Abstract Employer branding is an approach to recruit potential employees, it can be significant for organizations to have the most appropriate human capital in order to increase the effectiveness and build competitive advantage. It is important for all types of organizations, equally for the private and public sector, to understand what effect advertising has on potential employees. Recruitment advertising has been ranked second in terms of its reliability when finding jobs, and nowadays happens mainly through online media, as it is cost effective and it is possible for organizations to reach a wider audience. The public sector in Sweden is responsible for about 30% of the labour market. Despite this, young professionals have negative perceptions about working in the public sector and young professionals also have a lack of presence in the public sector. However, young professionals are essential in organizations as they bring knowledge, new ideas and have a diversity of perspective and experience. Therefore, this paper aims to discover employer branding advertising strategies in attracting young professionals to the public sector. This study is done through an online media content analysis of the 10 biggest regions and municipalities in Sweden, the study also consists of three in depth interviews with employees working with recruitment in three municipalities in Sweden. The research has concluded that public organizations are aware of what young professionals value and that the advertisements are eligible for young professional. However, some shortcomings in the advertisements have been found with room of improvements, with the main focus on creating a positive image in the mindset of young professionals and therefore loose the negative perceptions.

This study aimed to explore the experiences of middle managers in the implementation of the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) at a public organisation in Botswana. The BSC is regarded as the most widely used tool in measuring organisational performance globally. The public organisation in Botswana has followed global best practice and implemented the BSC to measure organisational performance; however, the organisation is repeatedly unable to meet its set objectives. To gain an improved understanding of managers’ experiences of using the BSC, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight middle managers at the public organization. Interview data were thematically analysed yielding five key themes: inconsistencies in training, the culture of the organisation, lack of communication, use of information technology and the disparity between individual and organisational performance. Based on the study findings, recommendations are offered to conduct needs analyses prior to introducing new systems, to assess the viability of such a system, and automating the balanced scorecard to reduce fatigue.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the Portuguese public sector organizations' familiarity with, and willingness to utilize, project management tools, as these organizations attempt to enhance their operational performance through carefully crafted organizational change. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 102 public officials, 30 project managers' characteristics, 23 project management variables, and information availability on these variables are studied and classified. Findings – In general, the results clearly showed the familiarity of the participants with the important characteristics and variables of effective project management practices. Some exceptions were attributed to the specific nature of public sector operational systems. Research limitations/implications – The sample used in this study is specific in nature. It consisted of Portuguese public sector officials at the middle-level rank in the managerial hierarchy. Thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly. Practical implications – Based on the results of this study, some important organizational implications regarding training and systems development were advanced. Originality/value – This study empirically examines the public sector officials' knowledge and attitude regarding project management practices. It offers significant implications to public sector organizations, as they pursue a more open system operational orientation to meet growing environmental pressures and citizens' demands.

The objective of this empirical investigation is to gain insights into the operational strategies, practices and characteristics of 130 manufacturing, 61 services and 86 public sector organizations. Based on this survey-based research conducted in the USA, it is concluded that operational lessons learned from the manufacturing experience may improve the operations of service and public sector organizations. In this context, benchmarking manufacturing organizations' operational know-how may prove to be a worthy investment for service and public sector organizations.

The effective implementation of just-in-time (JIT) in the US public sector is examined in this empirical study. Specifically, the relationships between organizational modification efforts prior to JIT implementation, problems encountered during implementation and JIT success are investigated using a sample of 86 public sector organizations. The results of this research seem to support the notion that JIT, as a form of "managerialism", has the potential to increase the operational efficiency, service quality and organizational effectiveness of public sector organizations. However, for this potential to be achieved, public sector organizations, like their private sector counterparts, must be willing to modify their procedures and operations. The potential benefits of JIT to public sector organizations are not in doubt. However, the art of designing the right JIT implementation strategy for such organizations is debatable. Therefore, issues related to these concerns are worthy of future research. This study is a modest contribution toward that end.

