Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Masters of Technology: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / Poor quality of work life is a challenge in higher education institutions (HEIs) and it impact negatively on performance, attraction and retention of quality staff. The purpose of the research was to report on the factors that impact on the quality of work life of employees at the University “A”. The findings from this investigation will assist employees and management alike to understand factors that can improve performance and assist University “A” to be an employer of choice to attract, develop and retain suitably qualified employees. The rationale for the study was to investigate and obtain a better understanding of the quality of work life status in University “A”. Higher education institutions face a serious challenge of retaining adequately qualified and competent staff due to regular resignation and termination of employment contracts of employees. This has resulted in a steady backlog of vacant positions and which has a detrimental effect on the quality of teaching and learning. The deficit of staff leads to increased teaching workloads and consequently impacts negatively on the quality of service being offered including teaching and learning. This study is grounded in both quantitative and qualitative research traditions whereby a survey was conducted in the form of a structured questionnaire and in depth-interviews to university employees. The structured questionnaire was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Scientists version 12 generating the reliability coefficient Alpha of 0.898 indicating the high degree of acceptance and consistent of the results. This study used the probability stratified random sampling whereby 160 structured questionnaires were distributed to both academic and non-academic employees with 142 returned successfully generating the response percentage of 89%. The findings of this research suggested that career advancement was one of the main reasons that were identified to lead to poor quality of work life. Furthermore, another primary concern was job insecurity, employees felt that their jobs are not reliable and secure. It was also noted in the research outcomes that a high proportion of the respondents were generally not well. The study findings suggest that respondents were not involved in decisions that affect them in their area of work and they feel that they are not given a lot of freedom to decide how to do their jobs. The research results indicated that the increase percentage of the respondents disagreed that their employer provides adequate facilities and flexibility for employees to adjust their work with their family time. It was evident from the responses that even though some policies exist, employees were unaware of their application and also the absence of performance management systems. Another prominent finding from the study was that employee expressed that their health and safety of their working conditions should be improved. The findings and results will assist management and employees alike in the practical implementation of quality of work life programmes with the aim of improving the retention of current employees and attracting potential employees. This study will contribute to the body of knowledge as published studies on the quality of work life is scant in higher education institutions. There is minimal research that has been conducted on the QoWL of employees in higher education institutions, and the results from this research could be utilized by management and supervisors, in order to minimize the potential factors that could negatively impact on the QoWL of employees in HEIs.

SAMMANFATTNING Det som projektledaren behöver tänka på vid planeringen av ett projekt är att uppnå beställarens krav på byggnaden och att skapa en bra samordning mellan de olika aktörerna som är inblandade i projektet. Dessutom måste projektledaren se till att projektet följer tidplanen och att budgeten inte överstiger de bestämda ramarna. Därför ligger ett stort fokus på att projektledaren har bra grundkunskaper och tillräcklig kompetens samt kunskap. För att uppnå det optimala resultat som behövs för att kunna planera och strukturera projektet så smidigt som möjligt. Detta arbete undersöker vilken kompetensutveckling och kunskap som behövs för att projektingenjören ska utveckla sina färdigheter i projektledning. En av de kärnfrågor som tas upp i intervjuerna är ”Vad kännetecknar en projektledare med låg respektive hög kompetens?” och ”Hur bedrivs kompetensutveckling för de anställda inom WSP?” De mål som ska uppnås i detta arbete är att belysa vikten av kompetensutveckling och erfarenhetsåterföring. Resultaten av undersökningen har sammanställts i en handbok som beskriver vad en projektingenjör behöver fokusera på för att bli allt mer kompetent och utvecklas effektivare till en projektledare. För att kunna uppnå dessa mål genomfördes en litteraturstudie för att få en bättre uppfattning av projektledarens roll. En mer detaljerad studie av projektingenjörens respektive projektledarens arbetsuppgifter gjordes. För att komplettera litteraturstudien genomfördes en datasökning via internet. Därefter utfördes en intervju med 5 projektledare och 5 projektingenjörer för att jämföra teori med praktik. Utifrån de intervjuades svar och litteraturstudiens resultat skapades en handbok som beskriver vad projektingenjören behöver utveckla för att bli en effektivare projektledare. Examensarbetes slutsats visar att kompetensutveckling i grund och botten är bunden till den enskilda individens motivation till att utvecklas. Varje enskild individ har sina egna mål och de är stimulerade av varierande motivationsfaktorer. Några individer har som mål att bli VD för ett företag, medan andra är nöjda med deras nuvarande position och det innebär att alla projektingenjörer/ projektledare inte strävar efter en ständig utveckling. Uppsatsens huvudfråga var: ”Vilken kompetensutveckling behövs för att projektingenjör ska utveckla sina färdigheter i projektledning?”. Resultaten visar att utan att lära sig av de fel och problem som tidigare gjorts samt göra egna nya misstag kan inte en projektingenjör utvecklas eller bli effektivare. Andra typer av vinster är tid som kommer att minska för att lösa vissa ständigt uppkommande problem med hjälp av kunskaper från tidigare liknande projekt. Genom att dra nytta av denna kunskap och inneha en bra erfarenhetsåterföring kan det bli enklare att hitta en effektiv lösning och på så sätt minska onödiga tidsförluster. / This thesis presents a study of competence and knowledge needs of project engineers to be able to manage projects successfully. The aim of the thesis is to identify how to feedback competences and experiences into the project management process. The guidebook provides guidance to what a project engineer needs to focus on to become more skilled and to become a more effective project manager. A literature study was performed to get a better understanding of the project manager's role. A detailed study was performed on the duties of project engineers and project managers. The literature study was based on books and reports as well as an information research by the Internet. An interview with five project managers and five project engineers was conducted to compare theory with practice. Based on the respondents' answers and the results from the literature study a handbook outlining what the project engineer can do to improve their project management skills. The thesis concludes that competence development depends on individual motivation. Every individual have their own goals and they are stimulated by different motivational factors. Some aims high to become CEO for a company, while other are satisfied with their positions and it doesn’t mean that all project engineer / project manager strives for continuous development. The main question of the thesis was: "What skills are needed for project engineers to develop their skills in project management?”. The results of the thesis show that without learning from their mistakes and problems that were made in previous project and by making their own mistakes the project engineer will not develop or become a more efficient project manager. By learning from experiences from previous projects the project engineer can save significant time when facing similar problems in new projects. Recording and using this knowledge may contribute to more effective solutions and thus reducing time lost unnecessarily.

