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.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-73) / This study explored the relationship between absenteeism and commitment (affective, continuance and normative commitment) as directed towards the organisation, co-workers and the nursing profession. Job satisfaction, job involvement, career stage and the absence culture were examined as moderators of the relationship between absenteeism and commitment. The sample comprised of 227 public sector nurses (54% response rate) from 11 day clinics and hospitals within the Western Cape Metropolitan District Health Services of South Africa. Affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organisation were not directly related to absenteeism, although interactions between these commitment components were significant predictors of absenteeism. Affective commitment to co-workers did not significantly explain absenteeism. However, affective commitment to the nursing profession explained significant variance in nurse absenteeism both directly and through the moderation effects of the absence culture of the workplace and the profession. Job satisfaction, job involvement and career stage of the nurses did not moderate the absenteeism-commitment relationship. The contributions of the study are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-86). / Assessment centres are used to make decisions for employee advancement and development within organisations. These centres comprise of a number of instruments which are used to establish competencies needed to perform effectively. The validity of this measure is yet to be fully ascertained as previous studies have shown that although assessment centres have predictive validity, they lack construct validity. The research study therefore set out to establish whether assessment centres used within financial institutions have predictive validity but lack construct validity. For purposes of this study, two sets of data each comprising of responses from 120 and 91 employees were used. This data was retrieved from a financial institution within the Western Cape. Contrary to previous studies, there was low predictive validity within this study. Some of the factors that could have contributed to the low correlation between performance and assessment ratings include a rather small sample that was used, having different criterion being measured in the evaluations than in the assessment centres, range restriction, complexity of assessing behaviour, and having a number of dimensions from which to derive an Overall Assessment Rating (OAR). However, similar to previous studies, this study also found low construct validity amongst the ratings. In addition, a further analysis indicated that both performance and personality measures are valid methods in predicting performance.

Includes bibliographical references.

This study explores how Postgraduate Diploma of Accounting (PGDA) students at the University of Cape Town consider potential employers when making employer-choice decisions. Kelly's Repertory Grid technique was employed during structured interviews with twelve (N = 12) PGDA students. Perceptions about potential accounting employers varied across the participants. Investec and Nedbank, both of which are Banks, were construed similarly for 11 out of 12 participants. On average, three of the Big Four auditing firms were mostly construed similarly, namely EY, PwC and Deloitte, with KPMG construed differently by the majority of participants. Nolands and Mazars were construed similarly for 8 participants. Transnet was perceived distinctly from the other firms by most participants. The most frequently elicited constructs were regarding progression opportunities, international exposure and ethical reputation. The following themes emerged from a thematic analysis of the participants' interview responses: (1) organizational attractiveness, (2) exposure gained during training, (3) work environment, (4) progression opportunities, (5) diversity policies, (6) brand awareness, (7) workplace flexibility and work-life balance, (8) the recruitment process, (9) corporate social responsibility, and (10) a felt moral responsibility to the employer. This study proposes that by understanding how students construe and perceive different sets of potential accounting employers, employers could improve their attraction and retention strategies. The findings of this study could also be of benefit to career counsellors and others tasked with advising and guiding accounting graduates.