M.A. (History) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The social construction of client service impacts on the everyday lives of all community members. This qualitative study was conducted to establish how frontline employees construct their client service in the police environment. Front-line employees, such as police officers and civilians working for the police, were interviewed in seven focus group discussions, and afterwards during in-depth interviews on a one-on-one basis. Data was also collected by studying unsolicited organisational documents such as policies and internal correspondence. I contributed by writing an essay on my personal experiences while working for the police service. Grounded theory was applied to analyse data through open, axial and selective coding. Twenty-one themes emerged from the data during open coding. Data was put back together again to find alternative links in the data. Eight main themes that could be tied to "dissatisfaction in the organisation" emerged from the data by applying this axial-coding process. Finding the single story line that could drape all themes saw the emergence of the core category. This process of selective coding identified the core category as being "dissatisfaction with internal processes in the organisation". A literature review covered topics such as motivation, commitment, policy, organisational culture, resistance to change and willingness. This process facilitated the development of my version or interpretation of a Process Satisfaction Model (PSM) which has been explicated in terms of the conditional matrix. The "goodness" of the study was evaluated in terms of reflexivity, peer debriefing, audit trail, credibility and dependability, authenticity, transferability and member checking. The main contribution of the study is to the social science in terms of theory and methodology and organisational human resource and management practice. Practical value was added to mainly policy formulation, implementation and accountability and education, training and development (ETD) practice. The study was concluded by reflecting on the researcher’s experience of the study during the course of the research. / Prof. Willem J. Schurink Prof. Karel Stanz

M.Comm. (Auditing) / 2009, SAICA released its Competency Framework. The Competency Framework detailed specific competencies to be achieved at entry point into the profession, but placed specific emphasis on pervasive qualities and skills. The competencies in the Competency Framework now form the foundation of SAICA’s qualification model, which will be assessed in the revised Part I and Part II in 2013 and 2014 respectively. As a consequence, SAICA-accredited academic providers are now being tasked to deliver not only specific competencies, but also pervasive qualities and skills. No research had been conducted on the views of individual academics at SAICA-accredited academic programmes on the delivery methods that result in the acquisition/development and assessment of SAICA’s pervasive qualities and skills, as well as on the challenges related to the delivery of these competencies. Thus, there was significant pressure on academic providers to respond to SAICA’s requirements in the Competency Framework, and, in the context of this dissertation, to respond vis-à-vis pervasive qualities and skills. The research problem was addressed by following a two-pronged approach, which firstly entailed conducting an extensive literature review and then performing empirical work. The literature review identified delivery methods that are recognized by IFAC, applied by CAGE member bodies’ and used in the accounting profession to equip candidates with pervasive qualities and skills. The empirical work solicited the views of individual academics at SAICA’s accredited academic programmes on delivery methods that may be applied in the transfer of pervasive qualities and skills, and on the challenges associated with this debate. This study found that an array of delivery methods must be used in the delivery of competencies, and formulated 19 acquisition/development and 17 assessment methods that may be applied by academic providers in addressing SAICA’s pervasive qualities and skills, and by HODS in drafting policies that address these competencies. In addition, this dissertation highlighted the inconsistencies between academics providing instruction on the undergraduate programme and their honours counterparts. It was emphasized that competence is a continual process, and that the onus to deliver all SAICA’s competencies rests with the academic providers during their education programmes. Furthermore, the research findings make a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge on pervasive qualities and skills.

This research project assesses the development, application and use of paper pulp as a medium for the production of three-dimensional figurative sculptures for application in the Phumani Paper Programme. The research was undertaken to assess the use of this medium with a view to finding ways of stimulating job creation, which would support community development. I chose to focus on the Hear Our Voice (HOV) programme because of its limited success in job creation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The HOV art programme is presented here as a case study, which includes its impact on the 2002 WSSD and links it to the poverty alleviation projects of Phumani Paper. The presentation of the outcomes of the WSSD demonstrate the viability of the study. The participation of all stakeholders on different levels has been incorporated into this research study. Participatory Action Research (PAR) design and methodology is applied to this research project. The research project is divided into two phases: the first, project implementation phase, and the second, research phase. The first phase discusses the involvement of participants in project implementation and the technical aspects of production. Using phase one documentation as a basis, the second phase focuses on the collection of appropriate research data and then on the analysis of this data. In the broad summary of the HOV programme, the challenges and failures of the project faced by disadvantaged communities are highlighted, along with the creative ways in which these challenges were met and, in some cases, continue to be met, by project participants. This research project considers the potential for sustained and sustainable poverty alleviation in the long term through the group participation and the creative use of waste material in order to produce and market good quality paper products. / Ms. K. Berman Dr. G. Mukuka

