本論文旨在以策略性待遇觀點有系統地研究政府待遇政策，然而，這方面的的論述，並不多見。因此，政府部門在從事策略性待遇政策決定時，一方面必須借用私部門在策略性待遇的研究成果，一方面也必須衡酌政府部門策略性待遇政策所具之多元政治本質。本研究將府部門策略性待遇的界定為：「政府部門在因應其特有內外在環境及其變動下，為尋求與國家發展策略及其它人力資源管理政策之間的最佳匹配程度，所採取各種關鍵性地待遇政策或決定。」。在這個操作性定義之下，政府部門策略性待遇具有以下三個意涵：(1)策略待遇係專指與提升政府施政績效及競爭力有關的關鍵性待遇抉擇。(2)策略待遇是指各種待遇策略間會隨著環境系絡變化，相互推移所形成的一種適切而平衡的待遇政策組合。(3)策略待遇是強調待遇策略與組織策略、其它人力資源管理策略間的匹配性。 本研究在第二章針對策略待遇學術領域的研究，依研究焦點的不同，大致歸納可分為三個派別，代表論述包含Lalwer的「策略性待遇」理論；Gomez-Mejia 和 Balkin等的「待遇策略」研究，以及Milkovich和 Newman的「待遇的策略觀點」。本章將綜合這些派別的重要論述，用以發展出論述政府部門策略性待遇政策的分析模式，作為本研究的分析架構。 第三章依據Milkovich和 Newman的策略待遇模式，在第二章建構了可用於政府部門的策略待遇分析模式。依據該模式，政府部門整體的待遇政策可歸納為四大待遇政策面向。每一待遇政策面向又是由一些策略性(關鍵性)待遇決定構成。本章主要目的就是在論述各個待遇政策面向內的各策略性決定的理論意涵，以作為爾後章節分析的基本架構。 第四章的第一節探討型塑我國現行待遇制度的若干歷史因素的演進情形，及影響現行待遇制度的若干國家重要政策及其他人事政策等水平系絡環境因素。第二節析述政府機關、公務人員、政府部門待遇改進方案(待遇主管部門、主要決策人員)、學者專家及等利害關係人的論述及其對現行制度的影響。最後，將在第三節則將呈現歷史因素、內外在環境及利害關係人等三個層面交光互影後，所型塑的行政機關現行待遇政策或制度產出。 第五章依據Milkovich和 Newman的策略待遇模式，論述我國政府部門各項待遇政策面內策略性決定的實然面，至待遇政策四大面向內所指涉的各個策略性決定列表如第三章(見頁60 )。 第六章專章探討政務人員給與的如何決定？有關政務人員給與的決定具有多元解釋觀點。亦即，政務人員待遇有從待遇管理中比較原則解釋之，有由政治決定解釋之，有由公共選擇理論的官員自肥說解釋之等，各種解釋觀點固有其部分解釋力及當然亦有其侷限性，都將在本章在深入析述。 第七章將結合學界對政府部門待遇政策發展趨勢的論述，以及OECD會員國政府部門待遇改造的趨勢，依據四大待遇政策之策略性決定所對應的我國政府部門待遇政策的實有面，論述我國政府部門待遇政策四大面向內所指涉的各個策略性決定的可能趨勢。 綜觀本研究係以依據Milkovich及 Newman的策略待遇模式微基本分析架構。在第二、三章建構了理論面的行政部門的策略待遇分析模式，政府部門整體的待遇政策可分為內在一致面、外在一致面、員工貢獻面及機關管理面等四大待遇政策面向。並據以於第四、五、六及七章分析、發現並討論行政部門待遇政策的實然面所面臨的問題。最後，將在本章作個總結，並提出我國行政部門待遇政策走向的策略性建議。

Purpose: To critically investigate the effect/impact the implementation of both team and individual based pay has when responses are measured in terms of teamworking, job satisfaction, culture and commitment in 2 Nigerian financial institutions. Design/methodology/approach: The study presents the first empirical case-study research carried out in Nigeria. The data are based on 2 Nigerian financial institutions surveys from 2002 to 2006. The analysis addresses the impact of the introduction of PRP within these institutions. Questionnaires were sent out to the 226 employees. Interviews and focus groups were also carried out with both managers and employees across both organisations. Findings: The findings indicate the importance of valence for monetary incentives, the instrumentality of performance for the monetary incentives and clear individual and group objectives for improving performance. On the basis of the analysis of the data from employees covered by the scheme, the results suggests that there are clear indications that it has raised motivational levels, though employees prefer working with individual performance related pay than in teams, but would not mind working in teams if it is linked to a reward, but the responses indicate that individual performance related pay has damaged the concept of team working. The results indicated a positive link of PRP having a positive effect with employees on higher grade levels; this result support other results from a number of earlier UK studies. The results also indicate that the introduction of PRP can enhance culture change and enhanced performance but may not ultimately lead to commitment from employees. The findings also indicate a positive link between PRP, improved individual and organisational performance, change in culture and job satisfaction. Though the research indicates positive outcomes from one organisation it also indicates negative outcomes from the other organisation. Why would that occur, as both organisations operate the same form of individual PRP? It leads the researcher to conclude that PRP must be modified to take into account the cultural (national & organisational) implications of the transference western management practices into non-western organisations. The research finishes by listing out implications for management and recommendations. Research limitations: As this study utilises data from Nigerian financial institutions only, its results cannot be generalised to other sectors and countries characterised by different cultures and contexts. However, what is critical though is that the approach used to finding these results can be applied in a wide variety of situations, thus enabling the examination of external validity. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – This study is one of the first to explore the effect/impact of the introduction of performance related pay in Nigerian financial institutions and reflecting on the historic cultural context of gift giving and culture within organisations and the impact this has on the success or failure of PRP schemes. It also provides a new empirical evidence on the use of performance related pay. The results also show a link between the introduction of performance related pay and a change in the psychological contract from a relational contract to a transactional psychological contract, where commitment (bought) and loyalty is based on the monetary aspects of the relationship. The results supports an interpretation of incentive pay as motivated by expectancy theory and provides new evidence on the relationship between the success of performance related and its use by employees as a bargaining tool for salary increases and new job roles. Its implications should be of interest to human resource managers when designing reward strategies for their organisations.

