Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / The amalgamation of municipalities came into effect as a legislative requirement brought about a number of challenges for the local government. One such major challenge relates to the impact that these amalgamations will have on human resource practices of the various municipalities. Literature study reveals that during any merger or amalgamation, less attention is paid to the human element of a merger until the merger is almost complete. This lack of attention impacts negatively on the merger results. Like other municipalities, Ethekwini Municipality is a product of this legislative requirement. It was formed as a result of the amalgamation of different municipal entities that had different human resource practices. The problem facing eThekwini Municipality is the misalignment of human resources policies and their effect on the working environment. This study looks at the impact of this amalgamation on the human resources practices of the eThekwini Municipality. The sub-objectives of the study are: to ascertain employees' perceptions of amalgamation; to determine whether employees believe that the human resources' matters are handled in a manner that will bring about stability and equity in the workplace; and to establish whether different perceptions exist between employees of the former Durban Metro Central and those of the erstwhile entities. A stratified random probability sample of 150 employees was selected. The sample was drawn from 5 former entities that now form eThekwini Municipality, namely: Inner-west, Outer-west, Metro Central, North and South Operational entities. Using face-to-face interviews, employees were asked to complete a questionnaire. The results of the research revealed that there was generally a positive perception of the amalgamation process amongst employees. The study also revealed that different perceptions exist between the employees of the former entities and those of Metro central It is recommended that, during a merger, management should have detailed work plans. The plans should detail how the organization will deal with the structure of the organization, its people, culture, technology and processes. Secondly, management should consider a total reward system as opposed to total cost package. / M

This thesis deals with an internal employee training in ADP Employer Services Czech Republic, a.s., based in Prague. In the theoretical part it describes the importance of an effective education in an organization in general. It focuses on systematic education, forms and methods of employee training and human capital. The practical part deals with an analysis of a current condition of employee training in the organization because this is the field which haven't been analyzed till today. In conclusion there are recommendations that contribute to a more efficient employee training system.

O objetivo desta tese é questionar a interpretação da relação entre educação e renda do trabalho como sendo fundamentalmente aquela entre investimento e retorno. Argumenta-se que a renda pode ser enquadrada numa abordagem sociológica relacional e mostra-se de que modo as desigualdades de renda se configuram como um tipo específico e irredutível de desigualdade social. Restringindo o foco às desigualdades da renda auferida na esfera do trabalho, procura-se compreender como a educação veio a se tornar o principal componente explicativo em grande parte das perspectivas contemporâneas. A narrativa atualmente mais importante associa os seus efeitos a retornos de investimentos produtivos e lê o movimento dos indicadores empíricos como expressão de sua variação. Argumenta-se que essa leitura não é necessária, do ponto de vista lógico, nem tem consistência teórica ou empírica. Ainda assim, há grande insistência em compreender a educação como investimento será preciso compreender as bases desse fenômeno. Veremos que esse modo de associar educação e renda resolveria, do ponto de vista da teoria econômica, certos enigmas sobre o crescimento da produtividade agregada; além disso, configurou-se como importante explicação não apenas analítica, mas também moral sobre a origem da desigualdade entre indivíduos, descartando perspectivas inatistas e racistas. Argumenta-se que não é necessário compreender a educação como investimento que traz benefícios pessoais para se valer dos ganhos analíticos trazidos por essas soluções. Além disso, mostra-se que os métodos de cálculo dos retornos mantêm ligação frouxa com a perspectiva dos investimentos e poderiam facilmente ser compatíveis com quaisquer processos de vantagens cumulativas ao longo do tempo. Por fim, arriscam-se, por meio de um ensaio, os primeiros passos para uma compreensão sociológica e histórica da relação entre renda do trabalho e educação a partir da perspectiva dos fechamentos e das prerrogativas sociais exclusivas. / The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the interpretation of the relationship between education and labor income as that between investment and return. It is argued that income can be framed in a relational sociological approach and that it shows that income inequalities can be defined as a specific and irreducible type of social inequality. Focusing on income inequalities in the sphere of work, it is sought to understand how education has become the main explanatory component in most contemporary perspectives. Today\'s most important narrative associates the educational effects with \"returns\" of productive investments and reads the movement of empirical indicators as an expression of its variation. It is argued that this interpretation is not necessary, from the logical point of view, and that it lacks theoretical or empirical consistency. Nevertheless, since there is a great insistence on understanding education as an investment - it is necessary to understand the basis of this phenomenon. We will see that this way of associating education and income would solve, from the point of view of the economic theory, certain puzzles about aggregate productivity growth; Moreover, it was an important - not only analytical, but also moral[ - explanation of the origin of inequality between individuals, in opposition to inattentive and racist perspectives. It is argued that it is not necessary to understand education as an investment that brings personal benefits in order to profit from the analytical gains brought by these solutions. In addition, it is shown that the methods used for calculating the \"returns\" are loosely connected with the investment perspective and could easily be compatible with any processes of cumulative advantages over time. Finally, the first steps towards a sociological and historical understanding of the relationship between labor income and education from the perspective of closures and exclusive social prerogatives are put to the test.

Using a human capital perspective, this study investigates the relationship between the specific human capital of the top management teams of venture capital firms (VCFs) and the firms’ investment performance. The results of this study demonstrate that, in the early-stage information technology and communication (ICT) industry, VCFs’ technological expertise strongly predict better venture capital firm performance in the form of greater portfolio exit ratio. While financial expertise shows a positive but not significant effect. This study finds that although venture capital investing is a financial activity, technological expertise is the human capital characteristic that is more appropriate for this sub-environment. Future research is suggested.

