Includes bibliographical references. / Competition for scarce human capital have emphasised the need for organisations to develop effective attraction strategies that entice knowledge workers (employees with scarce skills). Consequently, it is important for organisations to understand which elements of the Total Reward Model are perceived as attractive rewards or inducements for knowledge workers to ensure that their attraction strategies are aligned with the rewards that are valued and preferred by knowledge workers. The aim of the present study was to investigate a set of chosen financial reward elements (remuneration, employee benefits and variable pay) to determine whether knowledge workers would perceive them as attractive inducements when considering a job position. Financial rewards such as remuneration have traditionally been a defining feature of an employment relationship. In order to attract knowledge workers and maintain a competitive advantage, it is necessary for organisations to understand whether knowledge workers are attracted to different types and levels of financial rewards. This is applicable in South Africa where the shortage of talent is a largely due to the exodus of scarce skills (human capital) as there are often more lucrative opportunities overseas. Therefore attractive financial rewards or inducements are needed to attract talent in South Africa.

Bibliography: leaves 108-115. / Information technology (IT) professionals are highly skilled and mobile. They are also not generally considered to be committed to the organisations in which they work. This research study explores the commitment of professionals to their organisation and the relationship thereof to specific antecedents and work outcomes. The three-component model of organisational commitment developed by Allen and Meyer (1990) served as the conceptual basis for this investigation. Participants consisted of forty-four IT professionals across five IT organisations in the Western Cape. Data was gathered by means of semi-structured focus groups, and five individual interviews with HR managers of these groups. Transcriptions of focus group discussions as well as individual interviews were analysed by means of thematic analysis. Results confirm those of previous research studies in the field of organisational psychology, and also indicate that other possible antecedents and consequences previously not explored may be important factors to consider in future empirical analyses.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-58). / This report presents the findings of the outcome-based evaluation of the Beautiful Gate programme for vulnerable children. The evaluation seeks to ascertain the extent to which the programme is producing the intended results and whether those results include unintended side effects. The Beautiful Gate programme is a social programme aimed at providing care to vulnerable children, their families and the community. The objectives of the programme are to meet the medical, physical, emotional and social needs of vulnerable children, particularly those that are affected by HIV/AIDS in the communities of the Nyanga Health District in Cape Town, South Africa. The programme provides an interim safe environment for children, whilst actively working towards their reintegration into society. The evaluation utilised a descriptive design. Multiple data collection methods were used, which included a questionnaire-based survey and review of programme records. A paper based questionnaire was administered to the programme staff, which consisted of caregivers, administration staff and pre-school teachers. Results from this evaluation study revealed that children who participate III this programme exhibit improved quality of life. Research findings have shown that the children's welfare, personal development and social conditions significantly improved through access to a safe environment, proper nutrition, medical services, education, as well as psychosocial support.

This study explored the factors that most determine black graduates' career choice and aimed to better understand how these factors impact the career choice/decision to specifically pursue a career in academia in South Africa, bearing in mind that factors that attract and retain are not the same. Based on a total sample of 204 students from a South African university, the research findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between the influence of a role model and black graduates' intention to apply for an academic job. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed.

Organisational Psychology’s focus on the formal business setting has resulted in the discipline limiting its potential contribution to and relevance in broader society. To address this shortfall this study was conducted in the paratransit industry, which is the largest contributor to the informal economy in South Africa. It is based on the argument that by applying discipline specific knowledge, Organisational Psychology may have the potential to assist in transforming the culture in the paratransit industry, a culture which has been described as violent, aggressive and undemocratic. As culture can shift through industry-leader driven changes in values, the first step was to understand what values are held by leaders within the paratransit industry. The second step was to find ways in which to shift values. Using Schwartz’s (1992) Theory of Basic Human Values as theoretical framework, this dissertation consequently served to surface the values among paratransit operators which may underlie the violent and aggressive culture in the Cape Town paratransit industry. Secondly, it sought to determine if value shifts may be achieved through formal business skills capacity training. To this end, the extent to which paratransit operators who had participated in such a training programme demonstrated different values to non-participant paratransit operators was assessed. By employing a quasi-experimental post-test design participants (n = 46) and non-participants (n = 46) in a particular three-year capacity-building programme responded to Schwartz et al.’s (2001) Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ), which assesses the universal value dimensions stipulated by Schwartz (1992), as well as to additional scales assessing trust in the City of Cape Town (CoCT) and Transport for Cape Town (TCT). The sample valued universalism, benevolence, conformity and security – values that are not generally associated with violent, aggressive and undemocratic behaviour. Power, on the other hand, was neither valued nor not valued although it had been expected to be espoused strongly. The only result in line with expectations was that participants valued stimulation to some extent. Participants indicated trust in the CoCT and TCT. While training participants and non-participant paratransit operators did not differ significantly in the degree to which they espoused the different values and their degree of trust in the two transport authorities, the effect sizes for the differences in conformity, power, security, and universalism as well as trust in the two transport authorities were meaningful. It needs to be noted, though, that a number of limitations in the study design, particularly that no pre-intervention data was available, means that it is not possible to assess if the values of paratransit operators had shifted over the duration of the programme. Consequently, one cannot be certain that such a programme is an effective means of shifting espoused values. If, however, the values espoused by participants in this study are a reflection of reality, then paratransit operators endorse values that lend themselves to the formation of a non-aggressive and democratic culture. Organisational psychologists can assist in bringing about a positive shift to the operating culture of the paratransit industry by translating these value-conform behaviours shown towards drivers and by encouraging similar behaviour in their work and over time, these minibus-taxi drivers may shift their values and behaviours in turn. From a theoretical perspective, the findings on the dimensionality of the PVQ in the sample suggest that even though Schwartz (1992) assumed the value dimensions in the Theory of Human Values to be universal, what indicates each of these value dimensions is context dependent. This calls into question the universal applicability of the PVQ as a measurement tool for these values. The relative endorsement of value dimensions in relation to each other, however, was found to be in line with Schwartz’s (1992) assumptions.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This study aims to assess satisfaction with work life balance in call centre operators and the impact that this has on work engagement of these individuals. It looks at and measures the perceptions relating to control over actual work hours, job complexity and satisfaction with work-life balance.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This study examined attitudes toward multiple role planning (ATMRP) amongst engineering students in South Africa (N = 146). ATMRP is an individual’s attitude or orientation toward planning for future involvement with work and family. Individuals with a more realistic attitude toward multiple role involvement are more likely to successfully manage a multiple role lifestyle. Exploratory factor analysis showed the multidimensionality of the ATMRP scale. The five dimensions were knowledge/certainty, commitment, independence, involvement and flexibility/compromise. The study examined the influence of cultural orientation i.e. gender role ideology, allocentrism and ideocentrism on their attitude toward planning for future work and family roles.

