The career development of Gary Player: a psychobiography
- Authors: Futter, Tamlin Sandra
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Player, Gary , Psychology -- Biographical methods Psychohistory Biography as a literary form
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21834 , vital:29787
- Description: This psychobiography focuses on the first 80 years of Gary Player’s career development. Gary Player is a famous South African golfer who has contributed towards business, sport, and charity. The psychological frame of referenced employed to interpret Player’s career development derives from Donald Super’s Life-span, Life-space Theory, which serves to substantiate this study’s focus on career development. This study employed a qualitative case study design. The research aims were (a) to describe Player’s career development, (b) to interpret it through Super’s theoretical framework, and (c) to assess whether Super’s theory is appropriate or suitable for the interpretation of an individual’s career development. Multiple primary and secondary sources of information were utilised to describe and interpret Player’s life history. These multiple sources aided in ensuring the trustworthiness and rigour of the study. The findings highlighted Gary Player’s life, with particular relevance to the periods of time that he spent on his career, lack of time that he spent on retirement, and his incorporation of his hobbies into his career. The discussion incorporated Donald Super’s theory into the findings and indicated that there are some aspects of Super’s theory relevant to describing Player’s career development, particularly within the growth stage. Throughout this study’s processes, the subject was treated ethically and responsibly during supervision by the researcher. This study contributed towards the body of knowledge on Gary Player, the on-going research of psychobiographies in South Africa, career development, and the applicability of Super’s theory.
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- Date Issued: 2018
Executing a process enhancement intervention on the processing lines at Seavuna Fishing Company
- Authors: Abdullah, Philip Rodger
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Organizational effectiveness -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa Workflow -- South Africa -- Management Business planning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13592 , vital:27255
- Description: The fresh hake processing lines at Seavuna fishing company in Mossel Bay are not consistently achieving their volume output standards and this is resulting in higher processing costs and loss of processing opportunities. The company’s senior management are concerned about this trend and require a complete review of the effectiveness of the resources deployed on the lines. This with the view of establishing the causes of poor process volume output. In order to resolve the process inefficiency challenges mentioned, this study used both empirical and time studies to investigate the effectiveness of the company’s resources directly deployed in the processing unit. The study focused on investigating the human factor, machinery and equipment, the environment and the current efficiency standards. Relevant literature in the field of process efficiency improvement was consulted to assist in identifying factors that are known to cause process inefficiencies, and also to establish which improvement techniques would be relevant in correcting the situation. From the Literature reviewed, it was evident that a ‘one size fits all’ solution to resolving inefficiencies is almost non-existent and that a solution that is relevant to the problem is more effective. In addition, a benchmarking exercise was also done to establish how Seavuna’s current volume output standards fair against its major rivals. Once data from both studies were collected, the results were analysed using the some of the basic quality tools. Thereafter, lean manufacturing principles were used to attempt to resolve the current efficiency challenges. The study recommended that the company construct a business strategy and a corresponding organisational culture to direct its continuous improvement interventions. The use of strategic quality planning would go a long way in assisting the company to execute some of the interventions recommended.
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- Date Issued: 2017
The role of African leadership values in achieving employee engagement in firms
- Authors: Yoyo, Vuyisa
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Leadership -- Africa , Management -- Moral and ethical aspects Employee motivation Business ethics -- Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13392 , vital:27181
- Description: Firms have been largely characterised by competition and this necessitates that organisations leverage on their own competitive advantage in order to stay relevant to their customers. This is applicable to organisations whether they sell products or render services. Employees become key in assisting organisations to ensure that they deliver quality services or products to these customers, as they are mostly the ones that liaise with these customers. Employee engagement becomes an important factor that needs to be understood together with the leadership values that can be utilised to increase employee engagement. Understanding the role of leadership values in achieving employee engagement is essential as this will assist management to practise and encourage the implementation of these values in their organisations. The aim of this study to assist organisations to improve employee engagement by investigating the leadership values that influence the increase in employee engagement. This study is specifically looking at investigating the role that African Values in Leadership (AVL), as measured by communalism, cooperativeness, selflessness and collectivism, play in the achievement of employee engagement in firms. An empirical study, consisting of a mail survey was conducted amongst 109 employees of the State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in the Eastern Cape Province. The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent and leadership determinants of employee engagement in the SOEs. The key findings indicated that AVL played a vital role in achieving employee engagement. Important values that were found to be significant in increasing employee engagement were selflessness, collectivism and cooperativeness. Furthermore recommendations were made to management to ensure that they encourage employees to practise AVL and also lead by examples through modelling these values to foster employee engagement in SOEs.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Personality traits and emotional intelligence as predictors of sustainable commercial agricultural producers in South Africa
