It is hypothesised that benefits have had little effect on freedom of choice, done little to increase social order and integration in the firm, but have undermined redistributional measures taken by Governments, and influenced the principles on which social policy is based.

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This research project was inspired by a survey that was designed to help an organization determine how well it was doing in its efforts to empower associates and achieve a goal of continuous improvement. Initial review of the survey created suspicion that the survey was not built around the appropriate dimensions to accurately measure the level of empowerment in organizations. As such, the survey was psychometrically analyzed to determine the validity of the instrument as a measure of empowerment. Additionally, an extensive review of the literature was performed to determine new dimensions that would most accurately measure empowerment. Eight dimensions (culture, trust, accountability, leadership, ability, commitment, responsibility, and communication) were put forth as the most appropriate to measure empowerment. Subject matter experts with knowledge and experience in the area of organizational empowerment reviewed the new dimensions for accuracy and fit with the original survey items.

The specific purpose of this study will be: (1) to find what factors determine the amount of pay that executives in twenty-five Texas companies receive, and how personal factors are ranked in setting their salaries; (2) to determine present and proposed utilization of formal job evaluation methods among the twenty-five Texas companies in setting executive salaries; (3) to find which methods of remuneration are used for executives of different levels in the twenty-five Texas companies; (4) to determine who has the final responsibility for the administration of executive salaries in the twenty-five Texas companies; and (5) to determine the means used in appraising executive merit or worth in determining salary adjustments while an individual remains in the same position.

Employee training is designed to help ensure successful achievement of business goals. Training's expense encourages the investigation of behavioral changes. The present study evaluated behavioral changes that occurred as a result of a Business Process training course. A performance rating measure was designed to assess the behaviors addressed in the course. A group of 52 people took the training. Performance was measured using a pretest, and then posttest three months later. A control group of 52 people also responded to the performance measure twice, without training. A second control group of 52 took a posttest only. MANOVA results showed a significant difference between change scores at the .001 level, indicating that the training did change behavior. The control group posttest scores differed somewhat between the two control groups, indicating a possible pretest effect.

The methods of terminating employment Abstract This diploma thesis primarily purports to describe and summarize individual methods of terminating employment in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on legal acts leading to and resulting in employment termination. As a result, this thesis includes applicable case law of the Czech Supreme Court. I further focused on recently adopted Act No. 365/2011 Coll., which amends the Labour Code, and the resulting changes impacting the area of employment termination. The primary sources I applied to this thesis include Act No. 262/2006 Coll. the Labour Code, applicable rulings (case law) by the Czech Supreme Court, and specialized literature, including articles in legal magazines. This diploma thesis consists of three main chapters. The first chapter is a glossary of basic terms and expressions relative to employment termination. The second chapter is the key chapter and deals with legal acts to be taken to terminate employment. The first section of the first chapter describes an employment termination agreement, including the related requirements and a review of applicable law. The second section deals with employment termination notices, including the related requirements, the notice period, grounds for notice, and protection against being served a notice. I also pay...

I describe in detail the structure of separately managed accounts (SMAs) and how those accounts compare to and differ from mutual funds and hedge funds. I then examine how employee ownership of advisory firms — that is, firms in which employees have partnership or stock interests — affects the performance, idiosyncratic risk, and R-square of each firm’s SMA portfolios. In testing 14,484 different portfolios from more than 1,100 different advisory firms from 1995 to 2015, I find that SMAs at firms with employee ownership outperform SMAs at firms without it. The greatest impact is in the 25–50% employee-ownership range. Positive returns, risk, and all decrease as employee ownership increases beyond 50%, but SMA performance levels remain above those of firms in which the portfolio manager has no employee ownership. I also find that the Sharpe ratio is negatively related to employee ownership, reflecting a deterioration of risk-adjusted returns at higher employee-ownership levels. These results suggest both that the presence of advisor employee ownership is a significant, positive indicator for SMA performance and that those advisory firms assume more idiosyncratic risk to achieve these higher returns. For investors, my results show that employee ownership of advisory firms can be used as a differentiating factor to aid them in making SMA choices between portfolios with otherwise similar characteristics.

