This study shows the economic need for SMEs playing a supportive role in the South African mining industry. The main issues arethe business decision of mining companies to outsource function rather than to have it in-house,the differentiation methods mining companies used to distinguish between large companies and SMEs and BBBEE regulation. The Delphi study method was used. A questionnaire was sent out to the group of experts. The group of experts consists of senior managers at procurement departments of mining companies. All of these companies are members of the South African Chamber of Mines. The study showed that the need for SMEs to support the mining industry is increasing due to the increase in outsourcing, differentiating between large and small companies as well as the partnering of SMEs with HDSA's to comply with BBBEE regulations. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This research focused on the past to the present theoretical development of the management discipline and the practical application of it in the South African mining industry. The perceived deficiencies of the theoretical and practical management methods were identified and discussed. The role of the mining industry as one of the major contributors to employment, wealth creation, national gross product and national development was discussed. Existing and future challenges were highlighted. A motivation why the existing available theoretical management practices being utilised were inadequate to enable management to manage comprehensively was identified. The management practices utilised or still being utilised in the South African mining industry were investigated and evaluated. The Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency, as a legally compulsory suitable qualification for a manager to be appointed as a competent person to manage a mine, part of it or works, was also investigated and evaluated. The ideal management method should, at all times, provide in all the present and future theoretical and practical management needs of the total labour force on all the levels of the organisation. It should enable management to efficiently cope with the demands of rapid change and the efficient management of the future. It should ensure that all activities necessary for the efficient functioning of the organisation are totally integrated and coordinated. This management method should facilitate the optimisation of the collective skills, loyalty and dedication of all the employees on all the levels of the organisation. It should primarily optimise the desired planned results. Such a management method could not be ascertained from the literature and practice. It was concluded that the South African mining industry is in dire need of a comprehensive, practical and integrated management method that would, at all times, provide in all the present and future theoretical and practical management needs of the total labour force on all the levels of the organisation. A sustainable, comprehensive, practical and integrated management theory and an implementation procedure, suitable to apply the management theory equally efficiently on all the levels of the organisation, was developed, discussed and proposed in this thesis. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / unrestricted

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African Mining industry has had a poor safety performance over the past couple of years, which led to a lot of questions being asked about how effective mining operations are managed. Numerous concerns and opinions have been raised on the reasons why no improvement is seen in organisations’ safety trends. The general concern in the mining industry is that safety and operations are managed as separate entities and not as an integrated unit. Besides the perception of operational issues that are managed more diligently than safety issues, the associated competency levels of line personnel are also questioned. Safety management systems in mining organisations are also under the spotlight in respect of quality, effective application and a positive contribution in preventing accidents and incidents. A more intensified focus on safety is required by the respective mining houses. The main contributing factors that lead to accidents and incidents need to be determined. The possible reasons for the unsatisfactory safety results can be divided into controllable and uncontrollable elements when seen from a safety perspective. The controllable elements are all possible reasons for why a safety management system is not working. There might also be different contributors to poor safety performance but these are definitely underlying to the main reasons identified. The influence of human behaviour on accidents as well as the considered organisation safety system is essential in safety management. Human behaviour is a function of the characteristics of both the person and the environment. Individuals bring elements to the organisational setting, including abilities, personal beliefs, expectations and past experiences. The environment provided by an organisation has a number of features: jobs, relationships between people, work that needs to be done, rewards available to individuals, and so on. Behaviour results from the interaction of individual and organisational characteristics. The behaviour of humans and the understanding thereof will be a science in its own right. To prevent incidents, one should know their causes. As Louis Pasteur put it, over 100 years ago: “All things are hidden obscure and debatable if the cause of the phenomena be unknown, but everything is clear if the cause be known.” / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Suid-Afrikaanse mynboubedryf presteer die afgelope aantal jaar swak wat betref veiligheidsbestuur en ʼn hele aantal vrae word gevra oor hoe effektief mynbouoperasies bestuur word. Verskeie besorgdhede en opinies is gelug oor die moontlike redes waarom daar geen verbetering in ondernemings se veiligheidsindekse ervaar word nie. Die algemene bekommernis in die mynboubedryf is dat veiligheid en operasionele verantwoordelikhede afsonderlik bestuur word en nie as ʼn geïntegreerde eenheid nie. Afgesien van die