This thesis investigates how the experience of labour market insecurity affects individuals’ life courses and family lives in the UK. It focuses on unemployment and temporary work as the two sources of insecurity and examines their consequences on partnership formation, transition into parenthood, the well-being within family, and partnership dissolution. It follows a longitudinal approach and uses a sample from the BHPS. The results showed that unemployment has serious negative consequences for individuals’ family outcomes. Temporary work also has some negative outcomes, particularly for the vulnerable groups. Unemployment and temporary employment seem to discourage young adults to form marital unions, whereas especially for the young and non-married men unemployment increased the risk of fatherhood. Temporary work has a similar effect for those with no educational qualification, who are more likely to have their first child. Unemployed individuals and their spouses report a drop in their life-satisfaction, psychological well-being and are more likely to feel depressed, and they face a greater risk of marital separation. Male temporary work is associated with poorer well-being for the low-skilled employees and those who report subjective job insecurity. The wives of men working on temporary contracts also suffer from a decline in the well-being. The thesis also looked into the consequences of insecurity at the couple level. Contrary to our initial assumption, dual-insecurity - where both of the spouses are in insecure employment - does not have the strongest effect on the family. Rather, role-reversal between the spouses has the largest impact for family outcomes. When a male partner is unemployed and the female partner is employed, or when the male partner is working on temporary basis and the female partner is working on permanent basis, then the couple delays transition into parenthood, it suffers from a decline in the well-being, and it is more likely to separate.

Syftet med avhandlingen är att öka förståelsen för aspekter som inverkar på relationen mellan yrkeselevers kunskaper och de kunskaper som behövs i yrkeslivet. Detta görs genom att undersöka olika aktörers perspektiv på yrkeslivets behov av  matematikkunskaper, matematikundervisning på yrkesprogram och utformningen av läroplanen Gy11. Studien görs inom gymnasiets naturbruksprogram med inriktning mot lantbruksutbildning och inom lantbruksyrket. Det empiriska materialet består av kvalitativa intervjuer med yrkesverksamma lantbrukare, yrkeslärare och matematiklärare samt intervjuer och enkäter med elever. Resultaten från den empiriska studien har analyserats i relation till läroplanen Gy11. För analysen används framförallt Bernsteins läroplansteoretiska perspektiv med begreppen pedagogiska koder och diskurser, i vissa delar tillsammans med D’Ambrosios etnomatematiska perspektiv. Resultaten visar att lantbruksyrket kräver goda matematikkunskaper, men att det i vissa fall finns ett diskursivt gap mellan skolans matematikundervisning och behovet av matematikkunskaper i yrkeslivet. Trots ämnesplanens inriktning mot en matematik som är relaterad till elevernas yrkesinriktning, är matematikundervisningen ofta starkt knuten till en matematikbok utan relation till det yrke eleverna utbildas för. Undervisningens organisering styrs av en mängd ramfaktorer som både kan handla om tid, gruppsammansättningar och schema, men också om lärarnas syn på kunskap. De nationella proven utgör en betydande ramfaktor som i många fall styr undervisningen i högre grad än vad innehållet i ämnesplanen gör. Undervisningens svaga koppling till elevernas yrkesinriktning gör dem omotiverade att lära sig matematik eftersom de har svårt att se hur de ska kunna använda sina kunskaper i sitt kommande yrke. En del elever har också svårigheter med att rekontextualisera sina  matematikkunskaper från skolkontexten till yrkeslivets kontext vilket bland annat kan försämra deras anställningsmöjligheter. / The aim of the thesis is to increase understanding of aspects that affect the relationship between vocational education students’ knowledge and knowledge needed in professional life. This is examining through different actors' perspectives on the professional needs of mathematics skills, mathematics teaching in vocational programs and the design of the national curriculum Gy11. The study is conducted in the upper secondary natural resources management program with focus on agricultural education and the agricultural profession. The empirical material consists of qualitative interviews with professional farmers, vocational teachers, mathematics teachers and students. The results of the empirical study have been analyzed in relation to the curriculum Gy11. Bernstein's curriculum theoretical perspective, and particularly the concepts educational codes and discourses, is used for the analysis, in some parts along with D'Ambrosio’s ethno mathematical perspective. The results show that good math skills are essential for the farming profession but in some cases there is a discursive gap between school mathematics teaching and the need for mathematical skills in professional life. Although the subject plan for mathematics is focusing on mathematics related to the profession students are trained for, the mathematics teaching is largely tied to a textbook with tasks unrelated to the students’ future profession. The organization of the teaching is controlled by a variety of frame factors that can concern time, group compositions and schedule, but also the teachers' view of knowledge. The national tests represent a significant frame factor which in many cases controls the teaching to a higher degree than what the content of the subject plan does. The weak connection to the students' professional orientation makes them unmotivated to learn mathematics because they have trouble seeing how they can use their knowledge in their future profession. Students also have difficulties in recontextualizing their mathematical skills from the school context in the professional life context, which among other things can reduce their employability.

Over the last three decades, the impact of dramatic change in the social, religious, political and economic environment has led to a rapid expansion in the number of women entering the paid labour force in Sri Lanka as elsewhere. However, their identities and workload continue to be defined around caring work, especially for children. Not surprisingly, employed mothers endeavour to balance these two central spheres of their life, family and work. This research focuses on the contradictions of mothers' work-life balance. It does so through an analysis of how successfully (or unsuccessfully) professional and managerial mothers in Sri Lanka combine motherhood with paid work, and how they understand this in terms of gendered identities and social norms. This example also allows an evaluation of western derived theories about mothers' decision making in the context of a developing, Asian country. Grounded theory was used to examine mothers' narratives about life in the family and at work, drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews, along with data from some representative secondary sources, in order to explore these questions. This thesis demonstrates that working women's mothering leads to the formation of a gendered identity which varies according to different socio-cultural and religious opportunities and constraints. Using the Bourdieu approach the research suggests how everyday life operates in terms of habitus, field and capital. However, these working mothers have low capacity to achieve a work-life balance and this may lead to complex social problems.

本研究計壹冊，分五章二十節，約五萬言。第一章緒論，說明近年來歐美企業對主要 資源－「人」的看法，引申出本研究的研究動機與研究架構；第二章文獻探討，對於 工作生活品質的相關理論基礎及歷史文獻作一評述，主要探討範圍有；工作生活品質 的定義、相關構面、以及影響工作生活品質的因素等；第三章研究設計，說明本研究 之設計、執行及分析過程。本研究以染整業為研究對象，抽取不同自動化程度高、中 、低之廠商予以比較分析。分析內容主要有：透過因素分析，萃取出衡量工作生活品 質的可行構面，再針對不同自動化程度之企業，比較其員工在工作生活品質各構面滿 足狀況之差異，以及其他相關變項之差異分析；第四章研究結果，將分析結果做一整 體說明，並解釋造成上述差異之可能原因。第六章結論及建議，綜合上述結果，提出 增進工作生活品質的可行做法及相關建議。

