Masters of Art / Die teoretiese tradisie aan die basis van die navorsingstuk is dié van die sosiolinguistiese teorie. Eksponente van hierdie teorie, maak benewens die linguistiese ook bemoeienis met die sosiale dimensie van taal. In aansluiting by Rubin & Jemudd (1971: xiv) wat argumenteer dat taalbeplanning deel van sosiale verandering is en daarom onderhewig is aan reëls van hierdie tipe verandering, kan taalbeplanning nie in isolasie geskied met sosiale beplanning nie. Hierdie studie is 'n ondersoek na die wyse waarop veeltaligheid hanteer word. In hierdie verband word ingegaan op die rol van buitelinguistiese faktore in die taalbeplanningsprosesse. Vanuit 'n sosiolinguistiese perspektief word taalbeplanning noodwendig beïnvloed deur breër sosiale faktore soos ekonomiese, sosiale, politieke, demografiese en psigologiese. Hierdie studie ondersoek die rol van nasionalisme, meer spesifiek Afrikaner-nasionalisme, in die hantering van die veeltalige karakter van Suid-Afrika. Daarbenewens word 'n oorsig gebied van die wyse waarop enkele Afrikalande met onafhanklikheid hul veeltaligheid hanteer het. Daar word veral gefokusseer op die rol van kolonialisme asook op welke wyse die breër politieke strewe In die lig van die voorafgaande word 'n kritiese analise gegee van die voorgestelde taalbeleid vir 'n veranderde Suid-Afrika.

Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Industrial and organisational (I-O) psychology is a profession which entails a broad spectrum of working activities. One of these activities is workplace counselling which forms a significant part of the internship programme. However, interns often lack the necessary skills to provide counselling. In order to function in a counselling role, the I-O psychologist should have the necessary training to be equipped with counselling skills. It is evident from previous studies that I-O psychology practitioners often feel they lack the ability to counsel individuals sufficiently. Therefore it is important for I-O psychology students to focus on their development to become effective counsellors by focussing on their inter- and intrapersonal skills as part of the skills package as a counsellor. Personal Growth Initiative (PGI) is one way of measuring a person’s intrapersonal skills in terms of the individual’s intention to change and grow. The main aim of this study was to measure the prevalence of PGI among I-O psychology students. Participation in this study was limited to I-O psychology students (N = 568). The students differed in terms of gender, age, ethnicity, and language. The results provided the researcher with an indication of what the students’ intention to grow and develop as an individual entails in order to provide a basis for further research, namely to develop a training programme for I-O psychology students as workplace counsellors.. The PGI of the students were measured by means of the Personal Growth Initiative Scale (PGIS). This is a nine-item instrument with a six-point Likert type scale ranging from 0 (definitely disagree) to 6 (definitely agree). The results indicated that PGI is prevalent among the I-O psychology students. Furthermore, the study showed that PGI is relevant to all gender and ethnic groups amongst I-O psychology students. Significant differences were found for the different ages and languages. From the results it is recommended that higher education institutions adapt training programmes to foster personal growth initiative amongst I-O psychology students. Future research can also make use of the PGIS-II to measure PGI as this is the latest version of the construct. In terms of the organisation it is recommended that I-O practitioners should be more growth focussed. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Participation in campus leisure and recreation programmes can provide university students with various benefits, but the provision of effective leisure programmes are complicated by the changes that have taken place in the demographic composition of the student population attending South African universities. Increases in the proportion of black students attending university, and decreases in the proportion of white students means that current students possibly exhibit leisure behaviours that differ from those of their predecessors. With eleven official languages in South Africa, the language diversity among students is a further issue with which leisure professionals have to contend. Students also come from different economic backgrounds, posing additional challenges to universities’ leisure service providers. Since demographic factors, including culturally based perceptions and values, ethnic identity, language, religious beliefs and family structure (Outley & Witt, 2006:112) may influence leisure behaviour and preferences, it is important for leisure professionals to understand how these factors influence the perceptions students have of leisure. For purposes of this study, leisure perceptions are conceptualised to include leisure meanings, leisure experiences and leisure constraints. Due to the lack of research regarding leisure within a South African context (Goslin, 2003:39; Wegner et al. 2006:249) the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between demographic variables and leisure perceptions of selected South African first-year university students. The study utilised a once off crosssectional research design, using three research instruments, the Leisure Meanings Inventory (LMI), Leisure Experience Battery for Young Adults (LEBYA) and the leisure constraint questionnaire by Raymore et al. (1993:104). An availability sample was used that comprised 344 first-year students in academic programmes related to sport, leisure and recreation studies from six South African universities. Data analysis included confirmatory factor analyses, t-tests, ANOVA and 2-way ANOVA. For leisure meanings, results indicate that female students are more likely to see leisure as Exercising Choice and Achieving Fulfilment than are male students. Home language also influences leisure meanings, with Afrikaans students seeing leisure as Escaping Pressure, whereas English-speaking students associate it with Passing Time. Students staying in private accommodation associated leisure