Gender is perhaps the most significant social category in human society. According to Maccoby and Jacklin (1974), the influence of gender is apparent in all known languages, past and present, and serves to distinguish the role differences in society. Gender may be seen as the primary basis for human differentiation and serves as a powerful incentive for this study. The study was conducted at the University of Kwazulu-Natal (UKZN) to gain a better understanding of the differences in leadership styles and the significant role that gender plays in leadership. The aim of the study was to highlight gender differences in leadership styles, gender discrimination, the break in the ‘glass ceiling’ and the stereotyping of male and female leaders. The objective of this study was to determine if there were any differences in leadership styles based on demographics, perceptions and past research. The questionnaire was designed around the objectives of the study. Participants were invited to participate in a web based survey using the on-line software programme QuestionPro. The University of Kwazulu-Natal employs 4361 staff. In terms of a number of sample size tables, 384 is the recommended minimum sample size. Links to the online questionnaires were sent to all employees however, only 64 people responded even after numerous attempts were made to increase the sample. The findings revealed that 64.4% of respondents preferred to be led by a male leader and 35.6% of respondents preferred to be led by a female leader. In contrast, 67.31% of respondents disagreed that they respond more positively to male leaders and 17.13% strongly disagreed. A salient feature of this study is that, while participants still prefer to be led by a male leader, the majority of the participants felt that there was no difference in the leadership styles of men and women and that the gender of their manager did not impact on their work performance. The study can be of benefit to anyone that is currently in a leadership role or someone that is has been identified by the organisation to be placed in a leadership role in the future. It is also of great value and benefit to women in leadership roles as this study addresses gender discrimination and the obstacles that women face in the workforce. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

The International Organization for Standardization is one of the most popular quality management systems in the modern business environment. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and Total Quality Management (TQM) interface the quality management systems within an organization. Over the last decade, the International Organization for Standardization has established a variety of quality management systems such as ISO9001:2008; ISO14001:2004; ISO10002:2007; ISO13485:2003; ISO9000:2005, ISO 9000:2008, ISO14971:2007; ISO18000:2007, and other ISO quality management systems are facilitating many professionally-run the businesses. This research topic, however, investigates how the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system affects the rubber and plastics industry of South Africa. This research is based on the qualitative and quantitative methods used to ascertain how the ISO 9001:2008 quality management system affects the rubber and plastics industry of South Africa. Samples are selected randomly at 95% confidence levels with a margin of error of 5%. The study was also retrospective in that it relied on the data collected from individuals who had been exposed to the ISO9001:2008 quality management system in the rubber and plastics industry in a South African manufacturing environment. The ISO 9001:2008 quality management system distinguishes between the end results and the means of achieving organizational objectives. The final recommendation after the indepth discussion in Chapter Six is aimed at improving levels of product and service quality; the reduction of product cost; an improvement in the working relationship between employer and employee; increasing customer satisfaction; offering confidence to suppliers, competitors, investors and in business ventures in general, while attaining greater profitability in the rubber and plastics industry of South Africa in particular. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2011.

This study specifically deals with finding a pragmatic solution to the problem of sales forecasting and demand planning in a very dynamic industry, the dairy industry, in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market. Two projects surrounding the Parmalat supply chain were commissioned, the first dealing with sales forecasting, and the second dealing with distribution replenishment planning. This dissertation handles the former and sought to find solutions and integrate the strategic or long-term planning process with the operational forecasting process, and effectively integrate both these into the Parmalat supply chain management process. Of great importance to us during the project was the organizations maturity and level of business discipline currently prevalent, you would therefore constantly find reference to improvements required in other business process in support of a more sophisticated world class Supply Chain Management (SCM) system. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.