The research was directed at assessing the strengths and weaknesses in the application-to-approval process of social grants up to the payment of social grants at pay-points in the South African Social Security Agency (hereafter SASSA). The general aim of the research project was to assess the application-to-approval process of grant administration in SASSA up to the payment of social grants at pay-points. The specific objectives of the study were therefore: * To describe the current application-to-approval process of grant administration; * To assess the strengths and weaknesses in the grant administration process of specified administrative procedures and structural issues as perceived by attesting officials (front-line staff responsible for taking down the grant applications), data-capturer officials (staff responsible for capturing the information on the application form onto the SOCPEN system, pay-point team members (staff responsible for rendering services at pay-points) and beneficiaries at pay-points; and * To provide a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the grant administration process from application to pay-out to the top management of SASSA. The study was conducted in two regions, namely the Northern Cape and the Western Cape. Various offices in the Northern Cape and the Western Cape were therefore part of the research. The grant administration process from application-to-approval includes various stages. The staff members include the screening official (step one) who checks the completeness of the required documentation, followed by attesting official (step two) who takes down the application and captures it on SOCPEN and then forwards it to the next level, namely quality control (step three). Thereafter a verifying official verifies the information captured on SOCPEN against documentation submitted and approves or rejects the application on SOCPEN (step four). Staff at pay-points (where beneficiaries receive their payments) and beneficiaries at pay-points were also part of the research focus. Four different data-collection instruments were therefore used during the research project. The first data-collection instrument was designed to collect data on the actual grant application process and problems and strengths in this regard (questionnaire front-line staff). The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to the front-line staff: * The majority of front-line staff have considerable working experience (more than five years) in SASSA; * The majority of front-line staff have inadequate work space; * Training, supervision and mentoring support from supervisors and colleagues occurs haphazardly; * The majority of front-line staff receive between 11-29 applications per day and spent 30 minutes or less to take down an application; * Policy documents that regulate the implementation of new policy changes are not always available; * Grant application files get misplaced or lost after processing; * Staff carelessness is one of the main reasons why files get lost or misplaced and * Front-line staff experience technical difficulties with the computer on a regular basis and it takes one to three days to resolve technical difficulties. The second data-collection instrument was developed to collect data on the capturing of the application (questionnaire data-capturer) onto the SOCPEN system. The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to data-capturers: * The majority of data-capturers have solid work experience as data-capturers in SASSA although some data-capturers have inadequate work space; * Training on the implementation of new policy changes occurs irregularly; * Supervision, mentoring and support from supervisors happen haphazardly; * Data-capturers receive between 20 and 29 applications per day and they capture all applications successfully; * Data-capturers receive support from colleagues on a more regular basis than from supervisors; * Documents or guidelines that regulate the implementation of policy changes are not always available in the work place; * Applications sometimes get misplaced or lost after capturing; * No proper mechanisms are in place to record the movement of files, staff carelessness and either lack of office space or filing space, are the main reasons why applications get lost or misplaced; * Data-capturers sometimes experience technical problems with computers and it takes one to less than five days to resolve technical difficulties; * Data-capturers receive sometimes incomplete