The present study explored the optimal selection of financial intermediaries in the South African insurance services industry. We examined the potential predictive value of competency-based selection assessment centre (AC) exercises, when used in combination with other traditional measures (e.g., interviews, work style interest questionnaire, general mental ability and personality traits) in an incremental validity study. Moreover, the study expanded the criterion domain by considering prediction models for multiple outcome measures, including examination success of intermediaries and their objective sales performance. The sample consisted of 425 intermediaries in the middle and affluent market segments in South Africa. We reduced the large number of potential predictors through principle component analysis and subsequently conducted hierarchical regression analysis. Results showed that when the independent variables were restricted to correlating predictors as part of the further analysis, assessment centre exercises, especially the role-play, had a significant incremental effect (ΔR²=.07, ��<.05) over general mental ability (GMA) in predicting examination marks. Personality traits (e.g., emotional stability) and assessment centre ratings contributed significantly to examination success. To predict sales performance, the personality measure incremented GMA and AC exercises (ΔR²=.08, p < .05). GMA and AC exercises did not contribute in predicting sales performance and could not add incremental validity (ΔR² = .01, p > .05). The work style questionnaire (ΔR² = .03, p < .05) and interview (ΔR² = .012, p < .05) selection measures incremented both AC exercises and personality traits in predicting sales performance. The study contributes to our understanding of predictor combinations when academic and objective performance criteria are considered in a specific applied setting (e.g., a niche industry). The practical implications of the findings are that the validity of the assessment centre exercises together with other measures could be enhanced since it can predict different aspects of performance.

Responding to recent calls in the literature for cross-country comparisons of evaluation practice, this simulation study investigated (a) evaluators' perspectives on what determines a programme's evaluability, (b) what criteria evaluators prioritise when assessing a programme's evaluability, and (c) the degree to which practice context (developing, developed, or both) and self-reported levels of evaluation experience predict programme evaluability decisions. Valid responses from evaluators practising in the United States of America (n = 94), the United Kingdom (n = 30), Brazil (n = 91) and South Africa (n = 45) were analysed. Q factor analyses using data collected via a Q Sort task revealed four empirically distinct evaluability perspectives. The dominant perspectives were labelled as theory-driven and utilisation-focused. Correspondence analyses demonstrated that participants used different criteria to assess the evaluability of three fictitious evaluation scenarios. Multinomial regression analyses confirmed that practice context and level of experience did not predict the type of evaluability criterion prioritised in any of the scenarios. Evaluators practising in developed countries were more likely to characterise a programme with robust structural features, unfavourable stakeholder characteristics, and unfavourable logistical conditions as evaluable with high difficulty than as evaluable with medium difficulty. Evaluators with limited experience were more likely than unlikely to embark on an evaluation of such a programme. This study represents the first empirical investigation of how evaluators from selected developed and developing countries assess programme evaluability.

In recent years, South African higher education institutions have consistently reported considerably low postgraduate throughput rates. It has thus become increasingly important to investigate what factors contribute to the academic success of postgraduate students. To this end, the researcher sought to examine the relationships between Psychological Capital (PsyCap) (the composite construct and its individual dimensions) academic engagement and academic performance. Age, gender and previous performance were included as covariates of academic performance. Moreover, she assessed whether PsyCap was a stronger predictor of academic engagement and performance than hope, self-efficacy, resilience and optimism respectively. Postgraduate students in a South African university participated in the self-report survey (N = 234). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that PsyCap and academic engagement were three-dimensional and two-dimensional constructs respectively. Pearson product-moment correlation showed that PsyCap, hope, self-efficacy and optimistic-resilience were positively related to academic engagement. PsyCap, its individual dimensions (barring optimisticresilience) and academic engagement additionally shared a positive relationship with academic performance. However, multiple regression analysis indicated that, when controlling for the covariates, only hope was a statistically significant psychological predictor of academic performance. Gender and previous academic performance were also consistently shown to uniquely predict academic performance. Suggestions for future research and the implications, theoretical as well as practical, are presented.