Call Centres employ frontline staff commonly known as service consultants who interact with customers within the service oganisation.In order for organizations to ensure that they derive satisfaction from interactions with frontline employees as part of their main objectives, they make use of a human resource practice widely known as performance appraisals or assessments in order to determine if employees’ performance during their interactions with customers produce organization’s desired outcomes i.e. satisfied customers. Organizations use performance appraisals for multiple purposes chiefly amongst them being developmental and administrative. This study sought to investigate perceptions held by employees towards the purposes or objectives of the system employed in their organization to assess their service interactions with customers, their perceptions of fairness of the system, and how such fairness relates to their satisfaction with the assessment outcomes. A survey approach was used to collect data and the instrument used was a self-administered questionnaire. There were 410 questionnaires distributed via email to employees working within service assurance call centres situated in Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Gauteng. A total of 117 questionnaires were returned by the respondents. Data collected was managed and analysed using the SPSS program. The findings of the study indicated that employees perceive the uses of assessing their service interactions with customers as both developmental and administrative, perceive fair outcomes and procedures used in determining the outcomes, they are satisfied with assessment outcomes, view the system used to assess their interactions as effective and trustworthy. The fairness of outcomes and procedural fairness variables were found to be strongly and positively related to satisfaction with assessment outcomes. Both fairness variables were found to have a unique contribution towards the prediction of the satisfaction with assessment outcomes variable. The main recommendation of the study is that management need to consider increasing fairness in the decisions involving employees’ performance as it has been found that such increase results in a positive increase on the employees’ satisfaction with outcomes generated from the assessment or evaluation of their service interactions with customers. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

According to studies conducted by Mobius and Rosenblat (2003) attractive candidates are seen to be more productive in the workplace and would be rewarded for it by receiving higher remuneration than less attractive candidates who are just as qualified. The focus of this study revolves around suggestions that good looks play a major role in the workplace. In addition, Fryer and Kirby (2005) report that obese people earn less than people of average weight with the same set of skills. This study aims to determine the extent to which good looks play a role in recruitment in the workplace and assess the extent to which looks are important to young managers as opposed to older managers when recruiting employees. It also seeks to identify the extent to which looks play a role between male and female managers when recruiting staff and determine if and to what extent good looks give an interviewee an undue advantage. Lastly, it seeks to determine if and to what extent overweight candidates are discriminated against. The sample is segmented using both male and female managers in Durban as key respondents of the questionnaire. The research aims to determine if good looks play an important role in Durban, not only in recruitment in the workplace, but also in the workplace as a whole. Interesting conclusions were drawn. • 71% of the sample population agreed that good looks are based on one’s physical appearance. • 71% agreed that good looking managers have confidence in themselves. • 63% of respondents agree that managers are more tolerant of good looking people. The response overall proved to be that good looking people certainly do have anunfair advantage in the workplace. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

