Thesis (MDev. ) -- University of Limpopo, 2011 / The provision of Employee Assistance Programme in a working environment such as a municipality is very crucial. In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme to justify its existence to the outside world and to assess the impact of its fulfilment to its objectives, evaluation is therefore necessary. The aim of this research study was to ascertain the implementation of the EAP at the Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District with special focus on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization and also the programme adequacy. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Forty two (42) employees of various ranks or level’s in the municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study, and they were from all the four main centres of the municipality i.e. Makhado, Waterval, Dzanani and Vuwani. Summary of the Main Findings A high percentage (81%) of the employees knew of the existence of an EAP within the municipality, and meetings appeared to be the main awareness strategy. − The attitudes of employees towards the EAP were positive, this state of affairs points to the usefulness of the EAP service. − The EAP provided by the Municipality was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. − The utilization rate of the EAP in the Municipality was very low as only 17% of respondents indicated that they had utilized the service before. − The majority of referrals were conducted by supervisors while only 9.1% were self referral. The majority of respondents did not answer the question implying various reason/s and could also mean lack or poor knowledge and information about referrals within the programme. (iv Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province − The majority of employees did not respond to the question on whether they were satisfied with the EAP within the municipality, and that could translate into low knowledge and information about the programme. − The majority of employees were generally happy with the current location of EAP in the municipality. − The majority of employees viewed EAP as confidential and the level of trust in the EAP staff was high. − The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and never participated in its formulation. − The majority of employees felt that EAP services were useful, and this means that provision of proper information might encourage employees to use the service. − Most employees suggested that frequent dissemination of information to employees through meetings, workshops and other regular contact sessions could enhance the EAP in the municipality. Recommendations The following recommendations with regard to the employees’ familiarity with the EAP are important: o That more awareness sessions be conducted with all employees, especially those at regions unit so that adequate information is cascaded to all employees of the municipality. o The awareness sessions should be conducted at least quarterly involving all regions, and the EAP Advisory Committee should meet at least bi-monthly to discuss aspects to improve and enhance EAP services in the municipality. o It is also recommended that additional qualified EAP personnel, with at least minimum qualifications in Social Work and, or Social Psychology, or any relevant (v Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province qualifications and experience in EAP be appointed to run the programme on full-time basis. o That evaluation of the programme implementation should be conducted using the participatory strategies such as suggestion boxes, arranging focus groups and bench-marking with other institutions. The recommendation to allow employees opportunities to submit suggestions, in-puts and give feedback regarding the programme will no doubt assist in the improvement and promotion of the programme. o The Makhado Municipality should utilize different marketing strategies as recommended by EAP literature, such as the following: i. The use of promotional material such as brochures, leaflets, and posters that are user-friendly and in languages understandable by all employees of the municipality. ii. Outreach programmes: The EAP unit needs to regularly visit all the regional offices of the municipality in order to intensify information sharing to employees about the EAP. These can also include decentralising EAP workshops to the periphery offices in order to reach the employees who are far away from the head office in Louis Trichardt. The above-mentioned could serve as effective strategies in promoting and maximising the visibility of the EAP, and may close the gap on information not reaching all employees in the municipality thereby increasing its penetration rate.

