Retention strategies for gold-collar employees in an institution of higher education
- Authors: Grobler, Elaine Maria
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Employee retention , Universities and colleges -- Employees
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6126 , vital:21041
- Description: Gold-collar employees are defined as key employees who have a discernible influence on the realisation of an organisation’s strategic goals and vision. These employees’ competitive advantage lies in their conceptual skills and specifically in their knowledge and creativity. However, because of their unique competencies, they are high in demand and it is more difficult for organisations to attract and retain them. The main research problem in this study was to investigate the concept of a gold-collar employee, the needs and expectations of these employees, as well as retention strategies that can be used to retain them, with specific focus on academics in an institution of higher education. To address the main and identified sub-problems, a literature study was conducted on gold-collar employees, the dilemma of retaining these employees, their needs and expectations and retention strategies. Interviews were conducted with selected senior level employees from various disciplines that had extensive experience in research, teaching and academic management, to establish how they perceived a gold-collar employee in the context of the university and what in their experience they considered as factors that enhanced the retention of these employees. An HTML survey questionnaire was administered to a target group of academics ranging from associate lecturer, lecturer, senior lecturer and associate professor to professor, including academic managers. The survey focused on their level of teaching and research experience, needs and expectations and their perceptions of the retention strategies used at the university. The results from the empirical study revealed that respondents were experienced in teaching development and practices, but not recognised on an internal, national and international level. Flexible working conditions were regarded as most important along with opportunities for self-fulfilment. Employees with more experience in teaching had a greater need and expectation for empowerment while those with more research experience needed and expected more remuneration, rewards and recognition. The respondents also deemed being located in a city or town that allowed for a high quality of living as important. Retention of highly skilled employees is important especially in a knowledge environment as they contribute strategically to the vision and competitive advantage of the organisation. Their skills and knowledge are costly and not easy to replace. Therefore it is important to put strategies in place to retain these gold-collar employees.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Retention strategies for medical doctors in a Port Elizabeth Hospital complex
- Authors: Yusuff, Toyeeb
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Employee retention -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Physicians -- Recruiting -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8856 , vital:26436
- Description: The aim of this research is to investigate the factors identified as significant in increasing the retention of medical doctors employed in Port Elizabeth hospital complex (PEHC) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Medical practitioners of PEHC are providing the needed critical clinical services and are believed to be the strength of tertiary health services in the Eastern Cape, providing world class treatment to the public. Recruitment and retention of talented medical practitioners, then, is in the best interests of the Department of Health. Demotivated staffs are more likely to leave their jobs for better opportunities, and therefore efforts must be geared towards retaining them. This research investigates the independent factors identified. They include the management style, risk exposure, the working environment, the work overload, and the benefits associated with retaining of medical practitioners in PEHC. The results of this study revealed that the following factors influence the talent management and retention of doctors in the hospital complex: a management style that appreciates and recognises staff, a risk-free work environment, a flexible and balanced life, a reasonable work load, and the attitude of immediate supervisors. The results of this study will add to the guidelines and retention strategies already in place by the Department of Health, Eastern Cape. The senior management and policy makers could use the recommendations revealed in this study for an efficient human resources policy. However, future research still needs to be done in the area of providing employment for spouses of members of staff especially on the reward system and the recognition of employees in the organization.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Retention strategies of technical graded employees at Transnet
- Authors: Human, Ricardo Ronald
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Employee retention Employee motivation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/11080 , vital:26883
- Description: The recruitment and retention of personnel plays an important role in assisting organisations to adapt and remain competitive, thus ensuring their financial sustainability and becoming a leader in the market. It is also a crucial element in assisting organisations in reaching their long and short term goals. The employment and retention of highly skilled employees is a costly exercise and staff turnover impacts negatively, not only on a financial level but also on the organisation as a whole. The immediate implementation of specific strategies that ensures the recruitment and retention of these employees will guarantee a reduction in employee turnover thus ensuring organisational competitiveness. The purpose of this study was to investigate the organisational factors impacting on employee retention at Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). The population group for the study included 34 TFR employees from the G graded salary scale. The response rate for the questionnaire was 100% with the Likert scale instrument consisting of 27 questions divided into two sections: Section one explored the demographic profile of the respondents; Section two focused on getting responses on the five organisational factors impacting on employee retention namely: organisational association; monetary compensation; work satisfaction; work enrichment; career development. The following research design was adopted: Step 1: A literature review was conducted to determine the various organisational factors impacting on employee retention. Step 2: From the literature review the researcher structured the research questionnaire. Step 3: The results of the survey were analysed and interpreted. Step 4: Conclusions and recommendations were done.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Service delivery protests and development in Zandspruit informal settlements
