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The problem of this study is to interview some personnel managers that use psychological testing in personnel selection and compare their responses to the recommended use of effective testing as presented by some professional psychologists.

The following doctoral thesis provides an ethnographic account of sudden deathwork performed by emergency personnel. The study centres on three accident and emergency departments in the North East of England. Sudden death practices and perceptions are revealed using thick description from focus groups, narratives and informant accounts. Three emergency disciplines: accident and emergency nurses, police traffic officers and paramedics provide the backdrop to describing three sudden death trajectories, which take the dead body from a state of collapse to a mortuary. Particular attention is paid to the significance of status passage as a temporal dimension of deathwork with due consideration being given to the concept of body handling as 'dirty work'. A feminist concept of embodiment challenges the dominant discourse of the death processing industry in relation to beneficence and non- maleficence for those who are left behind to grieve. The theatrical representation of the body to relatives is discussed within a dramaturgical frame, questioning what is appropriate and achievable within the boundaries of an emergency care environment. An exploration of the roles of emergency personnel illuminates problems of dealing with a phenomenon, which annihilates the possibility of a sense of order and emotionally incapacitates emergency personnel. The procedural base to sudden death is presented through accounts of emergency personnel contact with human suffering and emotional pain with the intention to build a substantive theory of a sudden death milieu. Finally, Schutzian relevances highlight key concepts of significance within the data demonstrating how, despite an evidence-base to practice, some myths are highly influential in shaping the behaviours of emergency personnel throughout the sudden death event. It is hoped that insight gained may provide a catalyst to inform change where needed, in service provision and enhance interprofessional working relationships.

Ph.D. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Phil. / Sport in South Africa (SA) has undergone a metamorphosis over the past two decades. Statutory restrictions that were prevalent during the period prior to 1980 have been lifted, resulting in increased participation in sport. The increased participation has created a backlog of facilities and services provided by sport organizations. Coaching is one such service that is provided by sport organizations. In order to provide this service, it has become necessary for sport organizations to acquire sports coaches. In SA professional sports coaching is not an easy task since professional sports coaches face distinct pressures that are not found in other professions. This is reflected in the high coach turnover in certain popular codes of sport like soccer and rugby. Thus the question of the human resources management of professional sports coaches has arisen. This study involved research into the management of professional sports coaches in sport organizations affiliated to the South African Sports Commission. The aim of this study was to propose guidelines for the human resources management (HRM) of professional sports coaches in South Africa. This was done by conducting an in depth literature survey to ascertain what different theoretical models existed with regard to human resources management, in order that the principles of HRM in relation to professional sports coaches could be identified. The literature was compared with the current situation regarding the HRM function for professional sports coaches at sport organizations in South Africa. It was supported by an exploratory study conducted through in depth interviews, and an empirical study. Two questionnaires, which were pre-tested to v ensure that they communicated information correctly to the respondents, was developed for professional sports coaches and HR managers. Four hundred and fifty (450) questionnaires each were administered to HR managers and professional sports coaches at sports organizations affiliated to the South African Sports Commission in the different provinces in South Africa. The empirical findings, when compared with the literature study, provided evidence that shortcomings existed, that needed to be seriously addressed by HR managers at sport organizations, with regard to the management of professional sports coaches in South Africa. Sport organizations need to approach the training and development of professional sports coaches with the South African Qualifications Authority’s requirements in mind. This will ensure that the qualifications of professional sports coaches are accredited. As a result of the unique nature of the job that the coach performs, there is a need to utilize recruitment and selection techniques specifically applicable to professional sports coaches. The study revealed that professional sports coaches experience problems with job security, therefore appropriate actions need to be taken by HR managers to satisfy job security needs. The performance of professional sports coaches was mainly based on the win/loss record of the coach. The literature study as well as the empirical study suggests that other factors, in addition to the win/loss record of professional sports coaches, need to be considered in their performance appraisals. The qualitative as well as the empirical study suggests that professional sports coaches are not satisfied with their compensation. HR managers need to investigate compensation packages that are offered to professional sports coaches. / Prof. W.J. Hollander

