Higher Education in the late 1990’s experienced significant problems with capacity due to many black students applying to enter previously white institutions (Jansen, 2002:159). The main concern of the new ANC government was the status of historically black institutions. They were unstable due to the migration away from black to white universities and technikons. This reduced their financial status and viability. In addition, the anticipated huge increase in black enrolments in higher education had not materialised (Finweek Survey, February 2009). In order to overcome both of these problems, the then Minister of Education decided to press ahead with a merger programme aimed at reducing the number of higher education institutions from 36 to 21 (Jansen, 2002:6). The primary objective of this research is to investigate the factors that influence employee perceptions of a post-merger Working Environment and Organisational Commitment: a case study of the administration staff in the Finance Department at Walter Sisulu University. There seems to be a lack of efficiently and effectiveness in the he operations of the Finance Department of Walter Sisulu University which this research will investigate through finding solutions to factors of improving the relationship between employee perceptions of their post-merger Working Environment and their Organisational Commitment. This exploratory study collected primary data through the distribution of questionnaires to 59 employees from the Finance Department at the Walter Susulu University, with a 69.12% response rate. The survey included closed questions that were analysed using statistical techniques. The findings revealed overall low scores of 31% for employee perception of their post – merger Working Environment and 50.21% for Organisational Commitment, together with its sub-dimension Affective, Continuance and normative. These scores are disturbing and need to be urgently addressed by the management of the Institution. The implication of the Finance staff’s low perception of their post – merger Working Environment and organisation Commitment is that the institution’s goals will be difficult to be fulfilled due to the low morale of the staff and the non-conducive working conditions. The Institution’s Management should be more transparent, more trustworthy, and more supportive towards staff members and have a good overall communication strategy.

D.Litt. et Phil. / This research focuses on self-concept improvement for adults. A self-image enhancement programme has been developed and its impact tested with regard to shortand medium term developments. Various training approaches have been compared to establish whether massed or spaced sessions training is more effective, and whether individual follow-up after the programme is of advantage. Self-image enhancement is seen as central to a person's functioning and psychological well-being. Self-management and the improvement of the self have taken an important role in today's society where a lot of emphasis is placed on personal achievement and self-actualisation. The background to the research is the question of self-enhancement versus selfconsistency. The self-enhancement thinking promotes the possibility for adult change, while the consistency theories emphasise resistance to change. While an integrated view that places self-image change within the frame of a stable personality becomes necessary, this research aims at establishing the positive changes expected to take place after the self-image enhancement programme. The theories and therapy approaches underlying the design of the self-image enhancement programme include rational-emotive therapy, self-efficacy theory, locus of control theory, and the concept of learned helplessness and learned optimism. The main and subhypotheses were formulated regarding the improvement of the following variables: Total self-concept, physical and personal self, acceptance of others, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-control, nervousness, sociability, formal relations, and self-efficacy. Self-criticism and external locus of control were expected to decrease. The subjects that made up the sample were drawn from companies in Johannesburg and consisted of 133 participants. They were tested before the intervention started, at the end of the course, and again five months later. The self-image enhancement programme was administered to groups of 10 to 12 people. The measurement instruments included the short version of the MMPI, used as the screening device, Vrey's Adolescent Self-Concept Scale, Acceptance of Others Scale, the PHSF Questionnaire, Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale, and a self efficacy scale. The latter measurement instrument had to be adjusted from another selfefficacy questionnaire and an item analysis was completed. The statistical results show that the self-image enhancement programme is effective in achieving improvement of most of the self-concept variables for all experimental groups taken together. The achieved change was maintained over the medium term except for the self-efficacy and self-control variables. The variables that remained unchanged were acceptance of others, sociability and formal relations, although, based on the literature, an improved self-image is expected to occur with an improved acceptance of others. More research is required regarding interpersonal aspects and self-image enhancement. Regarding the effectiveness of various types of training groups, previous research has not been conclusive. It has also not been established through this study that massed training sessions differ in their effectiveness from spaced sessions, but further research is indicated. The same applies to the role of individual feedback sessions after a training programme. An encouraging finding has been that the self-image enhancement programme is also helping individuals with psychological problems to better their self-image and self- perceptions. This has been shown through the improved results of the MIN PI rejected group and relates to the subhypotheses formulated for this research. This research has confirmed that self-concept improvement during adulthood can be achieved and should in fact be seen as part of ongoing self-development and selfmanagement.

This paper is to evaluate the sales program at Arrowhead Credit Union, and make recommendations for enhancing and improving it. This paper provide guidance and direction to assist the Arrowhead Credit Unions transition to a sales focused organization.

In light of the increase of Hispanic Immigrants (i.e 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation) in the U.S. workforce and the impact that the quality of the leader-member exchange has on the organization's success, this study investigated the quality of the relationship that emerges between hispanic subordinates and Anglo-American leaders (i.e who are most representative of the U.S. dominant culture).