In the modern days government organization are operating in a new climate environment of accountability. According to Rennekamp (2000:1), funders want more than accurate record keeping and the summary of what was done with their appropriation. They want information that communicates value of the programs. Therefore, more attention is being paid to customer satisfaction as funding decisions are made. Even when an organization meets its performance goals, few taxpayers want to finance an organization if it's programs are viewed as irrelevant or official are perceived as rude. The major objective of this study is measuring farming community perceptions and expectations of the quality of extension services rendered by the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs (DAEA) within uMngungundlovu District. Research indicates that customers judges service quality based on multiple factors i.e. dimension of service quality : *Empathy - the provision of caring individual attention (statements 1-4), *Responsiveness - the willingness to help the customer (statements 5-9), *Assurance - the knowledge and courtesy of the employees (statements 10-14), *Reliability - the ability to perform the promised service reliably and accurately (statements 15-18), *Tangibles - the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, communication materials (19-22) ( Zeithaml and Bitner 2006 : 153). These five dimensions of customer satisfaction were used as framework for both the collection and presentation of data. The results of the study have shown that all five dimensions of service quality are significantly important as far as extension work is concerned in the DAEA. The average gap score between the extension service perception and expectation for each of service quality dimensions are empathy (-0.23), responsiveness (-0.25), assurance (-0.23), reliability (-0.36) and tangibles are (-0.31). There is a narrow gap between the extension services - perception and expectation for all five dimensions. However the negative differences implies that the expectation scores have exceeded the perception scores. This calls for some level of improvements. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The independence of the judiciary is not only crucial for the legal community, but for all South Africans, including the business community. It is important for local and foreign investment to have confidence that the judiciary will protect and enforce their interests. It is submitted that if the independence of the judiciary is undermined in South Africa, not only will the judiciary be affected but so will the broader business community. The aim of this study is to determine what effect legislative and executive interference in managing the judiciary, through its human resource processes (such as selection, training and discipline of judges) as well as through its finances and court administration, has had on the independence of the judiciary. In recent years there has been an increased interest in the activities of the judiciary and an increase in the criticism of its members. This has resulted in the executive proposing amendments to legislation which, in turn has resulted in the ongoing debate in legal circles about the impact of these measures on the independence of the judiciary. The concern is that the proposed measures will enable the executive to further encroach upon the judiciary and undermine its independence. Consequently, members of the judiciary, academics, members of the bar council and the side bar have objected strongly to the proposed legislative changes. The purpose of this case study is to explore the extent to which the executive has already interfered with, and proposes to further interfere with judicial personnel and the functioning of the judiciary. A further purpose is to establish what effects the aforesaid political interference has had on the independence, the efficient and effective functioning of the judiciary. It is hoped to determine whether the proposed legislative and executive measures will remedy the perceived judicial inefficiencies through holding members more accountable or whether they will compound the problems that already exist. In pursuit of this broad aim the research takes a grounded, theory-generating approach. The foundation of the research design is a combination of the use of the literature surveyed in Chapter Two together with the responses to the survey questionnaires and the answers to the interview questions from judges of the various superior courts of South Africa. The South African judiciary presently comprises of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Appeal and 13 divisions and local divisions of the High Court situated in Bisho (Ciskei); Bloemfontein (Orange Free State); Cape Town (Cape of Good Hope Division); Durban (Durban and Coast Local Division); Grahamstown (Eastern Cape); Johannesburg (Witwatersrand Local Division): Kimberley (Northern Cape); Mmabatho (Bophuthatswana); Pietermartizburg (KwaZulu-Natal); Port Elizabeth (South Eastern Cape Local Division); Pretoria (Transvaal); and Thohoyandou (Venda). A dual approach using two types of research instruments, namely the survey questionnaire and the interview questionnaire, was used. In 1999 only two of the ten Constitutional Court judges were women (Sally Baden, Shireen Hassim and Sheila Meintjes, 1999). At that time there were only two female judges in the Labour Court and one in the Land Claims Court. Also, of the total of 186 judges, at the time, 156 were white males, 20 were black males, 7 were white women and 3 were black women. However, the racial and gender composition of the judiciary has changed dramatically since then (Seedat, 2005, page 5) and (Lewis, 2008, page 1). No random sample was taken, due to the small population size of the judiciary and it was feared that it would further reduce the response rate. Both research instruments (the survey questionnaire and the interview schedule of questions) were sent to the entire population of judges, which at the time that the study was conducted, consisted of 213 judges in total. The main source of data was obtained from the research questionnaire developed by the researcher. This was posted to each of the respondents, together with a self-addressed envelope. The aforesaid data was obtained from the semi-structured face to face (alternatively telephonic) interviews conducted with the respondents, who were willing to participate and agreed to be interviewed. Amongst the judges surveyed and interviewed some were current judges, some were retired judges and some were acting judges, of the various superior courts (the interview questionnaire was also developed by the researcher), all of whom were spread across the whole of South Africa. Due to distance and time constraints, a number of the judges agreed to be interviewed telephonically instead of face to face, which saved the researcher a great deal of expense, with regards to travelling and accommodation. The constant comparative method of qualitative analysis was used. Data reduction was carried out in three stages, each representing a progressively higher level of theoretical abstraction. The findings of the research are expressed as an integrated theory and a series of propositions, generalized within the boundaries of the study, relating legislative and executive interference with the judiciary and what the impact and effect these have had on the independence of the judiciary. The conclusions may be summarized in four statements. Firstly, there is political interference with the personnel of the judiciary, through the Judicial Service Commission being involved in the judicial selection and disciplinary processes. This has negatively impacted on the efficient functioning of the judiciary. Secondly, the judiciary has transformed and no further political inference is necessary to bring about transformation of its structures or its functioning. Thirdly, there is executive interference, by the Department of Justice, with the judiciary's finances and court administration, which has negatively impacted on the efficient functioning of the judiciary. Fourthly, the proposed judicial bills are an unnecessary intrusion and, if enacted, will increase the executive's power over the functioning of the judiciary, further undermining its independence and possibly eventually leading to its complacency. This will have adverse consequences for all South Africans, including the business community, as local and foreign investor confidence in the South African judiciary's ability to protect and enforce their rights. In light of the aforesaid, the recommendation is that all forms of political interference with the judiciary should be removed and that the legislature and the executive should support the judiciary and protects it from judicial criticism. The legislature and the executive should take steps where necessary to remedy the abovementioned, for example to correct the imbalances in the composition of the Judicial Service Commission and allow the judiciary to control its own internal processes thereby ensuring that it functions efficiently and independently. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