- Authors: Jobo, Qhamani Naledi
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Protest movements -- South Africa -- Randburg , Community development -- South Africa -- Randburg , Municipal services -- South Africa -- Randburg
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:8879 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020632
- Description: At the dawn of democracy, the ANC led government inherited an economy with wide spread socio-economic imbalances and geo-spatial challenges. Since 1994, policies have been put in place to try and close the gap between the haves and the have nots in society. It is twenty years on, and significant in-roads have been made towards improving the lives of the masses. Twenty years has not been enough time however, to eliminate the remnants of the oppressive regime. Since 2004, there has been a steady rise in the number of service delivery protests witnessed across the country. The masses of the poor are showing their dissatisfaction with the slow pace of change and development. Service delivery protests as they are known are community protests driven primarily by complaints around inadequate basic service provision. These protests have however been proven to be about a variety of other complaints against municipalities. These include: lack of proper housing, inadequate job opportunities, and allegations of nepotism, fraud and corruption against municipal officials and a general feeling of alienation from the structures of democracy. These inadequacies and frustrations are compounded in the case of informal settlements, where the most basic of services are scarce. The City of Johannesburg has one hundred and eighty four informal settlements, which present the city with major service provision challenges. A substantial amount of research has been done on the causes of service delivery protests and yet a gap exists in terms of literature on the impact of these on development. The main aim of this study was therefore to determine the impact of service delivery protests on development in the Zandspruit informal settlement. The research was carried out in the form of unstructured and semi-structured interviews with the Ward Councillor for Zandspruit (which is in Ward 114, Region C of the City of Johannesburg), the Ward Administrator, Ward Committee as well as members of the community. The findings of the study show a community in distress, with little or no access to basic services such as water and sanitation. The housing challenges in the area are representative of some of the worst housing challenges faced by the city. Lack of communication and a general distrust between the ward councillor and her ward committee make for very poor ward governance. The apparent apathy shown by the municipality is alarming. The pace of development in Zandspruit is incredibly slow, and not even the often violent service delivery protests witnessed in the area have improved the situation.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Social housing in South Africa: a study of Walmer Link
- Authors: Gxogxo, Vulisango Thanklord
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Low-income housing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Right to housing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Public housing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7544 , vital:21805
- Description: Shelter is a basic human right that was recognised by the South African constitution and this led to the government's partnership with the private sector together with NGO's in responding to the huge housing demand for the poor. Due to the RDP's failure in delivering houses to the poor masses, the government introduced a social housing programme in Walmer, Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The Walmer Link social housing programme has been able to give poor people an alternative than being backyard shack dwellers. The rental complex offers good quality housing with secured features at very low prices based on individual income. This initiative has been able to ease the pressure of providing houses to the poor from government and has also been able to lower poverty levels in the Port Elizabeth area.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Social housing in South Africa: the Walmer Links example
- Authors: Nsor, Sledge Adokoh
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Low-income housing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Public housing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8597 , vital:26410
- Description: Dakhil, Ural, & Tewfik (1987) noted that majority of people particularly in the developing world live in poverty and as a result, the acquisition of proper housing is becoming a major problem. Dakhil, Ural, & Tewfik (1987) explained that, after the Second World War, many developing countries gained independence and due to political and economic reasons, population exodus in different parts of the world occurred. This coupled with the ever increase in the population growth has contributed to increasing the housing problems in these part of the world. This problem has led governments, private sector and scholars alike to devote time to searching for mechanisms and policies that would lead to the construction of proper dwellings at a cost that would be within the reach of all concerned especially the poor and needy (Malpass & Murie, 1990). Within South Africa, an example of such policies is the social housing policy. Social housing is a relatively new concept in South Africa (SA) (Du Preez & Sale, 2013). The aim for its development is first, to restructure SA societies in order to address structural, economic, social and spatial dysfunctions and secondly, to improve and contribute to the overall functioning of the housing sector in order to widen the range of housing options available to the poor (Department of Local Government and Housing, DLGH, 2005). The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of a Social Housing Project, the Walmer Links Development, as an affordable and quality housing option for low income earners in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Social media tools influencing customer purchasing behaviour in the retail environment