One of the characteristics of the knowledge economy is the high level of mobility of knowledge workers. The cost of labour turnover of these key resources is high in both financial and non-financial terms. There is a need to understand what the factors are that underpin the retention cognitions of knowledge workers in order that organisations may try to reduce the labour turnover of these key employees or to minimise its effects. Literature Research The review of pertinent literature was grouped under the following headings: the new world of work in a knowledge based economy; labour turnover (including its antecedents and consequences); retention; and demographic differences. The review revealed: the high costs associated with the turnover of knowledge workers; the low level of predictive ability of the antecedents of organisational withdrawal; and the wide range of variables considered to impact on knowledge workers’ retention cognitions. The literature also showed that most research had been carried out in single industries and had focused on one or two variables. No literature was found that used multivariate approaches to the problem of knowledge worker retention. Empirical Research Objectives The primary research aim was to determine what factors are important to knowledge workers when they decide to stay with or leave their employing organisation. A secondary aim was to determine if the sample was homogeneous in terms of these retention cognitions or whether they could be segmented into meaningful sub-groupings. Participants In the pilot study, 30 knowledge workers who had recently changed employer were used to determine the independent variables of retention. In the second phase, data was collected from 306 knowledge workers in full time employment. A wide range of demographic and industry groupings were represented by the participants. The Measuring Instrument A quantitative questionnaire was developed. It consisted of questions covering: demographic data, an international scale of job satisfaction factors, job mobility, intentions with regard to future length of service and organisational commitment. Forty three variables relating to retention cognitions, which had been developed through the pilot study, were then presented, with Likert scales used to determine their relative degree of importance. The Research Procedure The data was gathered while the knowledge workers attended a wide variety of courses at a university business school. The data was collected under lecture room conditions to ensure standardisation of the process. Statistical Analysis A wide variety of statistics were used to address the research questions. The data was processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and the Number Cruncher Statistical System computer packages. Descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, CHAID, factor analysis, Mann Whitney U tests, Kruskal Wallis Analysis of Variance, and cluster analysis were used to analyse the data. Conclusions and Recommendations The findings revealed the high level of mobility of the sample. The study showed that job satisfaction and organisational commitment do not predict proposed future length of employment with an organisation but merely co-vary with it. The high levels of individualism, egocentricity, and focus on personal development amongst these workers were demonstrated. Factor analysis revealed seven underlying dimensions of retention cognitions of the respondents, five of which are viewed as important in determining retention. These were: the need for independence; career development provision by the organisation; egocentricity and challenge within the organisation; the organisational setting; and performance related rewards. The two factors found to have a low impact on retention were the desire for a career change and issues related to personal comfort. The latter finding explains the lack of effectiveness of traditional retention devices. A model was offered that consolidates the factors affecting the retention cognitions of knowledge workers. Uni-variate analyses examining differences based on demographic variables detected only 20 significant differences out of the 172 tests. Hence a multivariate approach was used to look at sample segmentation. A cluster analysis revealed a segmentation of these knowledge workers and their retention cognitions into nine distinct categories, termed respectively: the salon culture; the seekers; the groupies; the disengaged; the self sufficient; the depressives; the contented new-agers; the co-dependents and the self starters. Recommendations to academic researchers were offered based mainly on the need to understand the characteristics of knowledge workers operating in the new world of work and, in particular, the drivers of mobility of this important population. Recommendations to management were largely twofold. Firstly, to adapt to the mobility of knowledge workers as this is a defining characteristic of the new world of work. Secondly, to develop compelling employee propositions that highlight challenging work, career development opportunities as well as rewards based on individual performance in order to improve the retention rate of these key employees. / Prof. Chris Welman

Workers who are adequately motivated derive satisfaction from their jobs. Their productivity is enhanced and therefore employees’ job satisfaction deserves serious attention from managers and researchers in various disciplines [DO95]. Human behaviour is complex and the study of motivation searches for answers to perplexing questions that revolve around human nature. Numerous theories of motivation have been developed and those of some of the best-known authors such as Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor, McClelland, Atkinson, Hackman and Oldham, Vroom and Porter and Lawler will be discussed. Possible implications of the application and manifestation of the theories in an information technology environment are also thrashed out, and the potential integration of the existing theories and the relationship between motivation and job satisfaction, are considered. The function of an information technology environment is to provide a professional service to internal as well as external customers and successful companies manage much more than their assets and records. The focus is also on relationships with clients, employees, shareholders, and stakeholders and how well this service will be rendered depends upon the self-motivation of the employees. Job satisfaction within an institution serves as an indicator of morale as well as of a successful operation and findings of motivation and job satisfaction can be very useful to both management and their staff. Many businesses are still structured according to an outdated business model of management style that has become obsolete in an information age. Management must seriously address job satisfaction issues if the company wants to prosper and survive. / Prof. W. Backer

M.Ed. (Educational Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract