M.Comm. (Business Management) / The statement at the core of the thesis is that the success of the call centre depends on a strategic benefits model. The search for the proof will be conducted within the systems theory framework. The call centre is depicted as a micro system of the bigger organisation. This micro system is influenced by external factors. Factors that are external to the organisation and factors that are external to the call centre but forms part of the rest of the organisation. Systems have internal processes that deliver specific outputs, therefore the saying that the system is perfectly engineered for the results it achieves. The call centre has internal processes to deliver certain outputs. This study tries to identify what internal processes will have an impact on a strategic benefits model for the success of the call centre. 3 Systems theory is known to have feedback loops. The call centre operation should have similar feedback loops. Call centre feedback is received from three different perspectives, that of the customer, the employees and management. The study concludes by indicating how the benefits model ensures the success of the call centre. The primary objective of the study is to determine if the success of the call centre depends on a strategic benefits model. The secondary objectives of the study are to: • Develop a model that can be used for the design, assessment and running of the call centre, • Determine which factors influence the functioning of a call centre operation, • Determine the impact of the call centre on meeting customer expectations, • Develop a measure for call centre benefits. The elements of such a strategic benefits model had to be described for the analysis.

In many organisations, project management is no longer a separately identified function, but is entrenched in the overall management of the business. The typical project management environment has become multi-project. Most of the project decisions require consideration of schedule, resource and cost concerns on other project work, necessitating the review and evaluation of multi-project data. Resource management is at least as important as schedule (time) management. Functional managers, supporting multiple projects with shared and limited resources, need to know the demands on their resources and the impact of new project loads and changing priorities. This means that the effectiveness of project management is not only influenced by the function itself, but it permeates throughout the entire organisation, for which the overriding goal is to survive and prosper in a competitive environment. The research problem of this study is to assess how effective project management practices in the South African communications’ industry are, by using Telkom SA as the selected target group. The research method employed was to first identify the best practices of project management, by focusing on generally accepted standards and practices, that is those which are particularly effective in helping an organisation to achieve its objectives. The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®) which is considered to be the international standard for project management, was used as the framework for identifying the best practices. The identified best practices were used as an assessment tool to determine to what extent these practices are applied in Telkom SA.

This thesis investigates the potential of narrative as a design generator and illustrates ways of extracting narratives from architecture through themed analyses of the proposed scheme. Discussions of cinematic and literary space — media traditionally dominated by narrative construction — augment discussions of architecture. The site, in both its formal and programmatic history, is discussed as the primary generator of both programme and form for the Narrative Factory. A critical stance is taken in order to respond to the material legacy of apartheid, which, it is argued, is a latent quality of much of Pretoria’s urban fabric. The use of lost space is discussed as points of departure from which to approach this legacy. Video: http://vimeo.com/81337714 / Dissertation (MArch Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / Constant organisational change can be attributed to many factors, including competition among peers in the same markets, globalisation, privatisation of public sector organisations, technological advances, and operational requirements. These factors almost always lead to organisations reducing headcount. One such organisation is Telkom, which bi-annually embarks on large-scale retrenchments. Service organisations within the company were chosen at random to participate in this study. Telkom’s Human Resource Management, Legal Services, Employee Relations, and the organisation’s recognised unions participated in this study. / South Africa

