It has been observed within the provincial department under study, that officials occupying levels 1-4 constituted approximately 70% of the population that participated in the National Public Service Strike of 2007. Higher level employees piggy-back on the efforts of low level employees, since they do not participate in industrial action, do not have any deductions made from their salaries due to the implementation of the 'no work no pay' rule, but derive benefits from the collective efforts of industrial action. This study explored the rationale for the participation of low level employees in industrial action in a Public Sector Provincial Department. The objectives of the study was to establish the psychological motivation for low level employees engaging in collective action and the types of behaviour low level employees engage in when participating in industrial action. In this study, the population constituted all level 1-4 employees that participated in the Public Service Strike of 2007. The sample included 80 subjects that were selected, using the probability simple random sampling design, from the population. The questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. Frequency distributions, percentages, chisquare distributions and graphs were used to analyse the data. Very strong response rates were received for subjects indicating that they did not participate in strike/protest action because they thought that they can have a holiday or that the supervisor will not be at work. Very strong response rates were also recorded for subjects indicating that they did not force/influence other people to participate in strike/protest action when they themselves participated in strike/protest action. Strong response rates were received for subjects indicating that they did not participate in strike/protest action because other employees of similar level as them participated in strike/protest action, they were not absent on the day of a strike/protest action because of the pressure from union officials or that they were forced by union officials not to attend work, that when they participated in strike/protest action they were notified by the union about the strike, that when they participated in strike/protest action they participated in union marches/rallies, that they participated in strike/protest action because their grievances were not attended to and that they participated in strike/protest action because they believed that they could control events by their own behaviour. Moderate response rates were recorded for subjects indicating that they participated in strike/protest because they felt that they were worse off than other employees who earn more and have greater benefits than they have, that they participated in strike/protest because they were frustrated and dissatisfied in the work place and that they participated in strike/protest action because they believed that such behaviour could impact on political processes. This study has provided greater insight into the rationale for the participation of low level employees in industrial action despite the monetary losses they suffer due to the implementation of the 'no work no pay' rule. / Thesis (M.Admin.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

Economic factors are a major constraint to quality health care in Africa. One of the aims of the Department of Health in South Africa is to increase availability and affordability of medicine. One way of reducing the cost of drugs is by introducing legislation to control the price of drugs and by the promotion of generics (interchangeable multisource medicines which are cheaper copies of the original brand name drug). Protocols for the Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMBs) for the 27 conditions on the Chronic Disease List as published in the Government Gazette in 2003, were legally binding from 1 January 2004 and these conditions must be covered by all medical schemes. Medication prescribed for these conditions may have one or more generic substitutes and Government has allowed certain measures to be introduced by the medical schemes in order to contain costs. This study investigates the potential savings if generics are extensively used for these chronic conditions. A census was conducted on the 25 chronic diseases for which algorithms are available. The empirical quantitative data collected was calculated to quantify potential costs savings in respect of each algorithm. The major findings show that there are large cost differentials between originator drugs and their generic equivalents (97% in the case of prednisone) and smaller cost differentials between generics themselves (54.6% in the case of formoterol). This study also shows that there is a correlation between the number of generic equivalents an originator drug has and the percentage cost differential. A total of 67.5% of all cost differentials between originator and generics are greater than the Department of Health's proposed 40% benchmark pricing. The results support the recommendations that government needs to implement various measures to encourage increased use of generics in this country and to look at realistic benchmark price controls. / Thesis (M B A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The research study looks at the financial sector of Zimbabwe as it responded to the challenges posed by the trade liberalisation, which had been embraced by the government of Zimbabwe. In mis effort, particular focus was made to one of the financial institution in Zimbabwe, Zimbank (The Zimbabwe Banking Corporation) which found itself having to craft and implement a turnaround programme in order to adapt to me new environment The study looks at the challenges it experienced and the impact mis had on its stakeholders, particularly die customer. The liberalisation of the financial services sector in Zimbabwe brought about a new period which saw a lot of barriers of entry being removed. This resulted in the formation of new banks and increased the level of competition in that sector. A two pronged approach was adopted to the research (desk and field research) to gamer data on the effects of die turnaround programme. The data collected and analysed revealed that me turnaround programme saw me bank (Zimbank) surviving the competition as it came up with innovative products mat added convenience to its customers. A clear link was established between die turnaround programme and the provision of better services to the customers. However, it was also established mat the bank still has to do a lot to keep its customers aware of the strategic moves being taken by it When die turnaround programme was adopted, its customers were not so much aware of what was happening. It was therefore recommended mat the bank should improve its communication with customers, as there are partners in business. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of Natal (Durban), 2003.

