Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-48).

Bibliography: leaves 99-105. / Retrenchments have become increasingly prevalent in South Africa affecting those that are retrenched and the survivors of such a process. Despite survivors being the linchpins of future profitability, research on their experiences is limited in this country. This research followed a case study approach and examined survivor experiences in a South African alcoholic beverage organisation. Qualitative data was obtained through fourteen semi-structured interviews with employees who are retrenchment survivors. Following thematic analysis, three key themes emerged: survivor responses throughout the retrenchment process, survivor work attitudes and behaviours throughout the retrenchment process and survivor perceptions on the management of the process.

Prior research shows that accurate interviewers have higher ‘dispositional reasoning’, defined as the ability to understand the relationship between personality, behaviour and situations. Drawing on schema theory, the present study attempted to determine if dispositional reasoning could be developed in students who participated in interview training. We used two different experiments to assess the relative effectiveness of two different training approaches to enhance the subcomponents of dispositional reasoning: trait induction, trait extrapolation and trait contextualisation. Our first experiment used traditional frame-ofreference (FOR) training in an attempt to develop dispositional reasoning. In a second experiment, we developed schema-feedback training, a novel approach to training dispositional reasoning that is based on the use of schema refinement through feedback. We found that neither approach had an effect on the participants’ dispositional reasoning component scores when compared to a ‘no-training’ comparison group. The low statistical power (due to a relatively small sample size) was a limitation in this study. Further research is necessary to determine the malleability of interviewers’ dispositional reasoning.

This research study presents the relative importance of subjective wellbeing (SWB), together with job satisfaction, and affective commitment in the prediction of intention to quit among South African employees (N = 134). In particular this study considered whether SWB contributes to the positive organisational behaviour domain in relation to intention to quit. Both male and female participants of varying age and ethnicity were examined from multiple organisations in South Africa. Data were collected using online surveys whereby participants completed four short Likert-type scales, namely, the orientations to happiness scale, affective commitment scale, job satisfaction scale, and turnover intention scale (or TIS-6). Relative weights analysis (RWA) results indicated that the predictive contribution of job satisfaction was the largest, followed by affective commitment, and then SWB, which did not appear to be a relatively important predictor of intention to quit. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that SWB explained a small amount of additional variance in intention to quit over and above that explained by job satisfaction and affective commitment. Implications and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-85).

Includes bibliographical references. / This research investigates the success of selection committees, at the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town in making employement equity appointments since 1998/1999 to 2004. The focus is on the effectiveness of new procedures that have been integrated in the selection process of the faculty, since 1998/1999 to ensure employment actions appointments. An applied form of programme evaluation, process evalutaion, supported the theoretical framework of the study.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / This study investigates academic dishonesty among undergraduate commerce students using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). A total of 579 respondents from three tertiary institutions in the Western Cape in South Africa completed an online survey about their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control towards academic dishonesty, their intentions to engage in academic dishonesty behaviours and their previous academic dishonesty behaviour. Correlation analyses indicated significant, positive relationships between all of the antecedents of the TPB.

This study examined the relationship between personality and work-family conflict amongst working fathers in South Africa. Two conceptual approaches to personality were employed: a variable-centred approach using the Big-Five personality dimensions (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and a person-centred approach using Asendorpf and Aken's personality prototypes (1999). Cross-sectional survey data were collected from working fathers in a variety of South African organisations (N = 237). Scale portability and robustness of the work-family conflict and personality scale was established through exploratory factor analysis. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that Neuroticism explained significant variance in work-to-family conflict and that Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience explained significant variance in family-to-work conflict. Cluster analysis confirmed the personality prototypes, Overcontrollers, Undercontrollers and Resilients in this sample. Analysis of Variance results showed no difference in experiences of work-to-family conflict across Resilients, Overcontrollers and Undercontrollers. However, results showed that Resilients experienced less family-to-work conflict than Undercontrollers. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. This study examined the relationship between personality and work-family conflict amongst working fathers in South Africa. Two conceptual approaches to personality were employed: a variable-centred approach using the Big-Five personality dimensions (Costa & McCrae, 1992) and a person-centred approach using Asendorpf and Aken's personality prototypes (1999). Cross-sectional survey data were collected from working fathers in a variety of South African organisations (N = 237). Scale portability and robustness of the work-family conflict and personality scale was established through exploratory factor analysis. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that Neuroticism explained significant variance in work-to-family conflict and that Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience explained significant variance in family-to-work conflict. Cluster analysis confirmed the personality prototypes, Overcontrollers, Undercontrollers and Resilients in this sample. Analysis of Variance results showed no difference in experiences of work-to-family conflict across Resilients, Overcontrollers and Undercontrollers. However, results showed that Resilients experienced less family-to-work conflict than Undercontrollers. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-66). / This study investigated whether a pre-screening questionnaire was able to predict job performance at a large financial institution. The pre-screening questionnaire comprised a biographical, integrity and interest subscale as predictors of job performance. A sample of 2145 job applicants completed the pre-screening questionnaire and these scores were used to establish the internal consistency of the pre-screening questionnaire. For the validity testing, a smaller sample of 449 job applicants was drawn to compare their test scores of the pre-screening questionnaire to their performance scores obtained, as the criterion. Each subscale was evaluated in terms of its predictive validity. The loglinear analysis revealed that the biographical subscale was a valid predictor of job performance. Despite being reliable i.e. integrity subscale with Kuder-Richardson coefficient of (r =.63) and interest subscale with an overall Cronbach Alpha of (r =.98), both subscales were found to be poor predictors of job performance. The findings suggest that the pre-screening questionnaire demonstrates predictive validity and utility in the selection process to some extent. Recommendations are listed to improve the overall reliability and validity of the pre-screening questionnaire.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of customer entitlement from the perspective of fine-dining waitstaff in South Africa. A power imbalance between customers and waitstaff is especially likely in restaurant environments because of the expectations of customer acquiescence and the notion that “customers are always right” (Fisk & Neville, 2011). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven waitstaff who were employed full-time in a fine-dining restaurant. Theoretical thematic analysis yielded five themes: (1) excessive demands, (2) mistreatment of waitstaff, (3) openly and excessive criticism of service quality, (4) entitled behaviour that affects other customers, and (5) aggressive behavioral reactions to unmet expectations. This study contributes to the limited research on customer entitlement in restaurant environments and provides a foundation for further research in this area.