The post 1994 dispensation brought about the introduction of developmental local government whereby municipalities are duty bound by constitutional clauses to enhance their local economies. The development paradigm created a new euphoria in distant localities amongst poor and vulnerable rural and urban communities. The establishment of Local Economic Development units in virtually all municipalities was a direct pursuit of local developmental agenda. This study assesses and critiques the little shortcomings of local economic development in the area. An approach embedded in this study is to examine the role played by various stakeholders in local economic development. The concept of local economic development in this study is not viewed in isolation from infrastructural development. An intensive investigation of infrastructural backlogs was undertaken to determine whether the Umhlabuyalingana municipality has invested enough towards its economic viability. Through rigorous engagement with the IDP, the researcher was able to ascertain whether there is a synergy between local economic development programmes/projects and the integrated development plan of the municipality. The data generated through intensive fieldwork was analyzed and interpreted to give impetus to the discourse of local economic development. The qualitative findings of the study reveal that local entrepreneurs are still faced with daunting problems and obstacles in starting their own businesses. Funding and the lack of support from well established business organizations and political leadership were also cited as the stumbling blocks towards progression. The results also reveal that development in the area is top down as opposed to bottom up and as a result communities do not own decisions. Despite the negatives, there is significant progress noted in the area of projects that are linked to development which are abundant in the area. Lastly, the quantitative results clearly depict that local economic development has had an adverse effect on communities depending on their age, gender, educational qualification and income. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The bank provides financial services to individuals and businesses. These services include opening bank accounts, providing loans, and vehicle asset financing. To provide clients with a comprehensive financial offering, products from life insurance companies have been introduced to the banking environment. These products include risk products (life, dread disease and disability products), and investment products (unit trusts and endowment products). Analysis of sales figures by insurance companies suggest that more investment products are sold than risk products. This study explores the reasons for the inconsistent product mix sold by the bancassurance distribution channel. The study focuses on Standard Bank financial advisors in the greater Durban area and includes their views, and those of the related broker consultants and managers, of the salient issues. A comprehensive literature review provides a background to the study. A number of reasons for the phenomenon investigated here have been provided by various writers internationally, and these constitute the point of departure for the study. The broad themes that impact on the product mix sold are identified as being the need to comply with the relevant legislation, training and product knowledge, integration with the bank, and business processes. Based on the themes mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the main objectives of the study were the following: to assess the impact of regulation on the business of the advisor; to investigate the impact of training and product knowledge on the product mix offered to the client; to explore the relationship between the advisor and the bank he finds himself in; to assess business processes in the sale of insurance products. The fieldwork was exploratory in nature with a questionnaire being administered to financial advisors, broker consultants, and managers. The results of the study were evaluated and various recommendations are made. An implementation plan is provided to aid in the implementation process. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2008.

In recent times a need has developed within NCT for a more accurate prediction of pulpwood available from its members for supply to strategic markets. Present systems indicate the volume of timber per member per farm, however this volume has been found not to be an accurate prediction of what will actually reach the mill at the end of the day as many factors come into play and influence the volume that reaches the mill. The questions arise: which factors influence the availability of marketable Eucalyptus pulpwood timber, and to what extent do the different factors play a role? It was with this problem in mind that a comprehensive survey was undertaken to evaluate a number of factors identified and to try and determine their impact on the volume of Eucalyptus pulpwood supplied. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.