Abstract During the courses of banks being taken over, put on auction, or under compulsory merger, their employees are under tremendous impact. This calls for the importance of human resource management practices. If a bank being taken over has proper human resource management practices, the employees are more likely to have stable mood and morale to carry on their services to customers. On the one hand this will enhance the value of the bank being taken over, and on the other hand the synergy to the bank winning the bid in auction would be more obvious. In this research, we made in-depth studies of the human resource management practices in three stages, i.e. after take-over and before auction, after auction but before merger, and finally, after merger. The approaches adopted in this research include in-depth interview and questionnaire survey. We conducted interviews with members of management teams, human resource departments, and labor union officers. Questionnaire surveys were also conducted on employees to determine their feeling and whether they are satisfied with human resource management practices after being taken over and merged. We have drawn conclusions as follows: 1. Human resource management practices in banks that were taken over and merged are similar to ordinary merger cases, with emphasis on communication, protecting the interests of employees, focusing on the retention of employees and interview skills, establishing merger and integration team, and providing employees with a cushion period. Particularly, if a take-over team is formed, it would have major influence over policy-making, and would better protect the employees¡¦ interests when compared with banks which were taken over in the past. 2. During the take-over period, there were no layoffs and pay cuts which abide by the provisions of the Basic Labor Law and relevant regulations as well as the internal regulations of the bank in settling seniority and establishing settlement plans to reduce arguments between employees and employer. In these cases the questionnaire survey indicated that employees have high satisfaction. 3. The labor union shall act as a bridge between the take-over team, the winning bank, and employees under legitimate policy and with rational manner, to secure the interests of the employee and maintain harmony between employees and employer. Questionnaire surveys and interviews indicated that these efforts and contributions won the recognition of all employees. However, the retention rate is low, which is rather disappointing. 4. Questionnaire surveys had found that the main causes of employees quitting their jobs are: 1. After take-over and before merge: worrying about the future with uncertainty and insecurity; 2. On the reference date of merger: to lose retention from the winning bank; 3. After merger: poor adaptation to the new organizational culture, leadership of management, and difficulty in conforming to working environment. Key Words: Take Over, Merger, Bank, Resolution Trust Corporation, Human Resource Management Practices

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The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

The success of any organisation depends on its ability to adapt to an ever-changing environment. In order to be able to adapt, an organisation needs visionary leadership, a management team that is passionate, professional and entrepreneurial, and employees that are engaged. With the right strategies, organisational practices and management the hidden value of an organisation can be unlocked. The traditional hierarchies in the organisation can be broken down in order to empower management teams to be more entrepreneurial. The right organisational climate should also be created to unleash potential. As part of the business planning process and the drive to reconnect with citizens, to respond to the need to do things differently, to build new relations and to improve service, the municipality should continuously evaluate the human resource management practices in place, to determine whether they are sufficient and effective to enable it to achieve its objectives. Knowledge of organisational climate variables also enables management towards the accomplishment of organisational goals. Local government is key to the realisation of a promise of a better life for all. It is therefore critical for its employees to always perform at their optimal, and adhere to all the principles of the Batho Pele when delivering service to the public. All the principles of this policy are intertwined and collectively guide all three spheres of government efforts in transforming and accelerating service delivery. Managers at all levels must support staff in service responsibility so that staff members feel valued, motivated, informed and challenged to put forth their best efforts on behalf of the people they serve. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of the OCQ, the HRPQ, and the SSPPQ instruments, as well as to assess the relationship between human resource practices and organisational climate in the municipality. In Article 1 and Article 3 employees from the municipality were targeted, and in Article 2 citizens from the municipality were targeted separately. The study popUlation from the municipality included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories, and the study population from the citizens included the public which the municipality serve. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Three standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely the Organisational Climate Questionnaire, the Standardof Service as Perceived by the Public Questionnaire and the Human Resource . Practices Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficients, correlations, MANOV AS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. In Article 1 the results indicated a four-factor structure for the OCQ. Statistically and practically significant differences were found between organisational climate dimensions and some of the biographical characteristics, namely age, service years and job leveL Employees with more years of service experience higher levels of organisational climate, than emlpoyees with fewer years of service. A significant difference in communication was found between job levelland job level 3. Employees in higher positions do not communicate well with employees at lower levels. In terms of Article 2 the study extracted a two-factor structure, namely Consultation and Efficiency. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Most of the Batho Pele principles received negative responses from the public. The results showed that customers who feel they are not sufficiently consulted on services also feel that the services they received were not effective. Knowledge of the service environment was perceived as poor, and consultation on services was perceived as a challenge. The public also perceived responsiveness as poor.In Article 3 the scales showed acceptable internal consistencies and also confIrnled a relationship between human resource management practices and organisational climate Responsiveness! cooperation and human resource development contributed most to people care. Supervision, human resource development, responsiveness/cooperation, employee support andrecognition contributed to structure. Openness, feedback and responsiveness/cooperation contributed most to efficiency. Recognition, responsiveness/cooperation, superviSIOn and openness contributed most to communication. Based on the results, recommendations were made for urgent actions to be implemented by the municipality, as well as for future research / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Employee turnover affects the profitability, performance, and customer service of an organization. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that leaders in the hotel industry used to maintain a low rate of employee turnover. Motivation-hygiene theory was the conceptual framework for the study. The study population included 9 hotel leaders from 2 international hotels operating in Jamaica. Methodological triangulation involved the comparison of data from observation of hotel facilities and leaders' interactions with employees, review of company documents, and semistructured interviews. Data were analyzed into emerging themes using a Gadamerian hermeneutics framework of interpretation. Four major themes emerged from the data analysis: effective leadership strategies, favorable human resource management practices, good working conditions, and a family-oriented organizational culture. Analysis of the data showed that hotel industry leaders used a combination of these strategies to maintain low rates of employee turnover. The findings and recommendations may contribute to positive social change by providing hotel leaders with effective retention strategies, resulting in increased profitability and potential income continuity, thereby decreasing unemployment and moderating poverty.

L'objectiu d'aquesta tesi és obrir la caixa negra de la creativitat i millorar el coneixement de com s'ha de gestionar en les organitzacions. De fet, gestionar la creativitat a les organitzacions requereix no tan sols comprendre què és la creativitat i els mecanismes que permeten que la creativitat aflori i es transformi en productes comercialitzables, sinó també identificar les pràctiques que poden ajudar les empreses a atraure i a retenir els qui tenen més bon potencial creatiu. A aquest efecte, s'estructura en cinc capítols. El capítol 1 examina la metodologia de la tesi i descriu detalladament les preguntes, el procés i el disseny de la recerca així com la industria cultural com a camp de recerca. El capítol 2 és un estudi conceptual que revisa la bibliografia sobre la creativitat, cercant d'aclarir les definicions. L'estudi analitza 94 definicions seleccionades després de consultar 50 llibres i 462 articles publicats en journals de gestió entre 1990 i 2008, i hi aplica la metodologia d'anàlisi de continguts. Els resultats assenyalen que, en general, són d'acceptació general sis categories conceptuals de creativitat: la creació, la síntesi, el resultat, la modificació, les interaccions i la implicació (engagement). S'analitzen amb profunditat totes aquestes categories conceptuals i els seus elements definidors. El capítol 3 busca identificar els mecanismes socials que permeten disciplinar una passió creativa i convertir-la en productes culturals que arribin al mercat. Proposa un marc teòric multinivell, centrat en dos conjunts de mecanismes: (1) els rols que encenen la creativitat (creativity-igniting roles), que activen l'esforç creatiu, i (2) les relacions que optimitzen la creativitat (creativity-enhancing relationships), que posen en relació els creadors individuals amb les firmes creatives. L'estudi es basa en la teoria de rols i en una orientació a la coordinació basada en els rols (Bechky, 2006), i agrupa quatre rols essencials que engloben les activitats bàsiques del procés de convertir la passió creativa en productes culturals: creador, emprenedor, integrador i patrocinador. S'utilitza la perspectiva relacional de l'activitat creativa per manifestar la importància de les relacions que optimitzen la creativitat en posar en relació els creadors individuals amb les empreses dedicades a la producció de productes culturals. Els mecanismes socials s'il·lustren amb tres casos d'estudi