The overall aim of this study is to examine what roles newly graduated communicators are ascribed in the workplace, and what expectation the workplace places on newly graduated communicators. The theoretical framework is based on Anthony Giddens’ thesis on modernity, as well as a revised version of Erving Goffman’s thesis on roles, adapted to the roles of communicators. The study uses the qualitative method of interviews to examine the experiences and feelings of four newly graduated communicators working in the public sector in Sweden. Through interviews, the results show that not one specific role can be applied to a single communicator, and that the roles within the profession are flexible and constantly changing. The interviews also shows that the newly graduated communicators don’t necessarily experience any expectations of them and their skills inthe workplace, and that the newly graduated communicators believe it’s more important to be active and to try out things at every given opportunity.

The national project of the African National Congress (ANC), the National Democratic Revolution (NDR), guides the post-apartheid state’s work to develop a new African middle class through policies such as Affirmative Action and Black Economic Empowerment. A substantial portion of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) public sector trade union members have been the beneficiaries of this project. COSATU is considered as a working-class organisation with a commitment to socialist politics, whereas the ANC is seen as a party that has emerged out of multi-class interests, dominated by the politics of nationalism. The underlying assumption is that much of the conflict between COSATU and the ANC is connected only to class politics. In the post-apartheid era, there has been a shift to Africanism as the ANC’s hegemonic non-racialism nationalism. This has acquired momentum both inside and outside the ranks of the ANC and its allies, including COSATU. As a result, questions about COSATU’s political traditions and its membership composition have emerged. To address this, my study’s contribution is that there are signs of new worker identity, organic workerism, emerging amongst the membership of the Democratic Nursing Association of South Africa (DENOSA) and to a lesser extent amongst the membership of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU), two public sector affiliates of COSATU, in the province of Gauteng. The ANC’s ideology was hegemonic through the NDR in COSATU but as it endeavoured to manage too many contradictions, it has now run its course in post-apartheid South Africa. What is striking about organic workerism is that it is challenging the hegemonic ANC’s NDR within COSATU. The identification of organic workerism emerged through an interrogation of a selection of COSATU’s public sector trade union members’ class location, guided by the notion of contradictory class location, their racial identities and subjectivities and intersections with their gendered identities and subjectivities. My study concludes that COSATU and its public sector trade unions are far more complex and contested in terms of their political traditions and in terms of their membership in post-apartheid South Africa. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Sociology / PhD / Unrestricted