This study investigated the relationship between social connectedness, collaborative learning and the academic performance of students in an academic development (AD) programme at a South African university. A final sample of 119 students responded to a survey questionnaire containing the campus connectedness scale and the collaborative learning scale, each measured on a six-point Likert scale. A multiple regression analysis revealed that social connectedness is a significant predictor of academic performance, which was measured using grade point average (GPA). The study found that collaborative learning did not contribute to variations in GPA, however it did relate positively to social connectedness. The results provide useful information to staff in the AD programme about elements of the programme that are succeeding in supporting student achievement. Includes bibliographical references (pages 49-54).

Organisations are increasingly becoming aware of employees' internet use for nonwork- related activities, a phenomenon known as cyber-loafing. This poses a problem for organisations as both employee and organisational productivity are negatively impacted. Cyber-loafing is a fairly nascent concept within the Counterproductive Work Behaviour (CWB) literature, given the recent rise in technological advancements. Employees who engage in cyber-loafing divert their energy and attention away from work for prolonged periods of time, which is classified as a withdrawal behaviour under the CWB typology. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has previously been shown to explain other CWBs, such as time theft and cyber-loafing. Due to the internet's ubiquitous nature in South African organisations and lack of research on cyber-loafing in South Africa, the objective of this study was to investigate cyber-loafing amongst administrative support staff in South African organisations using TPB. An explanatory cross-sectional descriptive research design was used. Data was collected using both online and hardcopy surveys yielding 92 participants from employees that provide administrative assistance in various organisations. In this sample, 89% of respondents were female and 11% were male, whilst 92% were employed full-time and 5% part-time. The results showed that only descriptive and prescriptive norms and attitude towards cyber-loafing predicted intention and cyber-loafing. Differing from previous research, intention mediated the relationship between attitude and cyber-loafing only. The results show that organisations could develop interventions targeted at descriptive and prescriptive norms to reduce cyber-loafing behaviour and by influencing attitudes around cyber-loafing, organisations could influence cyber-loafing intention and behaviour. Based on these results, suggestions for further research are proposed.

On 1 January 2019, South Africa introduced a national minimum wage of R20 per hour. Minimum wages have been said to merely satisfy basic needs and not allow individuals to thrive; thus, not allowing for a decent life. Past research has argued for the importance of living wages, which are defined as a wage level that allows an individual's life satisfaction (or quality of life) to move from negative to positive. Studies exploring the relationship between individual income and life satisfaction have typically assumed a linear relationship between the two variables. However, there is evidence that the relationship may be more complex, following the discovery of non-linear relations (e.g. an S-shaped curve). The purpose of this dissertation was to explore the nature of the relationship between income and life satisfaction in the National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS), a South African household panel study which gathers various wellbeing related information from a nationally representative sample of citizens. This was done by exploring three research objectives. The first was to assess the nature of the relationship between individual income and life satisfaction. The second was to determine an approximate living wage amount based on individuals' subjective experiences; and the third to determine the longitudinal relationship between income and life satisfaction. For this dissertation, data collected in 2008 (wave 1), 2010 (wave 2), 2012 (wave 3) and 2014 (wave 4) was used to determine the short- and long-term relationship between individual income and life satisfaction. This study did not find the expected S-shaped relationship, nor any other shape of relationship; however, the variance in life satisfaction decreased at greater income levels: There were individuals who were highly satisfied with their lives at each income level, but no individuals were extremely dissatisfied with life from a certain income level onward. Thus, severe life dissatisfaction disappears with higher income, but higher income does not lead to higher life satisfaction. A repeated measures design was utilised to ascertain the longitudinal relationship between income and life satisfaction. No clear systematic pattern emerged in the relationship between income and life satisfaction over time, thus supporting Easterlin's Happiness-Income paradox, which suggests no association between income and life satisfaction over longer periods of time. The dissertation concludes by providing recommendations, limitations and implications of the results for research and practice. For example, the dissertation suggests that policy makers should consider and continue discussions on implementing wage thresholds above the national MW.