This research into Baptist leadership examines the processes of Christian leadership in terms of human relationships in churches under the microscope of a leadership theory known as leader member exchange theory (LMX), and discovers the correlation between a high level of LMX in a local church and the positive outcomes of leader legitimation in a society where pastoral tenure and pastoral termination project disheartening statistics. LMX theory is particularly suited for the study of the Baptist congregational leadership paradigm with emphasis on heightened follower participation in dyadic relationships between the pastor and church members. In the light of current convoluted leadership praxis, provides an appropriate theoretical tool for relational analysis. The background to this thesis is the perceived growing inclination among Baptist pastors to adopt a leadership paradigm, which exalts the person and role of the pastor to the exclusion of the church members. This “great man theory” is being modeled from sources that focus on church growth rather than church health, and represents a departure from servant leadership, which has long been the model for Baptists in general. This “new” trend of charismatic leadership may be one of the reasons for the inclination toward shorter tenures and pastoral termination, among Baptists, particularly in the USA. Understanding the peculiarities of congregational government is of particular importance to the research, with emphasis on the perceptions and expectations of church members regarding current leadership in their local church, and how the perception of personal value correlation translates into member satisfaction. The Literature on leadership offers a multiplicity of innovative ideas, mostly focused on the leader, and after literature research into the subjects of transactional transformational, complexity theory, and servant leadership no single theory of leadership offers completeness, hence the term quantum or complexity will assist in moving Baptist pastors from average leadership. <p.Critical elements of LMX were identified in the literature and processed into the questionnaire, which was distributed to among Baptist churches in South Africa and the United States. The results of the research are then analysed in the light of LMX theory, and the conclusion that in the congregational structure of Baptists, LMX theory offers valuable insights into member satisfaction. The characteristic of practical theology is the critical correlation of theological insight and empirical observation that will result in a new theory of praxis, and the final purpose is to focus attention on the positive outcome of healthy leader member exchange in local churches and the extended zone of influence through enhanced legitimation of pastoral leadership. / Thesis (PhD (Practical Theology))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Practical Theology / PhD / unrestricted

Generational conflicts affect socialization practices needed for knowledge transfer and Millennial retention. Because of failed socialization practices, organizations will face significant losses in knowledge capital as Boomers retire and Millennials began to take active roles within the workplace. This interpretative phenomenological study explored Millennials' perceptions of leader-to-employee relationship development that may influence organizational learning and retention practices. Millennial retention is a primary concern in that knowledge acquired is a result of longevity and work experience. The leader-to-member exchange theory was used to navigate this qualitative inquiry. The reflexive approach was implemented to explore 20 Millennial participants' experiences with their managers. The data analysis strategy incorporated a repetitious review and structural coding of participant interview transcripts. Data analysis affirmed that Millennials perceive effective relationship development as a process containing leader empowerment behaviors with collaborative social exchanges. Exploration of participant experiences further identified that reciprocity is a result of high-quality social exchanges. Research findings benefit executive and middle-level management. The information broadens management knowledge of Millennials' perceptions of relationship development that may increase employee retention needed for robust social systems. The implications for positive social change are that increased awareness of advanced relational leadership systems assists in building congruent internal relationships required for organizational learning and retention.

Success of nonprofit human services organizations depends upon the ability to cultivate high quality performance among staff members. Employees of such organizations experience lower job satisfaction when managers disregard their opinions or treat them as unimportant. The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory case study was to explore employees' perspectives on the quality of their relationships with their supervisors and impacts of that perception on job performance. The central research questions regarded how employees understood those relationships and their impact on their work success. Using the framework of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory, which centers upon the employee-supervisor relationship, data were collected through interviews with 32 participants including those at a supervisory level and direct-care providers. Archival documents from 2 non-profit human service organizations that reflected upon relationships between supervisors and employees were also utilized. Using Clark and Braun's thematic analysis strategy for coding and analysis, results indicated that manager-employee relationships characterized by themes of respect, understanding, positive interactions, and open communication allowed employees to feel comfortable and valued at work, and that relationships characterized by mutual loyalty, respect, and clear, reciprocal communication were optimal for promoting job performance. This study's potential impact for positive social change includes recommendations to non-profit service organizations to develop future leadership policies and training programs to assist managers and supervisors in improving relationships with their subordinates.

