Thesis (M.Psych.Org) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2010. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jun. 30, 2010). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.P.A. )--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2005. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2932. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves (iii-iv). Includes bibliographical references ( leaves 91-93 ).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2006. / Advisor: Maxine Jones, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Interdisciplinary Program in the Humanities. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 9, 2006). Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 124 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Directors need to guide and govern companies on behalf of and for the benefit of shareholders and stakeholders (Adams, Hermalin, & Weisbach, 2010; “Duties of directors,” 2011), but questions remain in academic literature (Carter, D’Souza, Simkins, & Simpson, 2010; Jhunjhunwala & Mishra, 2012; Nielsen & Nielsen, 2013) whether boards with higher levels of diversity amongst directors are better equipped to fulfil their fiduciary duty than boards with lower levels of diversity. This research report set out to determine if increased levels of diversity within boards is associated with improved financial performance of companies. To accomplish that literature was reviewed to confirm the function of boards, determine dimensions of diversity that could affect board performance and to identify theoretical frameworks that could explain why increased diversity might lead to improved board performance. Share price, dividend payout and directors’ demographic data was collected for a sample of 40 companies listed on the JSE from 2000 to 2013 and subjected to tests using Muller and Ward’s (2013) investment style engine in a quasi-experimental design combining cross-sectional and longitudinal methodologies. Graphical time-series representations of cumulative portfolio market returns were analysed to determine if diversity dimensions tested were associated with improved company financial performance. The results showed that for the selected sample, racial diversity within boards does not contribute to improved financial performance. Increased gender diversity and decreased average board age were shown to have strong associations with improved company performance. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Andrew Pampallis

M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management) / In our dynamic South African society effective leadership is a huge challenge and an important responsibility. It has to be realised that one of the realities that is increasingly imposing itself on socio-politico-economic management all over the world, as globalisation becomes dominant, is the need to manage diversity (Kauzya, 2002:2). School leaders are faced with the challenge of transforming schools to comply with rapidly changing policies to meet the needs of a changing society, and are in a key position to develop a strategy for promoting and managing diversity (Naidu, Joubert, Mestry, Mosoge & Ngcobo, 2008:2). Managing diversity in the workplace is a worldwide phenomenon (Harris, Moran & Moran, 2004:208). Unlike other culturally diverse countries such as the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia which have paid attention to multicultural issues since the 1970s, South Africa is now only beginning to face the challenges brought about by a multicultural approach (Grobler, Wärnich, Carrell, Elbert & Hatfield, 2006:79; Loock, Grobler & Mestry, 2006:16). Managing diversity in South Africa is no easy responsibility due to historical racial segregation and institutionalised separate development, which resulted in a lack of understanding between people from different backgrounds and cultures (Meier, 2007:655; Ngobese, 2004:19-20). If managed well, diversity provides benefits that enhance organisational performance. When ignored or mismanaged, diversity brings challenges and obstacles that can hinder the organisation‟s ability to achieve organisational goals (Cox, 2001:4; Moodian, 2009:36).

D.Phil. / Identity is a cognitive concept that describes “who I am”, and an important part of an individual’s identity is derived from shared social entities. However, as work and the work setting began playing prominent roles in most people’s social lives, the social identity derived from the working environment became the focus of several studies. It was, however, recognised that the locus of identification stretched beyond the organisation to other social phenomena available in the work setting. This finding encouraged a change of focus, which asserts that facets of work are sources of identification. The construct, work identity (WI), captures this extended understanding of social identity derived from work. There were also several research agendas about ways to strengthen or manipulate the relationship between employees and their work and/or workplace. Concepts such as work involvement, work commitment, work engagement, work centrality, and person-organisation fit represent this category of enquiry. As identity or identification was often mentioned in the definitions of these concepts, the concepts are perceived as WI-associated concepts. As several researchers recognised concept redundancy or concept contamination among the WI-associated concepts and between the WI-associated concepts and WI, further clarification of WI was needed. The purpose of this research project was to generate a model of the antecedents and consequences of WI in multicultural work settings. Conducting the research in a multicultural setting did not only test the theoretical ideas in a challenging context, but it contributed to a better understanding of employees from the research setting. The study used a cross-sectional field survey in order to gather responses from a convenience sample of employees from workplaces in Dubai. Data from 644 respondents was subjected to regression analysis and structural equation modelling. One characteristic of the dataset was the positively skewed distribution within some scales and significant disparity in the mean calculations of different nationality groups. Applying multiple regression to analyse and explore bivariate relationships, the data supported a positive relationship between job resources and WI. As an unexpected weak positive relationship between job demands and WI was also found, further research into the behaviour of job demands is required. A strong predictive relationship between WI and work engagement was indicated and a negative relationship between WI and turnover intentions was supported. Structural equation modelling identified a parsimonious model of WI in multicultural work settings which contained the concepts of job resources and job demands as antecedents of WI, with work engagement and turnover intentions as consequences of WI. The strength of causal relationships within this model was significantly affected by three moderator variables, namely level of education, age and, most strongly, by nationality. Therefore, although a stable covariance model was accepted, different nationality groups still processed the relationships between variables within the model in unique ways. Although WI manifested itself as a single-component structure in previous research that operationalised WI in the same way as this study, three facets of WI emerged here: work centrality, person-organisation fit, and value congruence. The different WI facets did not consistently relate to the antecedents or the consequences of WI in the same way. In addition, in response to findings of redundancy and contamination in previous studies, WI was found to be distinct from work engagement. This finding is a catalyst for future research to explore facets of WI and for researchers to revisit work engagement a consequence of WI and work engagement in multicultural work settings.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD (Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Dogmatics and Christian Ethics / unrestricted

Cultural diversity in the workplace is the presence of multiple cultures or groups within the work environment. This diversity in culture can be as a result of a difference in origin or nationality, difference in society, difference in religion or a difference in tradition. A multinational company (MNC), also referred to as a transnational company is an organisation that is registered and operates in multiple countries but is managed from the home country. Today’s ever increasing rate of globalization and the expansion of organisations into countries other than their own has created workplaces where cultural diversity is the norm and where workplaces are no longer characterized by a single or monoculture. This study explores the cultural diversity of an Argentinian multinational company, My Multinational Company (MMC), operating in Argentina and South Africa. MMC is a market leader in the production, procurement and export of citrus products. There is a plethora of information on cultural diversity which identifies various factors which influence cultural diversity. The purpose of this study is therefore to enhance the current understanding of cultural diversity within a multinational company by identifying the factors which influence cultural diversity in a multinational company. The approach to this study is quantitative in nature and the paradigm to be followed is positivistic, based on an empirical study and questionnaire. The empirical study assesses previous work relating to cultural diversity and identifies the factors which influence cultural diversity. The questionnaire was developed from the literature and distributed to MMC employees in Argentina and South Africa in order to determine their similarities and differences. The results of the empirical study identified areas of improvement for MMC. Recommendations were then made based on the literature review and the analysis of the empirical results.