M.Comm. / The South African Transport Services is one of the largest undertakings in the Republic of South Africa. It is a multi-modal undertaking employing approximately 212 000 people and has a turnover in excess of R8 000 million per annum. During a strategic planning excercise the top management of the South African Transport Services identified an effective management information system as a critical success factor to the well being of the undertaking on the premise that information forms the basis for sound management decision-making. The need for relevant information for decision-making has never been more real than at present. The South African Transport Services is facing a market situation of ever-increasing competition. As the move towards deregulation in the RSA gathers momentum, the competition will become even greater. The information resource will have to respond to the challenge and provide management with timely, relevant information to make sound decisions. This study has as its goal the setting of a number of guidelines which will enable the management of the South African Transport Services to prepare a strategic information plan for the undertaking. As a result of the conclusions drawn from the literature study an investigation was conducted into the characteristics of the South African Transport Services with the accent on the present availability, distribution and use of information. This study was undertaken at three levels. At the first level stock was taken of the formal information which is at present supplied to top management. A number of conclusions were drawn as to the application, volume, relevance, accuracy and timeliness of the information. At the same time the views of top management were obtained on their perception of the most important information problems in the South African Transport Services.

Magister Legum - LLM

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study focuses on the Performance Management System in the South African local government with specific emphasis on policy implementation.

Magister Educationis - MEd / The democratisation of the South African government created a policy environment that enabled transformation in every sphere of our society. Transformation of the education sector was marked by the adoption of inclusive education as a constitutional imperative in this country. This resulted in attempts to make ordinary mainstreams schools more accessible to learners with disabilities. The transformation of schools into inclusive institutions is a tedious process that is being further complicated by the contentious nature of the notion of inclusion. The challenge to schools and institutions is that there is no measuring instrument against which schools can measure their own development, and which can inform the process they embark on. Against this backdrop this study aimed at developing an instrument that could guide schools through the process of becoming more inclusive. The question that this study seeks to answer is: What are the indicators that can be used to evaluate the development of inclusive practices in mainstream schools in the Western Cape context? Methodologically the study is set in a qualitative research paradigm that employed a participatory action research method (PAR), that matches the spirit of democracy that permeates the society in which participants in study found themselves in. In-depth interviews were used to pursue the aim of the study. Inclusive education is described in literature as an elusive and contentious concept. This description resonated well with the findings of this study as participants conceptualised inclusive education in a variety of ways. The study explored the three interconnected dimensions of inclusive education to direct the development of inclusive education in a school. This exploration yielded a variety of indicators for each dimension that were categorised in general indicators and more specific indicators. These general and specific indicators, as were foregrounded by the participants, were then collated in an instrument that the stakeholders of the school could use to support and monitor the implementation of inclusive cultures, policies and practices in their school.

Please read the abstract in the section 04back of this document / Dissertation (MA (Setswana))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / African Languages / unrestricted

Affirmative action is a sensitive and controversial topic evoking a host of emotional reactions regarding tokenism, window dressing, reverse discrimination, lowering of standards, empowerment, disregard for meritocracy and many others. It has been a discussion area in countless number of seminars, symposia and conferences held within our borders. Masters and Doctoral thesis and dissertations have as well researched the topic to provide clarity, understanding and new insight into the notion of affirmative action; but most researchers examined the views of management on affirmative action neglecting opinions and views of the very beneficiaries of affirmative action programme – blacks, women and the disabled. The primary objective of this research exercise is therefore to analyse beneficiaries’ perceptions of affirmative action in Company XXX – that is how they feel about affirmative action and how their feelings may have an effect on the success or failure of affirmative action. This research is of a qualitative nature and enquires into the historical and present context of affirmative action in Company XXX; lessons learned from other countries; assumptions about affirmative action and beneficiaries perceptions of affirmative action programmes in which they are engaged and their ideas of changes and improvements to the programme. Research method used consists of in-depth interviews with a sample of nine beneficiaries from Company XXX using employment equity criteria. Policy documents and reports on affirmative action in Company XXX were scrutinized. Research findings reveal the following amongst others: <ul> <li> That affirmative action programmes generally fail to provide black managers/beneficiaries with a sense of purpose or belonging in their organization</li> <li> That the programmes fail to address problems of racism and resistance to change in the organization</li> <li> That the aims of affirmative action are rarely made explicit</li> <li> That beneficiaries are not given adequate authority and responsibility</li> <li> That beneficiaries are more confident about their abilities</li> <li> That buildings are not sufficiently accommodative of disabled beneficiaries who are wheelchair bound</li> <li> That the environment does not give adequate support to beneficiaries to help them succeed</li> </ul> Research results indicate that beneficiaries feel that affirmative action is good for the organization and economy if implemented correctly and if the necessary support training is provided to them to help them meet and exceed their employers’ expectations. Although they agree that productivity may sometimes be lowered to an extent on their appointment, they feel that it is not an exception. It is common knowledge that a new appointee cannot be as productive as a person who has been in the same positions and received rigorous training as well for a long time. Given reasonable time and the necessary support, the short-term costs of appointing affirmative action beneficiaries will be far outweighed by the long-term benefits. Copyright 2004, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Boikhutso, RA 2004, Qualitative analysis of the perceptions of affirmative action beneficiaries in South African parastatals, MAdmin dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-03162005-143810 / > / Dissertation (MAdmin (Labour Relations))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted