Beginning with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Congress and the courts have legislated and adjudicated laws in an effort to eliminate discrimination in employment opportunities on the grounds of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin. In 1978, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures were jointly issued by several federal administrative agencies and have included within their framework the types of employment selection practices operating in many contemporary college and university placement offices. These regulations have serious implications for college placement offices in which interview selection and referral practices fail to assist all students in fair and equitable ways. This study investigated from two perspectives the problems for college placement personnel that are associated with these guidelines. First, legal research methodology was implemented to trace the historical and topical development of relevant legislative and case law. The findings of the legal research indicated that the federal government and the courts had mandated, rather consistently, two controlling standards that pertain to individual and class civil rights. Those standards are equality and neutrality. Failure of an entity to comply with either of these standards, except in listed instances, had been judged discriminatory under civil rights law. Based on existing litigations, judgments against college placement offices could be proscriptive, corrective, and/or compensatory in effect. Furthermore, there exists the potential for loss of governmental funding, the extent of which remains undetermined. Secondly, the findings of the survey research indicated that a majority of college placement offices sampled (60.9%) were operating student interview selection and referral systems within the compliance standards of the Uniform Guidelines. Almost categorically, placement officers supported student interview systems that were void of prohibitive selection criteria (sex, race, color, or national origin). On the other hand, the Uniform officers void of religion, placement officers indicated more discriminatory trends where neutral selection criteria (academic majors, grade point averages, or degree levels) were concerned. Additionally 25.93 of the respondent institutions indicated that they had either changed, or were planning to change their interview selection procedures to be more in compliance with the law. The survey research also led to significant findings among several demographic characteristics related to college placement offices, their personnel, and the Uniform Guidelines. Those characteristics included: college placement officers’ familiarity with and primary sources of information about the regulations; certain perceived resource needs; the adequacy of placement office staffing; and, governmental auditing of interview selection and referral procedures. In combination these research findings indicated several factors which college placement personnel need to be aware of in order to bring their operations into legal compliance. / Ed. D.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for a Masters Degree in Technology in Public Management, Faculty of Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa. 2015. / While research has been conducted, with regard to job satisfaction all over the world, no research has been done on the various factors affecting job satisfaction of academic employees, with specific reference to the National University of Lesotho (NUL). Therefore, the understanding of these factors are clearly defined and explained, in order to help university administrators to improve academic performance and attract well-qualified academics into the university. Factors affecting job satisfaction of academic employees at the NUL include, working conditions, relationship with colleagues, and access to resources, job security, recognition and advancement. The sample consisted of 156 respondents, who were selected using the Supercool Random Generator Software and were required to complete a questionnaire, with an interviewer present to assist. Respondents were asked to complete a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. A mixed approach of both quantitative and qualitative techniques was used, while the analysis of primary data was done using SPSS, version 21.0. The results were presented by figures from Microsoft Excel and gross tabulation tables. The findings of the study indicated that there was a positive significance to the NUL academic staff regarding salaries, as a factor influencing their job satisfaction. The results also indicated that there are insufficient financial resources to support teaching, learning and research at the NUL. However, the results further revealed that, besides all the dissatisfaction shown by academics, in terms of aspects, such as benefits, allowances, lack of equipment, as well as poor institutional management, there were good relations between departments, and they work as a team. Therefore, the findings from this study can assist university administrators and academics to increase the job satisfaction levels of employees.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between testate or intestate university employees relative to: 1) demographic characteristics (age, income health, marital status, education, number of children, housing tenure, and gender), 2) planned personal and family retirement income sources (including: savings, individual retirement accounts, mutual funds, stocks and/or bonds, income from property ownership, sale of real estate or other property, annuities, or paid-up life insurance), 3) total number of planned personal and family retirement income sources. The study also examined anticipated decision making difficulty scores on certain housing issues for testate or intestate university employees, to determine if there was a significant difference in university employees' mean decision making difficulty scores on certain housing issues by testacy status, income level, and age, or gender. Data were collected in a 1987 Western Region mail survey (Thinking Ahead to Retirement: Community and Housing Choices), of land grant university employees in nine western states. The sample consisted of 5663 land grant university employees who were at least 40 years of age. Statistical analyses of the data were computed using Chi-square tests, T-tests, and General Linear Models (GLM/ANOVA) procedures with Student Newman-Keuls (SNK) post hoc tests. Chi-square analysis results revealed significant differences among testacy status on all demographic variables. Evidenced by findings, testacy rates were higher among university employees who were 1) older, 2) higher income, 3) higher education level, and 4) male. Chi-square analysis indicates an association between testacy and being married or widowed, having children, and owning one's home. Testacy is more common among university employees who plan more numbers and types of personal and family retirement income sources. Significant differences were also found among testacy status and all of the planned personal and family retirement income sources. Testate employees had significantly larger total number of planned retirement income sources than intestate employees. Testate respondents had a higher mean decision making difficulty score of certain housing issues (1.89) than did intestate respondents (1.86). Results of the decision making question indicate university employees perceptions of how difficult they think it will be to make future decisions about aging and housing issues. GLM /ANOVA results indicated that employees with income above $25,000, aged 40 to 49 years, and male anticipated greater decision making difficulty on certain housing issues than respondents in other categories. Results of this research could be of interest and use to university policy makers, educators, entrepreneurs, and researchers. Applying these results, these groups can target families with high need, and assist these families in achieving personal and family, testacy, and financial goals. / Graduation date: 1991