more with Passing Time than those in university hostels. Furthermore, students that are in a relationship are less likely to see leisure as Achieving Fulfilment than those that are not. For leisure experiences, white students are more aware of leisure benefits and opportunities than are black students, and experience less boredom and distress during their leisure. Additionally, white students are more aware of leisure benefits and opportunities than are Coloured students. Seeing that a lack of awareness of leisure participation benefits and opportunities often are associated with boredom, which in turn is associated with delinquent behaviour, the possibility exists that increased awareness of leisure may assist in combating delinquent behaviour among students. In terms of language, Afrikaans-speaking students and students that speak African languages experienced more challenge in their leisure than their English-speaking counterparts. This result may be either because of ethnic factors, such as traditions or customs associated with specific languages or because of language, per se, as proposed by the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. With regard to leisure constraints, black students experienced greater interpersonal constraints than did white students, while white students experienced greater structural constraints than did black students. Additionally, Indian students experienced more intrapersonal constraints than did black students. Students staying in university hostels experience less structural constraints than those in private accommodation. Lastly, students from rural areas/informal settlements experienced less intrapersonal and structural constraints than students that grew up in towns and cities. The study is the first of its kind in South Africa, providing a new insight into leisure, and addressing the paucity of research within the South African context. Recommendations include the implementation of comprehensive leisure education programmes to inform students of the benefits of leisure and the opportunities available to them. In so doing, students can be assisted in negotiating constraints and in developing more complex leisure meanings. In order to meet the challenges, leisure professionals need to know how student diversity affects leisure programming; hence training of current leisure practitioners in the form of short learning programmes is suggested. Future research should include: a) modifications to the research instruments to accommodate the South African population and to increase reliability, b) replicating the study on a broader student population to provide a more detailed picture of leisure perception at South African universities, and c) using a mixed-method research design, including both quantitative and qualitative methods for gathering data. / Thesis (PhD (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Participation in campus leisure and recreation programmes can provide university students with various benefits, but the provision of effective leisure programmes are complicated by the changes that have taken place in the demographic composition of the student population attending South African universities. Increases in the proportion of black students attending university, and decreases in the proportion of white students means that current students possibly exhibit leisure behaviours that differ from those of their predecessors. With eleven official languages in South Africa, the language diversity among students is a further issue with which leisure professionals have to contend. Students also come from different economic backgrounds, posing additional challenges to universities’ leisure service providers. Since demographic factors, including culturally based perceptions and values, ethnic identity, language, religious beliefs and family structure (Outley & Witt, 2006:112) may influence leisure behaviour and preferences, it is important for leisure professionals to understand how these factors influence the perceptions students have of leisure. For purposes of this study, leisure perceptions are conceptualised to include leisure meanings, leisure experiences and leisure constraints. Due to the lack of research regarding leisure within a South African context (Goslin, 2003:39; Wegner et al. 2006:249) the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between demographic variables and leisure perceptions of selected South African first-year university students. The study utilised a once off crosssectional research design, using three research instruments, the Leisure Meanings Inventory (LMI), Leisure Experience Battery for Young Adults (LEBYA) and the leisure constraint questionnaire by Raymore et al. (1993:104). An availability sample was used that comprised 344 first-year students in academic programmes related to sport, leisure and recreation studies from six South African universities. Data analysis included confirmatory factor analyses, t-tests, ANOVA and 2-way ANOVA. For leisure meanings, results indicate that female students are more likely to see leisure as Exercising Choice and Achieving Fulfilment than are male students. Home language also influences leisure meanings, with Afrikaans students seeing leisure as Escaping Pressure, whereas English-speaking students associate it with Passing Time. Students staying in private accommodation associated leisure more with Passing Time than those in university hostels. Furthermore, students that are in a relationship are less likely to see leisure as Achieving Fulfilment than those that are not. For leisure experiences, white students are more aware of leisure benefits and opportunities than are black students, and experience less boredom and distress during their leisure. Additionally, white students are more aware of leisure benefits and opportunities than are Coloured students. Seeing that a lack of awareness of leisure participation benefits and opportunities often are associated with boredom, which in turn is associated with delinquent behaviour, the possibility exists that increased awareness of leisure may assist in combating delinquent behaviour among students. In terms of language, Afrikaans-speaking students and students that speak African languages experienced more challenge in their leisure than their English-speaking counterparts. This result may be either because of ethnic factors, such as traditions or customs associated with specific languages or because of language, per se, as proposed by the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. With regard to leisure constraints, black students experienced greater interpersonal constraints than did white students, while white students experienced greater structural constraints than did black students. Additionally, Indian students experienced more intrapersonal constraints than did black students. Students staying in university hostels experience less structural constraints than those in private accommodation. Lastly, students from rural areas/informal settlements experienced less intrapersonal and structural constraints than students that grew up in towns and cities. The study is the first of its kind in South Africa, providing a new insight into leisure, and addressing the paucity of research within the South African context. Recommendations include the implementation of comprehensive leisure education programmes to inform students of the benefits of leisure and the opportunities available to them. In so doing, students can be assisted in negotiating constraints and in developing more complex leisure meanings. In order to meet the challenges, leisure professionals need to know how student diversity affects leisure programming; hence training of current leisure practitioners in the form of short learning programmes is suggested. Future research should include: a) modifications to the research instruments to accommodate the South African population and to increase reliability, b) replicating the study on a broader student population to provide a more detailed picture of leisure perception at South African universities, and c) using a mixed-method research design, including both quantitative and qualitative methods for gathering data. / Thesis (PhD (Recreation Science))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item consisting of four categories: I am very sure; I know exactly what career I will pursue (n = 228), I am fairly sure what career I will pursue (n = 416), I am not sure at all which career I will pursue (n = 135) and I do not plan to follow a career (n = 3). For the objective of the study, categories one and two were grouped together with participants who were fairly certain which career they would follow, while participants in category three represented participants who were uncertain. Category four was not included as only three participants within that category answered. In total, 644 students were (fairly) certain, while 135 were uncertain. These two groups were enclosed as a dependent variable in the logistic regression. The results of this study showed that work experience influences career uncertainty to some extent. This is supported by previous research. Furthermore, it was found that self–esteem also influences career uncertainty to some degree. However, these two variables were only significant in the first steps of the logistic regression. Furthermore, the results showed that career decision–making difficulties share a significant relationship with career uncertainty. The study also found that significant antecedents of career uncertainty include: a lack of information about the decision–making process; a lack of information about occupations; inconsistent information due to internal conflict; a lack of information about ways of obtaining information; and inconsistent information due to external conflict. In conclusion, exhaustion, cynicism and dedication were also found to be significant antecedents of career uncertainty. Based on these results, this study suggests that student burnout and student engagement influence an individual’s level of career uncertainty. Recommendations were made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item The changing work environment has caused individuals to revise and change their career decisions. This creates career uncertainty, which has become a widespread problem, particularly for students. When this problem is not addressed, it leads to career indecision, or less optimal choices which could influence career opportunities and quality of life. Career indecision could impact on organisations, resulting in problems such as person–job adjustment, lack of engagement and burnout. Although research on career uncertainty is available internationally, there is limited research on career uncertainty and its antecedents in the South African context. Career uncertainty can have short– and long–term effects on the individual. This study therefore contributes toward the gap in research on the antecedents of career uncertainty. Given that career uncertainty is a problem that individuals are constantly confronted with, it is important that the antecedents of this be investigated. The objectives of this study were to 1) conceptualise the antecedents of career uncertainty according to the literature; 2) determine if socio–demographic characteristics (gender, career guidance, help from parents, help from other individuals and work experience) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 3) determine if personality characteristics (self–esteem, self–efficacy and neuroticism) are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 4) determine if career decision–making difficulties are significant predictors of career uncertainty; 5) determine if student burnout and student engagement are significant predictors of career uncertainty; and 6) determine if academic performance is a significant predictor of career uncertainty. A non–probability quota sample (N = 782) was used to investigate antecedents of career uncertainty in a sample of university students. Career uncertainty was measured by one item consisting of four categories: I am very sure; I know exactly what career I will pursue (n = 228), I am fairly sure what career I will pursue (n = 416), I am not sure at all which career I will pursue (n = 135) and I do not plan to follow a career (n = 3). For the objective of the study, categories one and two were grouped together with participants who were fairly certain which career they would follow, while