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / People and change management within an organisation deals with the philosophies, policies, procedures, practices and decisions that affect individuals and groups who are employed by an organisation. The overall purpose of people management is to create a synergistic environment for both the functional (or line groups) and the cross functional groups so that the operational and strategic objectives can be achieved. Globalisation and innovation, the new knowledge economy and re-engineering of corporations have presented new challenges to both management and leadership of organisations in South Africa. It is becoming increasingly evident that competitiveness is locked in peoples' knowledge and skills. The implication is that if South African businesses are to survive and grow, companies must include executive development as an essential part of their corporate strategy. However, these changes have left many managers around the world confused, anxious and disillusioned, with a decreased ability to understand the situations and their future significance, and therefore cannot plan for change. Resistance to change may result, which is detrimental to the organisation and its most important resource - human capital. Emotionally, they may feel that their careers' existence is threatened and that derailment is imminent. Summarising their feelings would indicate that there are issues - particularly important issues - that need to be identified, understood, and respected. Interventions to address these very hot ''burning issues" then need to be actioned and evaluated. The study investigated a homogenous population, represented by the Western Region Managers of Telkom SA, to identify current or impending burning issues, and recommend specific interventions for Telkom SA. The company is currently the sole provider of fixed line telephony in the country. The South African State owns 70% of Telkom SA and the company is currently preparing for a public listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in October 2001. Almost all of Telkom SA's business processes have been reviewed and changed where necessary, as efforts to improve service delivery are pursued. This study could thus assist the People Management policies and procedures within the Human Resource management division by proactively identifying and confirming the existence of certain burning issues which affect the Western Cape managers. The burning issues identified by the questionnaires distributed to the managers are: • The need for heightened levels of productivity • Developing processes that facilitate a culture of mutual respect and trust, co-operation, cohesion and the pursuit of common goals • The management of human capital • Managing the stress involved in organisational change • Developing customer-driven processes and structures • Reducing the impact of people related risks, e.g. highly intellectual, capital leaving the organisations, HIV/AIDS, brain drain in key positions. • Turning the negativity around in the workplace. It is hoped that by studying the changes and its effects occurring in Telkom SA, a model for large scale South African organisational restructuring can be created-especially for those state-owned enterprises which still have to undergo the process of privatisation.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Only a minority of companies invest resources in the task of creating an effective repatriation programme, even though repatriation is more challenging than expatriation. A qualitative method was chosen and was conducted on two South African multinational companies (MNCs), AEL and Telkom to establish the extent to which these companies' repatriation programmes comply with international models of repatriation. The conclusions drawn from this study are that the two South African MNCs do not have formal repatriation programmes and management of repatriates needs to be further implemented within the company. For example an articulated process consisting of the three different steps: before, during and after the assignment should be elaborated for the company to reduce anxiety and repatriation turnover.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.

<strong>Nature and Scope of the Study</strong><br /> Constant organisational change can be attributed to many factors, including competition among peers in the same markets, globalisation, privatisation of public sector organisations, technological advances, and operational requirements. These factors almost always lead to organisations reducing headcount. One such organisation is Telkom, which bi-annually embarks on large-scale retrenchments. Service organisations within the company were chosen at random to participate in this study. Telkom&rsquo / s Human Resource Management, Legal Services, Employee Relations, and the organisation&rsquo / s recognised unions participated in this study.<br /> <br /> <strong>Purpose and Objectives of the Study</strong><br /> Through an evaluation of Telkom&rsquo / s staff reduction process, the study seeks to:<br /> 1. Find out what measures Telkom has in place to ease the necessity of retrenchment within the organisation.<br /> 2. Review whether Telkom has looked at other alternatives before planning staff reductions.<br /> 3. Investigate whether a social plan within Telkom exists to help incorporate retrenched employees back into the economy.<br /> 4. Investigate and examine Telkom&rsquo / s compliance with labour legislation, specifically the Labour Relations Act and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

M.Comm. / The objectives of this study are: - to determine the perceptions of the internal client relative to his requirements of the service being delivered, - to determine the specific areas in which there are shortcomings in the delivering of the services, and - to make recommendations for provision of better service. The respondents who participated in the study, are the managers of Telkom in the Witwatersrand area. The technical support services are delivering a support service to Telkom in maintaining the infrastructure of its network (power systems, air conditioning systems and electronic cards) and the production of various products of plastic and steeL The viability of the workshops will depend on delivering a quality service to its clients that meets their minimum requirement of expected performance. Data collection took place by using the SERVQUAL-questionnaire. This questionnaire is based on the five dimensions of service quality that were identified in a study by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Berry (1985), namely reliability, reaction, insurance, empathy and tangibles. The managers were required to complete the questionnaire which was sent by E-mail A software program was used to process the results. The results indicated a negative satisfaction index and the conclusion could be drawn that the workshops do not meet expectations of the clients. The satisfaction gap is the difference between the perception of the client of the service that is delivered and the minimum requirements expected of that service. The reliability dimension is rated the worst of the five dimensions, where the respondents felt that the details of the timing of the delivery of the service are insufficient. The tangible dimension is rated the second lowest of the five dimensions. The two most important areas that require attention, agree the premises of the workshops and the documentation which accompanies the delivery of the service.

M. Tech. Business Administration (MBA) / With the opening of the telecommunications market to any telecommunication entity with an Electronic Communications Network Service licence, the sustained profitability of well-established telecommunications operators such as Telkom SA and Neotel is under threat. As the telecoms market has reached saturation point due to a variety of economic growth factors, immature business practices and strategies have been opted for to reduce operating costs. However, it does seem that current market demands do not favour a focus on profitability only. The concept of teleworking has spread throughout the world in the effort to increase productivity while decreasing operating expenses. Teleworking implies that staff can "work from anywhere and at any time except in a fixed office". The objective of this study was to assess to what extent teleworking could increase productivity at Telkom SA.