The general focus of this thesis is on how the family, work and the welfare system are intertwined. A major determinant is the way responsibilities are shared by the state, the market and civil society in different welfare state regimes. An introductory chapter will therefore be dedicated to the development of the social dimension in the process of European integration. A first chapter will then go deeper into the comparative analysis of welfare state regimes, to comment on the provision of welfare in societies with a different mix of state, market and societal welfare roles and to assess the adequacy of existing typologies as reflections of today’s changed socio-economic, political and gender reality. Although they stand strong on their own, these first two chapters also contribute to contextualising the research subject of the remainder of the thesis: the study and comparison of the differential situation of women and men and of mothers and non-mothers on the labour markets of the EU-15 countries as well as of the role of public policies with respect to the employment penalties faced by women, particularly in the presence of young children. In our analysis, employment penalties are understood in three ways: (i) the difference in full-time equivalent employment rates between mothers and non-mothers, (ii) the wage penalty associated with motherhood, and (iii) the wage gap between part-time and full-time workers, considering men and women separately. Besides from a gender point of view, employment outcomes and public policies are thus assessed comparatively for mothers and non-mothers. Because women choose to take part in paid employment, fertility rates will depend on their possibilities to combine employment and motherhood. As a result, motherhood-induced employment penalties and the role of public policies to tackle them should be given priority attention, not just by scholars, but also by politicians and policy-makers.

This thesis analyses the gender dimensions of work-life balance policies in the UK. It focuses on three related questions: firstly, to what extent are work-life balance policies framed by 'diversity'; secondly, how does this impact on the conceptualisation and implementation of work-life balance policies (in government and in organisations); and thirdly, what are the implications for gender equality? Through analysing published research, the UK Government's work-life balance agenda and data generated from three selected case study organisations, the prominent dimensions of diversity that shape the conceptualisation and implementation of work-life balance policies are presented. This thesis argues that the concept of diversity - as defined by the feminist literature - offers the potential to progress gender equality through overcoming the same-difference dichotomy, and by recognising multiple aspects of identity. However, this theoretical potential is not necessarily reflected in practice. With the emphasis on the individual worker and choice, diversity has been primarily defined as 'managing diversity', and has a significant affect on how work-life balance policies have been applied in both government policy and organisational practice. The UK Government states that work-life balance policies are meant to provide everyone with opportunities to balance work with other aspects of life. The current policy framework targets parents and in particular mothers, potentially limiting the choices that men and women have to 'work' and 'care'. Locating work-life balance policies within the context of 'managing diversity' supports and facilitates women's employment, but does not necessarily challenge fundamental gender disparities such as occupational segregation and gender pay gaps. Analysis of the UK Government's current agenda and organisational case studies show that despite progressive equality, diversity and worklife balance agendas, work-life balance policies are limited in challenging persistent structural gender inequalities.

Kandidatuppsats i Företagsekonomi III, Organisation 15 hp, 2FE78E, Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet i Kalmar, Vårterminen 2017.                                                                                                                                   Författare: Hugo Järnland & Ida Sonesson   Handledare: Mathias Karlsson Examinator: Mikael Lundgren   Titel: Det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet som Janusansikte - en kvalitativ studie om medarbetares positiva samt negativa upplevelser av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet.   Syfte: Studien syftar till att skapa förståelse för hur medarbetare upplever och förhåller sig till det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet.                                                                                                              Metodik: En kvalitativ forskningsstrategi med en abduktiv ansats. Det empiriska materialet är insamlat via åtta semistrukturerade intervjuer med medarbetare som arbetar på ett företag där det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet tillämpas.                                                                              Slutsats: Studiens resultat har gett en ökad förståelse för hur medarbetare upplever och förhåller sig till det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet. Studien visar att det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet är ett komplext område som upplevs olika av olika individer. Resultatet visar även att det finns både positiva och negativa sidor av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet. Sammanfattningsvis kan vi redogöra att medarbetarnas upplevelser av det aktivitetsbaserade arbetssättet kan liknas vid ett Janusansikte då deras upplevelser tydligt skiljer sig från varandra. / Bachelor Thesis in Business Administration III, Organization 15 hp, 2FE78E, Faculty of Economics at Linneaus University in Kalmar, Spring 2017.   Authors: Hugo Järnland & Ida Sonesson   Advisor: Mathias Karlsson   Examinator: Mikael Lundgren   Title: The activity-based working as a Janusface – A qualitative study about employees positive and negative experiences about activity-based working.   Purpose: The study aims to create an understanding regarding employees experiences and how they relate to activity-based working.   Methodology: A qualitative research strategy with an abductive approach. The empirical material is collected through eight semi structured interviews with employees at a company where the activity-based working is implemented.   Conclusion: The study’s result has given an increased understanding of how employees experience and relate to activity-based working. The study shows that activity-based working is a complex area which individuals experience differently. The results also show that there are both positive and negative sides of the activity-based working. In conclusion, we can find that employees experiences of the activity-based working can be seen as a Janusface since their experiences clearly differ from each another.

