Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Gold-collar employees are defined as key employees who have a discernible influence on the realisation of an organisation’s strategic goals and vision. These employees’ competitive advantage lies in their conceptual skills and specifically in their knowledge and creativity. However, because of their unique competencies, they are high in demand and it is more difficult for organisations to attract and retain them. The main research problem in this study was to investigate the concept of a gold-collar employee, the needs and expectations of these employees, as well as retention strategies that can be used to retain them, with specific focus on academics in an institution of higher education. To address the main and identified sub-problems, a literature study was conducted on gold-collar employees, the dilemma of retaining these employees, their needs and expectations and retention strategies. Interviews were conducted with selected senior level employees from various disciplines that had extensive experience in research, teaching and academic management, to establish how they perceived a gold-collar employee in the context of the university and what in their experience they considered as factors that enhanced the retention of these employees. An HTML survey questionnaire was administered to a target group of academics ranging from associate lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer and associate professor to professor, including academic managers. The survey focused on their level of teaching and research experience, needs and expectations and their perceptions of the retention strategies used at the university. The results from the empirical study revealed that respondents were experienced in teaching development and practices, but not recognised on an internal, national and international level. Flexible working conditions were regarded as most important along with opportunities for self-fulfilment. Employees with more experience in teaching had a greater need and expectation for empowerment while those with more research experience needed and expected more remuneration, rewards and recognition. The respondents also deemed being located in a city or town that allowed for a high quality of living as important. Retention of highly skilled employees is important especially in a knowledge environment as they contribute strategically to the vision and competitive advantage of the organisation. Their skills and knowledge are costly and not easy to replace. Therefore it is important to put strategies in place to retain these gold-collar employees.

In the changing higher education environment, universities increasingly engage in areas outside the traditional teaching and research missions. The new missions extends over a wide yet specialized areas, such as technological advancement, internationalization, entrepreneurship, and enhancement of teaching and learning. To effectively handle these areas, universities require specific talents that may not be found in conventional academic and administrative cadres. The transformation highlights blurred boundaries between academic and non-academic spheres of university. Situated in the University of Hong Kong (HKU), this paper explores how the university utilizes new professionals and administrative staff in new missions. Qualitative interviews with university staff reveal their profiles and perceptions in evolving organizational structures. By examining understudied subjects in Hong Kong, it discusses implications for a new organizational model to optimize various talents of university. Drawing upon emerging literatures of professional staff at university, analysis of sociocultural influence is a crucial element of this research. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

A merger can be considered both a phenomenological and significant life event for an organisation and its employees, and how people cope with and respond to a merger has a direct impact on the institutional performance in the short to medium term. It is within this context that post-merger perceptions of a tertiary institution were gauged. Restructuring in any organisation is characterised by uncertainty, high levels of anxiety, low levels of morale, and tardy job performance, as well as high levels of absenteeism and staff turnover, all of which potentially impact on productivity and performance. Notably, the global phenomenon of transformation of higher education, taking place in most countries in the world, is an undeniable fact. The abolition of apartheid and the post-1994 aftermath period have seen South Africa undergoing tremendous transformation in its political, economic, social and technological environments. As part of the social environment, education, too, will be subjected to the restructuring and transition resulting in the new characterisation of the country and its people. Mergers are taking place between teacher-training colleges and technical colleges, as well as between universities and technikons. In South Africa to date, mergers have been limited mainly to the federal absorption of smaller, specialist institutions into universities; however larger and more unitary mergers have been advocated. Few notable studies have investigated the commitment perceptions of the employees (and the associated selected work constructs of job satisfaction and turnover intentions) who feel the full impact of these restructurings in a South African context. This subsequently results in a dearth of knowledge on the context of South African mergers and acquisitions of tertiary institutions. Human capital element in the form of teacher / facilitator / lecturer in educational institutions (knowledge intensive organisations) is much more important than in other organisations. In light of the recent restructuring of the institution in question, no attempt has yet been made to gauge the levels of organisational commitment amongst its employees. It is within this context that the research problem emerges: What are the employee perceptions of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and turnover intentions in a post-merger tertiary institution, and how are these variables related? Job satisfaction was determined as a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of ones job or job experiences. A global approach was adopted, whereby job satisfaction is explained as a single, overall feeling toward ones job. Organisational commitment was defined as a cognitive predisposition towards a particular focus, insofar as this focus has the potential to satisfy needs, realise values, and achieve goals, and was subsequently addressed through a motivational approach. The state of commitment is not only separated from its antecedent and consequential conditions and behaviours, but also from its related affective and conative components that are also present in other widely used constructs, such as job satisfaction and turnover intentions respectively. Turnover intentions, approached as being mental decisions intervening between an individuals attitudes regarding a job and the stay or leave decision, were addressed as a planned behaviour. This is a result from the argument that behavioural intention is a good predictor of actual behaviour, in this case actual turnover. Turnover behaviour is a multistage process that includes attitudinal, decisional, and behavioural components. Furthermore the turnover process is initially stimulated by the thought of quitting, which ultimately will result in the actual process of either staying or leaving. The instance of a merger or acquisition normally results in, amongst others, lack of commitment, job dissatisfaction, increased labour turnover and absenteeism rates (even at managerial level), lowered work goals, uncertainty, and employee theft or acts of sabotage. The relationships established between the three selected work constructs, primarily in terms of mergers and acquisitions, suggest that a positive relationship exists between job satisfaction and organisational commitment, whilst also yielding a negative relationship with turnover intentions. The research approach could be described as a non-experimental and crosssectional field survey, the data as primary data, and data analysis as ex post facto and correlational. The non-probability (convenience) sample consisted of 367 employees of a South African tertiary instituition. The completion of the electronic questionnaires was personally administered and anonymously handled. Job satisfaction was assessed by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ20). The MSQ20 measures 20 different job-related items and can be subcategorised into extrinsic and intrinsic satisfaction. The end factor analystic result revealed the need to remove three items. Commitment was addressed through the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire which consisted of 18 items, measuring different foci of commitment, namely work, career, occupational and organisational. Diagnostic analyses indicated the need to remove three items. Turnover intentions were measured by an unpublished 15 item questionnaire. The diagnostic analyses warranted the removel of two items. The analyses followed a two phase procedure. The intial phase included all diagnostic testing of the measuring instruments in order to determine the reliabilty and validty of the measuring instruments for subsequent testing purposes of the study. The tests utilised were basic descriptives, factor (first and second order) and reliability analyses and normality testing. The latter phase described the inferential section of the sample, whereby statistics are used either to infer the truth or falsify hypotheses / research objectives. The tests carried out consisted of t-tests and ANOVA, correlations, structural equation modelling, twoway ANOVA and lastly a stepwise linear regression. Fifteen predefined models were investigated whereupon the most parsimonious model was selected. In applying the stepwise linear regression for the prediction of turnover intentions, the model was determined by entering all the variables simultaneously into the regression equation. The variables determined for the inclusion on the regression were based on the results from the inferenital testing phase. The final result yielded a prediction of 47% of the variance in turnover intentions. The final (most parsimonious) model determined for turnover intentions indicated as being significantly predicted by: job satisfaction, tenure, and a combination of job satisfaction and organisational commitment. Contrary to popular belief, commitment does not correlate more strongly than satisfaction does with turnover intentions. This indicates that withdrawal entails a rejection of the job rather than of the organisation. Turnover intentions of tertiary employees can be actively managed through the manipulation of the contextual variables of organisational commitment and job satisfaction. The resulting predictive model can be regarded as an important tool for management and the Human Resource Department in effectively planning talent retention strategies focusing on its controllable dimensions. Since this model was developed based on internal components, possible strategies can be derived from this model to prevent turnover intentions. / Professor Gert Roodt