applications from the attesting officials (those staff officials who are responsible for taking down the application) and they usually take such applications back to the first attesting officer; * Backlogs in the capturing and approving of normal applications exist and staff shortages and system-related problems are the main reasons why backlogs exist; * Backlogs exist with regard to the capturing and approving of review cases and * Staff shortages, a centralized review management approach, lack of office space and lack of connectivity points constitute the main reasons why review backlogs exist. The third data-collection instrument (questionnaire pay-point team member) was developed to measure services at pay-points and to determine the problems experienced at pay-points. The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to this category as seen by pay-point team members: * Some pay-points are not disabled-friendly; * There are not always enough chairs, toilet facilities or drinking water available at pay-points; * Payment contractors and SASSA staff sometimes arrive late at pay-points; * Payments are usually delayed between 15 minutes to less than an hour, but beneficiaries are not always informed about delays; * There are sometimes broken machines at pay-points and this causes 15 to 45 minutes delay in payments; * There is not always enough money at pay-points and it takes an hour to just under two hours to get more money; * Grant recipients hardly ever receive wrong grant amounts; * Hawkers and vendors operate mainly outside the pay-point; * Security guards are available at pay-points and there is access control at pay-points (mainly driven by security guards from the payment contractor) * Not all pay-points are fenced all round and * First Aid kits are available at pay-points most of the time. The fourth data-collection instrument (questionnaire for beneficiaries) was developed to target the beneficiaries who receive grant payments at pay-points. The empirical investigation revealed the following: * Some pay-points are not disabled-friendly; * There are not always enough chairs, toilet facilities or drinking water available at pay-points; * Payment contractors and SASSA staff sometimes arrive late at pay-points; * Payments are usually delayed between 15 minutes to less than an hour, but beneficiaries are not always informed about delays; * There are sometimes broken machines at pay-points and this causes 15 to 45 minutes‟ delay in payments; * There is not always enough money at pay-points and it takes an hour to less than two hours to get more money; * Grant recipients rarely receive wrong grant amounts; * Hawkers and vendors operate mainly outside the pay-point, but there are exceptional cases where they operate inside the pay-points; * Beneficiaries do feel safe at pay-points most of the time; * Beneficiaries mostly live within walking distance from the pay-point; * Beneficiaries hardly experience problems at pay-points and if they do, their problems get resolved; * Not all pay-points provide shelter from the elements; * Beneficiaries are satisfied with the services SASSA renders and the grant has improved their quality of life. Grant administration processes in SASSA are labour-intensive and officials play a vital role in the correct administration of social grants. The study has revealed that although there is clearly some strength in the grant administration process from application-to-approval up the payment of social grants at pay-points, it is unfortunately true that the weaknesses are overwhelming. / Thesis (PhD (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The research was directed at assessing the strengths and weaknesses in the application-to-approval process of social grants up to the payment of social grants at pay-points in the South African Social Security Agency (hereafter SASSA). The general aim of the research project was to assess the application-to-approval process of grant administration in SASSA up to the payment of social grants at pay-points. The specific objectives of the study were therefore: * To describe the current application-to-approval process of grant administration; * To assess the strengths and weaknesses in the grant administration process of specified administrative procedures and structural issues as perceived by attesting officials (front-line staff responsible for taking down the grant applications), data-capturer officials (staff responsible for capturing the information on the application form onto the SOCPEN system, pay-point team members (staff responsible for rendering services at pay-points) and beneficiaries at pay-points; and * To provide a report on the strengths and weaknesses of the grant administration process from application to pay-out to the top management of SASSA. The study was conducted in two regions, namely the Northern Cape