Thesis (M. Ed. (Education))--Rhodes University, 2006. / In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Education (Educational Leadership Management).

The use of Renewable Energy (RE) has considerably increased in the last several years. Innovative forms of sustainable alternative energy production, such as solar and wind, have now become recognized energy sources. Following suit, this paper has reviewed Waste-to-Energy (WtE), an innovative and evolving form of RE, and its possible adoption in Nigeria to address both the energy crisis and the pollution problem. The theoretical framework of this paper utilizes the genesis of Fishbein and Ajzen’s (1975) theory of reasoned action (TRA), expanding on renewable energy studies using TRA such as Bang, Ellinger, Hadimarcou, and Traichal (2000) Mishra, Akman, & Mishra (2014), and the leadership-led change framework (Andrews, McConnell, & Wescott, 2010) in order to explain leaders’ behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Four factors act as antecedents to the formation of attitudes and subjective norms about WtE, which then impact intentions to adopt WtE. Intentions then become a predictor of behavior for adopting WtE in Nigeria as a solution for energy and pollution issues. Combining these two theoretical frameworks allows us to study leader’s behavioral intentions and the behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Leadership-led change was examined as a moderator in the relationship between intention and behavior to adopt WtE in Nigeria. Results showed that leadership-led construct did not have a statistically significant moderating effect. This led to a post-hoc analysis of leadership-led as a mediator, which showed leadership-led had a partial statistically significant mediating effect between leaders’ attitudes and intention to adopt WtE.

Problematisering: Ungefär 70 procent av sammanslagningar och uppköp som genomförs runt om i världen lyckas inte nå sina uppsatta mål. Tidigare forskning har uppvisat en rad olika anledningar till detta, där förändringsarbetet har påvisats vara avgörande för tiden efter att sammanslagningen har ägt rum. Denna period benämns med begreppet PMI (post-merger integration) och syftar till att integrera tillgångar, arbetsuppgifter och personal från de verksamheter som omfattas av sammanslagningen. Problematiken som uppstår under dessa perioder har till stor del visat sig bero på mänskliga faktorer snarare än finansiella aspekter som företagsledningar kan visa ett större intresse för. Det är därför väsentligt att uppmärksamma hur både ledning och medarbetare upplever arbetssituationen, för att skapa förståelse av vad som kan vara avgörande inom förändringsarbete för en sammanslagnings efterföljande period. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa förståelse av hur ledning och medarbetare upplever arbetssituationen, med avseende på förändringsarbete, efter en sammanslagning av två tidigare skilda verksamhetsgrenar inom samma koncern. Forskningsfrågor: Hur skiljer sig ledningens upplevelser från medarbetarnas? Vilka parametrar inom förändringsarbete kan vara avgörande för hur arbetssituationen upplevs av ledning och medarbetare efter en intern sammanslagning? Kunskapsbidrag: Efter studerandet av hur arbetssituationen upplevs i perioden efter en sammanslagning, kan studien ge en indikation på vilka aspekter som organisationer bör fokusera på under integrationsfasen för att lyckas sammanföra de involverade parterna. Slutsats: Studien har påvisat att upplevelser av arbetssituationen efter en sammanslagning skiljer sig mellan ledning och medarbetare. Detta har främst visat sig i synen på vad som anses vara möjligheter kontra utmaningar för organisationen samt synen på ansvarsfördelning. Gemensamma upplevelser har påvisats gällande  samarbete, behov av kontinuerligt förbättringsarbete och förståelse för att förändringar  tar tid. De parametrar som har fastställts vara avgörande inom förändringsarbete för hur arbetssituationen upplevs efter denna typ av organisatorisk förändring kan  sammanfattas i uppföljningsarbete, engagemang, kommunikationsförmåga, mottaglighet, förändringsbenägenhet samt samarbetsvillighet och delaktighet. / Problematisation: About 70 percent of all mergers and acquisitions do not reach their desired goals. Research has identified several reasons for this, and has shown that it is necessary to focus on the integration process after the merger. The time after the agreement has been closed between the two parties is referred to as post-merger integration (PMI), which includes the integration between assets, business activities and personnel. One reason why mergers fail in this context depends on human factors rather than financial aspects as the top management might focus on. Therefore, it can be crucial to observe how top managers and employees perceive their situation at work to create understanding of what factors within change management that can determine how the situation is perceived during the PMI-process. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to create understanding of how managers and employees perceive their situation at work during the post-merger integration process when two former differentiated business lines have been merged within the same group. Research questions: How do the perceptions differ between managers and employees? What factors within change management can determine how the situation at work is perceived by managers and employees after a merger? Contribution: To create understanding about change processes after a merger, this study can indicate what factors organisations should focus on in the post-merger integration process. Conclusion: This study shows that the perceptions of how the situation at work is perceived differs between managers and employees. The differentiated perceptions have principally been shown in the context of what can be considered as opportunities versus challenges and how responsibility is assigned within the organisation. Common perceptions have also been identified and these can be summarized in cooperation,  ongoing improvement work and understanding of the fact that organisational changes  take time. Regarding what factors within change management that can determine how the work situation is perceived, several have been revealed. These can be concluded in terms of follow-up, dedication, communication, susceptibility, willingness to change, cooperativeness and complicity.

The research was aimed at addressing the challenge of evaluating a large scale change intervention in a large organisation and in a complex environment. Finding robust, meaningful yet realistic methodologies from among the array of possible approaches, methods and techniques has proved problematic, for both organisational practitioners and academics alike. The research explored this issue of choice from the perspective of 'fit for purpose' and suggests a multi-faceted approach, using a range of evaluation methods and techniques, which were applied to an ongoing example at the BBC. It was also planned to use structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques to examine the relationships between variables critical to the study. The approach described represents a 'pilot' evaluation exercise, which drew on data collected from early cohorts going through the BBC Leadership Programme, a key element of the 'Making it Happen' change strategy initiated by the then Director General, Mr. Greg Dyke. As a second level of research, an evaluation of the primary evaluation itself, i.e. of the BBC Leadership Programme, was also undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the primary evaluation strategy and its implementation. Three hypotheses were examined in terms of programme impact: It was proposed that participation in the programme would bring about collective improvements in individual leadership behaviour (Ho1), leading to improved departmental performance across the business (Ho2), in turn, resulting in improved organisational performance (Ho3). Due to limitations in the application of the methodology it was not possible to use SEM analyses on the data collected. Alternative analyses failed to demonstrate conclusive support for all three hypotheses and, while other factors besides programme attendance appear to influence leadership performance the afore-mentioned limitations restrict the ability to draw firm conclusions. Following evaluation of the primary evaluation it was evident that, as a pilot exercise, important outcomes from the programme evaluation give rise to 'lessons learned' and changes are suggested for any future evaluation exercise of this kind.

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