The purpose of this study was to develop theoretical insight on the concepts of trust and diversity climate and to empirically test for any possible relationships between these two concepts within a tertiary institution. For the purpose of this study trust was defined as the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party. Diversity climate was defined as the employees‟ perceptions of the policies and practices that communicate the extent to which fostering diversity and eliminating discrimination is a priority in the organisation. The study took on a quantitative approach and the questionnaire used in the study was a combination of three previously validated instruments. Trust was measured through a combination of the organizational trust inventory and the behavioural trust inventory. The dimensions used to measure trust, included, propensity towards trust, ability, benevolence, integrity, trust, reliance based trust and disclosure based trust. The diversity climate was measured through a diversity climate assessment instrument that consisted of nine items. The results indicate that the employees agree that the organization is committed towards diversity management and eliminating discrimination. A correlation analysis between the dimensions of trust and diversity climate revealed that all of the trust dimensions, except for the propensity towards trust have some sort of relationship with diversity climate. The results further indicated that the group of employees that only have an education up to Matric/Grade 12 indicated a higher propensity towards trust than compared to the group that has either a diploma or a post graduate degree. Propensity towards trust and disclosure based trust dimensions revealed the only noticeable differences between the Black and White groups. There was no practical significance within the diversity climate construct for the gender, education, ethnic, employment status or level of employment groups and this should be regarded as a positive result for the institution. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Over the years, growing concerns were raised about the serious effect that HIV stigma has on the global HIV and AIDS-prevention response, with appeals to regard HIV stigma reduction as one of the most important factors that need to be addressed in any HIV-prevention strategy. Studies have found scant evidence of comprehensive community-based approaches to reduce stigma, as few of the existing strategies address the community, but maintain the focus mainly on behaviour change in the individual. This research study is a follow-up study to two other studies. The first study focused on people living with HIV (PLWH) and nurses in health care settings; and the second was a trans-disciplinary, comprehensive, community-based HIV stigma reduction and wellness-enhancement intervention that involved PLWH and people living close to them (PLC). This HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention was specifically planned as an intervention for the community, targeting PLWH and their community members who live in the same ward in the Tlokwe municipality in the North West Province of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to explore, describe and determine whether an HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention in a South African urban area will make a difference in the HIV stigma experiences of PLWH, as well as related stigmatisation by their community; to describe the implementation of this intervention; and to determine the change in depression and psychosocial well-being of PLWH and their community before and after the intervention. The HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention defines a “hub” as a two-person mobiliser team consisting of a PLWH and a non-infected PLC who are inhabitants of the same community and functions from a “hub” in the community. The strategy is based upon the involvement of PLWH and PLC, as community mobilisers, who share their knowledge and who mobilise and empower their own community to reduce HIV stigma. A convergent parallel mixed-method design with a single case pre-test post-test design for the quantitative data, and an interpretive description approach for the qualitative data were utilised. The sample for this study included PLWH recruited through accessibility sampling as well as community members living in the same municipal ward through random voluntary sampling. Valid measures were used to determine and describe whether the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention will affect change in the HIV stigma experiences of PLWH, the perceived stigmatisation by their community, as well as the depression and psychosocial well-being of both PLWH and the community. A sub-sample of both groups was selected by means of purposive voluntary sampling for the qualitative part of the study, consisting of in-depth interviews about stigma experiences of PLWH, as well as stigmatisation of the community toward PLWH. For the description of the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention, a holistic single-case study design was used. Participants were recruited according to accessibility, during the various community activities, with no differentiation between PLWH and people of unknown HIV status residing in that community. Findings indicate that the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention, as planned and implemented, was successful in initiating the onset of changes in a community through the PLWH and PLC, as community mobilisers were active in the community “hub” network to mobilise their own communities towards HIV stigma reduction, sharing their knowledge and mobilising and empowering their own community. Changes were observed on an individual and social level. Recommendations focus on using and strengthening the present community intervention, adjusting some of the scales used in this study and ensuring stronger collaboration between health and social disciplines to address the various manifestations and to change the contexts of HIV stigma. It is furthermore recommended that future HIV stigma-reduction interventions give special attention to addressing aspects of psychosocial well-being. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The purpose of this study was to critically assess the key success factors of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. Numerous studies have been done on social media, but none of them were focused on optimising the success of social media in the South African tourism industry. Relationship marketing and social media is interrelated, where relationships form the foundation of social media. Social media has become the world’s latest marketing marvel, disseminating the lives of its users. Social media also plays a crucial role in the marketing efforts of organisations in the service sector, such as the tourism industry. However, it has become evident that there are still a number of tourism organisations that are currently not optimally utilising social media in their marketing strategies and this gap needs to be addressed. This study was aimed at three empirical objectives which were addressed with data gathered by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed by fieldworkers at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Stratified sampling was used in order to ensure a representative sampling size. 450 questionnaires were distributed, of which 446 completed questionnaires could be used for statistical data analysis. Firstly, for article one the factors inhibiting the use of social media were determined, as well as whether it differ for international and national tourists. Factor analysis was done in order to determine the main factors inhibiting the use of social media, and an independent samples t-test was applied to determine similarities/differences between international and national tourists. The results indicated that the main factors inhibiting the use of social media included Content Challenges, Privacy Issues, and Personal Perceptions. No significant differences were found on the factors inhibiting the use of social media by international tourists versus national tourists. Novel to this study is the fact that from the results it was clear that tourists who are currently not participating in social media do have access to social media sites and have the technical skills and competency to use social media, and are well informed about the different types of social media. Even though social media users spend almost one third of their time on social media sites, there are also a number of people who are not participating in social media. This part of the market is totally untapped. Thus, it is also important for tourism organisations to give attention to the factors inhibiting the use of social media. In article two, the purpose was twofold: firstly to determine how and why tourists used social media for travel and tourism purposes, and secondly to determine whether there was a correlation between the tourists attitudes towards social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. In this article a factor analysis for the reasons for participating in social media for travel and tourism purposes, correlations between the attitude of tourists toward the use of social media and the factors of the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were done. It was evident that three factors for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes existed: Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication and Content Sharing. Novel to this study, it was clear that significant correlations exist between the attitudes of tourists towards the use of social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. However, it was significantly identified that strategies that focus on information gathering and content sharing should enjoy primary attention and resource allocation. In the third article, the purpose was to assess whether tourists’ attitudes and their opinions regarding the success factors for social media can contribute to increased tourism social media activity. A summary of the factor analysis of the reasons for using social media for travel and tourism purposes, a factor analysis of the critical success aspects for the use of social media and standard multiple regression of the attitudes and most important aspects influencing the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were discussed. The results indicated that tourists’ attitudes toward the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were dependent on the Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media. These respondents utilised social media specifically for Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication as well as Content Sharing. The results also revealed that tourists’ Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media are predictors for Information Gathering for travel and tourism purposes; tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and the Perceived Beneficial Aspects they can gain from using social media are predictors for Interaction and Communication through social media for travel and tourism purposes; and tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and Content Accessibility and Sharing are predictors for Content Sharing on social media sites for travel and tourism purposes. Conclusions, contributions and recommendations regarding the outcome of the study were made. The main contributions of the study include contributions to the theory of the field, methodological contributions, as well as practical application contributions. With regard to the theoretical contributions, a framework was developed to optimise and explain the interrelatedness of relationship marketing and social media. This framework can be adopted by researchers and scholars to understand and argue that social media is closely related to the principle of building relationships. Also, due to a lack of a universally accepted definition for the term ‘social media’, and analysis was done in order to assess the most common principles of the term, to develop a definition that can be regarded as universally acceptable by tourism researchers and scholars. Contributions in terms of the methodology entail the development of suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for the data analysis of this study. This questionnaire was developed due to a lack of a suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for data analysis for the outcome of the research study. The high internal consistency of the questionnaire allows for it to be adopted by other researchers in the field of social media and the tourism industry. Lastly, the main contribution of the study to practical application of the results, a framework was developed to optimise the use of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. This framework can be practically implemented by tourism organisations for International and National tourism markets within the South African tourism industry to ensure the optimisation of online social media marketing efforts. The framework was developed in a way that will ensure it is easily understandable, as well as the fact that it will comprise the minimum amount of effort when implementing the framework in the development of social media marketing strategies of tourism organisations. Adequate knowledge and information regarding