and the Western Cape. Various offices in the Northern Cape and the Western Cape were therefore part of the research. The grant administration process from application-to-approval includes various stages. The staff members include the screening official (step one) who checks the completeness of the required documentation, followed by attesting official (step two) who takes down the application and captures it on SOCPEN and then forwards it to the next level, namely quality control (step three). Thereafter a verifying official verifies the information captured on SOCPEN against documentation submitted and approves or rejects the application on SOCPEN (step four). Staff at pay-points (where beneficiaries receive their payments) and beneficiaries at pay-points were also part of the research focus. Four different data-collection instruments were therefore used during the research project. The first data-collection instrument was designed to collect data on the actual grant application process and problems and strengths in this regard (questionnaire front-line staff). The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to the front-line staff: * The majority of front-line staff have considerable working experience (more than five years) in SASSA; * The majority of front-line staff have inadequate work space; * Training, supervision and mentoring support from supervisors and colleagues occurs haphazardly; * The majority of front-line staff receive between 11-29 applications per day and spent 30 minutes or less to take down an application; * Policy documents that regulate the implementation of new policy changes are not always available; * Grant application files get misplaced or lost after processing; * Staff carelessness is one of the main reasons why files get lost or misplaced and * Front-line staff experience technical difficulties with the computer on a regular basis and it takes one to three days to resolve technical difficulties. The second data-collection instrument was developed to collect data on the capturing of the application (questionnaire data-capturer) onto the SOCPEN system. The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to data-capturers: * The majority of data-capturers have solid work experience as data-capturers in SASSA although some data-capturers have inadequate work space; * Training on the implementation of new policy changes occurs irregularly; * Supervision, mentoring and support from supervisors happen haphazardly; * Data-capturers receive between 20 and 29 applications per day and they capture all applications successfully; * Data-capturers receive support from colleagues on a more regular basis than from supervisors; * Documents or guidelines that regulate the implementation of policy changes are not always available in the work place; * Applications sometimes get misplaced or lost after capturing; * No proper mechanisms are in place to record the movement of files, staff carelessness and either lack of office space or filing space, are the main reasons why applications get lost or misplaced; * Data-capturers sometimes experience technical problems with computers and it takes one to less than five days to resolve technical difficulties; * Data-capturers receive sometimes incomplete applications from the attesting officials (those staff officials who are responsible for taking down the application) and they usually take such applications back to the first attesting officer; * Backlogs in the capturing and approving of normal applications exist and staff shortages and system-related problems are the main reasons why backlogs exist; * Backlogs exist with regard to the capturing and approving of review cases and * Staff shortages, a centralized review management approach, lack of office space and lack of connectivity points constitute the main reasons why review backlogs exist. The third data-collection instrument (questionnaire pay-point team member) was developed to measure services at pay-points and to determine the problems experienced at pay-points. The empirical investigation revealed the following with regard to this category as seen by pay-point team members: * Some pay-points are not disabled-friendly; * There are not always enough chairs, toilet facilities or drinking water available at pay-points; * Payment contractors and SASSA staff sometimes arrive late at pay-points; * Payments are usually delayed between 15 minutes to less than an hour, but beneficiaries are not always informed about delays; * There are sometimes broken machines at pay-points and this causes 15 to 45 minutes delay in payments; * There is not always enough money at pay-points and it takes an hour to just under two hours to get more money; * Grant recipients hardly ever receive wrong grant amounts; * Hawkers and vendors operate mainly outside the pay-point; * Security guards are available at