d'empreses que pertanyen a sectors culturals que segueixen diferents orientacions a l'hora de convertir la passió en productes. El capítol 4 se centra bàsicament en les pràctiques de gestió dels recursos humans (HRM) que permeten a les empreses atraure i retenir els empleats creatius. En conseqüència, aquest estudi proposa un marc conceptual i analitza el rol que juguen dues variables, la identitat ("qui som com a organització" - Albert i Whetten, 1985) i la imatge ("com pensen els membres de l'organització que la veuen els de fora" - Dutton et al. 1994), a l'hora d'influir en la relació entre les pràctiques de gestió dels recursos humans i la rotació. En concret, mostra que tant la identitat com la imatge poden augmentar o reduir la incidència de les pràctiques de gestió dels recursos humans sobre la rotació interna i externa. El capítol 5 conclou la tesi resumint, connectant i interpretant categories conceptuals resultat empírics. Per a concloure, proposa un marc teòric multinivell sobre com la creativitat ocorre en les organitzacions incloent tant els mecanismes socials com les practiques de gestió de recursos humans. / El objetivo de esta tesis es abrir la caja negra de la creatividad y mejorar el conocimiento de cómo se debe gestionar en las organizaciones. Conseguir este objetivo requiere primero, aclarar qué es la creatividad y cuáles son los elementos que la constituyen; segundo, investigar los mecanismos específicos que permiten que la creatividad se desarrolle y sea disciplinada y transformada en un producto comercializable y tercero, identificar las prácticas que ayuden a las empresas a retener talentos creativos. A tal efecto, esta tesis se estructura en cinco capítulos. El capítulo 1 examina la metodología de la tesis y describe en detalle las preguntas, el proceso y el diseño de investigación, así como la industria cultural como campo de investigación. El capítulo 2 revisa la bibliografía sobre la creatividad e investiga distintas definiciones de este término para aclarar sus categorías conceptuales: de hecho, a pesar de los numerosos intentos de definir la creatividad, falta claridad sobre su definición. Por lo tanto, el estudio analiza 94 definiciones seleccionadas tras consultar 50 libros y 462 artículos publicados en journals de gestión entre 1990 y 2008, y les aplica la metodología de análisis de contenidos. Los resultados señalan que, en general, son de aceptación general seis categorías conceptuales de creatividad: la creación, la síntesis, el resultado, la modificación, las interacciones y el engagement. Se analizan en profundidad todas estas categorías conceptuales y sus elementos definidores. El capítulo 3 busca identificar los mecanismos sociales que permiten disciplinar una pasión creativa y convertirla en productos culturales que lleguen al mercado. Avanza un marco teórico multinivel, centrado en dos conjuntos de mecanismos: (1) los roles que encienden la creatividad (creativity-igniting roles), que activan el esfuerzo creativo, y (2) las relaciones que optimizan la creatividad (creativity-enhancing relationships), que ponen en relación a los creadores individuales con las firmas creativas. El estudio se basa en la teoría de roles y en una orientación a la coordinación basada en los roles (Bechky, 2006), y agrupa cuatro roles esenciales que engloban las actividades básicas del proceso de convertir la pasión creativa en productos culturales: creador, emprendedor, integrador y patrocinador. Se usa la perspectiva relacional de la actividad creativa para manifestar la importancia de las relaciones que optimizan la creatividad al poner en relación a los creadores individuales con las empresas dedicadas a la producción de productos culturales. Los mecanismos sociales se ilustran mediante tres casos de estudio de empresas pertenecientes a sectores culturales que siguen distintas orientaciones para convertir la pasión en productos. El capítulo 4 se centra básicamente en las prácticas de gestión de los recursos humanos (HRM) que permiten a las empresas atraer y retener a sus empleados creativos. El capítulo propone un marco conceptual y analiza el rol que juegan dos variables, la identidad ("quiénes somos como organización" - Albert y Whetten, 1985) y la imagen ("cómo piensan los miembros de la organización que la ven los de fuera" - Dutton et al. 1994), a la hora de influir en la relación entre las prácticas de gestión de los recursos humanos y la rotación. En concreto, muestra que tanto la identidad como la imagen pueden aumentar o reducir la incidencia de las prácticas de gestión de los recursos humanos sobre la rotación interna y externa. El capítulo 5 concluye la tesis resumiendo, conectando e interpretando categorías conceptuales y resultados empíricos. Para concluir, propone un marco teórico multinivel sobre cómo la creatividad ocurre en las organizaciones incluyendo tanto los mecanismos sociales como las prácticas de gestión de recursos humanos. / The objective of this dissertation is to open up the black box of creativity and improve the understanding on how it can be managed in organizations. Fulfilling this purpose requires first, clarifying what creativity is and the elements that constitute it; second, investigating the specific mechanisms that allow creativity to take place and be disciplined and transformed into marketable products and third, identifying the practices that can help companies retain creative employees. Accordingly, this research has been structured in five chapters. Chapter one overviews the dissertation's methodology and describes in detail the research questions, process, and design, as well as cultural industry as an empirical setting. Chapter two reviews the literature on creativity and examines