Bibliography: leaves 448-458. / This thesis aims to establish the relationships that exist between the: competencies, cognitive capacity, and personality of successful corporate recovery executives, their choice of recovery strategies, their structuring of key organisational processes, and the financial success of the business organisations they manage. Two groups of business organisations were selected, based on four criteria, namely profit growth, revenue growth, return on sales and return on assets. The investigation group of nine organisations which have been successfully recovered was compared with a comparison group of seven organisations with declining financial performance, in terms of the above variables. The results of this study indicate that in terms of intervention strategies, the business organisations which have been successfully recovered, in comparison to those organisations in decline, differed significantly in their choice of intervention strategies, the activities they engage in and the issues on which they spend their time.

A financial sector establishes stability on the capabilities and skills of its human resources, which comprises the essential material for its growth. Therefore, it is essential that the financial service sector improves the quality of its human resources in order to ensure enough human capital that fosters ongoing growth. The Namibian Government identified the shortage of skills in the financial sector as one of the biggest obstacles in realising economic growth targets set out in Namibia’s Vision 2030. Namibia suffers from a shortage of skills in the areas of auditing, actuarial science, chartered accountancy, information technology, investment banking, property evaluation, and compliance and risk management. The objectives of the study were to investigate the nature of strategies implemented in the financial service sector in order to address skills shortages experienced by this industry, to examine development challenges encountered by the financial sector, to identify critical and scarce skills within the financial industry and to investigate skills development funding mechanisms currently utilised by employers in the financial sector in Namibia. The study aimed to document the status of skills in the financial sector since the inception of the Namibian Financial Sector Strategy and Charter in 2012 Stratified sampling was used to select a sample from the 174 institutions classified as the study population. The banking and non-banking entities sampled were categorised according to characteristics they had in common which would identify them as homogeneous. Therefore, participants were divided into sub-sector categories. The database built from surveying those institutions was stratified according to the characteristics. The research instruments were two questionnaires, one for employers and the other for universities, which were utilised to collect data. The essential finding of the research maintains that skills shortages, the expenditure budget allocated for training and the overall labour turnover in the financial sector hinders its skills development. A discussion of the study’s findings was presented and concluded with recommendations for future research. The shortage of skills and a lack of experience in the workplace, coupled with labour turnover, were identified as challenges experienced by the industry. What is evident from the study is that these challenges are not unique to Namibia but affect the global labour marketplace as well. The situation could, in part, be due to the process of globalisation.

Deceptive Impression Management (DIM), defined as faking in order to be perceived positively, is frequently used by candidates in employment interviews. DIM is problematic because it is difficult for interviewers to accurately rate, leading to unsound interview evaluations. This invalidates employment interviews because the best candidate is not selected for the job (i.e., deceptive candidates are hired above preferable honest candidates). Deceptive candidates’ good interview performance is negatively related to desired organisational outcomes (i.e., once hired, deceptive candidates are more likely to underperform on the job, as well as engage in undesirable workplace behaviours such as lack of effort and/or theft). Drawing on the Realistic Accuracy Model (RAM), it is argued that interviewers do not detect and/or utilise relevant and available DIM cues because they have not been taught to do so. The present study uses a post-test only true experimental design to determine whether students can be trained to accurately rate targets’ DIM. A Frame of Reference Training (FORT) intervention was developed, implemented, and evaluated. FORT aimed to teach experimental group participants to detect and utilise relevant and available DIM cues and to make accurate overall DIM profile ratings. Results show that FORT had a positive effect on DIM cue detection, but no effect on either DIM cue utilisation accuracy or overall DIM profile rating accuracy. Findings are attributed to the moderators of the ‘good judge’, ‘good information’ as well as the design and implementation of the FORT intervention. Because FORT had a positive effect on DIM cue detection accuracy, it is concluded that raters’ behaviour observation ability can be learned and improved with training. To the knowledge of the researcher and research supervisor, this is the first study to: (1) determine the trainability of DIM using FORT; (2) support and disentangle RAM by measuring the effect of FORT on each stage of RAM independently; (3) indirectly examine new dispositional reasoning schemas pertaining to DIM. Keywords: deceptive impression management (DIM), Frame of Reference training (FOR), Realistic Accuracy Model (RAM), accuracy, employment interviews.

Bibliography : leaves 121-135. / The demographic composition of the workplace reflects the increased labour force participation of women, including those who are married or have children. Women are also taking less time out of the workforce for childbirth – indicating that increasing numbers of organisations contain women that are either pregnant or mothers of young children. This research study investigates the impact that organisational family-friendly policies and practices have on the organisational commitment of pregnant women and working mothers. The three-component model of organisational commitment developed by Allen and Meyer (1990) serves as the conceptual basis for this study. Participants consisted of 52 women within two national organisations – the central one being an investment company, with the preliminary focus group conducted at an accounting firm. The research was conducted in the Western Cape, and comprised of one preliminary and 6 full focus groups, as well as an exploratory survey. Transcriptions of focus group discussions were analysed by means of thematic analysis, and quantitative data by means of t-tests. Results confirm those of previous research studies regarding women's need for family-friendly policies and practices. The qualitative emphasis allowed previously unrecognised policies and practices to emerge, as well as the positive and negative consequences of family-friendly policies and the absence thereof. These new findings may be important factors to consider in future research.

The employment of graduates globally has emerged as a critical issue of practical and theoretical interest for policymakers, government, academics, and practitioners. Faced with high rates of unemployment, first-time graduates often find themselves in jobs that are underpaying and unsatisfying which might ultimately affect their overall life satisfaction. This research presents the role of socioeconomic status in the relationship between pay and both job and life satisfaction among South African graduates from diverse socioeconomic groups. The purpose of the study is to explore and understand the relationship that exists between these variables and examine the role socioeconomic status plays in this interaction. The aim was to consider socioeconomic status as a moderator in the relationship between pay, job satisfaction, and life satisfaction as previous research has shown that socioeconomic status plays a significant role in determining graduate employment outcomes and prospects. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was employed, with data collected from 202 individuals who had graduated from tertiary education in South Africa and who were in employment at the time of data collection. The data indicates a positive relationship between pay received and job satisfaction among South African graduates. Similarly, a positive correlation was found between pay and life satisfaction. Furthermore, the relationship between pay and life satisfaction was found to be moderated by job satisfaction. The results of the study also indicated a spillover effect between job and life satisfaction, suggesting that job satisfaction and life satisfaction are positively correlated. The socioeconomic status of graduates in South Africa was found to play a role in the relationship between pay and job satisfaction. Furthermore, it was found that the difference between pay, and life satisfaction did not differ according to the socioeconomic status of the graduate. Based on these results scholars are advised to conduct further research to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying reasons for the racial group differences pertaining to job satisfaction.

In recent years, South African organisations have continued to underestimate the far-reaching negative impacts of mental health at work. This can largely be attributed to a lack of understanding and awareness owing to the under-researched nature of mental health conditions (MHCs) in the workplace, within the occupational health psychology (OHP) literature. It has thus become important to understand this phenomenon and raise the awareness needed to combat the negative consequences of MHCs in the workplace. Owing to this need and spurred on by the researcher's experience living with a MHC and her colleague taking his life while battling a MHC in 2016, the researcher sought to investigate the disclosure of MHCs within South African workplaces by affected employees. Specifically, she examined the relationship between when (disclosure timing) disclosure is likely to occur, the people (disclosure targets) to whom disclosure was made, perceived support offered to the people living with MHCs and the disclosers' perceived experiences owing to disclosing a MHC. The target population for the study were employees who have lived with a MHCs within South African workplaces. A sample of (N=109) was used. Data was analysed using the Software Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and tests such as exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, crosstabulations and the Mann-Whitney U test were used. From the study it was revealed that disclosure of a MHC is more likely to occur after obtaining employment, as opposed to during the selection process. Apart from that it was also discovered that perceived support in respect of employee disclosure of a MHC is significantly lower within the organisation than that from external domains, such as family. In addition, it was found that perceived positive experiences owing to the disclosure of a MHC to an immediate line manager are not significantly different than to the Human Resource Department. Lastly, perceived negative experiences from the disclosure of MHCs to colleagues are not significantly different than disclosure to immediate

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-79). / A quasi-experimental evaluation was undertaken to measure the extent to which a I-day diversity awareness training programme resulted in changes in trainees' attitudes, knowledge and skills. A pre, post and post-post test design was employed. Changes in attitudes, knowledge and skills were measured using the Quick Discrimination Index (Ponterotto, et aI., 1995) as well as a Diversity Questionnaire developed by the researcher. Results show that immediately after the training intervention, increased levels of knowledge and skill were measured. However, three months after the training, no significant changes in trainees' attitudes and levels of knowledge and skill were found, leading to the conclusion that the training had no lasting effect. Amongst other things these results offered support for the proposition that factors in the work environment critically contribute to the sustainability of anticipated outcomes of diversity training programmes.