persepsie dat operasionele uitdagings meer doelgerig bestuur word as veiligheid, word die gepaardgaande bevoegdheidsvlakke van lynpersoneel ook bevraagteken. Veiligheidsbestuurstelsels in mynbouondernemings is ook onder verdenking wat betref gehalte, effektiewe toepassing en ’n positiewe bydrae ten opsigte van ondersteuning en voorkoming van insidente en ongelukke. ʼn Meer intense fokus op veiligheid word benodig by die onderskeie mynhuise. Die belangrikste bydraende faktore wat tot ongelukke en insidente lei, moet bepaal word. Die moontlike redes vir onbevredigende veiligheidsresultate kan verdeel word in beheerbare en onbeheerbare elemente wanneer gesien vanuit ʼn veiligheidsperspektief. Die beheerbare elemente is moontlike redes waarom ʼn veiligheidbestuurstelsel nie werk nie. Daar kan moontlik ook ander bydraende faktore wees tot ʼn swak veiligheidsprestasie maar dit is definitief onderliggend tot die hoofredes soos geïdentifiseer. Die invloed van menslike gedrag op ongelukke sowel as die inaggenome veiligheidstelsel van die organisasie is essensieel by veiligheidsbestuur. Menslike gedrag is ʼn funksie van die eienskappe van beide die persoon en die omgewing. Individue bring sekere elemente na die organisatoriese opset wat vermoëns, persoonlike oortuigings, verwagtings en ondervinding insluit. Die omgewing geskep deur organisasies behels ʼn aantal elemente: werksomskrywing, verhoudings tussen mense, werk wat gedoen moet word, vergoeding van individue, ens. Gedrag is die resultaat van die interaksie tussen individue en die kenmerke van die organisasie. Die gedrag van mense en begrip daarvan sal ʼn wetenskap in eie reg bly. Om insidente te verhoed, moet die oorsake bekend wees. Soos Louis Pasteur dit meer as 100 jaar gelede gestel het: “All things are hidden obscure and debatable if the cause of the phenomena be unknown, but everything is clear if the cause be known.”

One of the means South Africa has adopted to redress the social ills of the past is corporate social responsibility. This essentially places the onus on the business community within the country to take accountability of the social ills within the country and implement practices within their organizations to address these ills in a structured and sustainable manner. The extent to which and the manner in which this social obligation is discharged within the mining industry which represents one of the larger industries in the country formed the basis of this research.To this extent, secondary economic data was used of listed mining companies over a five year period to understand the extent to which these companies have been contributing towards the cause of socio-economic upliftment. This data was contrasted against general industry data in an attempt to gauge mining company’s commitment against the other industries operating within the country. In order to understand how CSI is interpreted and executed, 6 specialist interviews were held with senior management officials from different mining companies whilst 2 specific mining projects were considered to test the aspect of sustainability.Based on the results, mining companies similar to other companies within South Africa have demonstrated real commitment to CSI through higher annual year on year contributions. The internal processes and resources committed to CSI signal that companies have recognized the importance of CSI as a key element to their own sustainability. The research further reveals that whilst a lot is being done and continues to be done, it clearly is not enough and the country as a collective needs to consider how best to exploit its CSI resources to ensure it reaches the appropriate needs areas and further focuses more on enterprise development.<p/> / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategising practices of chartered accountants (CAs) in the South African mining industry. Few studies have dealt with the practical skills CAs employ when they engage in strategising practices and, in particular, a gap could be identified on how CAs engage with strategy tools during strategising. Approximately two thirds of all directors in South Africa are CAs and only 11% of directors who are CAs also hold master‟s degrees in business administration. The question then arises of how do CAs engage with strategy tools during strategising? This study applied key concepts of social practice theory to explore the strategising practices of CAs from a strategy-as-practice perspective. The strategy-as-practice perspective entails studying strategy practitioners within their social constructs. The context of this study was the South African mining industry, a landscape seen as an essential part of the South African economy. An exploratory qualitative research design was applied whereby one-on-one interchanges during individual interviews provided rich, detailed descriptions of how CA strategists use strategy tools when they engage in strategising practices. The social nature of the practices and praxis of strategy practitioners from a strategy-as-practice perspective constantly changes. As such, the current study was conducted from a constructivist paradigm to describe the narrative reality of the strategy practitioners as they engage with strategy tools. The findings of the study portrayed participants as bricoleurs of strategy tools, i.e. craftspeople who adapted and interpreted strategy tools from an accounting perspective to serve the requirements of the situation they face. / Financial Accounting / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