M. Tech. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Apart from the contribution and success of the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through job creation, poverty alleviation and economic growth, there are still organisational factors such as organisational politics and job stress, which hamper the success of these enterprises. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of organisational politics on job stress among SME employees in Matlosana Local District. The target population concentrated on SME employees within Matlosana Local District in North West province, with the population size of N=431 respondents. A quantitative approach was applied, with the use of a cross sectional survey (questionnaire) to gather information on general political behaviour (GB), get ahead (GA), pay and promotion policies (PP), time stress (TS) and anxiety (AX). Data analysis was conducted with the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) version 25.0. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied in examining and testing the relationships between observed constructs and their causal latent constructs while Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesised relationships between constructs. The findings of the study revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organisational politics and job stress. The findings also emphasised that organisational politics is considered as a hindrance-related stressor that hampers the proper functioning of individual employees. This study concludes that organisational politics are the social ills of every organisation, it is upon the management of the SMEs to apply good human resource management policies to curb the politics. Contrary, if the organisational politics are not managed well, it will result in impacting the job outcomes such as job stress.

Organizations are today working actively with diversity management in alignment with the regulations from Riksdagen to reduce discrimination against employees based on their "Gender, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and age". Previously most focus has been put on the surface-level attributes of diversity such as age, gender and ethnicity but more emphasis and concern should be put on the deeper-level diversities such as personality. Scholars have stressed the importance of conducting qualitative studies that examine the deeper-level diversities in relation to diversity management. Moreover, there is an explicit need for investigating the effect that such a linkage between personality and diversity management can have on employee engagement levels. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether diversity management can be developed by looking at people’s personalities. This is achieved by answering the research question: How could an understanding of diverse personalities improve employee engagement? By examining this question, this study will give insight to whether personality is an aspect companies should consider in their diversity management when trying to understand and enhance employee engagement. By analyzing seven individuals at two international companies, located in Sweden, we were able to investigate a single case deeply and collect their subjective realities. Further, the study has taken a qualitative research approach in which seven semi-structured interviews were held and the empirical data was later derived through the use of a thematic analysis. It has been found with the application of the Five Factor Model (FFM) that the employees' personalities have a connection to their engagement levels. The analysis implied that the employees' personalities rather than surface-level diversities had an impact on their engagement. This makes it in turn reasonable to suggest that companies' diversity management practices can be further developed if looking at their employees' personalities. Ultimately this thesis has derived salient conclusions about the fact that FFM could be used to develop the understanding of diversity and diversity management. In turn this contributes with insight on how workplaces and the well-being of employees can be enhanced.

This Master thesis examines the role of resident empowerment in rural nature tourism in shaping the relations between how residents engage with local places and local nature stewardship in Plouguerneau, France. Through a conceptual framework that includes the concepts of empowerment, place attachment, care for nature, and nature stewardship, the study models the effect of place attachment and care for nature on resident stewardship attitudes and how resident empowerment in tourism mediates this relationship. The theoretical underpinnings of social exchange theory (SET) and nature’s contributions to people (NCP) theory are employed to provide a comprehensive understanding of these relationships. The study employs a mixed-method approach, including online and door-to-door surveying. To analyze the results, partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used. The findings suggest that place attachment is not a significant predictor of empowerment through tourism or nature stewardship as only place identity was predicting political empowerment and environmental citizenship. This finding challenges the assumption that strong place attachment necessarily leads to empowerment from tourism and nature stewardship. Therefore, it highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the factors that motivate residents to engage in environmentally responsible behaviors. The results also show that care for nature is significantly predicting both empowerment from tourism and nature stewardship. Furthermore, the study reveals that tourism can be a powerful tool for empowering local communities and enhancing their sense of responsibility towards the environment. Specifically, the findings suggest that involving residents in tourism decision-making processes can promote their engagement in environmental citizenship. Overall, this thesis contributes to our understanding of how tourism can contribute to local nature stewardship in rural communities by empowering residents to take an active role in caring for their natural environment.

