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The role of the media in teacher rationalisation and redeployment in KwaZulu-Natal.Govender, Maanasa Devi. January 2001 (has links)
After centuries of oppression, the majority of South Africans were anxious to experience
the democratic values of justice, equality, liberty, democracy and peace that were
embedded in the 1994 constitution. In order to redress the inequities and imbalances of
the apartheid era., former National Education Minister, Professor Sibusiso Bengu declared
the Revised Norms and Standards for teacher education as national policy shortly after
the Government of National Unity took office in 1994.
New political dispensations in response to the pronouncement of the White Paper in 1995
meant that the National Ministry of Education faced insurmountable challenges of
transforming education and training. The teacher Rationalisation and Redeployment
(R&R) policy was formulated to address issues of inequities and imbalances that have
riddled the pre-democratic South African Education system. The rationalisation and
redeployment process was intended to facilitate the transformation of education and
training under a single Department of Education (DoE).
The Department had to ensure that all schools, especially the rural schools that were
previously disadvantaged under the apartheid regime had an adequate supply of qualified
teachers. It must be noted that the rural communities have suffered the most, and still
suffer the consequences of the oppressive ideologies that were embedded in education
polices during the apartheid era.
An implementation of the rationalisation and redeployment policy meant that schools that
were operating over the teacher / pupil ratio of 1: 38 in secondary schools and 1: 40 in
primary schools had to be rationaJised and the 'excess' teachers had to be redeployed to
previously disadvantaged schools that needed their services. A successful implementation
of the R&R policy objectives would have translated into redressing the imbalances and
inequities of South African education under the apartheid regime.
I argue in this study that the media played a dual role of 'moulder' and 'mirror' in
representing the R&R phenomenon in KwaZulu-Natal. How did the media manage to do
this? The media basically rooted itself either within the consensus paradigm or the
conflict paradigm. Within the consensus paradigm, the media played the role of moulder
of mass perception in which dominant ideologies that support the status quo is reflected.
Within this paradigm, public discourse is hindered because of the deliberate use of top-down,
non-interactive language. By this I mean, that the media does not promote
discourse at grassroots level. However, when the media chose to root itself within the conflict paradigm, it played the role of 'mirror' in representing significant events as the
rationalisation and redeployment process unfolded itself. Within the conflict paradigm,
the critical and reflexive voice of the 'man in the street' is heard and public discourse is
promoted.
This study explores how four local media products, The Daily News, Mercury, Natal
Witness and Post represented the rationalisation and redeployment phenomenon in KZN
for the period November 1998 - March 1999.
This is a qualitative study, which has also eclectically drawn on quantitative data. Data
relating to the intentions of the R&R policy was obtained and analysed from The
National Teachers Audit (1995), and the Education Policy Unit (EPU), March 1997
review. The data relating to the objectives and implementation procedures of the R&R
policy was obtained and analysed from the original Rationalisation and Redeployment
document, HRM 51/98. The sample of the media products was selected on race
representavity in KZN. The statistical data was obtained and analysed from the AMPS
2000A. The representative texts were obtained and analysed from the Independent
Newspapers Microfish. These documents provided me with in-depth data to examine and
triangulate the R&R phenomenon from multi-dimensional perspectives.
The data was subject to firstly, a linguistic level of analysis, in which the meanings of the, words, the sentence construction and the signs signalling hidden agendas, silences and
gaps were used as tools to deconstruct the media texts. Secondly, the data was subject to
a representational level of analysis where I examined the position of the media as
communicator of messages or facilitator of discourse. If the media used interactive
language, (language that promoted discourse between various role-players) then the
media was identified to adopt the conflict paradigm, where it positioned itself as
facilitator and fuelled the battle-lines between the various interest groups. If the media
used non-interactive language,( language that did not encourage discourse from
grassroots) then the media was identified to adopt the consensus paradigm, where it
positioned itself as communicator of ruling class ideology. Furthermore it would use
words such as 'we' and 'all' to communicate consensus at policymakers level.
Significant findings of this research indicate that during the period before implementation
November 1998 to January 1999, the print media foregrounded the objectives of
rationalisation and redeployment within the consensus paradigm. Furthermore, the issues
of control, democracy, equity, from unions perspective were represented in non-interactive
language within the consensus paradigm. Moreover, the objective of
transformation was represented in non-interactive language Within the consensus
paradigm. For the period during implementation, the objectives of redeployment, which
are transformation and equity were represented in non-interactive language within the
consensus paradigm. The issues of teacher pupil ratio, women and retrenchments were
represented within the conflict paradigm. Issues of resistance to implementation,
misinterpretation of official circulars were represented within the conflict paradigm.
While the objectives of rationalisation were reinforced, the issues of chaos, challenging authority, social action and resignations were represented within the conflict paradigm.
The issue of post provisioning norms formula being miscalculated to bring in
'retrenchments through the back door' was highlighted, while the major issue of unions
was represented within the conflict paradigm.