Safety has become one of the greatest gauging factors for organisational success, within the mining and construction industry of South Africa. This is due to the fact that organisations and their employees are expected to adhere to safety legislation, or risk permanent shutdown. Notwithstanding this importance, methods of communicating safety information to employees have not yet been widely researched – especially not within the unique context of the combined mining and construction industry of South Africa. In the light of the above, this study focused on researching those internal communication methods most suited for the communication of safety information. The systems theory as meta-theory, and the stakeholder relationship theory, the excellence theory and dual-capacity model were used to frame the study. An extensive literature review was firstly conducted, identifying and discussing internal communication methods, their use within the South African mining and construction industry, and specifically their application to safety communication. The concepts of communication satisfaction and communication effectiveness of internal safety communication, as well as employee relations were investigated. Secondly the application of these internal safety communication methods was then further researched empirically within the Gautrain project – specifically its Precast Yard –which is seated within both the mining, as well as the construction industry, as it has to adhere to safety legislations from both industries. This empirical research was done by means of questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, as well as a discussion of the communication channels employed by the organisation. This accounted for a triangulated approach of using quantitative, as well as qualitative methodologies. From this empirical research it was seen that the Precast Yard of the Gautrain project adheres to the guidelines set in the literature in some circumstances, whilst in others it does not. From these shortcomings, seven recommendations were formulated for the improvement of safety communication in this organisation. These include the proposal that safety communications should be strategically managed by integrating all forms of communication, so that external factors that may impact on this communication are factored in. Furthermore, the communication of safety information should strive to reflect the diverse viewpoints of the employees, as it endeavours to foster a relationship with them. Briefly, this study, therefore, focused on identifying and reporting on those methods and techniques suited for the internal communication of safety information, specifically within the South African mining and construction industry, thereby expanding the field. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Safety has become one of the greatest gauging factors for organisational success, within the mining and construction industry of South Africa. This is due to the fact that organisations and their employees are expected to adhere to safety legislation, or risk permanent shutdown. Notwithstanding this importance, methods of communicating safety information to employees have not yet been widely researched – especially not within the unique context of the combined mining and construction industry of South Africa. In the light of the above, this study focused on researching those internal communication methods most suited for the communication of safety information. The systems theory as meta-theory, and the stakeholder relationship theory, the excellence theory and dual-capacity model were used to frame the study. An extensive literature review was firstly conducted, identifying and discussing internal communication methods, their use within the South African mining and construction industry, and specifically their application to safety communication. The concepts of communication satisfaction and communication effectiveness of internal safety communication, as well as employee relations were investigated. Secondly the application of these internal safety communication methods was then further researched empirically within the Gautrain project – specifically its Precast Yard –which is seated within both the mining, as well as the construction industry, as it has to adhere to safety legislations from both industries. This empirical research was done by means of questionnaires, focus groups, interviews, as well as a discussion of the communication channels employed by the organisation. This accounted for a triangulated approach of using quantitative, as well as qualitative methodologies. From this empirical research it was seen that the Precast Yard of the Gautrain project adheres to the guidelines set in the literature in some circumstances, whilst in others it does not. From these shortcomings, seven recommendations were formulated for the improvement of safety communication in this organisation. These include the proposal that safety communications should be strategically managed by integrating all forms of communication, so that external factors that may impact on this communication are factored in. Furthermore, the communication of safety information should strive to reflect the diverse viewpoints of the employees, as it endeavours to foster a relationship with them. Briefly, this study, therefore, focused on identifying and reporting on those methods and techniques suited for the internal communication of safety information, specifically within the South African mining and construction industry, thereby expanding the field. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategising practices of chartered accountants (CAs) in the South African mining industry. Few studies have dealt with the practical skills CAs employ when they engage in strategising practices and, in particular, a gap could be identified on how CAs engage with strategy tools during strategising. Approximately two thirds of all directors in South Africa are CAs and only 11% of directors who are CAs also hold master‟s degrees in business administration. The question then arises of how do CAs engage with strategy tools during strategising? This study applied key concepts of social practice theory to explore the strategising practices of CAs from a strategy-as-practice perspective. The strategy-as-practice perspective entails studying strategy practitioners within their social constructs. The context of this study was the South African mining industry, a landscape seen as an essential part of the South African economy. An exploratory qualitative research design was applied whereby one-on-one interchanges during individual interviews provided rich, detailed descriptions of how CA strategists use strategy tools when they engage in strategising practices. The social nature of the practices and praxis of strategy practitioners from a strategy-as-practice perspective constantly changes. As such, the current study was conducted from a constructivist paradigm to describe the narrative reality of the strategy practitioners as they engage with strategy tools. The findings of the study portrayed participants as bricoleurs of strategy tools, i.e. craftspeople who adapted and interpreted strategy tools from an accounting perspective to serve the requirements of the situation they face. / Financial Accounting / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)