- Authors: Scholtz, Reynardt
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Internet marketing , Social media -- Marketing , Branding (Marketing)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9330 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021055
- Description: Given the importance of a business being able to create a positive brand image in the minds of customers and influencing customer purchasing behaviour, there is a lack of attention given to the research of the role that social media tools can play in the success of retailers. Numerous research studies have focussed on determining the advantages of and impact that social media tools can have on the success of businesses, however, the impact of social media tools on the creation of a positive brand image, and influencing customer purchasing behaviour is less evident. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of social media tools on the brand image of retailers and how it affects customer purchasing behaviour. A full literature review was conducted on the retail environment and its importance, as well as on social media as a marketing communication tool. Thereafter, independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter) were identified as possibly influencing the intervening variable (Brand image) and dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). Three independent variables were selected and used to construct a hypothetical model and research hypothesis. The purpose of these independent variables was to determine whether the use of social media tools could lead to a positive brand image and ultimately improve customer purchasing behaviour. An empirical investigation was undertaken to be able to establish the influence of social media tools on the brand image and customer purchasing behaviour of retail customers. The measuring instrument used for this study, a questionnaire, was constructed from secondary literature sources. The convenience sampling technique was used to identify respondents. The usable questionnaires that were gathered from respondents were examined through statistical analyses. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were used to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. Descriptive statistics, as part of the data analyses, were calculated to summarise and allow interpretation of the sample data. Furthermore, Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations were calculated to determine correlations among variables used in this study. Multiple regression analysis was the primary statistical procedure used for testing the significance of relationships hypothesised between the independent, intervening and dependent variables of this study. The empirical investigation was concluded by a the calculation of a t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), for the purpose of determining the influence of selected demographic variables on respondents’ perceptions with regard to the independent, intervening and dependent variables. In addition, post-hoc Tukey tests were conducted to determine significant differences among individual mean scores, and the degree of practical significance was determined by calculated Cohen’s d values. Based on the results of the empirical investigation, significant relationships were found among the independent variables (Official websites, Facebook and Twitter), the intervening variable (Brand image) and the dependent variable (Customer purchasing behaviour). The empirical investigation revealed that the age of respondents has a significant impact on how their image of a brand and purchasing behaviour are influenced by retailers’ use of social media tools. This study has made a contribution to the shortage of literature on the impact of social media tools on retailers. The hypothetical model developed for this study assisted in understanding the impact that retailers’ use of social media tools have on the brand image of retailers and customers’ purchasing behaviour. As a result, this study provides recommendations and suggestions for retailers to ensure a positive brand image in the minds of customers, and to ultimately use social media tools to positively influence the purchasing behaviour of customers.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Socio-economic impacts of development initiatives led by international aid agencies in the local community of Msunduza
- Authors: Simelane, Batsabile Nokulunga
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Community development -- Economic aspects -- Swaziland -- Mbabane , Community development -- Social aspects -- Swaziland -- Mbabane
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9218 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020818
- Description: Development is central to the existence of every society including demographic entities that constitute a community of people. Community development is a process designed to create conditions of economic and social progress for the entire community with its active participation and fullest possible reliance on the community development initiatives. The support of either individuals or organisations for the community to realise its full potential is essential, likewise is the role of development agencies in community development a good omen towards the advancement of human development. This research looks at a number of development initiatives presented by aid agencies aimed at improving community life, solving serious problems of quality life, social exclusion, and resources availability. The research explores the socio-economic impacts of development initiatives led by development agencies in local communities, a case study of a peri-urban community of Msunduza, Swaziland. The study was guided by five objectives: i) To evaluate the positive and negative impacts of development initiatives led by development agencies; ii) To establish to what extent the Msunduza community know community development initiatives and how they perceive them; iii) To analyse the sustainability of development initiatives/projects led by the development agencies; iv) To determine what the participatory principles of community development are in the area; v) To draw conclusions and make recommendations that will improve community development through organisational interventions.