Thesis ( M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2011 / The provision of Employee Assistance Programme in a working environment such as a municipality is very crucial. In order to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme to justify its existence to the outside world and to assess the impact of its fulfilment to its objectives, evaluation is therefore necessary. The aim of this research study was to ascertain the implementation of the EAP at the Makhado Municipality in Vhembe District with special focus on the employees’ awareness of the programme, its utilization and also the programme adequacy. A qualitative approach was used in this study. Forty two (42) employees of various ranks or level’s in the municipality were randomly selected to participate in the study, and they were from all the four main centres of the municipality i.e. Makhado, Waterval, Dzanani and Vuwani. Summary of the Main Findings A high percentage (81%) of the employees knew of the existence of an EAP within the municipality, and meetings appeared to be the main awareness strategy. − The attitudes of employees towards the EAP were positive, this state of affairs points to the usefulness of the EAP service. − The EAP provided by the Municipality was viewed as accessible by the majority of employees. − The utilization rate of the EAP in the Municipality was very low as only 17% of respondents indicated that they had utilized the service before. − The majority of referrals were conducted by supervisors while only 9.1% were self referral. The majority of respondents did not answer the question implying various reason/s and could also mean lack or poor knowledge and information about referrals within the programme. (iv Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province − The majority of employees did not respond to the question on whether they were satisfied with the EAP within the municipality, and that could translate into low knowledge and information about the programme. − The majority of employees were generally happy with the current location of EAP in the municipality. − The majority of employees viewed EAP as confidential and the level of trust in the EAP staff was high. − The majority of employees were not aware of the EAP policy and never participated in its formulation. − The majority of employees felt that EAP services were useful, and this means that provision of proper information might encourage employees to use the service. − Most employees suggested that frequent dissemination of information to employees through meetings, workshops and other regular contact sessions could enhance the EAP in the municipality. Recommendations The following recommendations with regard to the employees’ familiarity with the EAP are important: o That more awareness sessions be conducted with all employees, especially those at regions unit so that adequate information is cascaded to all employees of the municipality. o The awareness sessions should be conducted at least quarterly involving all regions, and the EAP Advisory Committee should meet at least bi-monthly to discuss aspects to improve and enhance EAP services in the municipality. o It is also recommended that additional qualified EAP personnel, with at least minimum qualifications in Social Work and, or Social Psychology, or any relevant (v Implementation of the EAP at Makhado Municipality in Limpopo Province qualifications and experience in EAP be appointed to run the programme on full-time basis. o That evaluation of the programme implementation should be conducted using the participatory strategies such as suggestion boxes, arranging focus groups and bench-marking with other institutions. The recommendation to allow employees opportunities to submit suggestions, in-puts and give feedback regarding the programme will no doubt assist in the improvement and promotion of the programme. o The Makhado Municipality should utilize different marketing strategies as recommended by EAP literature, such as the following: i. The use of promotional material such as brochures, leaflets, and posters that are user-friendly and in languages understandable by all employees of the municipality. ii. Outreach programmes: The EAP unit needs to regularly visit all the regional offices of the municipality in order to intensify information sharing to employees about the EAP. These can also include decentralising EAP workshops to the periphery offices in order to reach the employees who are far away from the head office in Louis Trichardt. The above-mentioned could serve as effective strategies in promoting and maximising the visibility of the EAP, and may close the gap on information not reaching all employees in the municipality thereby increasing its penetration rate.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of how supervisor-employee communication affects the employee engagement on the shop floor of manufacturing organisations. To achieve this purpose, the two below research objectives were developed: To identify how supervisor-employee communication impacts employee engagement To identify any barriers to supervisor-employee communication Method The study had a deductive, qualitative research approach as a conceptual framework was developed from literature and then verified with empirical data collected through semi-structured interviews. The research strategy was holistic and single case as all eight interviews were conducted with respondents from a single organisation. The interviewees were selected using a maximum variation, purposive sampling technique. Lastly, the collected data was analysed using a form of thematic analysis. Findings The main finding was that supervisor-employee communication was proven to have a significant impact on the employee engagement among the shop floor workers in the manufacturing organisation. In addition, supervisor-employee communication was proven to affect the employee engagement in a similar way that literature suggested. Furthermore, the findings supported the definition of employee engagement as a shared responsibility between the employee and the supervisor. Theoretical implications This study provided additional data to the existing literature on supervisor-employee communication and employee engagement while investigating the relationship between these two concepts in a new setting. Not only did this study contribute with rather unique data from the manufacturing industry, but it also adopted the employee perspective of the phenomenon. Previous research has predominantly consisted of studies with the perspective of management rather than the employees. Therefore, this study offers a foundation upon which further, both qualitative and quantitative research within this area can be conducted. Practical implications The main practical implication that this study has offered is highlighting the importance of supervisor-employee communication when it comes to generating and maintaining employee engagement on the shop floor of manufacturing organisations. The supervisor’s role and way of communicating has been identified as crucial for the employees’ level of engagement and this study has provided some guidance for supervisors in this matter.

Research Question: How can a firm such as Länsförsäkringar Bergslagen utilize selection and retention methods to find and keep employees that add value to the organisation? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe and analyse the process of selection and retention and how it can affect organisations’ ability to select and retain staff that perform well and are an asset to the organisation. Method: Primary information was gathered from a face-to-face interview with the chief of personnel at LFB, as well as from a follow-up e-mail interview. Secondary information was gathered from books, journals and the web. The research is designed as a case study and the approach to analyzing data is qualitative. Conclusion: From the findings the authors conclude that by using selection methods with high predictive validity such as structured interviews, cognitive and personality tests, work samples and assessment centres, while at the same time considering how these methods affect the candidates attitudes and how well they allow for the candidate and employer to exchange views, values and goals, is the way firms can utilize selection methods in order to find staff that will add value to the organisation. LFB is using all these methods, except for work samples. Of the others remaining, structured interviews is the most common in LFB. On the perspective of retention, Länsförsäkringar Bergslagen has developed a performance-based system which takes an essential role on employee motivation, where recognition by offering growth opportunities is most significant in retaining key employees but is also most difficult to be conducted in LFB as growth opportunities are limited.