the above-mentioned aspects can contribute to more effective marketing strategies, increased brand awareness and increased market share. This study also contributes to the existing literature of social media, the effective and successful implementation of social media marketing strategies and has a positive impact on future research with regard to the application of social media as marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Introduction: From a legal point of view, gender-based discrimination is not condoned in the workplace. However, perceptions that such discrimination exists persist. Understanding the extent and nature of the phenomenon may contribute to the management thereof. Aim: The aim of this research was to report on the nature and level of workplace gender-based discrimination from the perspective of managers and employees, as well as by making use of objective measures. Method: Interviews were conducted with 75 managers focusing on the prevalence of gender-based discrimination in specific organisational processes. Furthermore, 145 managers and 1 740 employees completed questionnaires on this topic. Results: Managers reported flaws in all the organisational processes investigated. According to these managers, some processes showed a pro-female bias whilst others displayed a pro-male bias. More female than male employees reported discriminatory incidents at work, but both groups reported gender-based discrimination. Gender-based discrimination was the most prominent form of discrimination reported by women. Some female respondents reported pro-male and others pro-female discrimination. The same pattern applied to men. No statistically significant gender wage gap was found and the salaries of males and females were not differentially affected by qualifications, training, workplace experience or family responsibility. Managers and employees concurred that gender-based discrimination was the primary source of discrimination in the workplace, and they reported similarly on the consequences of this problem. Conclusions and recommendations: Managers are aware of discrimination in organisational processes. This awareness can be used to initiate programmes aimed at minimising discrimination. Both males and females are exposed to gender-based discrimination and they report similar consequences. This suggests that interventions should be directed at both groups. The different, and often opposing, reports provided by the male and female groups support the social identity theory and conceptions of group-serving bias. From the objective data it can be concluded that perceptions of being discriminated against are the result of psycho-social processes and not necessarily the result of justifiable biographical differences. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Currently no guidelines exist for South African professionals that work with sexually abused children. Professionals in this field are in desperate need of such guidelines. Section A refers to the problem statement, research objectives, research procedures and research methodology. The keywords as well as the limitations of the research are investigated. The research was conducted in two phases. In phase one the researcher compared international forensic assessment models and protocols and compared it with what is relevant in South Africa and in phase two the development, implementation, and evaluation of the forensic assessment model took place. The problem statement in section A is based on the following: Currently no guidelines exist for professionals in South Africa that work with children that have been sexually abused. There is a misconception, even among social workers, that all social workers are equipped to work with sexually abused children. Often the child and the offender are the only witnesses to the crime and therefore it is crucial that the investigation must be conducted effectively. If untrained professionals conduct such an investigation it can lead to a child that is at risk of being sexually abused not being protected because it seems that no abuse had taken place, or it can lead to an innocent person being wrongfully accused of sexual abuse. It is important for professionals to use scientific and legally defensible models and protocols when conducting forensic investigation. As previously mentioned, no such guidelines exist for South Africa. At this stage, any professional can conduct such an investigation. This problem statement resulted in the following research goal, namely to develop and evaluate a forensic assessment model for the assessment of the sexually abused child in South Africa. It further resulted in the four research objectives indicated below: * To investigate by means of a literature study the specialised knowledge a forensic investigator must possess before interviewing a sexually abused child (Article 1). * To identify by means of a literature study as well as an empirical investigation, international forensic models and protocols and to evaluate their use in the South African context (Article 2). * To identify by means of a literature study as well as the information gathered from experts in the field of forensic investigations during the previous phase, the content of a South African forensic assessment model for children in middle childhood (Article 3). * To evaluate the developed forensic assessment model by means of an empirical study with professional role players in cases of child sexual abuse (Article 4). The Design and Development model (D & D) was implemented. The model comprises six phases, which all have been used during this study. Qualitative as well as quantitative data were utilized. The literature studies focused on important child developmental aspects forensic investigators should be knowledgeable about before they can conduct forensic investigations as well as the process that needs to be followed during forensic investigations. Section B consists of the four articles in which the research goals and research outcomes are reported. Each article is dealt with as a self-contained unit focusing on specific research objectives achieved via specific research methods. These methods were employed to collect the necessary data for designing and evaluating the forensic assessment model. Article 1 - The objective of this article was to identify and discuss, by means of a literature study, the most important developmental aspects that have an influence on the investigation of child sexual abuse of children in middle childhood. An investigation into the existing literature on important developmental aspects of children in middle childhood was carried out, which could possibly influence the outcome of a forensic investigation. The