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- Date Issued: 2014
South African VAT implications in respect of supplies by non residents to residents
- Authors: Burger, Bianca
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Electronic commerce -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Business enterprises -- Taxation -- Law and legislation , Value-added tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:8962 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019977
- Description: Paragraph 7(1) of the VAT Act provides for the charging of VAT at 14 percent on the supply of goods or services by a vendor in the course or furtherance of an ‘enterprise’, the importation into South Africa of goods by any person or the supply of ‘imported services’. The term ‘enterprise’ has been interpreted to require an on-going activity and therefore once off sales should be excluded. The sale must relate to enterprise activities, thereby excluding private sales. Furthermore the enterprise activities are required to be carried out in the Republic or partly in the Republic. Establishing whether the enterprise activities are carried out in the Republic remains a contentious issue as the VAT Act does not specify the minimum required business activities to meet this criterion. ‘Imported services’ excludes services imported for the purposes of making taxable supplies and the liability of accounting for VAT on ‘imported services’ lies with the recipient of the imported service. Supplies (imported services) which are chargeable in terms of s 7(1)(a) and supplies, which if made in the Republic, are exempt from VAT or zero rated. ‘Imported services’ definition requires services to be consumed in South Africa. Services offered outside South Africa therefore generally do not qualify as imported services even the South African entity benefits from such services, for example a training course attended in a foreign country. Technological developments in the field of e-commerce globally have required countries to examine VAT laws relating to e-commerce. Extensive research has been done by the OECD on this topic, with reports issued on recommendations of how e-commerce should be taxed. Most guidance issued by the OECD on taxing e-commerce relates to indirect electronic commerce, which refers to goods or services where ordering, payment and delivery occur on line. Distinction is drawn between taxation of business-to-business transactions and business-to-consumer transactions. The OECD suggests that the ‘reverse-charge’ or self-assessment method should be applied to the taxing of B2B transactions resulting in minimal compliance and administrative costs. It is further recommended that for B2C transactions place of consumption should be defined as the recipient’s usual jurisdiction of residence and that non-resident suppliers should be required to register and pay VAT in the jurisdiction of the consumer, as this would result in the most effective tax collection method. ‘Enterprise’ includes electronic services from a foreign supplier where the recipient is a resident of South Africa or where the payment originated from a South African bank account. The Minister’s regulation, which came into effect on 1 June 2014, includes the following items in the definition of electronic services: educational services, games, online auction services, miscellaneous services and subscription services. The South African VAT legislation draws no distinction between B2B and B2C supplies of electronic services. The reasoning behind this was to avoid situations in which private customers could pose as business customers in order to avoid the levying of tax. A review of the services currently included in the Minister’s regulation on electronic services indicate that services that would relate to B2B supplies have mostly been excluded from the regulation. Effectively the South African VAT legislation manages to indirectly exclude B2B supplies from the definition of electronic services and therefore achieves the objective of minimising the administrative burden on B2B supplies.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Strategies for promoting ethics within the SAPS
- Authors: McCarthy, Charlton Shamus
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Police ethics -- South Africa , Law enforcement -- Moral and ethical aspects , Police -- South Africa -- Conduct of life
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8553 , vital:26406
- Description: Corruption and unethical management is a legitimate global concern as it can have a direct and substantial impact on the longevity and the success of an organisation, and a country. As a result much attention has been given to unethical behavior and organisational ethical violations over the last decade. Recent events have indicated that ethics management is an organisational concern with mammoth implications for organisations. The aim of this study was to investigate the development of strategies for the promotion of ethics and the impact of unethical conduct on an organisation. A direct link exists between employee behaviour and the organisational environment. The desired ethical environment is negatively affected if the employees cannot distinguish between right and wrong and do not act ethically when confronted with ethical dilemmas. Proposed ethics strategies may also be impacted on by the unethical behaviour of the leadership of organisations, compliance with legislation and poorly managed ethics strategies. The main research problem in this study was to identify what strategies could be adopted to create an ethical culture within an organisation. To achieve this objective a model was developed, proposed and supported with literature and the research study. A research questionnaire was designed to obtain the relevant data that was distributed to previously identified respondents. The results indicated that the majority employees were of the view that the organisational environment and leadership was not ethical and that the majority of employees were not actively pursuing an ethical environment. Findings indicated that the majority of employees felt that contributing factors to achieve an ethical environment was present, but ethic strategies were ineffective and poorly managed. The proposed study model, when implemented successfully, would allow the organisation the effective application of ethic interventions.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Strategy execution in a manufacturing facility in the Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Butler, Charles Ted
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Business planning -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Manufacturing industries -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8843 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020075