Retirement from work can be viewed from a number of standpoints: economic; medical; administrative and social. In South Africa research has mainly focused on social and economic factors with a strong bias towards state old age pensions and how retired people are more vulnerable to poverty as they are forced to share their pensions with their families and look after HIV/AIDS orphans (Noumbissi and Zuberi, 2001:45). This research will fill a gap by exploring the administrative aspect, the various policies that regulate retirement, and how these affect decisions to retire on individuals and the perceived effect on the performance of an organization. Gustman and Steinmeier (1991:98) argue that exits through retirement are one of the important labor market flows that shape the age structure of faculty, and help to determine the quality and costs of higher education thus it is worth investigating the policies that regulate this labor flow. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

This research attempts to find the ideal ratio of IT staff to end-user at the University of Natal. It also examines the organisational structure of the Information Technology Division of Natal University. This study first examines available literature to establish the suggested structure and ratio. Next the IT function of a small sample of universities around the world is examined. The structure and ratio found at the University of Natal will be compared to the suggested model and to those of the other universities examined. From this study will emerge the ideal structure and ratio for the Information Technology Division of the University of Natal. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (DTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. / In attempting to contribute to social transformation, South African Higher Education has undergone considerable changes, taking on greater student enrollment, increasing curriculum responsiveness, and prioritising pass- and graduation rates, all of which have put universities’ resources, specifically their human resources, under considerable pressure and stress (Rensburg, 2013: 5). Paradoxically, there has been no meaningful attempt to address the negative effects of these pressures and stress on the wellness of those who are expected to cope with the enormous changes. In addition, Higher Education Institutions’ (HEIs’) mergers, although honourable in intention, have resulted in negative, unintended consequences for staff. Previous research studies have highlighted the growing occupational stressors experienced by HEIs’ staff; however, limited sustainable solutions have been forthcoming. It is on this premise that this research study aimed to develop a holistic employee wellness programme model that would provide a support system for university staff. This model would alleviate the impact of challenges experienced in staff daily work and on their personal lives, and ultimately aid in promoting quality of work life and balance within the institution. The intention was to prevent university staff from experiencing job burnout and health-related problems, thereby promoting their optimal wellness and performance at work. A mixed methods research design was adopted involving a case study and a quasi-experimental research design. Purposive sampling was applied within the case study unit which included both academic and non-academic staff, as they shared similar attributes and wellness experiences within a university. Triangulation mixed methods that was applied combined, with equal importance, both quantitative and qualitative data which were brought together for comparison. This research study identified thirteen employee wellness factors that formed the foundation of a holistic employee wellness programme. Each employee wellness factor was allocated according to three types of interventions, namely primary – prevention, secondary – reduction, and tertiary – treatment, in order to promote employee-organisational health and wellness. The prevention intervention firstly promotes quality of work life and balance through a number of wellness factors, namely, Wellness working environment, Organisational intervention expectations, Organisational wellness support, Organisational culture, Human relations, and Social support; and, secondly, workplace health is promoted through the wellness factors, Physical health and wellness, and Lifestyle. The reduction intervention builds psychological capital through Psychological health and wellness, Resourcefulness, Resilience, and Basic work life skills.