Bakgrund och problemformulering: Skiftet till digitala banktjänster innebär ett annat arbetssätt att bibehålla förtroendet hos sina kunder då servicen blir mindre personlig. Förtroende och service är en viktig del hos kunderna samtidigt som det ställs nya krav gällande bekvämlighet och automatiserade självtjänster. Mot denna bakgrund är möjliga problem som kan uppstå en bristande säkerhet samt riskerna kring integriteten.  Syftet: Studiens syfte är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan kundernas förtroende och bankernas digitala banktjänster. Utöver detta vill forskarna få en förståelse för bankkunders förtroende för sin digitala bank.  Metod: Undersökningen bygger på kvantitativ metod i form av en enkätundersökning som sedan används för att genomföra en korrelationsanalys och regressionsanalys. Teoretisk referensram: Technology Acceptance Model, Social Exchange Theory, Perceived Risk och Digitala Tillitsmodellen. Empiri: Empirin har fyra olika fokusområden: kontrollfrågor, förtroende, digitala banktjänster samt risk och säkerhet. Dessa sammanställs och testas i en korrelationsanalys och regressionsanalys för att undersöka samband och testa hypoteser.  Slutsats: Resultatet visar att det föreligger ett positivt samband mellan digitala banktjänsters användbarhet och förtroende för digitala banktjänster samt att upplevd integritetsrisk har ett negativt samband med förtroendet. Trots att det kan finnas ett samband mellan digitala banktjänsternas användarvänlighet och förtroende finns inte tillräckligt med stöd för att bevisa detta. / Background and problem formulation: The shift to digital banking services means a different way of working to maintain the trust of its customers, this as the service has become less personal. Trust and service are valued highly for the customers, while new demands are being made regarding convenience and automated self-service. Against this background, possible problems that may arise are a lack of security and the risks surrounding integrity. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate whether there is a relationship between customers' trust and the banks' digital banking services. In addition to this, the researchers want to gain an understanding of bank customers' trust in their digital bank. Method: The survey is based on a quantitative method in the form of a questionnaire which is then used to carry out a correlation and regression analysis. Framework: Technology Acceptance Model, Social Exchange Theory, Perceived Risk and Digital Trust Model. Empiricism: The empiricism has four different focus areas: control questions, trust, digital banking services and lastly risk as well as security. These are compiled and tested in a correlation and regression analysis to examine relationships by testing hypotheses. Conclusions: The findings show that there is a positive relationship between the usability of digital banking services and trust in digital banking services, and that perceived integrity risk has a negative relationship with trust. Although there may be a link between the ease of use of digital banking services and trust, there is not enough support to prove this.

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PhD. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The world over the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gradually evolved from a theoretical concept to a managerial tool used to shape organisational competitiveness. Thus, this study sought to establish the influence of CSR on reputation and performance in the mining sector in Zimbabwe, given the limited evidence of such studies in the body of knowledge. The framework for data collection, presentation, analysis and interpretation was guided by the positivist paradigm, quantitative approach, and descriptive survey design. With the questionnaire being utilised to collect data from 330 respondents who were purposively and conveniently sampled from the targeted mines. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient was employed to test for the validity and reliability of the designed instrument. In addition, the Pearson’s correlation was used to determine relationships between constructs, while regression analysis was used to predict the reputation value based on causality. In addition, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to determine the factor structure of the data collected based on the relationship of constructs and items. The analysed data revealed that most respondents, through descriptive statistics, agreed with the construct items except political corporate social responsibility (PCSR), which had the least mean score of (4.7311). This implied that the respondents somewhat agreed PCSR was being observed though at marginal levels. The other constructs stakeholder corporate social responsibility (SCSR), environment corporate social responsibility (ENCSR), ethical corporate social responsibility (ETCSR), and social corporate responsibility (SOCSR) had mean scores above 4, indicating that respondents agreed that CSR was being observed to retain a reputable image. Furthermore, regression analysis revealed that four of the stated hypotheses supported the assumption on SCSR, ETCSR, operational performance (OP), and social performance (SP). Furthermore, the results revealed that PCSR, ENCSR, SOCSR, and economic performance (EP) could not be used to support reputation. The results on the hypotheses statements confirmed the empirical literature assumptions. Thus, partnerships, trust, honesty, disclosure, competitive advantage, operational efficiency, values based on morality, and transparency were confirmed to be by-products of CSR practices. Based on this, it can be argued that mining firms in Zimbabwe could employ CSR as a strategic tool to handle stakeholders’ concerns. In this regard, a theoretical model was crafted for the mining sector in Zimbabwe, which reduced independent variables to two, namely the SCSR and ETCSR. Hence the results established a strong positive association between PSCR, SCSR, SOCSR, ENCSR, ETCSR, and corporate reputation (CR). In addition, corporate performance was seen to have a positive impact on OP and SP. Based on the above results, it is recommended that mining companies in Zimbabwe fully embrace CSR as a vehicle for engaging with stakeholders. More so, CSR programmes should be done in consultation with stakeholders, especially surrounding communities that host or provide an operating environment. Furthermore, mining companies should be wary of the cultural effects of their operations through the crafting and implementation of ethical policies. This can further be enhanced through CSR reporting on CSR initiatives and programmes.

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