pay-points and there is access control at pay-points (mainly driven by security guards from the payment contractor) * Not all pay-points are fenced all round and * First Aid kits are available at pay-points most of the time. The fourth data-collection instrument (questionnaire for beneficiaries) was developed to target the beneficiaries who receive grant payments at pay-points. The empirical investigation revealed the following: * Some pay-points are not disabled-friendly; * There are not always enough chairs, toilet facilities or drinking water available at pay-points; * Payment contractors and SASSA staff sometimes arrive late at pay-points; * Payments are usually delayed between 15 minutes to less than an hour, but beneficiaries are not always informed about delays; * There are sometimes broken machines at pay-points and this causes 15 to 45 minutes‟ delay in payments; * There is not always enough money at pay-points and it takes an hour to less than two hours to get more money; * Grant recipients rarely receive wrong grant amounts; * Hawkers and vendors operate mainly outside the pay-point, but there are exceptional cases where they operate inside the pay-points; * Beneficiaries do feel safe at pay-points most of the time; * Beneficiaries mostly live within walking distance from the pay-point; * Beneficiaries hardly experience problems at pay-points and if they do, their problems get resolved; * Not all pay-points provide shelter from the elements; * Beneficiaries are satisfied with the services SASSA renders and the grant has improved their quality of life. Grant administration processes in SASSA are labour-intensive and officials play a vital role in the correct administration of social grants. The study has revealed that although there is clearly some strength in the grant administration process from application-to-approval up the payment of social grants at pay-points, it is unfortunately true that the weaknesses are overwhelming. / Thesis (PhD (Social Work))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The aim of this study is to investigate and identify perceptions, problems and challenges that may arise for wage-setting managers as well as individual employees when working with a performance-based payroll system. A letter of formal notice was sent to a recruitment company inviting them to participate in the study, which also included an explanation of the study’s purpose, approach and procedure. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with nine participants, including the wage-setting manager. The study has given insight into how these participants perform in relation to the performance-based payroll system and the results of the study imply that their experiences vary to a great extent. The wage-setting manager believes that the payroll system is well-functioning. However, he finds challenges in creating a common interpretation of the salary criterias with his employees, as well as communicating the basis of his wage-setting decisions. For employees, results show that the payroll system contributes to experiences of increased motivation and development, as well as stress. Additionally, the study indicates that the results reflect a gender perspective as the women in the study are more prone to stress caused by the performance-based payroll system than men.

Användandet av betalkort har blivit allt mer populärt den senaste tiden och användandet av kontanter har minskat. En transaktion med hjälp av ett betalkort kan numera ske på ett antal olika sätt, från den klassiska magnetremsan till mobila kortbetalningar. Med tanke på den ökade användningen av betalkort har kortbedrägerier ökat och som privatperson är det idag av större vikt att veta vilka sårbarheter och tekniska brister de olika betalningsmetoder har för att kunna skydda sig på bästa sätt. Denna studie handlar om chip-, blipp- och mobila betalningar där syftet är att lyfta förståelsen kring dessa genom att framhäva både funktionaliteter och sårbarheter. Vidare, ger arbetet en utökad förståelse för allmänhetens perspektiv kring dessa frågor, samt hur dessa perspektiv skiljer sig mellan ålder och kön. För att kunna uppnå studiens syfte har en litteraturstudie utförts vilket är en viktig del för att, inte bara förmedla kunskap kring området, utan även för att kunna bemöta problemformuleringen för arbetet, då en övergripande förståelse kring funktionalitet och säkerhet för de olika betalningsmetoderna är en väsentlig del i arbetet. För att göra det möjligt att svara på problemformuleringen inkluderar arbetet en kvantitativ studie som undersöker allmänhetens uppfattning om dessa betalningsmetoder och om den skiljer sig från ålder eller kön. Studien visar att det är skillnad på förhållningssättet gentemot de olika betalningsmetoder beroende på personens ålder men också att kön inte visas ha någon påverkan på förhållningssättet.