The overall findings from the four media products, The Daily News, Natal Mercury,
Natal Witness and Post indicated that while the Daily News and Mercury initially
attempted to coerce the readership to accept the noble objectives of the R&R policy, both
these newspapers shifted their paradigm from consensus to conflict when they realised
that this policy was met with tremendous resistance because it was almost not pragmatic.
However, the Natal Witness and Post came across as being anti policy from the outset
and rooted itself it the conflict paradigm. In doing so, it fanned the flames of tension and
conflict between the various role-players and celebrated victim-hood.
The overall conclusion of this study is that it is located within two influential theoretical
media paradigms namely, the Structural-Functionalism Consensus Paradigm and the
Political-Economic Conflict Paradigm, as explicated by Hiebert et al (1991: 36), that the
main choices of 'theories of media and society are between conflict and consensus',
where the media is portrayed either as 'moulder' or 'mirror' of society. This study
concurs with the above media theories because the discourses emanating from the four
local media products could easily be identified within the consensus paradigm or conflict
paradigm. This research indicates that the discourses were controversial, conflicting,
volatile and bias in their representation as the recent media studies conducted by the
Glasgow and the Birmingham research indicates, as quoted by Fowler (1994: 10), that
'all news is biased'. Nevertheless, as a witness to the rationalisation and redeployment
phenomenon in KZN for the period November 1998- March 1999, I partially disagree
with the Newsom Report (1963) 'that media texts do not replicate or mirror reality',
because the media did present itself as the voice of the voiceless during the period
of implementation of the R&R policy. Finally, the media texts were not about the truth
value of their assertions, but how the media forged relationships between the various
role-players and framed each one in relation to the other, creating an atmosphere of
tension and conflict, promoting the discourse, and thereby fuelling the battle-lines
between the role-players. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of Durban-Westville, 2001.
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Taking voluntary redundancy :Clarke, Marilyn Alexandra. Unknown Date (has links)
Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2003.
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Analysis of engineering retention programs and their impact on organizational dynamicsJackson, Richard John, Heard, Marshall Lee, Smith, Charles Dugan January 1976 (has links)
Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alfred P. Sloan School of Management. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Dewey. / Bibliography: leaf 307. / by Richard J. Jackson, Marshall L. Heard, and Charles D. Smith. / M.S.
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Impact of unemployment in rural areas.Mvelase, G. Z. January 2002 (has links)
This study focuses on the impact of unemployment in rural areas at Kwa- Nxamalala. The study shows how the people of Kwa-Nxamalala survive since most of them are unemployed. According to the finding of the study, unemployment rural areas creates lot of problems like, crime deviant behaviour particularly among the youth. Bad relationship particularly between husband and wife. Children are also affected by the situation both from school and at home. Many people in the community are engaged on different activities in order to survive. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Durban-Westville, 2002.
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Rival and shareholder influences in corporate layoff decisions /Goins, Sheila Taylor. January 2000 (has links)
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.
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Análisis comparativo de estrategias de la reducción de personal en el sector público Puerto Rico vs. Panamá /Ramírez Acosta, Ricardo. Vázquez Cruz, Jennifer. Unknown Date (has links)
Thesis (M.B.A.) -- Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Ponce, 2007. / Digitized and made available on the World Wide Web by Interamerican University of Puerto Rico, 2007.
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PROCEDURAL JUSTICE, SITUATIONAL CONTROL AND SELF-PERCEPTION APPLIED TO UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF LAYOFFS ON SURVIVORS (PARTICIPATION, EQUITY, EQUALITY).DAVY, JEANETTE ANN. January 1986 (has links)
Procedural justice is applied to layoffs to study the effects of layoffs on survivors. Procedural norms, developed as components of procedural justice, are applied to develop two different layoff procedures, merit and random. The hypotheses come from this application as moderated by the individual's self-perception. Low performers prefer a procedural equality layoff, while high performers demonstrate no clear preference for either layoff procedure. When given the opportunity to choose a layoff procedure, the subjects having control over the layoff procedure to be used were no more satisfied with the process than those who had no control. Performance equity (merit) layoff. Subjects in this condition decreased performance, while the subjects in the other layoff conditions maintained performance levels.
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Work Attribute Importance and Loyalty Intention: Millennial Generation Psychological ContractBottorff, Laura M 01 January 2011 (has links)
This study investigated the importance that junior and senior job-seeking undergraduates (Millennial generation members) place on transactional and relational work attributes; how ratings vary by gender, experiences with layoff, and intended loyalty; and how well ratings match with actual attributes offered by organizations. Results are discussed in context of psychological contract theory. Students (n = 199) and recent graduates working full-time (n = 180) took separate online survey. Students indicated the importance of various work attributes (Ng, Schweitzer, & Lyons, 2010), loyalty intentions, and other related questions. Graduates answered only work attribute questions related to their current employer. Work attributes were factored into new transactional (IMP-T; µ = .78) and relational scales (IMP-R; µ = .91). Key results indicated that students rated relational work attributes more highly than transactional attributes (p < .001); gender had no effect on importance ratings or intended loyalty; and students’ importance ratings were above the workplace reality.