Thesis (M.M. (Innovation Studies))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2016 / FDI is a buzzword used in the discourses of many emerging market politicians over the last two decades and SA politicians make no exception. It is commonly accepted that many multinationals (MNEs) provide employment opportunities and contribute to the transfer of technological knowledge in support of the host country’s catch up activities. This study aims to provide insight into how the South African subsidiaries of innovative ICT MNEs invest in skills development and why their local leaders chose to act in this way by comparing the case studies of IBM SA, Cisco SA and Dimension Data. It also seeks to find which of these three firms is more efficient at this investment and how South Africa, as a host country, influences their investment activities. The theoretical foundation for this study contains the literature review under the topic framed by the research problem: “How innovative ICT firms based in SA invest in skills.” The researcher gained knowledge about the habit of investment in skills in these branches of MNEs, in particular, their behaviour when they operate within South Africa, and produced a set of propositions that were investigated under the framework of the three case studies using qualitative research methodology. On one hand, the outcome of the study is that these researched branches are not innovating in SA because of the special emerging market context of SA and consequently, at present, they do not invest in R&D and innovation activities. On the other hand, SA government business consultants consider the branches of MNEs as sources of strong innovative and R&D activities that may influence SA innovation successes, different from what these firms do. Moreover, the results of the analysis show that the studied firms intensively exploit their existing products for maximum short-term profit. Policy makers could be assisted by this study in developing adequate policies in support of R&D and innovation activities. The study could also provide guidance for those HQs and leaders of local branches who want to improve their performance in SA and to SA innovators who are seeking to understand the twofold effect of globalisation. / DM2016

More and more people are attempting to increase their human capital by increasing their qualifications. Post-graduate studies, according to many, is the way forward as it will enhance one‟s personal and professional prospects. This research project is intended to make a contribution to the field of education by looking at how a Masters degree affects the life values (the meaning and status attached to one‟s life) and prospects of individuals taking up post-graduate studies. It uses the tracer study methodology to create an impact in determining how the WITS Masters Programme has affected the post-graduate student in terms of life values. It specifically targets the Masters in Education degree at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) by tracing the lives of six graduates from the year 2002. The research is a qualitative tracer study that aims at establishing a relationship between what is studied and the effects this has on the lives of the graduates

We construct a new dataset of inequality in educational attainment by age and sex at the global level. The comparison of education inequality measures across age groups allows us to assess the effect of inter-generational education attainment trends on economic growth. Our results indicate that countries which are able to reduce the inequality of educational attainment of young cohorts over time tend to have higher growth rates of income per capita. This effect is additional to that implied by the accumulation of human capital and implies that policies aiming at providing broad-based access to schooling have returns in terms of economic growth that go beyond those achieved by increasing average educational attainment. / Series: WWWforEurope

This study investigates the effect of human capital, using gross enrolment rate as a proxy, on labor productivity. It also investigates if a larger public effort in providing education opportunities would lead to a more efficient distribution of skills and therefore give a positive effect on labor productivity. We use a panel data approach to estimate an endogenous growth model on countries that are selected as to be reasonably similar. The main results are that growth in gross enrolment rate have a positive effect on labor productivity, while the level of government expenditure on tertiary education (measured as a percentage of GDP) has a negative effect on labor productivity.

[pt] A literatura teórica sugere que políticas de ação afirmativa podem aumentar ou reduzir os incentivos à acumulação de capital humano. Entretanto, não há evidência empírica sobre tal relação. Neste artigo, é avaliado como os sistemas de cotas instituidos por universidades públicas no Rio de Janeiro e na Bahia afetaram o desempenho dos alunos beneficiados no 3º ano do ensino médio utilizando a metodologia de diferenças em diferenças. A base de dados utilizada foi a do Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Básica (SAEB). Os resultados encontrados apontam para uma piora no desempenho de alguns grupos de alunos beneficiados, o que corrobora a existência de uma relação negativa entre ação afirmativa e incentivos à acumulação de capital. / [en] Economic theory suggests that affirmative action can either reduce or enhance incentives to human capital accumulation. Empirical evidence on this matter, however, is still lacking. Using difference in difference estimates, this paper evaluates the effects of the quota system in the admission to Brazilian public universities on the proficiency of senior high school students. The results show evidence that favored groups attained lower scores, corroborating the existence of a negative link between affirmative action and incentives for effort and skill acquisition.

Abstract Background: Female entrepreneurship in China is a practice which scholars have explored severally in recent years. Just as many Asian countries, the role of Chinese women has been undermined for a longer period. However, the 20 th century marked a positive turn in Chinese culture. The rate of discrimination and seclusion of women from economic empowerment started reducing significantly. Today, Chinese women are struggling to compete effectively with their male counterparts in entrepreneurial sector. The purpose of having women empowerment on the market economy is to generate more income to the country. Also, the practice lessens the rate of unemployment and high rate of dependency in China. Hence, it is apparent that the entrepreneurial actions in China are motivated by a number of factors that are presented in the paper. Purpose: The primary aim of the study is to determine influential and motivational factors for female entrepreneurs in China. Methods: The research has employed a qualitative research approach to determine influential factors and motivating aspects of female entrepreneurship in China. Random sampling tactic has been chosen as the methodology to discover data of women that have succeeded in the country. This approach can help to analyze a broader population of women entrepreneurs in China. Meanwhile, a semi-structured interview was involved in collecting data so that first-hand and unbiased information is obtained from interviewees. Findings: From the study of the influential factors and motivation for female entrepreneurs in China, it has been noted that the process of entrepreneurship among the current female entrepreneurs in the country can be categorized as either passive or initiative. While looking at the passive entrepreneurship among the female entrepreneurs, it is noted that those people are driven by the daily needs of their families. On the other hand, initiative entrepreneurship relies much more on human capital and social capital. The zeal and motivation that they possess lead them to developing far-sighted enterprises, hence contributing to the economic development of the country.