published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

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Job Evaluation is the process of determining, as systematically and objectively as possible, the worth of one job relative to another without regard for personalities or existing structures. (Paterson, 1975) The purpose is to achieve and maintain an equitable distribution of basic wages and/or salaries according to level of position. The establishment of internal equity with a graded hierarchy of jobs within the organisation and of external equity with the external market rate for equivalent jobs (Paterson, 1975) is important and has lead to the overall analysis of the following problem statement: An Analysis of the Grading and Remuneration Structures of Architectural Practices in the Western Cape, Cape Town Metropole with specific reference to establishing what methods are used in arriving at cost to company packages. The nature of the architectural profession is unfortunately governed by economic "boom and bust" cycles and therefore workload fluctuates with the economy. Given this and that the architectural profession in Cape Town currently has no formal grading and remuneration structures, the research hopes to answer if there is a need to formulate a grading system. Understanding how and why the nature of the profession is changing, if the way a practice is organized / graded enhances or undermines its decision-making ability and if the informality of the grading and remuneration structures currently in practice are adequate, is studied. This research investigates how architectural practices in Cape Town establish their salary structures, which include benefits and incentives, thereby arriving at a total cost to company package. Specifically, the study will examine whether there is a direct relationship between those practices that have adopted a modern, scientific job grading system, i.e. Paterson, Peromnes or Task and accordingly pay market-related salaries and cost to company packages based on salary survey data or some other scientific calculation, as opposed to those practices which adopt an ad hoc approach. Many individuals choose architecture over other professions as they believe it can provide a work and family balance. The Royal Institute of Architects (RIBA) found that women's career paths generally slow after childbirth and with inflexible working arrangements, including long hours and a lack of transparency in relation to pay and promotion, are the main reasons why both women and men, generally with dependants are leaving the profession, (www.riba.org) A need to balance the personal and professional demands placed on architects has long been recognized by the majority of literature. The study evaluates whether firms are addressing these issues or if there is a need to implement changes to accommodate a better work / life balance and grading / remuneration imbalances. The survey found that there were discrepancies in the grading and remuneration packages offered between various firms; however not to the extent that RIBA had warned was occuring internationally. There are more noticeable differences in job grades and remuneration in the higher grades, but there were also signs of disparity in the architects 1-5 years of experience in terms of gender towards pay within similar job descriptions. When pay was directly compared to years of experience, members received similar pay, however when compared to levels of responsibility and pay, there were major differences. The current informal systems are not reflective or accurate in guiding employers on the correct levels of compensation for a particular level of responsibility and those architects practicing in the higher grades certainly need to evaluate their current levels of responsibility to their pay level and hours worked. The key question was, can architects- be they male or female - balance a working career with family responsibility. The days of a part-time architect have vanished, and those that do work part time are confined to helping on other member's schemes with less responsibility. The 'all-nighter' syndrome of the academic design studio is evident in some of the overtime hours recorded, but these marathon hours are few and far between and does not infringe on a regular home life for employees in the lower grades as the hours worked are in line with the normal 45 hour week. What is a concern is that in the upper grades, especially in senior member and owners, reported excessively long hours which are not condusive to normal work-family interaction. Other than some of the contraventions to the basic conditions of employment act, most firms are trying to address options for a balanced work / life relationship Salaries in particular are extremely low in relation to length of training when compared to similar professions. The research found that poor advancement prospects were a significant factor in members choosing to leave the profession. With lack of training opportunities leading to a lack of experience, lower levels of responsibility and poor career progression paths, combined with limited opportunities for creativity, were the main factors leading to architects expressing their dissatisfaction in the industry. From the salient points made in the study, a list of recommendations are outlined for consideration. These included developing more expertise in business management, addressing the image of the profession, training needs, salaries and working hours Architectural firms are seeing the demise of the old arena, dominated by tiered hierarchies, vertical career ladders, practices and processes that are confrontational and authoritarian. Workplaces are becoming more suited to negotiation, to collaborative management systems, horizontal career paths and a more democratic view of how individuals can develop within the company structure. 'It is no longer about what you can do for the company, but what the company can do for you.' / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

For many years economists have shown interest in studying education as a form of investment in human capital. It is widely believed that if one attains higher levels of schooling, higher financial rewards will result. This dissertation focuses on ex-ante rates of return to higher education, with particular reference to the University of Natal, Durban. Individual data on 672 undergraduate students (from six different faculties) in the academic year 2000 has been used to estimate the expected rewards they will get upon graduation. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

