The Further Education and Training (FET) sector in general and the public Further Education colleges specifically are in a state of perpetual transition. The merger as an attempt at restructuring and transforming public Further Education and Training colleges presents many challenges to its educators. This narrative inquiry explores four educators' subjective experiences of the merging process with a view to attempting to understand the effect this process may have had on their identity development and/ or the renegotiation of their social identities. The researcher who is also the quality manager at a FET college, is presented with the opportunity to reflect critically on her own experiences and identity development while actively engaging with other participants' narratives about their experiences of the merging process. A strong perception of the college as an oppressive environment emerged from the findings. The merger was evidently a catalyst for the different levels of awareness, introspection and renegotiation of participants' identities. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Education) / Investigates the challenges faced by colleges of further education and training in merging the previously segregrated colleges.

Prof. S.H. von Solms

D.Phil. / The restructuring of the South African Higher Education landscape in postapartheid era has been the scene of vast organisational change as numerous mergers between Higher Education Institutions have typified this transformation. One such a merger is the merger between the Technikon Witwatersrand, the Rand Afrikaans University and two campuses of Vista University (namely the East Rand and Soweto Campuses) into the University of Johannesburg. Announced on 31 May 2002 and intended to be effective as of 1 January 2005, this merger represents the birth of the largest residential university in South Africa and presents the opportunity of studying the effects of all-encompassing change on employees first hand. In terms of organisational change – with mergers representing a specific type of organisational change – it is apparent that the effect of change on staff members is not only a widely overlooked matter in practice, but also in organisational change literature (and in mergers and acquisitions literature in particular). This study explores the merger experiences of academic staff at the University of Johannesburg and also examines the role leadership has played in these experiences. Using an Interpretive, case study design, 40 academic staff members were interviewed. These research subjects were selected on a purposive basis from all faculties across all campuses. Using the Strauss and Corbin application of Grounded Theory, the collected data was analysed to construct the reality of academic staffs’ merger experiences and perceptions of the merger at the University of Johannesburg. In terms of the University of Johannesburg, findings indicate that institutional predisposition is a major contributor to shaping research subjects’ initial attitude toward the pending merger. Furthermore, the interim phase that the University found itself in directly after merger the date, was a cause of great discontent amongst academic staff and was seen as the greatest debilitating factor to the successful roll-out of the merger. The study indicates that academic staff relay their experiences and perceptions of the merger in three discernable time frames, or perspectives, each with its own unique dynamic. Collectively, these three perspectives constitute the Reflective Experience of Mergers (REM) theory, which examines how the merger experiences of academic staff shape their perceptions of and attitudes toward the merger over time. The REM-theory reiterates the temporal nature of change; it is a phenomenon that evolves over time in discernable stages. Furthermore the REM-theory also underscores the effect change has on the emotional and psychological well being of individuals over time. The REM-theory also highlights the important role leadership plays in a merger as, in the case of the University of Johannesburg, research subjects tended to be far more critical of deficiencies in leadership as opposed to deficiencies in management.

Thesis (MTech. in Education)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2009. / This study endeavors to establish how successful the merging of institutions in Gauteng has been. Previously there were 150 technical colleges in South Africa, of which 50 were in Gauteng Province. The 50 colleges have had to be reduced by the merger process into eight colleges each with various campuses. Each clusters of the colleges centralized its functions to its head office while the former colleges became campuses in each cluster. The merger process did not happen overnight as it affected all involved; i.e., learners and all employees. The study seeks to determine how successful the merger has been. A qualitative approach has been used in this study. Data has been collected through interviews and observations. The researcher interviewed various stakeholders such as learners, educators, heads of departments, administration staff as well as senior members of management. The researcher took a closer look at how various functions of the colleges were affected and the impact the merger had on human resources. Although the merger process has had some success, the researcher concludes that there were certain areas which showed some problems and challenges which need to be addressed by the colleges. The researcher concludes by making some suggestions on the findings of this study.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / The introduction of a real democracy in South Africa during 1994 created the opportunity for reconstruction of almost everything that originated from the apartheid regime. Change in the political arena was the catalyst and driving force in reshaping the demographical landscape. The playing fields of reconstruction included political, social, economic, sport, education and many other areas. Higher Education Institutions reflecting the demographics and ideology of the apartheid system in terms of cultural composition of students as well as the workforce, formed part of the reconstruction plan. Such change included the merging of tertiary institutions that originated from the apartheid era. Three institutions formerly known as Technikon North-West, Technikon Pretoria and Technikon Northern Gauteng, were merged into the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The merger process of TUT was extremely complex in nature and composition resulting in a long and exhaustive process spanning a period of five years. The long change process directly and indirectly adversely impact upon TUT staff members. This study focuses on the adverse effects of diversity on staff members as a result of the various merger initiatives.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Med.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Colleges of education have recently been absorbed into institutions of higher learning. This has had a tremendous impact on the staff of these colleges who have undergone an exercise of re-deployment and have been absorbed into posts within the provincial department of education. The research project suggests that the impact will be felt at both universities and technikons as they are compelled to adapt to the changing face of teacher education in South Africa. The impact will also be experienced within the entire education system. This research project sought to identify the experiences of those persons who were affected by these recent changes. A case study methodology is used and five respondents allow their voices to be heard. Responses are elicited by means of a questionnaire and an informal interview. The data is presented in transcribed form and then analysed and compared. Of interest to this study is firstly, the degree to which a rationale for the rationalisation of colleges of education is understood by those affected. Secondly, the feelings and experiences of the respondents to the process of absorption are expressed. Thirdly, the respondents provide recommendations for future re- deployment processes and for those persons who might be affected by such re-deployment. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.

The restructuring of South African Higher Education Insti tutions by the government has seen mergers becoming a feature amongst these institutions. The aim of these mergers was to redress past imbalances, creating synergies and promoting rationalisation of resources. Thekwini FET College was one such institution, merged out of the former Cato Manor, Durban Central and L C Johnson Technical Colleges. This research document investigates the relationship between the full time Level 1 academic staff's perception of their post merger working environment and organisational commitment. 51 staff members' were selected using a quantitative and qualitative approach in a correlation cross-sectional research design. The measuring instrument comprised of a structured questionnaire incorporating a Likert type scale and an open ended interview schedule. These instruments aimed to expose staff perceptions of their post merger working environment and levels of their organisational commitment. The findings of the research reveal that there was a strong and positive correlation between staff perceptions of their post merger working environment and organisational commitment. Staff who perceived their post merger working environment to be negative, was lowly committed to Thekwini FET College and vice versa. The general feeling from the research findings show that staff had a negative perception towards their post merger working environment and were therefore lowly committed to Thekwini FET College. Most of the reasons for these negative attitudes point to the poor management of the college. Finally, some recommendations were made to try and improve the negative attitudes of the staff towards the institution. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

M.Phil. / The primary aim of the study was to determine the subjective experiences and viewpoints- in other words the insider perspectives of- administrative personnel during the student registration process in a newly-merged South African university in the Gauteng Province. The task became very difficult as it had to be approached within the complexity of ongoing institutional change. In short, the merging of the institutions cannot be separated from the service delivery or the experiences and views of employees during this transitional period. Sampling, data collection and data analysis were done simultaneously and interactively, rather than in discrete sequential steps. I made use of a case study, meaning that “the data analysis focuses on one phenomenon, which the researcher selects to understand in depth regardless of the number of sites, participants, or documents for a study” (McMillian & Schumacher, 1997). In such a design the context of each participant's experience is important in its analysis. I considered a modernist qualitative-research approach since I was aiming at an in-depth understanding of the social world and work environment of the employees involved in the registration process. The research group comprised of administrative personnel who were permanently employed and specifically involved in the registration process. A purposive-sampling technique was used which led to twelve research participants being selected. The group consisted of six interviewees (4 males and 2 females) from the registration management sector. One person from each of the four campuses and two from the main campus were identified. I also conducted a focus-group discussion with a group of six females who represented the key faculty focused on in this study. The in-depth description of the grounded-theory application and my personal experience thereof should contribute to the application of this theory in other organisational settings. Recommendations for further studies conclude the dissertation. Service is the lifeblood of any organisation. Everything flows from it and is nourished by it. Customer service is not a department, it’s an attitude.