Abstract Employee engagement refers to what takes place when people are interested in a positive way and when they are excited about their jobs, exercise discretionary behaviour and are motivated to achieve high levels of performance. The present research therefore examined employee engagement of the academic staff in the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges in South Africa. A quantitative design was used. In total, 2 054 academic staff completed the questionnaire. A self-administered 4-point Likert-type scale questionnaire was developed. The data was gathered and then analysed by using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were used to present the findings. An employee engagement framework, which incorporates the main ideas of the article, suggests a new perspective about how to foster and manage employee engagement in today’s workplace is presented.

Electronic Information Resources (EIR) can be seen as invaluable teaching and research tools, which complement print-based resources and enhance the learning and research processes in any academic institution. The aims of this research were to investigate, analyse and discuss the use of and needs for EIR and existing training in promoting and enhancing the quality of teaching and research activities amongst academic staff at the University of Bahrain. Extensive quantitative, qualitative and theoretical methods were used to identify and analyse academic staff EIR skills, knowledge and awareness. The population of the study is made up of all the full-time faculty members working at the University of Bahrain. A total of 593 questionnaires were distributed and 466 completed ones were returned, giving an overall response rate of 78.5%, and these were used for the purpose of the study. The result of the study revealed that printed resources are the sources of information most used for teaching and research. The colleges of Law, Art and Education had the lowest percentages of usage of EIR compared with other colleges. Work overload, lack of awareness, low skill levels, slow servers, ineffective communication systems, language barriers and a preference for print resources were among the primary constraints that affected academic staff uptake and use of electronic resources in teaching and research. One-to-one training was the preferred training method for those academics wishing to enhance their EIR skills. It was recommended that there is a need for greater promotion from the upper level decision-makers at the university if they wish to see greater use of electronic resources in teaching and research. Strategic conceptual models designed to provide solutions to the current problems and to help in setting policies and decisions for the effective use of EIR in teaching and research are given.

occupied by the consequences of the major legislative and structural changes of the last decade, are failing to recognise and cultivate the full professional potential of their academic staff to the detriment of the college, those individual members of staff and the students. This work investigates the current application of Human Resource Management in the Further Education sector and the consequences for the professional development of academic staff. In doing so, it examines current theories relevant to the organisational perspective and to the perspective of the individual member of staff. These include theories of organisational change, as well as career theory, adult development and motivation. Studies one and two focussed primarily on the whole college perspective, while three and four canvassed the views and opinions of individual members of academic staff. Most of the analysis concentrates on study four as this emerged as the most significant data. The first two shorter studies provided a benchmark for the rest of the research. Studies one and two examined the current organisational perspective on professional development. Study one involved content analysis of staff development policies collated from colleges throughout the sector, while study two followed up this information with a series of in-depth interviews with staff development managers from a range of colleges. The second half of the research concentrated on an examination of the views of as many staff as possible at a small number of colleges. Study three, a questionnaire survey undertaken with academic staff at two large Further Education colleges, provided useful quantitative data. Based on the findings of the questionnaire, the fourth and final study involved detailed one-to-one interviews with individual members of staff, which were then examined using qualitative data analysis methods. Coupled with data drawn from the questionnaire survey, the key conclusions are presented in chapter seven and used as a basis for the recommendations in chapter eight. The thesis concludes that current Human Resource Management approaches have led to a neglect of the career and professional development interests of the individual and an alternative model of the employment relationship is proposed. It is also suggested that the current rhetoric of Human Resource Development is inappropriate to the field of Further Education and has underestimated and misinterpreted the unique and peculiar qualities of an academic culture. It concludes that by shifting the strategic focus to the professional development of its individual members, the organisational as well as the individual will benefit.