results of this research indicated cognitive, sexual and language development as being important developmental aspects that forensic investigators must be knowledgeable about, as this can influence the outcome of a forensic investigation. Interviewing protocols were also reviewed. Article 2 - There are mainly four scientific forensic models that form the basis of a forensic investigation. A second important aspect is the forensic interviewing protocol forensic investigators employ during their investigations. It was important to establish what model and protocol would be the most suitable in the South African context, since currently, no such model or protocol exists for the South African context. The objective of this article was to compare and evaluate by means of a literature study as well as an empirical investigation, effective international forensic models and protocols and to evaluate it in the South African context. In this article the researcher presented, analysed and interpreted research findings based on responses provided by 18 (N=18) experts from the country in the field of forensic investigations into child sexual abuse. The research questions focused on how they conduct forensic investigations as well as what models and protocols they employ during their forensic investigations. The purpose was to determine what protocols and models will be suitable for the South African context. In this research, Exponential Non-Discriminative Snowball Sampling was applied in order to identify participants. The results of this research indicated that the comprehensive assessment model, as well as the NICHD forensic protocol, will be the best to employ in the South African context. Article 3 - The research goal of this article was to develop a forensic assessment model for the South African context. This assessment model consists of different phases and will guide forensic investigators from the moment they receive a referral, until the cases is closed. The model was developed from the results obtained during the previous article, as well as in-depth literature study. Article 4 - The purpose of this article was to evaluate the developed forensic assessment model. This was done by a panel of respondents that consisted of four (N=4) state prosecutors, seven (N=7) forensic experts, as well as 12 (N=12) postgraduate students doing their Master‟s degree in Forensic Practice. This was done by means of semi-structured interviews, as well as self-structured questionnaires. The state prosecutors were selected by means of the Exponential Non-Discriminative Snowball Sampling method and the forensic experts were selected by means of judgemental sampling. The total population of the postgraduate students was involved and therefore no sampling method was employed. The results of this research indicated that this developed forensic assessment model is effective for investigating cases of child sexual abuse. It correlates with the expectations of state prosecutors, it is in line with what literature recommends and how experts in the field are currently conducting forensic investigations and it equipped post-graduate students with the necessary skills, knowledge and expertise in order to conduct forensic investigations. In Section C is a summary of the findings and conclusions of the research report are drawn and some recommendations are made. Section D consists of various addenda such as questionnaires that were used. Section E contained an integrated bibliography. / PhD (Social Work), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The purpose of this study was to develop theoretical insight on the concepts of trust and diversity climate and to empirically test for any possible relationships between these two concepts within a tertiary institution. For the purpose of this study trust was defined as the willingness of a party to be vulnerable to the actions of another party based on the expectation that the other will perform a particular action important to the trustor, irrespective of the ability to monitor or control that other party. Diversity climate was defined as the employees‟ perceptions of the policies and practices that communicate the extent to which fostering diversity and eliminating discrimination is a priority in the organisation. The study took on a quantitative approach and the questionnaire used in the study was a combination of three previously validated instruments. Trust was measured through a combination of the organizational trust inventory and the behavioural trust inventory. The dimensions used to measure trust, included, propensity towards trust, ability, benevolence, integrity, trust, reliance based trust and disclosure based trust. The diversity climate was measured through a diversity climate assessment instrument that consisted of nine items. The results indicate that the employees agree that the organization is committed towards diversity management and eliminating discrimination. A correlation analysis between the dimensions of trust and diversity climate revealed that all of the trust dimensions, except for the propensity towards trust have some sort of relationship with diversity climate. The results further indicated that the group of employees that only have an education up to Matric/Grade 12 indicated a higher propensity towards trust than compared to the group that has either a diploma or a post graduate degree. Propensity towards trust and disclosure based trust dimensions revealed the only noticeable differences between the Black and White groups. There was no practical significance within the diversity climate construct for the gender, education, ethnic, employment status or level of employment groups and this should be regarded as a positive result for the institution. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Over the years, growing concerns were raised about the serious effect that HIV stigma has on the global HIV and AIDS-prevention response, with appeals to regard HIV stigma reduction as one of the most important factors that need to be addressed in any HIV-prevention strategy. Studies have found scant evidence of comprehensive community-based approaches to reduce stigma, as few of the existing strategies address the community, but maintain the focus mainly on behaviour change in the individual. This research study is a follow-up study to two other studies. The first study focused on people living with HIV (PLWH) and nurses in health care settings; and the second was a trans-disciplinary, comprehensive, community-based HIV stigma reduction and wellness-enhancement intervention that involved PLWH and people living close to them (PLC). This HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention was specifically planned as an intervention for the community, targeting PLWH and their community members who live in the same ward in the Tlokwe municipality in the North West Province of South Africa. The objectives of the study were to explore, describe and determine whether an HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention in a South African urban area will make a difference in the HIV stigma experiences of PLWH, as well as related stigmatisation by their community; to describe the implementation of this intervention; and to determine the change in depression and psychosocial well-being of PLWH and their community before and after the intervention. The HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention defines a “hub” as a two-person mobiliser team consisting of a PLWH and a non-infected PLC who are inhabitants of the same community and functions from a “hub” in the community. The strategy is based upon the involvement of PLWH and PLC, as community mobilisers, who share their knowledge and who mobilise and empower their own community to reduce HIV stigma. A convergent parallel mixed-method design with a single case pre-test post-test design for the quantitative data, and an interpretive description approach for the qualitative data were utilised. The sample for this study included PLWH recruited through accessibility sampling as well as community members living in the same municipal ward through random voluntary sampling. Valid measures were used to determine and describe whether the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention will affect change in the HIV stigma experiences of PLWH, the perceived stigmatisation by their community, as well as the depression and psychosocial well-being of both PLWH and the community. A sub-sample of both groups was selected by means of purposive voluntary sampling for the qualitative part of the study, consisting of in-depth interviews about stigma experiences of PLWH, as well as stigmatisation of the community toward PLWH. For the description of the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention, a holistic single-case study design was used. Participants were recruited according to accessibility, during the various community activities, with no differentiation between PLWH and people of unknown HIV status residing in that community. Findings indicate that the HIV stigma-reduction community “hub” network intervention, as planned and implemented, was successful in initiating the onset of changes in a community through the PLWH and PLC, as community mobilisers were active in the community “hub” network to mobilise their own communities towards HIV stigma reduction, sharing their knowledge and mobilising and empowering their own community. Changes were observed on an individual and social level. Recommendations focus on using and strengthening the present community intervention, adjusting some of the scales used in this study and ensuring stronger collaboration between health and social disciplines to address the various manifestations and to change the contexts of HIV stigma. It is furthermore recommended that future HIV stigma-reduction interventions give special attention to addressing aspects of psychosocial well-being. / PhD (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The purpose of this study was to critically assess the key success factors of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. Numerous studies have been done on social media, but none of them were focused on optimising the success of social media in the South African tourism industry. Relationship marketing and social media is interrelated, where relationships form the foundation of social media. Social media has become the world’s latest marketing marvel, disseminating the lives of its users. Social media also plays a crucial role in the marketing efforts of organisations in the service sector, such as the tourism industry. However, it has become evident that there are still a number of tourism organisations that are currently not optimally utilising social media in their marketing strategies and this gap needs to be addressed. This study was aimed at three empirical objectives which were addressed with data gathered by means of a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed by fieldworkers at the O.R. Tambo International Airport. Stratified sampling was used in order to ensure a representative sampling size. 450 questionnaires were distributed, of which 446 completed questionnaires could be used for statistical data analysis. Firstly, for article one the factors inhibiting the use of social media were determined, as well as whether it differ for international and national tourists. Factor analysis was done in order to determine the main factors inhibiting the use of social media, and an independent samples t-test was applied to determine similarities/differences between international and national tourists. The results indicated that the main factors inhibiting the use of social media included Content Challenges, Privacy Issues, and Personal Perceptions. No significant differences were found on the factors inhibiting the use of social media by international tourists versus national tourists. Novel to this study is the fact that from the results it was clear that tourists who are currently not participating in social media do have access to social media sites and have the technical skills and competency to use social media, and are well informed about the different types of social media. Even though social media users spend almost one third of their time on social media sites, there are also a number of people who are not participating in social media. This part of the market is totally untapped. Thus, it is also important for tourism organisations to give attention to the factors inhibiting the use of social media. In article two, the purpose was twofold: firstly to determine how and why tourists used social media for travel and tourism purposes, and secondly to determine whether there was a correlation between the tourists attitudes towards social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. In this article a factor analysis for the reasons for participating in social media for travel and tourism purposes, correlations between the attitude of tourists toward the use of social media and the factors of the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were done. It was evident that three factors for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes existed: Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication and Content Sharing. Novel to this study, it was clear that significant correlations exist between the attitudes of tourists towards the use of social media and the factors identified for the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes. However, it was significantly identified that strategies that focus on information gathering and content sharing should enjoy primary attention and resource allocation. In the third article, the purpose was to assess whether tourists’ attitudes and their opinions regarding the success factors for social media can contribute to increased tourism social media activity. A summary of the factor analysis of the reasons for using social media for travel and tourism purposes, a factor analysis of the critical success aspects for the use of social media and standard multiple regression of the attitudes and most important aspects influencing the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were discussed. The results indicated that tourists’ attitudes toward the use of social media for travel and tourism purposes were dependent on the Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media. These respondents utilised social media specifically for Information Gathering, Interaction and Communication as well as Content Sharing. The results also revealed that tourists’ Degree of Trust and Willingness to Participate in social media are predictors for Information Gathering for travel and tourism purposes; tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and the Perceived Beneficial Aspects they can gain from using social media are predictors for Interaction and Communication through social media for travel and tourism purposes; and tourists’ Willingness to Participate in social media and Content Accessibility and Sharing are predictors for Content Sharing on social media sites for travel and tourism purposes. Conclusions, contributions and recommendations regarding the outcome of the study were made. The main contributions of the study include contributions to the theory of the field, methodological contributions, as well as practical application contributions. With regard to the theoretical contributions, a framework was developed to optimise and explain the interrelatedness of relationship marketing and social media. This framework can be adopted by researchers and scholars to understand and argue that social media is closely related to the principle of building relationships. Also, due to a lack of a universally accepted definition for the term ‘social media’, and analysis was done in order to assess the most common principles of the term, to develop a definition that can be regarded as universally acceptable by tourism researchers and scholars. Contributions in terms of the methodology entail the development of suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for the data analysis of this study. This questionnaire was developed due to a lack of a suitable questionnaire to gather the necessary information for data analysis for the outcome of the research study. The high internal consistency of the questionnaire allows for it to be adopted by other researchers in the field of social media and the tourism industry. Lastly, the main contribution of the study to practical application of the results, a framework was developed to optimise the use of social media as a marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. This framework can be practically implemented by tourism organisations for International and National tourism markets within the South African tourism industry to ensure the optimisation of online social media marketing efforts. The framework was developed in a way that will ensure it is easily understandable, as well as the fact that it will comprise the minimum amount of effort when implementing the framework in the development of social media marketing strategies of tourism organisations. Adequate knowledge and information regarding the above-mentioned aspects can contribute to more effective marketing strategies, increased brand awareness and increased market share. This study also contributes to the existing literature of social media, the effective and successful implementation of social media marketing strategies and has a positive impact on future research with regard to the application of social media as marketing tool in the South African tourism industry. / PhD (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Introduction: From a legal point of view, gender-based discrimination is not condoned in the workplace. However, perceptions that such discrimination exists persist. Understanding the extent and nature of the phenomenon may contribute to the management thereof. Aim: The aim of this research was to report on the nature and level of workplace gender-based discrimination from the perspective of managers and employees, as well as by making use of objective measures. Method: Interviews were conducted with 75 managers focusing on the prevalence of gender-based discrimination in specific organisational processes. Furthermore, 145 managers and 1 740 employees completed questionnaires on this topic. Results: Managers reported flaws in all the organisational processes investigated. According to these managers, some processes showed a pro-female bias whilst others displayed a pro-male bias. More female than male employees reported discriminatory incidents at work, but both groups reported gender-based discrimination. Gender-based discrimination was the most prominent form of discrimination reported by women. Some female respondents reported pro-male and others pro-female discrimination. The same pattern applied to men. No statistically significant gender wage gap was found and the salaries of males and females were not differentially affected by qualifications, training, workplace experience or family responsibility. Managers and employees concurred that gender-based discrimination was the primary source of discrimination in the workplace, and they reported similarly on the consequences of this problem. Conclusions and recommendations: Managers are aware of discrimination in organisational processes. This awareness can be used to initiate programmes aimed at minimising discrimination. Both males and females are exposed to gender-based discrimination and they report similar consequences. This suggests that interventions should be directed at both groups. The different, and often opposing, reports provided by the male and female groups support the social identity theory and conceptions of group-serving bias. From the objective data it can be concluded that perceptions of being discriminated against are the result of psycho-social processes and not necessarily the result of justifiable biographical differences. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

M.Ed. / Please refer to full text to view abstract