The structural research framework of the effects of marketing mix elements on brand equity and customer response is defined with the existing theoretical findings. Research hypotheses are defined according to the identified structural research framework. A householder appliance brand, Hisense, is taken as a demonstrative brand. In order to test the defined structural research framework and research hypotheses empirical research was conducted on the sample of Hisense consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and the multiple regression statistical method with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 11.0) are used to analyze the data. Research results indicate that the structural research framework has an acceptable level of fit to the empirical data. Finally, implications of the research results for the theory and practice of brand management are analyzed and discussed. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This dissertation focuses on the transfer of training at Standard Executors and Trustees. Studies indicate that too often managers in organisations get involved in what they call training, which they carry out as a matter of routine (Erasmus and Van Dyk,1999:10). This form of training, which is done merely for the sake of training, does not add any tangible benefits for the employee or the organisation. Chapter one of this study presents a background to the company and the issues surrounding the transfer of training as well as some of the benefits that may be achieved by positive transfer of training within an organisation. The chapter also contains a statement of the objectives and hypotheses of the study. Chapters two, three and four present the literature, which was reviewed for the study. In Chapter two various definitions of training, development, learning and transfer of training are explored. Chapter three looks at a systematic approach to transfer of training and Chapter four looks at the transfer process model, which focuses on work Environment Factors that influence transfer of training in organisations. Chapter five outlines the research methodology that was followed in this study. Chapter six presents the field study, which involved the following: • The design of a research questionnaire to investigate the perceptions held by employees in relation to the factors they believe influence transfer of training at Standard Executors and Trustees. • The development of a research model. • The presentation of the research findings. The study ends with Chapter seven which provides a conclusion, discussion and recommendations in respect of the research findings. The key research findings are that Transfer of Training within Standard Executors and Trustees is greatly influenced by: • The assessment of training needs. • The employee's motivation to learn. • The employee's ability to learn. The research also indicates that the while the under-mentioned variables have an influence on Transfer of Training at Standard Executors and Trustees, their influence is not significant: • The design of training. • The selection of an appropriate training venue. • The evaluation of employee performance during and after attending a training course. • The use of goal setting and relapse prevention techniques. • The issue of organisational support was also investigated, however the statements investigating this aspect of the study had very low reliability values and in the final analysis this area will need further research. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

The pork industry in South Africa is faced with many challenges some of which have been exacerbated with the trend toward globalisation. The success of the individual farmer is dependent upon co-operative agreements, achieving economies of scale, adding value to the commodity product pork and producing the end product efficiently enough to be competitive in the long-term whilst adjusting to the highly volatile market. The objective of this study was to determine whether the use of a marketing consortium was in principle an appropriate means of increasing profitability of individual farming operations. A secondary objective was to determine what the processing companies thought of the proposed selling consortium and how they would react to the concentration of supply that would result from the formation of a marketing consortium. The secondary research was based on a literature survey of current pork journals, articles from South African pork magazines, statistics from industry reports, textbooks on international trade and marketing, the Internet and newspapers. To evaluate the findings of the literature survey, a questionnaire using Likert type scales was devised and empirically tested among selected samples within the pork industry in KwaZulu-Natal. The literature review and the results from the questionnaire established that the formation of a selling consortium or collaborative relationships would have the potential to be mutually beneficial to both pork producers and pork processors. As a result of this it is felt that marketing consortiums have a place in the pork industry. The scope of this research is limited to the requirements of a dissertation that fulfils the partial requirements of a Masters in Business Administration. The sample sizes were small as the research was confined to the KwaZulu-Natal pork industry. In order to facilitate the reading of the dissertation and to simplify referencing of sources from the Internet the term "online" has been used to replace lengthy Internet addresses. The full address, however, is included in the list of references at the end of the dissertation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2004.