Nursing lecturers are faced with the challenge to adapt their teaching styles and attitudes to accommodate the new nursing student that enters the nursing field. These students have expectations and demands which differ highly from past students. Another challenge for lecturers is the demands of a nursing curriculum. The students that commenced with the four year course during 2005 at the Port Elizabeth Nursing Campus experienced negativity with regards to their training. The objectives of the study are to explore and describe the training experiences of the fourth year student nurses of the Port Elizabeth Nursing Campus and to co-construct guidelines to assist nursing lecturers to gauge the understanding of students during their four years of nursing training. The participants used for the study were all fourth year nursing students. They had positive and negative experiences of their training during the four years. The negative experiences related to the demands of the curriculum, lecturers’ poor subject knowledge and insufficient material resources needed for their studies. Regardless of the negativity experienced, students encountered positivity with regards to lecturers’ attitudes. The researcher focused on a qualitative study using an explorative, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological approach. A semi-structured approach was adopted to obtain data. Once consent was obtained from the relevant authorities, four fourth year nursing students were interviewed. The interviews were conducted by an independent role-player within the Department of Health to ensure an unbiased approach. Guba’s model was used to assess trustworthiness and data was analysed. Ethical considerations were ensured throughout the research process. Themes and sub-themes were identified. Based on the research findings, guidelines were co-constructed to assist nursing lecturers to better understand nursing students during their training. The findings of the study will be brought to the attention of nursing lecturers and management personnel of the campus. It was concluded that nursing students need to be consulted on issues concerning their training and development before implementation, and that they be respected and cared for as students based on their human rights.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

The Grounds Department of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI & SU) employs two enclaves or work crews of individuals with mental disabilities (MD) as an integral part of its landscape maintenance program. Each enclave has five IMD and a supervisor that are involved in litter control, leaf removal, weeding, and snow removal. This method of employment has provided permanent employment for ten IMD. VPI & SU’s success with enclave employment prompted the development of first a statewide, then a national survey to determine the characteristics of employment of IMD in grounds maintenance departments. Surveys were sent to all Virginia college and university grounds departments to document the employment of IMD. The results of the surveys indicated that IMD were employed either as individual employees or as members of an enclave. The surveys showed that the majority of IMD who were currently and permanently employed are members of an enclave within Virginia college grounds departments. A survey similar to the Virginia survey was developed and sent to college grounds departments throughout the United States. Even though this national survey indicated that the majority of IMD who were currently and permanently employed were individual employees rather than as members of an enclave, the enclave employment was still considered a viable option for employing IMD. / Master of Science

This study examines the challenges and opportunities that face the merging of Higher Education institutions with the focus on staff’s responses to the merger at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN). The focus of the study was based on staff’s attitudes and their varying experiences since the merging of former University of Durban Westville (UDW) and University of Natal (UN) forming the new institution of UKZN. It examines the barriers, challenges and opportunities of the Heads of School, Academic staff and Administrative staff in the Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences (HDSS) and the Faculty of Management Studies. The study also reviewed the international or rather global experiences of mergers of Higher Education Institutions and brought into perspective examples of mergers such as in the UK, Australia, United States, Netherlands and Norway. The study then shifted focus to a much more local level in terms of UKZN in assessing the ethos of governance in terms of dialogue and inclusivity and how they perceived the merger of the two former institutions. Since the study is a qualitative, judgmental sampling technique was utilized in this study since it allowed me the researcher to use my own discretion as to who is in the best position to be knowledgeable about the subject under investigation. Therefore a structured interview was employed in this study with a set of inter-related questions, asked in the same order to all participants of this study. Issues of governance, mismanagement of finances, degree scandals, demoralized staff, wage disputes and academic freedom are some of the negative aspects that are perceived to riddle the new institution. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.