicated that the experimental group out-performed the control group by a significant margin. The higher academic achievement of students in the experimental group could only be attributed to the alternative teaching strategy (STAD) which was absent in the teaching of the control group. This proved the hypothesis.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for Doctor of Technology Degree in Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2017. / The proposed contribution of this empirical study was the formulation of an exploratory human capital development model aligned to performance management for administrative employees at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The human capital development model comprised of elements that encapsulated the link between performance improvement aided with human capital development strategies and the positive outcomes that stems from improved performance. In the context of the study, there is no standardised human capital development model for administrative employee at DUT. Hence, the study seeks to develop a human capital development model for administrative employees. The objective of the study was to develop a model that integrates the procedures of managing institutional performance with the development of its employees. The research design adopted a quantitative paradigm, using a self- administered questionnaire that was mailed to a sample 254 administrative employees. A significant response rate of 68.1% was obtained as 173 respondents returned the questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 for Windows. There were some significant findings that emerged from this study. It was indicated that 99.4% of respondents were not subjected to a performance evaluation, while 74% of the respondents showed that human capital development improved performance. A further 87.7% of the respondents reported that human capital development influence promotional opportunities, while 74.5% of the respondents responded to human capital development being linked to succession planning. A further 61.85% of the respondents also indicated that management commitment was imperative for the effective implementation of performance management systems. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and the Barlett’s Test of Sphercity indicated the factorability of the measuring instrument. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relation between the variables that formulated the human capital development model. Eight of the ten analysis showed that there was a relationship between the variables. The Pearsons Chi-Square test showed a significant correlation for the hypothesis that tested the variables of the study. One of the recommendations suggested is for top management to buy-in to performance management so that their leadership can encourage supervisors to commit to the process. Effective feedback, training, development, mentoring and coaching are recommended to improve the performance of administrative employee. Recommendations suggested the development of a succession planning and career advancement policy for the institution. The study concluded with suggestions for future research. / D