The papers of stock-based employee compensation have increased dramatically in recent years, focusing attention on whether stock-based employee compensation can enhance employees¡¦ motivation or impact firm value. A number of recent papers have addressed conflicting evidence as to whether stock-based employee compensation enhance the performance of the firm. Some relatively new studies used use the Ohlson (1995,1999) and Feltham ¡® Ohlson (1999) models to investigate the market¡¦s perception of the economic effect of employee stock options on firm value(Aboody et al.2001; Bell et al., 2002). However, critics have questioned the validity of such studies (For a review of related studies, see Beaver 2002). In fact, stock-based employee compensation can influence firm value through improving performance of firm, and at the same time by diluting the shares of outstanding stocks, thus harms shareholder equity. This study was primarily designed to examine how stock-based employee compensation affects shareholder equity through Incentive and dilute effects. Stock-based employee compensation in this study comprises employee stock bonuses and employee stock options. First, the Incentive and dilute effects are combined in Ohlson model. The hypothesized relationships of constructs, observed variables and operational definitions are defined. The empirical work will be conducted by LISREL method to estimate the coefficients in the model. The estimated results will be dressed the following points. 1.Whether the stock-based employee compensation affects equity valuation. 2.Whether the stock-based employee compensation affects that the intrinsic value through improving abnormal earning? 3.Whether the stock-based employee compensation harms shareholder equity by diluting the shares of outstanding stocks? 4.Discuss employee stock bonuses and employee stock options respectively. In this study, we find the stock-based employee compensation is relevant to the equity value. Employee stock bonuses are relevant to shareholder equity and abnormal earning. In other words, employee stock bonuses have directly incentive effects. Otherwise, employee stock bonuses also have dilute effects. However, the dilute effects are smaller than the incentive effects. On the other hand, employee stock options aren¡¦t relevant to shareholder equity and abnormal earning. Otherwise, employee stock options don¡¦t have direct dilute effects in grant year.

This thesis investigates the effect of profit sharing and employee share ownership schemes on employee job attitudes and behaviours by taking into account the critical role of participation in decision making. The data were obtained from a large British retail organization operating profit sharing (PS) and save-as-you-earn (SAYE) schemes. This is a quantitative study in which the data were gathered through a questionnaire. The unit of analysis is the individuals who responded to the survey, and the study is cross-sectional. To analyse the data a variety of statistical techniques, namely frequency, Pearson correlation, partial correlation, t-test, chi-square (X2), reliability, multiple regression, hierarchical regression, and path analyses, were conducted using SPSS. The sample comprised 1,000 employees subdivided into groups of managerial and non-managerial employees, and participants in schemes and non-participants in schemes. The administration of the questionnaire resulted in 450 returns (430 usable), an overall response rate of 45%. This study addresses four main research questions: (1)What are the effects of profit sharing and employee share ownership schemes (financial participation) on the job attitudes of individual employees in a large organization? (2) What are the effects of participation in decision making on employee job attitudes in a large organization? (3) What are the relative effects of financial participation in comparison to the effects of individual participation in decisions? (4) Does the combination of financial participation and participation in decision making produce more favourable effects on employee job attitudes than does participation in decision making on its own? The aim of this study was to construct a more advanced model of profit sharing and employee share ownership schemes by reviewing the theoretical and empirical literature and testing two theoretical frameworks, those developed by Long (1978) and Florkowski (1989). After reviewing the employee participation literature and testing Long's and Florkowski's models, it was found that both financial participation and participation in decision making have separate effects on employee job attitudes and behaviours, even if financial participation has a small (not statistically significant) impact on some attitudes and behaviours. Since financial participation shows a negligible effect on some job attitudes, and participation in decision making has a stronger effect on job attitudes than has financial participation, the new model is constructed on the assumption that both (a) the combination of financial participation and participation in decision making and (b) participation in decision making produce favourable effects on employee job attitudes, such as integration, involvement, commitment, satisfaction, motivation, perceived pay equity, and perceived performance-reward contingencies. The test of the new model shows that both (a) the combination of fmancial participation and participation in decision making and (b) participation in decision making produce favourable effects on employee job attitudes and behaviours, but the combination of financial participation and participation in decision making does not produce more favourable effects on employee job attitudes than does participation in decision making on its own. It should be noted that it is not known in this research whether financial participation changed employees' actual influence in decision making, as the study did not collect any data on this question. Therefore, there is the possibility that if the same study were conducted in organizations with financial participation schemes which increase employees' influence in decision making, the effect of the combination of financial participation and participation in decision making might be found to be stronger than that reported in this dissertation.

This thesis aims to explore the effects of tight budgetary control on employee behavior focusing on employee loyalty, employee satisfaction, job related tension and tendency towards data manipulation in public sectors. The study explores the subject on the population of three countries which includes Sweden, Jordan and Pakistan. In Pakistan and Jordan, no previous study has ever been performed which tried to explore effects of tight budgetary control in employee behavior. Method: Keeping the above fact in view, method derived for this study was the combination of qualitative and quantitative approach. Questionnaires were formulated and sent to employees of the sampled companies receiving 740 responses. For qualitative method, 5 employees were interviewed from entire three countries. Finding: the study revealed that all three countries are experiencing tight budgetary control whereas Jordan and Pakistan are experiencing it on higher level and Sweden is experiencing it in lower level as compared to Pakistan and Jordan. As far employee behavior is concerned, both the method proved that loyalty was negatively related to tight budgetary control for Pakistan and Sweden whereas positively related in case of Jordan. Satisfaction is also negatively related to tight budgetary control for Sweden and Pakistan while positively related for Jordan. Job related tension and tendency towards data manipulation are positively related to tight budgetary control for all three countries. Research type: Master’s thesis.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brandeis University, 1986. / "UMI: 8622401." Includes bibliographical references (p. 270-273).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2003. / Bibliography: leaves 165-183.

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