Brands represent invaluable intangible assets of ftrms and therefore need to be nurtured like tangible assets. Leading authors such as Sampson (1998) argue that Fortune 500 benchmark companies such as Coca Cola, BP and American Express have intangible assets accounting for a large percentage of their stock market value. Major banks around the world are competing in a commoditised market where differentiation is proving to be difftcult. Having the best processes and best products is no longer a guarantee for competitive advantage as competitors are likely to copy same. For a bank to have a sustainable competitive advantage in a commoditised market, it needs to use its brand as a contemporary weapon of market choice. Authors such as Grinden (1999) argue that this makes sense as no competitor bank can ever copy another bank's brand. Banks need to take their brands seriously and manage them as if they were managing newly granted loans. Authors such as Haque et al (1994) argue that banks need to realise that the values that make up the brand exist because they are perceived by customers and other stakeholders. Customers will evaluate these values positively or negatively. These evaluations are simply a brand image. Marketing is not about products or services, it is about perceptions. A bank should accept that a customer's perception about its image need not be a fact; it could be right or wrong. A customer will hold an opinion and his or her perception may determine the purchasing decision. As part of the study a literature review was done on brand and branding. Constructs were built based on the strength of literature review on branding and were mainly based on the conceptual model developed by Keller (1993). The aim of the research is to solve the business problem statement, namely: A multi-brand bank such as Nedbank believes provinces and single brands are not related and a single bank such as ABSA believes they are related. Using Chi-Square tests the researcher accepted the null hypothesis (Ho) and rejected alternative hypothesis (Ha) for the three branding variables tested, namely: Top-of-mind awareness, brand trust and brand loyalty. Sample coefftcient of correlation shows a positive relationship between these three variables. / Thesis, (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

S.A. Bioproducts, a biotechnology company that started in the 1993 manufactures and markets a product called Lysine, which is an animal feed additive. It operates in both the international and local animal feed markets, which are volatile and highly competitive. S.A Bioproducts envisages using e-commerce to streamline business processes and to improve customer service. This study was designed to assist S.A Bioproducts with the decision making process about the introduction of e-commerce to its customers. It examined the readiness and willingness of Bioproducts customers to purchase Lysine online. The study also explored the behaviour of the industrial buyer with a view to understanding the factors that affect the adoption of e-commerce. Another objective of the research was to understand customers perceived barriers and the benefits of e-commerce. The study took the form of a research project conducted amongst the current local customers of Bioproducts. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain information about customers' attitudes and perceptions about ecommerce. Due to the small number of customers a census sample was used with one representative from each company filling out a questionnaire. The data was analysed with statistical software called SPSS and mostly descriptive statistics has been used to interpret the results. Decisions about e-commerce has been gaining importance in organisations and generally forms part of the strategic decision making process either at the functional or the business level. By the end of 2002 it is expected the B2B e-commerce will account for 83% of the total online sales in the world and this is expected to grow to 88% by 2006. Africa's implementation of e-commerce has been lagging behind Europe and U.S due mainly to the lack of infrastructure. By the end of 2002 South Africa is expected to spend R35 billion online, the bulk of which will be B2B e-commerce. This study shows that the information technology infrastructure amongst Bioproducts customers is very well developed. Although all respondents have access to the Internet only 23.3% of them actually purchased goods online. Currently, the Internet is most commonly used for obtaining quotes and for final electronic payment. The results show that there is high level of interest in e-commerce with only 3.3% respondents not being interested in e-commerce. Approximately sixty percent of respondents have at least an "average" level of awareness for e-commerce indicating that most customers have a reasonable grasp of e-commerce. The results tend to indicate that larger companies are more likely to adopt innovations sooner than smaller companies, which is in keeping with the finding of Fredrick & Webster (1969). Due to the highly competitive nature of the animal feed industry, the "bandwagon effect" identified by Mansfield (1968) will have significant effect in increasing the rate of diffusion of e-commerce within the animal feed industry in S.A. The main reason why most local customers are currently not using e-commerce is that suppliers are not ready. In Europe, procurement managers stated that the main reason why managers did not purchase on-line was that their suppliers were not on-line or not ready to implement e-commerce. In Singapore a study found that security, initial set-up costs, and on going operational costs as the main barriers to the adoption of B2B e-commerce. Customers rated the ability to reach a wider network suppliers and the ability to track orders as the major benefits of e-commerce. This result is similar to the results of the Singaporean survey where 49.1 % of the firms rated global reach of suppliers as being important. Generally the financial benefits of using e-commerce was not rated as highly as the logistical benefits. This study is only the first step in Bioproducts e-commerce decision making process. Having established there is an interest in e-commerce amongst customers and that customers have the resources to purchase online, Bioproducts can now invest resources in answering the other aspects of the decision making process. The study indicates that most local customers are keen to purchase Lysine online within one year which means that Bioproducts should commence with further investigations as soon as possible. The scope for further research can be increased by including international customers in the survey. Bioproducts needs to perform further research to establish the cost of implementing an e-commerce strategy. The study also needs to evaluate the financial benefits that will accrue to Bioproducts if it embarks on an e-commerce strategy. Bioproducts also need to establish if its suppliers are in a position to embark on business-to-business e-commerce. If Bioproducts is able to employ e-commerce for procurement and for sale of its products it would increase the financial justification for e-commerce. It is imperative that Bioproducts has a sound business model before implementing e-commerce. This study shows that people are very concerned about the "lack of human contact" that is normally associated with e-commerce. Bioproducts should ensure that even if e-commerce is introduced it should not be a substitute for human contact. Bioproducts needs to ensure that it employs adequately qualified IT personnel early in the conceptual phases if it wants to successfully implement e-commerce. While customers welcome e-commerce the traditional methods of marketing still need to be maintained. In essence, e-commerce should complement traditional marketing channels and not substitute them. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