Since the first democratic election in 1994, the South African labour force has undergone various changes. As a result, a number of laws were implemented, which helped ensure the diverse nature of the South African labour force. Within a diverse workforce, stereotypes are more likely to occur, which is also the focus of the present study. This study explored not only the meaning and origin of stereotypes but also the prevalent stereotypes and the manner in which employees experience these within the South African mining industry. A qualitative research design from a combined phenomenological and hermeneutic approach was used for the purpose of this study by following a case-study strategy. A combination of both purposive and convenience sampling was used and participants’ responses were obtained by making use of semi-structured interviews. The population consisted of participants (N = 15) from different departments within a particular organisation in the mining industry in South Africa. The representation of the population was diverse and included male, female, various age groups, and different racial groups. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Themes, sub-themes, and characteristics were extracted from the data and direct quotations of participants’ responses were analysed to support the findings. It was found that participants of this study are aware of and understand the meaning of stereotypes. Generalisation was the most prominent theme that was evident when asking participants about the meaning of stereotype. During the study it became clear that stereotypes exist within the mining industry and that individuals do entertain stereotypes of other individuals employed in this industry (out-groups), and also about themselves (in-group). The most prominent in-group stereotypes that individuals experienced are racially oriented. These stereotypes were experienced by White individuals, Black individuals and Coloured individuals, and it was mostly negative. The most prominent out-group stereotypes that individuals hold of others in their workplace were found to be occupational stereotypes. During the present study most stereotypes turned out to be negative in nature. Findings of this study also indicated that employees experience stereotypes on three levels, namely emotional, cognitive and behavioural. Participants of this study experienced stereotypes mostly on an emotional level. The study’s findings did show various origins of stereotypes and participants indicated that it originated mostly from secondary exposure. In these instances influences can be a result of factors such as affirmative action, apartheid, social interaction and upbringing. To conclude the study, recommendations were made for future research and practice in an industry with a diverse workforce. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Since the first democratic election in 1994, the South African labour force has undergone various changes. As a result, a number of laws were implemented, which helped ensure the diverse nature of the South African labour force. Within a diverse workforce, stereotypes are more likely to occur, which is also the focus of the present study. This study explored not only the meaning and origin of stereotypes but also the prevalent stereotypes and the manner in which employees experience these within the South African mining industry. A qualitative research design from a combined phenomenological and hermeneutic approach was used for the purpose of this study by following a case-study strategy. A combination of both purposive and convenience sampling was used and participants’ responses were obtained by making use of semi-structured interviews. The population consisted of participants (N = 15) from different departments within a particular organisation in the mining industry in South Africa. The representation of the population was diverse and included male, female, various age groups, and different racial groups. Interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Themes, sub-themes, and characteristics were extracted from the data and direct quotations of participants’ responses were analysed to support the findings. It was found that participants of this study are aware of and understand the meaning of stereotypes. Generalisation was the most prominent theme that was evident when asking participants about the meaning of stereotype. During the study it became clear that stereotypes exist within the mining industry and that individuals do entertain stereotypes of other individuals employed in this industry (out-groups), and also about themselves (in-group). The most prominent in-group stereotypes that individuals experienced are racially oriented. These stereotypes were experienced by White individuals, Black individuals and Coloured individuals, and it was mostly negative. The most prominent out-group stereotypes that individuals hold of others in their workplace were found to be occupational stereotypes. During the present study most stereotypes turned out to be negative in nature. Findings of this study also indicated that employees experience stereotypes on three levels, namely emotional, cognitive and behavioural. Participants of this study experienced stereotypes mostly on an emotional level. The study’s findings did show various origins of stereotypes and participants indicated that it originated mostly from secondary exposure. In these instances influences can be a result of factors such as affirmative action, apartheid, social interaction and upbringing. To conclude the study, recommendations were made for future research and practice in an industry with a diverse workforce. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015