- Description: The most basic role of operations is to execute a strategy (Pycraft, Singh, Phihlela, Slack, Chambers & Johnston, 2010). The aim of this study is to make a contribution to operational performance by analysing the effectiveness of strategy execution at a confectionery manufacturing facility situated in the Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB). The primary objective of the study is to improve strategy execution at this manufacturing facility by investigating the influence of strategy; business processes; organisational factors; human resources; macro factors and leadership toward the success of strategy execution. The researcher gave consideration to whether this manufacturing facility measured on a strategy grid, is in a professional (champions’) league, headed towards a spectacular success; or headed towards being relegated and failure; or will it achieve somewhere in between like playing in the amateur (first division). The study was conducted in the quantitative paradigm. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire and sourced instruments were used to measure the variables in the hypothesised model. The objective of the questionnaire was to analyse the respondent’s understanding of how strategy is executed, thereby identifying the possible areas that need to be improved. It was found that most managers disagreed that the business processes, organisational factors and human resources effectively support the execution of the operational strategy and that the average response from the managers were neutral in respect of effectiveness of strategy and leadership. The inference is that although this manufacturing facility has a fair strategy, execution thereof is below average. The researcher therefore deduced that the most appropriate section for the manufacturing facility is between the first division and relegation. The research findings indicate that the management team is not effectively executing the operational strategy. The management implication of this finding translates into lost opportunities. These lost opportunities probably contributed to the poor results reported by the plant director in his quarterly performance review. The empirical results are discussed and recommendations are proposed to improve strategy execution, complementing the manufacturing facility’s goals to deliver the best performance and ultimately realise their stated vision: “to be the best and most loved confectionary site in the world”.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Sustainable development principles in the implementation of the MyCITI transport system in Cape Town
- Authors: Nocanda, Nosabatha
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Cape Town , Transportation -- South Africa -- Cape Town
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8912 , vital:26442
- Description: South Africa is a signatory to several agreements dealing with sustainable development. South Africa has also committed to meeting several Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the biggest challenges facing South Africa, like many other countries, is to maintain a balance between the quest for economic growth and sustainable development. In pursuing economic success, it is often the case that insufficient time and effort are dedicated to determining whether the planned developments support sustainability principles. In some instances, developments may meet one or two sustainability principles whilst violating a number of others, potentially leading to undesirable social, economic or environmental consequences. Countries ought to ensure that projects they approve for development at local, provincial or national level are subjected to thorough scrutiny to ascertain that there is minimal violation of sustainable development principles. The development of the MyCiTi bus transport system in the City of Cape Town was assessed for its consideration of sustainable development principles during the implementation of the project. Several users and non-users of MyCiTi were interviewed regarding their experience and observation of MyCiTi’s development and roll-out relative to sustainable development principles. The results obtained are discussed in this study and the appropriate recommendations given.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Sustainable governance management systems: a practical approach for Water Boards in South Africa
- Authors: Ntili, Tseliso Paul
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: South Africa. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry , Water-supply -- South Africa -- Management , Water quality -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/9185 , vital:26472
- Description: This research study explored the appropriate sustainable governance management systems for South African socio-economic conditions. This was achieved by investigating the current governance and management of water boards in performing their business and water services provisioning at municipal level. Municipalities are the third sphere of government in South Africa and are found at local levels of governance. They are businesses that provide running water as legislated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. Water boards are public institutions established in terms of the Water Services Act, 108 of 1997 (WSA) and listed as Schedule 3 part B: National Government Business Enterprise in terms of the Public Finance Management Act 29 of 1999. They are accountable to the national government through the Department of Water Affairs. Their responsibility is to support municipalities where water-provisioning challenges are eminent. They report annually to national parliament on their performance within a specific financial year. Water boards are currently able to perform their operations in selected jurisdictions as contracted by municipalities. They are struggling in managing and governing their water business while striving to achieve improvements in water service coverage, operating efficiency and service delivery. The aim of the research study was to investigate areas affecting the sustainability of governance management systems for water boards in relation to the improvement of service delivery in South Africa. The analysis of age and gender factors and the conditions affecting governance are explored. The research used the qualitative and quantitative methods to analyse the research questions. Prior to the commencement of the study, the researcher performed an intensive desktop study involving the use of dated and recently published material related to governance and management of the water institutions in developed and developing countries. During the desktop study, national and international accredited journals were prioritised to obtain related and relevant similar information to the water governance and