The purpose of this research was to explore employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals. There is an increasing need to ensure that performance appraisals realise performance improvement and professional development goals while safeguarding the dignity of employees. This study followed a qualitative research design and was conducted in a South African banking organisation with five participants at varying employment levels. Purposive, non-probability sampling was used to select the participants and a semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant. The interviews were transcribed and the data was analysed using the discourse analysis method in keeping with social constructivism. Various insights about the employees’ experiences of performance management appraisals can be drawn from the overall research findings, which are likely to benefit the field of industrial and organisational psychology and managers in various organisations in conducting more effective performance appraisals by ensuring that they are fair and ethical, and can facilitate professional growth. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Orientation: The employee engagement approach has been utilised to combat burnout in both private and public sector institutions. With increasing research, selfperceived employability is gaining popularity as an effective tool to reduce burnout in the contemporary world of work. Knowledge of the relationship between these three constructs is therefore important for public sector institutions and researchers in industrial and organisational psychology in South Africa. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between burnout, employee engagement and self-perceived employability amongst employees in the South African public sector. Motivation for study: Numerous studies have highlighted the prevalence of poor service delivery in public sector institutions as linked to employees feeling disconnected from their work as a result of numerous burnout symptoms. A plethora of studies have emphasised the significance of employee engagement in reducing burnout. With increasing research, focus has also been on the employability construct as a tool to manage burnout in the ever-changing working environment and the labour market. Both employee engagement and self-perceived employability have been utilised as approaches to reduce burnout amongst employees. However, the relationship between these three constructs is unknown, and therefore the findings of this study will be crucial for both public sector institutions and researchers in industrial and organisational psychology in South Africa. Research design, approach and method: The researcher conducted a quantitative study. It involved a non-probability sample of 158 South African public sector employees. Correlational and descriptive statistical analyses were utilised to analyse the data. Main findings: Burnout has a significant negative relationship with employee engagement; however, burnout does not significantly correlate with self-perceived employability. There are significant differences between the various biographical groups and burnout, employee engagement and self-perceived employability. Practical/managerial implications: Approaches to reducing burnout amongst employees should consider employee engagement and self-perceived employability as effective tools to enhance employees’ wellness, morale and productivity. Improving the engagement levels of employees and enhancing their employability will greatly improve the well-being of employees in public sector institutions and help alleviate the actual employee burnout. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In order to help individuals feel more engaged within work organizations and more satisfied with their jobs, employers have started to administer stay interviews within organizations, with the end goal being to retain organizational members. Stay interviews have become a proactive solution to the retention problem and have been seen as an alternative to the exit interview. This study proposes that through the use of stay interviews, organizational members will feel more engaged, satisfied, and committed to an organization, which will ultimately result in the retention of organizational members.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Initial research on structuring the interview process investigated structure’s impact on the interview’s psychometric properties (e.g., reliability and validity). In contrast, the empirical literature has begun to consider the impact of increased interview structure on job applicant reactions to the interview and the companies that utilize them. Current research has studied the effects of interviewer characteristics on applicant reactions and the effects of different types of selection procedures on applicant fairness reactions. In addition, while studies have examined the impact of applicants’ perceived control on their reactions to selection procedures, few studies have examined this impact specifically for the employment interview. Given the widespread use of the interview in selection, this study adds to current research by focusing on applicant reactions to four elements of the interview identified as being salient to applicants (i.e., the degree to which the interviewee perceives that applicants are asked the same questions, the use of situational or behavioral type questions, controlling the use of ancillary information by the interviewer, and the degree to which questions from the applicant are controlled). In addition, this study focused on need for control as a moderator of the relationships between interview structure and fairness perceptions, recommendation intentions, and acceptance intentions. Participants consisted of 161 students voluntarily participating in three different interviewing scenarios: unstructured, semi-structured, and structured interviewing scenario. The participants completed post-interview measures asking them about their perceptions of fairness, their intention to recommend the company to others, and their intention of accepting an offer if one is made by the company. Although the hypothesized relationships between elements of structure and applicant evaluations of the interview were largely not supported, the results did indicate that student applicants perceived semi-structured and structured interviews to be fairer than unstructured interviews. In addition, the results suggest that more structured interviews may lead to lower behavioral intent to recommend the job to others or accept a job offer. Implications of the results are discussed in terms of how interview structure relates to the candidates’ perception of fairness, recommendation intentions, and acceptance intentions.

The purpose of this research is to determine whether a relationship exists between two constructs, namely managerial motivation and sense of coherence and to determine whether any variance exists between two groups of people in terms of the mentioned constructs. The study was conducted on a total sample of 124 employees of the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) which was divided into two groups, namely managers and supervisors in view of the position they held at the Agricultural Research Council. The results of the study indicated that a significant positive relationship exists between the dimensions of managerial motivation and the dimensions of sense of coherence of the total sample. There is also a significant variance in terms of two dimensions between the two groups, namely power motive as dimension of managerial motivation and meaningfulness as dimension of sense of coherence. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial Psychology)

The MA Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS as a postgraduate degree requires students to work and conduct research independently. The purpose of the study was to gauge the perceptions, attitudes and experiences of second year students and key personnel concerning student support. A mixed methods research design was used. It was found that students and staff regarded support in a positive light, although concerns about insufficient resources were expressed. Students expressed needs for specific academic and research support. Staff tended to romanticise the reasons for students enrolling for the degree. Possible conflicting expectations of the degree and the amount and type of support offered were found between the staff and the students and also among various staff members. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV-AIDS)