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This research explores the issue of the development of a value-added performance indicator of teaching in higher education in the UK. The empirical work of this research is based on the data on university student entry qualifications and degree results from two new universities and the interviews with 18 members of academic staff from a new university. This research contains two main parts both aimed at the question of the feasibility of constructing and using value-added as a performance indicator. The first part of this research developed a method of calculating value-added in higher education in the UK, and this method was used to measure value-added at the two institutions at course, school/departmental, and institutional (cohort) level. This was intended to discover the feasibility of developing a method to quantify the relationship between entry qualifications and degree results. The second part of the study used the value-added results obtained from the first part of the study to interview (semi-structured interview) academic staff to investigate their views on whether these value-added results can be used to indicate quality of teaching. In this case the question addressed was the perceived utility of the measure and its acceptability. The first part of the study found that the method of calculating value-added developed can be used to identify variations in value-added at course (course with large number of students), school/departmental, and institutional (cohort) level, and this method has advantages over the main existing value-added measurements, Index methods and the Comparative method. The second part of the study suggested that academics found it acceptable if the value-added results were used to identify problems, nevertheless, they argued that the value-added results can not directly indicate quality of teaching. The difficulties with directly using value-added results to indicate quality of teaching are summarised into the following aspects: the concept of value-added, comparability, factors which have impact on student academic achievements, factors which have impact on how accurately degree results can reflect students' true achievements. It is concluded that the method of calculating value-added developed in this research can be used to identify problems in higher education in the UK, but it can not be used directly to indicate quality of teaching. The findings of this research imply that a value-added performance indicator would derive its significance from the link between value-added results and specific processes of teaching and learning.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / A critical feature of globalisation is to attract and retain intellectual capital to ensure that a cadre of highly skilled, independent, internationally marketable and mobile employees is achieved (Sutherland & Jordaan, 2004). Bagraim and Sader (2007) concur by stating that South African organisations in an increasingly dynamic globalised economy, strive to increase the organisation's competitiveness by ensuring they need to retain and motivate skilled employees. The plethora of literature available on organisational commitment and job satisfaction is testament to achieving the above (Aamodt, 1999; Mowday, Porter & Steers, 1982; Robbins; 2001; Robbins & Judge; 2007). Withdrawal behaviours such as tardiness, absenteeism and turnover have been found to be inversely related to both job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Bergh, 2011; Mowday et al., 1982; Robbins, 2001). It is therefore believed that satisfied and committed employees are more likely to remain with an organisation and to perform at higher levels. The relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment has particularly important implications for service organisations. In a recent study, conducted in a service environment, it was demonstrated that highly committed employees exerted more effort towards satisfying the needs of customers. The effort was found, in turn, to raise the level of customer satisfaction (Malherbe & Pearse, 2003). Moreover, the latter study lent strong support to the notion that increased job satisfaction is likely to stimulate greater commitment. Since 1994 South Africa has undergone numerous changes not only in the country but also in the Higher Education sector, to rectify and redress the social injustices caused by apartheid in a move towards a democratic society (Cross, Mungadi & Rouhini cited in Rothman, 2005). In a hyper turbulent environment characterised by constant change, it has become important for Higher Education to change as well to ensure that tertiary institutions become internationally competitive. The importance of the current study therefore comes to the fore in terms of determining why individuals are leaving the institution. This is important because to remain competitive the institution needs highly competent, committed and experienced employees. The present study aspires to identify the variables which influence turnover intentions. The mediating effects of job satisfaction and organisational commitment were investigated in this particular study to explore the concept of turnover intentions amongst a sample of 118 non-academic (administrative) staff members at a tertiary institution in the Western Cape. A biographical questionnaire, the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) and the Turnover Intentions Questionnaire were administered to elicit responses from respondents to determine the impact of the variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment on turnover intentions. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods (the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Co-efficient and Multiple Regression Analysis) were utilised during the statistical analysis phase. Results indicate that a statistically significant inverse relationship exists between the independent variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment, respectively, and turnover intention. These findings are consistent with previous research findings (Appollis, 2010; Ben-Bakr, Al-Shammari, Jefri & Prasad, 1994; Pienaar, Sieberhagen & Mostert, 2007). Further to this a statistically significant relationship also exists between job satisfaction and organisational commitment which corroborates previous findings (Lok & Crawford, 1999; Mathieu & Zajac; 1999; McNeese-Smith, 2001; Price & Mueller, 1981; Williams & Hazer, 1986). The study concludes with recommendations and implications for future research endeavours in the area of job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intentions amongst non-academic employees from institutions of Higher Education.

Calls for more effective and modern teaching practices, higher research outputs, leaner administrative processes, greater community engagement, and more student-centred approaches to the business of higher education have intensified the challenges of working in a university. These challenges have added considerable complexity to the roles of academic staff, many of whom are facing increasing demands for which they are ill equipped to deal in terms of their formal education. To succeed in the highly competitive and changing environment that is higher education today, universities need to ensure that the requisite capabilities are developed in their academic staff. The key question underpinning this study is: how can the provision of professional development for academic staff be optimised to enhance university performance? The focus of the research is on identifying the ways in which higher education institutions provide formal offerings of professional development to academic staff, how they are organised to do this, who is entrusted with the task, and what are the strengths and limitations of the approaches taken. The research is informed by literature concerning higher education management, academic development, and strategic human resource management. Taking a critical realist ontological perspective, case studies of professional development provision in two Irish universities are presented. Findings reveal that while effective professional development is an espoused priority it is not a managed priority. While there is some evidence of good practice, the fragmented organisational structures in place for delivery of professional development reveal an absence of coordination and gaps in provision. The connection between professional development and organisational performance is loose. Recommendations are made on how the provision of professional development for academics can be managed to enhance university performance. A framework for designing performance-led professional development activities that aligns organisational and individual goals is proposed. An organisational structure that takes a more conscious approach to the management of the full range of professional development provision is put forward.