participants in category three represented participants who were uncertain. Category four was not included as only three participants within that category answered. In total, 644 students were (fairly) certain, while 135 were uncertain. These two groups were enclosed as a dependent variable in the logistic regression. The results of this study showed that work experience influences career uncertainty to some extent. This is supported by previous research. Furthermore, it was found that self–esteem also influences career uncertainty to some degree. However, these two variables were only significant in the first steps of the logistic regression. Furthermore, the results showed that career decision–making difficulties share a significant relationship with career uncertainty. The study also found that significant antecedents of career uncertainty include: a lack of information about the decision–making process; a lack of information about occupations; inconsistent information due to internal conflict; a lack of information about ways of obtaining information; and inconsistent information due to external conflict. In conclusion, exhaustion, cynicism and dedication were also found to be significant antecedents of career uncertainty. Based on these results, this study suggests that student burnout and student engagement influence an individual’s level of career uncertainty. Recommendations were made for practice as well as for future research. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Subjective career success has been the focus of research for a number of years. The term refers to the individual’s personal perception of how successful he/she is in a career. In many qualitative studies subjective career success is found to be a multi-dimensional construct. Although there are quantitative instruments that measure subjective career success, they do not measure the construct on multiple dimensions. The first objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of two existing multi-dimensional instruments that measure subjective career success, especially in the South African context. These are the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) and the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992). The second objective was to determine which predictors can be found for subjective career success. Literature differentiates between three broad categories of variables, namely demographical (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training, and development opportunities). A convenience sample of 754 personnel from the South African Police Service was taken at stations and training colleges in the Free State, South Africa. A measuring battery that assesses subjective career success was used. This entailed the Perceived Career Success Scale as well as the Life-success Measures Scale. In addition, questions were used to ascertain the three types of variables demographic (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training and development opportunities). The following statistical analyses were done to analyse the data: descriptive and inferential statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, product-moment correlations, confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that subjective career success is indeed a multi-dimensional construct. Three dimensions (job success, interpersonal success and non-organisational success) of the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) could be established. These dimensions yielded good reliability, but the validity remained problematic. In contrast, the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992) yielded four dimensions (security, social contribution, professional fulfilment and personal fulfilment). The psychometric properties of these dimensions were acceptable and showed to be reliable and valid. In addition, various demographic, human capital and organisational variables were found to be predictors of subjective career success. Career planning, training and developmental opportunities, as well as perceived organisational support, explained the most variance. Various recommendations were made for the context of the South African Police Service, and also for future research. The organisation is advised to apply the results from this study to adjust policies and practices in such a way that employees will experience higher levels of subjective career success. Furthermore, career discussions may be held in order to enhance opportunities for career planning and provide opportunities for relevant training and development that are aligned to the business drive of the organisation. Interventions that will increase perceived organisational support and congenial relationships could be implemented and maintained. More research on the two subjective career success measures is needed, in order to 1) verify the validity of the Perceived Career Success Scale and 2) to apply it and the Life-success Measures Scale to other sectors and industries. It is also recommended that a more heterogeneous sample be utilised as well as longitudinal research designs in future research studies relating to subjective career success. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Subjective career success has been the focus of research for a number of years. The term refers to the individual’s personal perception of how successful he/she is in a career. In many qualitative studies subjective career success is found to be a multi-dimensional construct. Although there are quantitative instruments that measure subjective career success, they do not measure the construct on multiple dimensions. The first objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of two existing multi-dimensional instruments that measure subjective career success, especially in the South African context. These are the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) and the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992). The second objective was to determine which predictors can be found for subjective career success. Literature differentiates between three broad categories of variables, namely demographical (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training, and development