D.Econ

The face of traditional Human Resources services in progressive organisations throughout South Africa is currently undergoing a dramatic change. The focus has moved from managing established traditional HR functions to providing guidance to implementing business strategy. As a result, professionals in Human Resources are increasingly challenged to take a more strategic perspective regarding their role in the organisation. As Human Resources professionals respond to this challenge, measuring Human Resource’s performance and its contribution to the firm’s performance consistently emerge as a key theme. At the same time more and more top-level managers are realising that HR or the people side of the business is critical to the long-term survival of the business. Human Resources functions are challenged to prove to organisations that they add value to the organisation’s performance. These functions are, however, battling to justify the reasons for their existence in organisations. Perhaps one of the reasons that HR has not been more successful in communicating the importance of what they do, is because they have tended not to express it in economic terms. The study underway aims at addressing one of the challenges that the Eskom Human Resources function is facing. In view of the reality of recognizing human limitations it makes eminently good sense to consider the experience of others. By systematically studying the best business practices, operating tactics, and winning strategies of others, an individual, team or organisation can accelerate its own progress and improvement. This study therefore, draws from the experience of others through utilising benchmarking as a method to evaluate the value that HR adds to business performance. Benchmarking is the key to proving the impact of HR function as well as providing the data for effective strategic planning. A number of international HR benchmarking studies has been undertaken. Examples are, the PWC consulting group studies, The Saratoga human capital performance benchmarking studies, the Watson Wyatt human capital index and the HR Health checks undertaken in Europe and the U.K. Each one of these studies has a unique approach. The Saratoga tool has been chosen for this study as a result of its’ uniqueness regarding its’ capability of combining disparate data from around the enterprise in a central repository allowing HR professionals to deliver quantifiable results through analysis, benchmarking, trending and forecasting. The Return on Investment (ROI) of Human Capital draws years of quantitative and qualitative international research that has provided a breakthrough methodology for measuring the bottom-line effect of employee performance. There are a vast number of HR practices that the HR function focuses on. In this context it appears that the reason why HR has not earned the respect they should earn is also because they have been slow in transforming themselves from the traditional, transactional role to the transformational leadership one that takes on the change agent status. This study therefore aimed at identifying value adding HR practices, which HR should focus on in order to add value to organisational performance. The concept of the balanced scorecard, together with he newly introduced concept of the HR scorecard was also used as guides to measuring the value of HR in Eskom. Seven categories of HR activities were chosen according to the already established Saratoga measures. These categories are: organisational effectiveness; HR staffing, costs and remuneration; remuneration/ compensation and benefits; absence and retention; recruitment; training and development; and Occupational Health and Safety. The results of the study were presented based on the key indicators for the employment cycle namely; Acquiring skills, maintenance, development and retention. These indicators were analysed in relation to the organisation’s human capital performance. An additional category was that of the HR function itself. The primary results were as follows; Eskom posted relatively good results on human capital performance. However, there are indications that this performance can be improved. Eskom is weak on acquiring. There are big opportunities for improvement. Eskom’s maintenance posted poor results. There are however interventions under way to address this situation. Eskom’s investment in the development of its employees was found to be very good, outclassing all its counterparts. The study suggests that maybe this high investment account for the reason why Eskom is able to have a high internal recruitment rate. Eskom’s retention strategies seemed to be very effective especially since there were very low levels of resignations. The findings on the HR structure and support were that the HR structure is too densely populated, yet, professionalism was slightly lower. There are opportunities for improvement in this area. The study was therefore able to achieve its objectives. The main recommendation for future research is that a qualitative approach, which is interpretative, should back-up this study so as to verify a number of supporting HR roles and functions. / Dr. Jos Coetzee

M.Com. (Business Management) / Today's organizations are operating in a continually changing business environment. To be a growing and profitable business, it is important that management have a vision of where and how they want to direct the company to the desired future business outcome. Management must be in touch with both the internal and external factors that may influence the outcome of the changing environment ...

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