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CEO Equity-Based Incentives And Managerial Opportunism BehaviorHsieh, Chialing 01 January 2009 (has links)
I investigate the relation between CEO equity compensation and employee layoffs. In particular, this study seeks to examine CEO stock-based incentives and managerial opportunism behavior for the sample of CEOs of firms announcing layoffs during 1997-2006. I investigate two issues. First, I measure the extent of CEO stock selling in the year of the announcement of employee layoffs. CEOs may want to avoid negative press coverage regarding their compensation because it may send a negative signal to the market if they reduce the companies' work force and may choose to not sell equity, which is consistent with efficient contracting theory. I find different responses by layoff CEOs toward stock option awards and toward option exercise. Layoff CEOs sell substantial shares after receiving stock options to diversify their portfolio risk, especially during a boom economy and with layoffs constituting a greater percentage of a firm's workforce. They, however, retain substantial amount of shares acquired on the exercise of options to avoid intensive negative press coverage on both layoff and option exercises. Second, I examine CEOs' opportunistic behavior to maximize their stock-based compensation value by controlling the timing of stock option awards surrounding layoff announcements, or by controlling the timing of layoff news announcements. My finding provides evidence that CEOs of firms announcing employee layoffs are more likely to receive stock options in advance of value-enhancing layoff announcements but subsequent to value-destroying layoff announcements. However, my results show that these stock prices start declining after news of CEO stock option awards are disclosed in proxy statements (which are published approximately three months after the end of company fiscal years). This may indicate that the stock market responds negatively to this "your pain, my gain" leadership style, as that corporate executives of firms announcing layoffs may have no ethic of shared sacrifice. Overall, I find that negative press coverage may motivate CEOs of firms announcing layoffs to substantially change their portfolio or ownership. Public scrutiny also limits CEOs' ability of conducting opportunistic behavior regarding manipulation of the timing of option awards and layoff announcements.
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The retrenchment processes and procedures in an Eastern Cape motor manufacturing companyMazantsana, Vuyo Leonard January 2012 (has links)
Previously, the Labour Relations Act made it compulsory for the employer to consult on appropriate measures to avoid, minimise and change the timing of dismissals, mitigate the adverse effect of the dismissals, the method for selecting the employees to be dismissed, and severance pay for the dismissed employees. The Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA) specifies the steps that must be followed when they consider dismissing employees for reasons based on the operational requirements of their business. The necessary and appropriate steps to be followed for dismissal for operational reasons are contained in Section 189 of the LRA. Before an employer can start the retrenchment process, he/she is required by law to give a written notice inviting the other parties to consult and the employer must be prepared to disclose all relevant information. The new law that governs disclosure states that if an arbitrator or the Labour Court is required to decide whether or not information is relevant to the proposed retrenchments, the onus is on the employer to prove that any information that it refuses to disclose is not relevant for the purpose for which it is sought. It is also provided that if a consulting party makes any representation to the employer in writing, the employer must respond in writing. In terms of Section 189A (19) of the LRA clear guidance is given as to when will a fair reason be granted to dismiss for reasons based on operational requirements. This Section, further suggests that the Labour Court must ascertain that an employee was dismissed for a fair reason if: the dismissal was for requirements based on the employer's economic, technological, structural or similar needs; the dismissal was operationally justifiable on reasonable grounds; there was a proper consideration of other options to save job loses; and criteria used for selecting people for retrenchment were fair and objective. This is a much stricter test for substantive fairness than was previously applied. The aim of this study is to determine whether the retrenchment processes and procedures practiced in the motor manufacturing company in the Eastern Cape are compliant with the legislative framework. The company policy was examined against the literature available and the retrenchment processes of different authors were investigated. For the purpose of this study, the researcher used a structured self-administered questionnaire to collect data from the respondents. The questionnaire was delivered by hand to each respondent and collected later. The questionnaire was carefully designed considering the main components and aspects of dismissal for operational requirements as revealed in the theory. The results of the empirical study revealed that the company conducts fair and proper retrenchment processes and procedures, consults with all the relevant stakeholders, follows the right consulting process when it contemplates dismissing employees for operational requirements, uses fair selection criteria and does not unfairly discriminate against employees based on arbitrary grounds. In respect of disclosure of information, the respondents were aware of what information is shared and disclosed and for what purposes. The findings indicated that the majority of the retrenchment processes and procedures applied in the motor manufacturing company in the Eastern Cape are in line with the best practise and compliant with legislative framework. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that the employer should create awareness and educate employees on the importance of the dimensions related to retrenchment processes and procedures whenever the company embarks on dismissal for operational requirements.
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