opportunities). A convenience sample of 754 personnel from the South African Police Service was taken at stations and training colleges in the Free State, South Africa. A measuring battery that assesses subjective career success was used. This entailed the Perceived Career Success Scale as well as the Life-success Measures Scale. In addition, questions were used to ascertain the three types of variables demographic (gender, language group, marital status and age), human capital (job tenure, level of education and career planning) and organisational variables (perceived organisational support and training and development opportunities). The following statistical analyses were done to analyse the data: descriptive and inferential statistics, Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, product-moment correlations, confirmatory factor analysis and linear regression analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that subjective career success is indeed a multi-dimensional construct. Three dimensions (job success, interpersonal success and non-organisational success) of the Perceived Career Success Scale (Gattiker & Larwood, 1986) could be established. These dimensions yielded good reliability, but the validity remained problematic. In contrast, the Life-success Measures Scale (Parker & Chusmir, 1992) yielded four dimensions (security, social contribution, professional fulfilment and personal fulfilment). The psychometric properties of these dimensions were acceptable and showed to be reliable and valid. In addition, various demographic, human capital and organisational variables were found to be predictors of subjective career success. Career planning, training and developmental opportunities, as well as perceived organisational support, explained the most variance. Various recommendations were made for the context of the South African Police Service, and also for future research. The organisation is advised to apply the results from this study to adjust policies and practices in such a way that employees will experience higher levels of subjective career success. Furthermore, career discussions may be held in order to enhance opportunities for career planning and provide opportunities for relevant training and development that are aligned to the business drive of the organisation. Interventions that will increase perceived organisational support and congenial relationships could be implemented and maintained. More research on the two subjective career success measures is needed, in order to 1) verify the validity of the Perceived Career Success Scale and 2) to apply it and the Life-success Measures Scale to other sectors and industries. It is also recommended that a more heterogeneous sample be utilised as well as longitudinal research designs in future research studies relating to subjective career success. / MCom (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Workplace bullying is creating negative physical and psychological effects on employees and has a serious impact on the organisations’ bottom line. Workplace bullying has been related to excessive absenteeism, high employee turnover and hostile work environments. However, no recent studies on the prevalence of workplace bullying in the South African context are available. This is important because of the multicultural, multiracial composition of the South African workforce, and socio–demographic factors such as race, gender, age, education level and type of industry should be investigated to determine if differences exist with regard to the experience of workplace bullying. The personality resource, sense of coherence, should add an important element to this study, as the results could offer an important indicator for managers to change the employee’s environment in order to render the stimuli to which they are exposed more understandable, significant and manageable. In South Africa, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are words in common currency in a newly democratic country. Literature suggests that if diversity within African organisations is positively experienced, it could enhance harmony and effectiveness within that organisation. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the relationship between workplace bullying, socio–demographic characteristics, sense of coherence and diversity experiences according to the literature; 2) to determine how frequently employees in South Africa experience acts of workplace bullying; 3) to determine if there are significant differences between socio–demographic groups (including race, gender, age, education and industry) with regards to workplace bullying; 4) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regards to sense of coherence; and 5) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regard to diversity experiences. An availability sample (N = 13 911) was utilised to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in a sample of South African employees. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying for the total sample and MANOVA was used to determine differences between the groups. The results indicated that workplace bullying is a prevalent problem in South Africa, as people experience frequent overall bullying (4% reported being often bullied; 31,1% reported being always bullied). On the socio–demographic characteristics, Blacks experienced a higher level of workplace bullying in comparison with the other race groups, and men and women experience statistically significant differences with regards to workplace bullying. It was evident that older employees experience statistically significantly lower levels of bullying, and a statistically significant difference between those employees with a secondary and tertiary education was found. It seems that the highest levels of direct bullying by supervisors occurred in the government industry, followed by the mining industry. Individuals with a higher SOC experienced lower levels of bullying compared to individuals with a lower SOC. Statistically significant differences were found on all bullying dimensions with regards to diversity experiences. Recommendations were made for future research and organisations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.