Of the various channels to market, one that has probably received the greatest attention and produced the highest expectations of impact and adoption is the Internet (Wright and Clark, 2- 005: 1). According to Feher and Towell (1997), and Paul (1996), as cited by Vijayasarathy and Jones (1998: 322), the Internet promises a number of benefits to both businesses and consumers. From a business perspective, the Internet can be a powerful medium to establish a unique relationship with consumers (Pattinson and Brown, 1996: 31). For the consumer, the Internet can be a valuable communication medium to facilitate controlled, non-linear search for up-to-date information, simulated product and service testing, and provide assistance with comparison- shopping and decision-making (Hoffman et ai, 1996: 26). The Internet has grown at an incredible rate. By March 2006, there were approximately 1023 million Internet users worldwide (internetworldstats, 2006: 1). However, the Internet has not grown in South Africa at the pace that it has grown in first world countries such as America, Japan and the United Kingdom (internetworldstats, 2006: 1). According to Computer Industry Almanac Inc (2005: 1), South Africa had 4 780 000 million Internet users in 2005. This is approximately 0.5% of the worlds Internet users. Global studies have been conducted on why Internet users purchase online, but not much information is available on why South African Internet users purchase online. Moreover, this limited information is mainly available only commercially. South African Internet research companies such as Webcheck, World Wide Worx and eMarketer generally charge between R6000 and R14 000 (2005 Rand prices) for South African online shopping studies, which generally deal more with Internet usage, buying behaviour in terms of products and services purchased, online shopping trends and to a limited extent factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing online. Due to South Africa's diversity and unique situation in terms of its economy (what is (commonly referred to as it's digital divide), the factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing online may not be the same as the factors influencing Internet users from other countries purchasing online. In order to investigate the factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing online, the following research objectives were identified: • Primary Research Objective. To identify factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing a product or service online. • Secondary Research Objective Number 1. To determine the significance of the identified factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing a product or service online. • Secondary Research Objective Number 2. To determine the relative importance of the identified factors that influence South African Internet users purchasing a product or service online. A questionnaire (provided in Annexure One) was developed to investigate the above research objectives and was distributed, via e-mail to 437 employees of Ninham Shand (Pty) Ltd. A response rate of 269 was achieved. The research found that the following factors were rated important to the sample purchasing online: (1) the price of the product or service being purchased; (2) the convenience to the Internet user; (3) the experience as an Internet user; (4) the web site layout; (5) the ease of use of the web site; (6) the brand of the product or service; (7) the type of product or service; (8) the availability of online information on the product or service; (9) the method of payment; and (10) the web site security features. From the above factors, the web site security features was ranked as the most important factor influencing respondents purchasing a product or service online, the ease of use of the web site was ranked as the second most important factor and the web site layout was ranked as the third most important factor influencing respondents purchasing a product or service online. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that the results from this study can contribute to the body of knowledge on online consumer behaviour theory and knowledge of South African Internet users. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Many organizations are using ergonomic principles and its applications to improve and optimize the current levels of productivity, safety and health. This can be achieved by carefully examining the current management and work practices with the view of finding alternative ways to perform these tasks. In view of the above this research examines the current management and work practices of three small manufacturing engineers, with the purpose of providing inputs, to improve their current status through the application of ergonomic principles. The study is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on the review of current literature on ergonomics and specifically discusses issues such as anthropometry, cumulative trauma disorders, manual material handling, and ergonomic based management systems. The second part focuses on an assessment and identification of existing problems and areas of weaknesses in the workplace. This was accomplished through in depth interviews, observation and questionnaires. The final part presents the research findings followed by the discussion and proposed recommendations. The study has revealed that there is a fundamental lack of knowledge of ergonomics and its relationship to productivity, safety and health. Currently most work practices are guided by what has been learnt and internalized over the years. The researcher proposes that in order to successfully implement an ergonomics programme, ergonomic awareness, training and education, self help training, management commitment and work force participation are essential. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.