- Authors: Posthumus, Karen-Louise
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Sustainable agriculture -- South Africa Emotional intelligence -- South Africa Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10399 , vital:26742
- Description: The dual agriculture sector in South Africa comprises both a well-developed commercial farming and a smaller scale communal component. It is however, the commercial sector that is relied upon for food security. The multi-dimensional and complex nature of agricultural production in South Africa demands that sustainable commercial farmers of the future need to demonstrate the ability to effectively handle a multitude of tasks, which may be a function of individual personality traits and emotional intelligence. In this paper, the contribution of individual differences in personality and emotional intelligence as drivers for sustainability of South African commercial agricultural producers was investigated for inclusion into a selection model defining the entry-level requirements (skills, knowledge and competencies) for this occupation. Despite several studies that reported on the personality traits of farmers on a global level, no reports are found on similar studies conducted within a South African context. The main objective of this study was to improve the sustainability of all commercial agricultural producers in South Africa by investigating the personality traits and emotional intelligence driving that sustainability. This study focused on the commercial farming sector in South Africa, which has a unique need to integrate emerging/new farmers into the modern agricultural value chain. This is in accordance with the objectives of the Land Reform Bill (South Africa, 2015) as set out in the government’s National Development Plan (South Africa, 2012). The population of the study comprised commercial agricultural producers throughout South Africa and the sample frame was the estimated 40 000 commercial agricultural producers from whom the sample was drawn. The sampling method employed was snowball sampling (non-probability sampling) with the sampling unit selected on a degree of personal judgement. Quantitative questionnaires were administered to 60 commercial farmers throughout South Africa. Quantitative data was analysed using the STATISTICA Version 10.0 (2011) computer software programme and results were presented in tabulated format. The empirical results revealed that amongst the independent variables investigated in this study, only two variables were significantly related to the successful implementation of sustainable farming; they are neuroticism and management of emotions. Emanating from the findings of this study, recommendations were made to respective role-players on how to manage and support these findings.
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- Date Issued: 2016
Incorporating socio-economic development initiatives for community development as part of wind farm management in Cookhouse
- Authors: Zambonini, Scott John
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Economic development Wind power -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Wind power plants -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Strategic planning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/50044 , vital:41995
- Description: The purpose of this case study research was to develop a model for management of the Cookhouse Wind Farm incorporating relevant socio-economic development initiatives for community development in the Cookhouse area. As a result of the REIPPPP’s socio-economic development requirements and the multiple project overlaps of the 50km radius for the beneficiaries of wind farms, management of the Cookhouse Wind Farm face the problem of using the funding to benefit the communities in a sustainable manner. The research started with a structured literature review, followed by a qualitative case study research design using embedded units of analysis and provided a useful insight into socio-economic development in the South African wind power industry. The outcome of the study was in the form of a sustainable socio-economic development model for Cookhouse wind farm management, which highlighted the following four key focus areas: Education, Welfare, Infrastructure and Health. The study concluded with practical recommendations for relevant and sustainable socioeconomic development projects under the four key focus areas. Since the completion of the study two additional renewable energy projects have been approved (Nxuba and Golden Valley) in the same area as Cookhouse which serve to further strengthen the studies purpose.
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- Date Issued: 2015
High school teachers' experiences of dealing with learners made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS
- Authors: Tame-Gwaxula, Sindiswa Ruby , De Lange, Naydene
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Educational counseling , High school teachers , HIV-positive persons -- Care , Communicable diseases in children
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/2959 , vital:20377
- Description: The HIV and AIDS pandemic have become not only a health concern but educational and social concern as well. According to Beyers and Hay (2011, p. 99) many school-going children are not only affected by HIV but a large number of adolescents are also either HIV positive or have AIDS. Other researchers argue that education should act as a vaccine against new HIV infections (Kendall and O’Gara, 2007, p. 6). This argument comes with the expectation that all teachers are willing and ready to work with learners made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS; without considering the lived realities of the teachers in relation to HIV and AIDS. While many teachers make a difference in the lives of affected and infected learners through the way in which they deal with the learners concerned, some may not take up the challenge to assist the learners, while others might unknowingly and unintentionally do harm. This study, therefore, aimed at exploring high school teachers’ experiences of working with learners made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS in order to generate guidelines to assist teachers to effectively deal with vulnerable learners in their classrooms.
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- Date Issued: 2014