The global working environment has altered dramatically over the last decade and in particular, the workforce has begun to consist of many diverse individuals. The world has become a global marketplace, with boundaries between countries becoming increasingly vague and permeable. Advances in technology and the advent of a global economy have brought people from different countries closer together. Globalisation has precipitated many challenges in modern organisations, and one of these challenges is workforce diversity. Workforces in organisations differ in terms of gender, age, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Globally, countries are faced with the spiralling challenge of skills shortages and there is an expanding competition for skilled workers, specifically for those who possess scarce skills. This leads to an expatriation of skills, creating a natural increase in workforce diversity that expands beyond local ethnicity and language. This affects all organisations, including academic institutions such as universities, universities of technology and public further education and training colleges. Given this challenge organisations, educational institutions and other entities are investigating ways to better deal or serve their constituents. Lovedale PFET College is a public further education and training college that provides skills to young South Africans, specifically vocational related skills. The main research problem of this study was to identify the recommended diversity management best practices that characterise effective organisations and determine the extent to which these practices are applied at Lovedale PFET College. In order to address the problem, a theoretical study was conducted which focused on identifying the recommended diversity management best practices. In addition, interviews were conducted with managers at Lovedale College to gain an understanding of their perspective on diversity management. Based on the combined main points gleaned from theory and the interviews, a questionnaire was developed and administered to both academic and support staff at Lovedale PFET College to obtain their perceptions of the diversity practices and outcomes at the college. The results of the survey revealed that Lovedale PFET College could improve on the implementation of best practices in diversity management. Specifically, attention could be given to diversity education and training, and diversity management policies and procedures.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nmmu/vital:9392 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Chola, Zolani |
| Publisher | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Masters, MTech |
| Format | x, 114 leaves, pdf |
| Rights | Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University |
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