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the most prominent barriers to public sector innovation, but also display what an innovation hub can do to help bypass such barriers.Design/methodology/approachThis is an embedded case study with a deductive approach investigating innovation barriers in the public sector after a model of 8 different barriers which are all examined through a theoretical thematic analysis.FindingsLimited resources, poor leadership as well as limiting laws and regulations were revealed to be the greatest barriers to public sector innovation. A lack of incentives and rewards and resistant users and suppliers were deemed not to hinder innovation especially. Innovation hubs can help bypass these barriers by bringing in external resources as money and substitutes, but also by offering public sector employees a platform to meet between organizational units, thereby allowing them to circumvent risk-avoiding cultures and ill-fitting structures to innovation that tend to exist in the public sector.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to innovational projects of one hub, situated in a relatively small town in Sweden. The results might not be fully transferable to other countries or contexts.Practical implicationsThe results of the study could give an indication to public sectors what use an innovation hub can have in bypassing barriers to innovation.Originality/valueFew studies have addressed the role of innovation hubs in the public sector, especially in combination with innovation barriers.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Library and Information Science) in the Department of Information Studies at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2013. / Agriculture is the dominant sector in Zimbabwe’s economy, contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and providing an income to over 75% of the population. Agricultural research and extension is undertaken in both public and private sector institutions across the five agro-ecological regions of the country. The aim of this study was to investigate the information needs and challenges of agricultural researchers and extension workers in the public sector in Zimbabwe. The government is responsible for agriculture in Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development (MoAMID). The study focused on researchers falling under the Department of Research and Specialist Services (DR&SS) and extension workers under the Department of Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX). The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative methods; a questionnaire was distributed to researchers and extension workers, and interviews were conducted with key informants and librarians. An observation schedule on the state of agricultural libraries in Zimbabwe was also used. The respondents were drawn from eight provinces and research institutes as defined in the target population. Mashonaland Central Province produced the highest number of respondents because the population for the province included ward and village extension workers in addition to the district and provincial extension officers and supervisors targeted in each province. Forty four (44) districts participated from the projected sixty (60), while sixteen (16) out of seventeen (17) research institutes responded, although there were variations in responses per institute. The findings of the study indicated that the respondents held qualifications ranging from certificates (for extension workers at ward level) to doctorates for senior researchers in their respective areas of work. The study also showed that the agricultural researchers were generally younger than extension workers, and on average the majority of both categories of respondents had less than 10 years working experience. The majority of the respondents also had less than five years working experience in their current positions. In terms of gender, there were more males than females in both categories of respondents. The study revealed that the information needs of the researchers and extension workers aligned with the major agricultural disciplines of crop science, animal science, agricultural engineering, although agricultural economics did not attract prominence. v The respondents were using various sources of information in fulfilling their information needs, ranging from libraries to internet sources (including databases and other electronic sources), consulting colleagues, workshops and seminars, and personal collections. The level of usage and preferences differed, but overall agricultural researchers showed a preference for electronic sources while extension workers preferred print sources. Departmental collections were especially prominent among the extension workers, and these were mentioned as their first point of call when they were in need of information. Library usage was low, and it was observed that the Ministry of Agriculture’s libraries were not adequately equipped to meet the information needs of the researchers and extension workers. The materials were dated, and the libraries had no budget for the acquisition of new resources. Internet access was limited to institutions with access to internet connections and requisite technologies like computers; the TEEAL database, for example, was only available on standalone access at the Central Library. The different available resources were considered to be important sources of agricultural information. The use of indigenous knowledge by both researchers and extension workers in agriculture was also evident in the study. The study revealed that agricultural research prioritisation was determined by the government, national needs, and the availability of funds in consultation with relevant stakeholders, including farmers. The research extension model that is used suggests a communication pattern where researchers reach the farmers through the extension system and also through direct contact with the farmers. The reverse – farmer to researcher - also shows communication in the opposite (upward) direction. Overall, the researchers and extension workers appear to play a pivotal role in disseminating agricultural information to the farmers. Various channels also appear to be used to communicate agricultural information, including the media, pamphlets and posters, and public gatherings like field days and agricultural shows. Lack of material in local languages was identified as a major challenge in the communication process, although some translation was being done. This challenge was exacerbated by the land reform programme, which has seen a massive increase in the number of people directly involved in farming. The Ministry of Agriculture was seen to lack a clear policy on the management of information generated by its departments, including research and extension. This was vi despite mention by the respondents that the information was adequately captured. The study showed that ICTs were used to generate information which was subsequently distributed as hard copies. The distribution of such material was hampered by lack of resources like printers and toners. ICTs such as the radio, television, the internet, databases, and telephones were also being used to disseminate agricultural information, although databases were hampered by the lack of computers. Mobile phones, although not readily available as office equipment, were highly utilised in the communication process. The study revealed that there is collaboration between agricultural researchers and extension workers and with other stakeholders at both local and international level in the areas of material production, research facilities, and training. Linkages were also evident with farmer organisations in the areas of funding, farm research, and materials production. The study concluded that funding was one of the main challenges facing research and extension in Zimbabwe, with donor funding having dried up in recent years. Although privatisation and charging for services have been considered as alternatives for income generation, they face criticism for discriminating against poor farmers. The study recommends that the Central Library should be empowered in terms of personnel and other resources in order to address the information needs of researchers and extension workers. It also recommends the strengthening of the delivery of research and extension services by capacitating research and extension institutions through adequate ICTs, funding and enhanced collaboration with relevant stakeholders among other issues. / University of Zululand

Retention of personnel should form and remain part of the core business of all government institutions which intend to remain competitive in the world where swords of war on talent continue to erode the public sector. The aim of the research was to unmask and understand the challenges on implementation of retention policy within the department of Home Affairs. A qualitative study was undertaken and literature review on retention, staff turnover, labour turnover, talent and manpower was conducted. Relevant secondary data were searched and interviews undertaken with senior and middle managers of the Department responsible for policy development and implementation, constituting the main source of primary data. The research revealed that most senior and middle managers in the Department are not aware of the existence of the Department„s retention policy and thus contribute to its non-implementation. Challenges on implementation of the policy were also found to be associated with poor leadership, emotions and lack of defined skills needs, lack of communication and a poorly co-ordinated approach towards the implementation process. Retention is a critical factor to success and each organisation has to develop a systematic approach to address turnover challenges based on its unique needs.