This exploratory study examined the predictive ability of perceived work environment characteristics on employees' level of motivation to learn and growth need strength. It looked at motivation to learn within the context of two types of training: formal training and on-the-job training. It also examined the existence of group differences in motivation and in perceptions of the work environment. The sample was 117 middle management staff at a Canadian research university, varying in age, level of education, job classification, work unit, and job and institutional tenure. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of scales from the management and educational literature. Using multiple regression analysis and MANOVAs, workplace environmental characteristics were found to be predictors of employee motivation. The best predictor of motivation to learn was a composite measure of incentives, while the best predictor of growth need strength was a composite measure of lack of independence and freedom of choice. No group differences in motivational characteristics were found, however, there were differences in perceptions of the work environment.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Teaching and Training Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University, 1996. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2933. Abstract precedes thesis as [3] preliminary leaves. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-122).

M. Tech. Human Resources Management / This study is necessary to assess staff recruitment and selection at the University of Technology. When institutions merge, it is not only the cultures that merge but also the business processes. So it is necessary to study how the recruitment and selection process of a merged institution can be made effective and efficient given the combination of different cultures and business process. To what extent would assessing staff recruitment and selection enhance the recruitment and selection at said University of Technology? The following hypothesis was investigated: Employees in different positions perceive recruitment and selection as favourable and employees with different months of service perceive recruitment and selection as favourable. Quantitative research was used because participants were asked to complete a questionnaire to collect data on assessing staff recruitment and selection at the University of Technology. In the study, a purposive sample of 200 most-recently appointed employees was drawn. The findings of this study will add to the body of existing knowledge on recruitment and selection, knowledge that gives valuable insights into the type of recruitment and selection practices that are necessary to ensure a competitive university.

This study provided a description of how college/university recreational departments addressed their responsibilities to ADA, in particular, those accommodations considered beyond physical access. The results of this study contributed to the body of knowledge for staff preparation, program scope, and administration for recreational services on college/university campuses.This study surveyed college/university recreation departments to determine if disability awareness training was being implemented and what methods of training were being implemented. Reasons for not including disability awareness training were also reported.The Disability Awareness Training of Recreation Staff (DATR) survey was emailed to 114 National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Region III directors through an InQsit® program. Frequency and percentages were used to report the results. Response rate was 33% (n=38). The majority of the respondents were members of the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), and over 60% served in the role of Director of Recreation for the university. Twelve of the 38 respondents reported providing disability awareness training with the majority using the method of hands on training to implement such training. Lack of perceived need was the top reason for college/universities not to provide disability awareness training. / School of Physical Education