The legislation relating to equal remuneration claims is an area of law which is nuanced and consequently poorly understood. It has posed an unattainable mountain for many claimants who came before the South African courts. This is as a direct result of the lack of an adequate legal framework providing for same in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998. The case law recognises two causes of action relating to equal remuneration. The first cause of action is equal remuneration for the same/similar work. The second is equal remuneration for work of equal value. The former is easily understood by both claimants and courts but the latter is poorly understood and poses many difficulties. The aim of this dissertation is fourfold. Firstly, the problems and criticisms regarding equal remuneration claims will be briefly highlighted. Secondly, a comprehensive analysis of the current legal framework will be set out together with the inadequacies. Thirdly, an analysis of international law and the law of the United Kingdom relating to equal remuneration claims will be undertaken. Fourthly, this dissertation will conclude by proposing recommendations to rectify the inadequacies. / Mercantile Law / LL.M. (Labour law)

Recent medical studies have led cardiologists to revise theories regarding the cause of heart attacks. Rather than a gradual clogging of the arteries, eruption of a vulnerable plaque is thought to be the cause of approximately 75% of all heart attacks. As a result, traditional risk factors are no longer sufficient indicators of who is at risk for a heart attack. Therefore, this research investigates the willingness to pay (WTP) for a new, hypothetical detection (screening) and treatment method for vulnerable plaque. For this study, two survey instruments were developed that take advantage of the visual and interactive aspects of the Internet. Individuals report their perception of heart attack risk both prior to and after receiving new information on who cardiologists currently believe to be at risk for a heart attack. In addition, respondents are provided with information about the effectiveness and risks associated with screening and treatment. Using webbased surveys, which follow a contingent valuation format, an iterative bidding process is used to elicit the respondents WTP for either the screening or treatment method. Internet, on-line surveys are often prone to coverage bias; however, the survey valuing screening (a simple blood test) used a Knowledge Networks panel and resulted in a sample of 268 adults that is essentially representative of the general population. The survey valuing treatment (a more invasive heart catheterization procedure) was administered only to individuals with doctor-diagnosed heart problems, who are presumably more familiar with these types of medical decisions, and resulted in a sample of 295 adults. The mean for screening is $69 and the mean WTP for treatment that is 85% effective is $5,816. A two-part model is used to identify the factors that influence WTP, as well as the decision to receive the screening/treatment. The data suggests that these factors vary across genders. The data obtained for this study demonstrate construct validity; therefore, the results may provide useful information for policy analysis regarding the screening and treatment of heart attack.

Current research on Career Ladder Teacher Incentive Plans indicates a need to go beyond the usual description of legislation, career ladder plans, teacher evaluation procedures and "intent" of the policymakers. This study uses a multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine the interaction among teacher participation on a career ladder project, student achievement and teacher characteristics. Student achievement test scores over a two year period were analyzed. One group of students had teachers who participated for two years on a career ladder and the other group had teachers who did not participate the two years. One hundred forty teachers and two thousand two hundred sixty-three students in grades 3, 4 and 5 were analyzed in order to identify differences in test scores due to teacher participation. Contrasts were drawn between teachers as participants and non-participants on the career ladder, years of experience and education and their influence on how students scored on a State Mandated Norm Referenced Test, the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. Comparisons of the two groups in the study lead to some fairly consistent results. Even though there were no variables that impacted the achievement scores from a statistically significant standpoint, when the factor of "time" was defined in terms of Ladder and non-Ladder participation, the two year group showed statistically different results from the one year group. The results of this study indicate that a Career Ladder Program in the course of one year or two years would not significantly impact student achievement. However, the element of time is an important factor when looking at the potential for career ladder impact on student achievement. This factor should be considered in any quest for immediate versus long term success patterns of such plans.

This paper compared the South African concepts of pay equity and equal pay for work of equal value with those of industrialised countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. The study considered how South Africa recognized the right to promote equal pay, in the absence of a proper legal framework which expressly includes such a right. The paper also focused on the impact of statutes and case law on the developments of equal pay in the aforementioned industrialized countries. It also considered the impact of the decisions of the European Court of Justice on such developments as well as it impact on the interpretation of equal pay in these industrialised countries. The purpose of such comparison was not to transplant the legal system of these industrialised countries but to assist South Africa in remedying its weaknesses by creating legal rules for the promotion of equal pay for work of equal value.