This study used a survey to look for significant gender differences in the career experiences of doctoral graduates from one counseling psychology program. The following areas were examined: income, employment patterns, professional self-view, motivational values, and satisfaction. The participants in this study were 135 doctoral graduates (93 males and 42 females) who graduated over a 23 year period (1968-1990) from a counseling psychology program at a mid-size midwestern state university. They completed a four page, 34 item questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize and describe the data; and analyses of variance, analyses of covariance, chi square tests of significance, and t-tests for means were used to test for significant differences.There were gender differences in the career experiences of counseling psychologists in this study. Male counseling psychologists earned larger salaries and larger total annual income than female counseling psychologists. Females were more likely than males to work part-time-only and males worked more hours than females. However, gender differences in salary and income remained after controlling for the number of hours worked. Experience, defined as the number of years since graduation, was not a factor in income differences, as there were no differences between early and late graduates. There was a tendency for proportionately more women than men to be employed in community mental health centers. Males published more articles than females. Males attached more importance to the motivational value "making a lot of money" and there was a tendency for more males than females to see themselves as scientist-practitioners and for more females to see themselves as practitioners. Both males and females were satisfied with their training and their careers. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The major intent of the study was to analyze the professional preparation levels of Indiana public school certificated personnel from 1965-1966 through 1974-1975 for discernible trends and attendant economic effects, if, in fact, such trends and effects existed.Multivariate analysis of variance was utilized to analyze trends in the professional preparation levels of certificated personnel in 303 Indiana public school corporations for three variables: (1) the state as a whole; (2) three geographic regions; and (3) three wealth categories. The F-ratio for multivariate test of equality was utilized to test the significance of trends, and a Pearson Product Moment Correlation was utilized to verify that relationships did exist among the variables.The overall fiscal impact of the changing mix of preparation levels for the ten-year period was identified by multiplying the 19741975 mean, salary for each of six levels of professional preparation by the number of personnel at each level for each year of the ten-year Period. The resulting products were summed and differences computed. The fiscal impact associated with increased preparation levels was isolated by holding mean salaries and years of experience constant at 1974-1975 levels and the total number of personnel at 1974-1975 levels, with the mix of preparation levels permitted to vary by relative annual percentages for each year of the ten-year period.The findings of -the study indicated that the percentage of personnel with a bachelors degree as the highest degree held decreased from 55.88 percent in 1965-1966 to 35.91 percent in 1974-1975 while the percentage of personnel with a masters degree increased from 38.53 percent to 61.13 percent. The mean years of preparation per FTE certificated personnel increased from 4.l166 to 4.555. A very highly significant difference (.0001) was found in the mix of preparation levels of personnel across the ten-year period. Constant, linear and quadratic relationships were significant at the .05 level or above. Significant differences were not found among trends in the preparation levels for three selected geographic regions and for three selected wealth categories across the ten-year period.The following conclusions were drawn from the study:1. A very strong linear trend exists in increased preparation of Indiana public school certified personnel.2. Although the slope of the trend in increased professional preparation does not differ among northern, central and southern regions, the southern region has a slightly lower mean level of preparation than either the northern or central region.3. The slope of the trend in increased professional preparation does not differ for the three wealth categories; however certificated personnel in high wealth corporations have a slightly higher level of preparation than personnel in medium wealth corporations, and personnel in medium wealth corporations have slightly higher levels of preparation than personnel in low wealth school corporations.4. A total of approximately $156.6 million in total salary cost increases would have occurred during the ten-year period if mean salaries were the same for all ten years as in 1974-1975. 5. An estimated increase of $42.92 million or approximately 27.4-percent of the total increase, measured in current dollars, is the direct result of increased preparation levels of certificated personnel if the total number of personnel were the same for all ten years as in 1974-1975.6. At current trends of increases in preparation levels of certificated personnel, approximately four dollars per pupil in 1974-1975 dollars can be expected as an increased annual operating cost as a result of increased preparation levels of certificated personnel. Such a value will compound with inflationary increases.The strong increase in the percentage of personnel with masters or higher degrees with an accompanying decrease in the percentage of personnel with a bachelors degree provides an indication that state-mandated professional improvement has resulted in increased preparation levels of certificated personnel. A major portion. of the fiscal impact of increased preparation levels of certificated personnel can be attributed to a state mandate of increased professional certification standards.

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Thesis (M.H.A.)--University of Michigan, 1959.