management of water institutions. In addition, a case study was undertaken in Ficksburg in which water boards provided an intervention in resolving the water crisis, since the provision of water is a basic service at local government. This area experienced both water shortage and a poor quality of water. With regard to qualitative methodology, participatory forums were used to delineate the research context and premise. The study population consisted of individuals who were in the business of water boards with special reference to water management and board of directors for a population of 1 000. Of the 500 questionnaires sent out, 419 were returned. The data were analysed using the statistical software package, Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The results and recommendations are presented based on the identified objectives of the study. The study’s findings provide information for transformation and improvement in the performance of water boards in South Africa when striving for sustainability in management and governance. The findings reveal the need for improvements in the involvement of females in the business of the water boards. The findings confirm the outcomes of previous studies regarding the slow implementation of affirmative action and transformation processes as required by legislation. Furthermore, the results reveal that the factors and conditions affecting sustainability of the water boards need to be prioritised to improve the management and governance aspects of water boards. These include the appropriate selection of members of the boards of directors, water boards' committees that are guided by legislation in their operations and the maintenance of proper financial management (collection of revenue, implementation of appropriate financial strategies and striving for positive clean audit). Water boards are encouraged to strengthen their intergovernmental relations in order to make their mandate known across all spheres of government. Service delivery should be approached “from source to tap and tap to source” to promote high-quality provision of water. The water boards should be accountable to the municipalities for the provision of delegated operations. The Department of Water Affairs exercises an oversight role to ensure the sustainable provision of the services. However, the study concludes that without a strong management and a sustainable governance approach, water boards will not be able to carry out its water developmental mandate. The practical framework that was developed in this study provides management and governance tools for sustained provisioning of water to advance transformational and developmental needs and the application of legislations. The results in the study have a direct impact on the codes of practice and regulations on employment equity in implementing the Employment Equity Act of 1998, Intergovernmental Relations Act of 2005, Companies Act of 2008, National Water Act of 1998, and Water Services Act of 1997. Therefore, the practical implementation of this framework will enhance water as a transformational and developmental feature in addressing the social, environmental and economic services.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Sustainable rural development projects in Ficksburg Local Municipality
- Authors: Mamotho, Mpho Benett
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Participatory rural appraisal -- South Africa -- Ficksburg , Rural development projects -- South Africa -- Ficksburg
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5751 , vital:20996
- Description: The current study aimed to evaluation of a Rural Development project in this case the (Kabelo Trust), by evaluating the factors that contributes to its sustainability even though 70% of the members did not undergo high school education. Qualitative research methods was employed in gathering accurate information from the project members about the strategies that they are employing in sustaining the project while many government funded project does not last for even a year. The involvement of the stakeholders like Setsoto Local Municipality, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform, the role they played in the project was also explored. It was therefore suggested by the researcher that the main stakeholder which is the Department of Agriculture should assist the project in establishing market for products in other countries.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Talent management as a strategy to promote succession of junior managers at Edgars
- Authors: Walters, Charles
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Organizational effectiveness , Occupation , Career development , Success in business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47837 , vital:40385
- Description: Talent Management has become one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today. With the skill shortage and the influx of clothing retailers into South Africa in the past two years, the war on talent has intensified. With this in mind the objective of the study was to investigate if Edgars had a successful talent management strategy to promote junior managers through succession. Talent management has different parts including recruitment, learning and development, performance management, reward, leadership, employee value proposition, retention and succession. This study unpacks the literature on talent management and its components and takes a deeper look at the strategy adopted by Edgars. The study highlights the importance of talent management and that there should be clear strategies for every part that makes up the talent management framework. Empirical studies are done on the different sub sections of talent management, findings and recommendations are reported in the final chapters. The target population for this study consisted of junior managers at Edgars, where the majority of key value roles critical for development and store manager succession are. A sample of forty respondents was randomly selected from the total junior management population at Edgars. The findings suggested that when an organisation has effective talent management strategy, it is more likely to create a compelling employee value proposition that is conducive to sustain succession of great talent. Furthermore, the findings revealed that Edgars is effective in applying certain talent strategies while other areas required more attention and focus.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The agency of juvenile delinquents in Kenya compared to other African countries
- Authors: Saebjornsen, Bjornar
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Juvenile justice, Administration of -- Kenya , Juvenile delinquents -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9256 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021211