different definitions of the term, in order to provide clarity: in fact, despite the numerous attempts to define creativity, an agreement on its definition is still to emerge. Therefore, it performs a content analysis on 94 definitions collected on 50 books and 462 articles published in selected management journals from 1990 to 2008. The results suggest that six conceptual categories on creativity enjoy general support: creation, synthesis, output, modification, interactions, and engagement. All these conceptual categories and their defining elements are analyzed in depth. Chapter three seeks to identify the social mechanisms that allow disciplining a creative passion and translating it into cultural products that reach the market. It develops theory, by advancing a multi-level theoretical framework, which focuses on two sets of mechanisms: (1) creativity-igniting roles that energize a creative endeavour, and (2) creativity-enhancing relationships that link individual creators with creative firms. The chapter builds on role theory and a role-based approach to coordination (Bechky, 2006), bringing together four essential roles that encompass core activities in the process of translating creative passion into cultural products: creator, entrepreneur, integrator, and sponsor. The relational perspective to the creative activity is used to articulate the importance of creativity-enhancing relationships that bind individual creators with companies dedicated to the production of cultural products. The social mechanisms are illustrated with insights from three case studies of companies from cultural sectors that offer distinct approaches to translating passion into products. Chapter four is a study of the human resource management practices related to creative employees' retention in a creativity-driven organization. Based on one in-depth case study pertaining to the fashion and design industry, it explores the link "HRM practices-turnover", providing evidence of the role that two variables, namely, identity ("who we are as an organization" - Albert & Whetten, 1985) and image ("how organization members think outsiders see the organization" - Dutton et al. 1994), play in affecting this relationship. Chapter five concludes the dissertation by summarizing, linking and interpreting conceptual categories and empirical results. Finally, it advances a multilevel theoretical framework on how creativity happens in organizations, including both social mechanisms and HRM practices.

D. Tech (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / Globalisation is creating profound and substantial changes for businesses and industries throughout the world. These changes have forced businesses to re-evaluate their organisational philosophy and strategic approaches to become more competitive. Businesses in general have to deal with internal and external challenges. To address these challenges, there is a significant amount of written consensus internationally, which denotes that established businesses should encourage entrepreneurial activity throughout their operations to compete successfully on a continuous basis. Therefore, businesses should identify and implement entrepreneurial actions such as developing new products and ideas or adapt their internal processes to new situations. Corporate level entrepreneurship plays an indispensable role in improving productivity and promoting economic growth. Entrepreneurial activities can result from individual creativity or pursuit of self-interest and some of these activities could eventually receive the business’s formal recognition and thus become an integral part of the business concept. Entrepreneurial activities are often initiated by individuals within an organisation. Therefore, one way in which organisations can remain competitive in today’s rapidly changing environment is to address the issue of achieving productivity through their employees. Human resources can either hinder or encourage corporate entrepreneurship. This study addresses the relationship between human resource management practices, corporate entrepreneurship and business performance in medium and large businesses. Four hypotheses were put forward for testing. A quantitative, formal and cross-sectional approach was used. Data were collected using a survey and self-administered questionnaires were emailed to 744 human resource managers in medium and large businesses in Gauteng. A response rate of 47.6 percent was achieved as 351 usable questionnaires were received. Items in the questionnaire were adapted from previous studies. Factor analysis was conducted to test the validity and reliability of the research instrument. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to test the hypotheses. The empirical evidence indicated that corporate entrepreneurship is stimulated by better employee relations, selection practices, compensation, high levels of employee development and skills training. Selection and staffing are the most significant drivers of corporate entrepreneurship. The evidence further shows that human resource management practices influence business performance as well as that a positive relationship exists between innovation intensity and risk propensity, and business performance. The results also show that corporate entrepreneurship is a mediator between human resource management practices and business performance. As this was the first formal study conducted, which aimed to determine the influence of human resource management practices on corporate entrepreneurship and how it affects businesses performance, it can serve as a guideline for businesses in South Africa to assess their entrepreneurial intensity and corporate entrepreneurial climate.