Retention is an important aspect of human resource activities, especially for small and medium-sizedenterprises since they lack resources and face unique challenges when compared to larger and more established firms. Retaining key employees will allow firms to preserve their resources, sustain theireffectiveness and productivity, and thereby maintaining a competitive advantage. Despite this importance,it is a research area that is not yet fully understood, and therefore warrants further research.Taking into account the lack of resources in smaller firms, the purpose of this study was therefore toconstruct a theoretical model that can be used to research non-monetary factors and their effect onemployee retention. This was done to further elaborate on the research area. To achieve this, a quantitativestudy was performed, where data was collected from 96 Swedish small and medium-sizedenterprises,which was then used for a linear multiple regression analysis. The result was used to answerthe research question: “To what extent do firm-level, non-monetary factors affect the retention ratio inSwedish SMEs?”The result of this study shows that firm age and autonomy are the two factors which affect retention themost in Swedish SMEs. Older firms benefit from a higher retention rate than younger firms, with thepractical implication that younger firms would benefit from adapting the retention practices and policiesof older firms. The result regarding autonomy contradicts previous research, since the firms in this studywith higher degrees of autonomy face lower retention levels. This could be due to the fact that theoccupational group working at these firms often possesses specific knowledge, skills and abilities, whichmakes them attractive on the external labor market. An increased awareness of this relationship will allowfirms employing these occupational groups to implement preventative measures, in order to retain theiremployees.The effects of work-life balance, training, internal career opportunity, and pay on employee retention werenot statistically significant, indicating that previous research is not applicable to a Swedish context. Inaddition to researching a new context, a new research model based on previous research was developed toexplain to what extent firm-level factors affect employee retention, which can support further researchrelated to the research area. / Att bibehålla personal är en betydelsefull del av ett företags personalaktiviteter. De företag som lyckasbibehålla viktig personal kommer att kunna upprätthålla en konkurrensfördel genom att bevara sinaresurser, sin effektivitet och sin produktivitet. Detta gäller särskilt för små och medelstora företag då destår inför unika utmaningar, samt ofta har en brist på resurser jämfört med större och mer etableradeföretag. Trots denna betydelse är detta ett forskningsområde som inte är utforskat till fullo, varför vidareforskning är berättigad.Med mindre företags brist på resurser i åtanke, var syftet med denna studie att utforma en teoretisk modellsom kan användas för att undersöka icke-monetära faktorer och deras effekt på bibehållandet av personal.Detta för att belysa och utforska forskningsområdet ytterligare. För att uppnå syftet genomfördes enkvantitativ studie, där data samlades in från 96 svenska små och medelstora företag, vilken däreftersammanställdes för att utföra en linjär multipel regressionsanalys. Resultatet användes för att besvaraforskningsfrågan: “I vilken utsträckning påverkar icke-monetära faktorer på företagsnivå bibehållandetav personal i svenska små och medelstora företag?”Resultatet av denna studie visar att företagets ålder samt graden av autonomi är de två faktorer sompåverkar bibehållandet av personal i högst utsträckning i svenska små och medelstora företag. Äldreföretag lyckas bibehålla sin personal i högre utsträckning än yngre företag. De praktiska implikationernaav detta är att yngre firmor skulle gynnas av att tillämpa det agerande och de principer relaterade tillbibehållandet av personal som återfinns hos äldre företag. Studiens resultat visar även att företag med enhögre grad av autonomi bibehåller sin personal i lägre utsträckning, vilket motsäger tidigare forskning.Detta resultat kan bero på att den yrkesgrupp som är anställd hos dessa företag ofta innehar specifikkunskap, kompetens och förmågor, vilket gör dem attraktiva på den externa arbetsmarknaden. En ökadmedvetenhet gällande detta samband gör att företag vars anställda tillhör denna yrkesgrupp kanimplementera förebyggande åtgärder i syfte att bibehålla denna personal.Effekterna av balansen mellan arbets- och privatliv, utbildning, interna karriärmöjligheter och lön var intestatistiskt signifikanta, vilket antyder att tidigare forskning ej är applicerbar på den svenska kontexten.Utöver utforskandet av en ny kontext, utvecklades även en ny forskningsmodell baserad på tidigareforskning, med målsättningen att förtydliga i vilken utsträckning faktorer på företagsnivå påverkarbibehållandet av personal. Denna modell kan understödja vidare forskning relaterad tillforskningsområdet.