Academics in South Africa are being confronted with a work environment accumulated with job demands, often without corresponding increases in job resources. Job demands and job resources might affect the levels of work engagement of academics in higher education institutions. Therefore, research is needed regarding work engagement of academics and the relationship thereof with job demands and resources. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether the UWES is a reliable and valid measure of work engagement for academic staff in universities in South Africa and to assess the relationships between work engagement, job demands and job resources. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population (N = 471) consisted of academic staff of the following universities: North-West University, University of Port Elizabeth and University of the Orange Free State. The UWES, Job-Demands-Resources Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire was administered. The reliability and validity of the measuring instruments were assessed with the use of Cronbach alpha coefficients, and exploratory factor analysis. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationships between job demands, job resources and work engagement. Principal component analysis resulted in a one-factor model of work engagement, consisting of Vigour/Engagement. This factor showed an acceptable alpha coefficient. Regarding the Job Demands-Resources Scale, five reliable factors were extracted, namely Organisational Support, Growth Opportunities, Communion, Overload and Job Insecurity. The correlation coefficients indicated that engagement is positively related to growth opportunities, organisational support and communion. A regression analysis with engagement as dependent variable indicated that organisational support and growth opportunities in the job were the best predictors of work engagement. Job resources predicted 46% of the variance in work engagement, but only two job resources, namely organisational support and growth opportunities showed statistically significant regression coefficients. Recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Tertiary institutions, in striving towards achieving academic excellence, have realised the need for the professional development of human resources. Staff development thus now features in most institutions' strategic plans. In this study, which has as its context the M L Sultan Technikon, an attempt was made to develop and implement an evaluation programme for academic staff to determine relevant staff needs. Adopting a 'grass-roots' approach to staff evaluation, the evaluation programme was initiated and launched by the Staff Development Unit. Phase 1 of the programme was experimental and voluntary and consisted of student-feedback, a self-evaluation form and a head's evaluation form. Staff response to the programme and their input to a revised evaluation programme occurred as a result of meetings with staff, the administration of feedback questionnaires and a survey of all heads of department. One of the goals of the evaluation programme was to contribute to a relevant staff development programme based on academic staff needs, generated as a result of engaging in the self-evaluation, resulting in needs as indicated in staff's personal development plans. Although the evaluation programme was developed with formative intentions, it has been adapted by the Management for summative purposes, the outcomes of which are also focused upon in the study. / Thesis (M.Ed.) - University of Durban-Westville, 1991.

Academics in South Africa are being confronted with a work environment accumulated with job demands, often without corresponding increases in job resources. Job demands and job resources might affect the levels of work engagement of academics in higher education institutions. Therefore, research is needed regarding work engagement of academics and the relationship thereof with job demands and resources. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether the UWES is a reliable and valid measure of work engagement for academic staff in universities in South Africa and to assess the relationships between work engagement, job demands and job resources. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population (N = 471) consisted of academic staff of the following universities: North-West University, University of Port Elizabeth and University of the Orange Free State. The UWES, Job-Demands-Resources Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire was administered. The reliability and validity of the measuring instruments were assessed with the use of Cronbach alpha coefficients, and exploratory factor analysis. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. Pearson correlations and multiple regression analyses were used to assess the relationships between job demands, job resources and work engagement. Principal component analysis resulted in a one-factor model of work engagement, consisting of Vigour/Engagement. This factor showed an acceptable alpha coefficient. Regarding the Job Demands-Resources Scale, five reliable factors were extracted, namely Organisational Support, Growth Opportunities, Communion, Overload and Job Insecurity. The correlation coefficients indicated that engagement is positively related to growth opportunities, organisational support and communion. A regression analysis with engagement as dependent variable indicated that organisational support and growth opportunities in the job were the best predictors of work engagement. Job resources predicted 46% of the variance in work engagement, but only two job resources, namely organisational support and growth opportunities showed statistically significant regression coefficients. Recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.