- Description: This research tested the findings of a study by James Muola, Mary Ndung’u, and Frederick Ngesa (2009) on juvenile delinquents in Nakuru in Kenya, and tests their hypotheses against other available data in Africa. Their study recommended strengthening ties with the NGO sector together with counselling on parenting in rehabilitation efforts. As a result, this research study tested their data and hypotheses by conducting a meta-analysis study using similar research in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal was to put a broader perspective into efficient counselling and project management with juvenile delinquents, caregivers, and their opportunity structure.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The agriculture mentorship programme of the department of Agrarian reform and rural development
- Authors: Dyasopu, Thembani
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Land reform -- South Africa , Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Agriculture and state -- South Africa , South Africa -- Rural conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9252 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021191
- Description: New policy initiatives that followed the 1994 democratic elections aim strongly on construction and development, especially in the agrarian sector. Land reform is one of the initiatives that the democratic government has implemented post 1994 to enable the previously marginalised and disposed individuals and families to own land. The aim of the land reform was not only to provide settlement beneficiaries, but to provide post settlement support to them and enable them to live a better life. However, most of the beneficiaries who acquired farms through the land reform programs lack practical experience in commercial agricultural production. In light of the above, the agricultural mentorship programme was implemented to offer a ray of sunshine to smallholder and emerging farmers. However, it is quite evident that although the agricultural mentorship program was implemented, the Kat river valley emerging citrus farmers are still facing challenges such as limited production capacity; limited access to financial capital; limited access to production equipment; and limited post-harvest support. This study aims to review the agriculture mentorship programme of the Department of Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (DRDAR), with a specific focus on citrus at Kat River Valley. Using data drawn from a sample of nine (9) mentees, two (2) mentors and one official from DARDAR who were personally visited and interviewed, the thesis presents the results of an assessment of the program’s outcomes for participant’s experiences and perceptions in order to strengthen the programme. A review of related literature on land and agriculture reform, agricultural policies, emerging farmers and mentorship has been presented. The study employed a qualitative approach for in-depth understanding and verification. Source documents, open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants. The study revealed that the mentorship programme has made an impact since its implementation as can be noted by the increase in production and income levels; sustainability of skills and knowledge attained from during mentorship and also job opportunities from the projects.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The contribution of housing projects to local economic development: the case of Dunbar, Cator Manor
- Authors: Langa, Sithembiso
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Housing policy -- South Africa -- Cato Manor , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Cato Manor
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3175 , vital:20408
- Description: The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of how the provision of housing can influence Local Economic Development. This was done through a study of housing provision in Dunbar, Cato Manor in eThekwini Municipality. While welfare programmes lead to perpetual dependency on government, the study concludes that housing provision linked to Local Economic Development can empower people in an informal economy. This can inform future studies on how the improvement of service delivery can translate into the improvement of the people’s lives.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The contribution of land redistribution to poverty alleviation: the Misgund development project
- Authors: Madyibi, Bukelwa
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Poverty -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land reform -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7869 , vital:24317
- Description: The current study aimed at investigating the contribution of land redistribution programme towards poverty alleviation in Misgund development project. The study was conducted in the Eastern Cape Province within Cacadu District at Koukamma Local Municipality in a rural town of Misgund. The study employed qualitative research method, with a sample of ten project beneficiaries who are both men and women. The unstructured interviews were used to collect data for the study and supplemented by scholarly texts, journals articles, policy documents, reports, newspapers and magazines articles. The data was analysed using coding, listing, categorising and content analysis as data analysis methods. After the data was analysed it was interpreted to obtain information to address problems and come up with recommendations. The study revealed the effects that the land redistribution programme has in the lives of the rural people of Misgund, which include amongst others, poverty alleviation, women empowerment and job creation. The involvement of the project beneficiaries in the conception of the project and their participation in decision making is of importance as it contributes to the sustainability of the project. It is recommended that the Department of Land Reform should consider involving the communities when deciding on the choice of the project that will be funded, so as to obtain information and history of the project to be purchased. It is also important to determine the estimated time of harvesting and when the project will start producing dividends so as to sensitise the project beneficiaries.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The contribution of the Zamokuhle Ngcweleni project to the poverty alleviation
- Authors: Songelwa, Nkanyiso
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9249 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021176
- Description: Poverty in South Africa is vast. This is an open secret as it manifests itself in so many ways. It is widely known that South Africans are faced with one of poverty indicators, such as unemployment; hence our government is committed to fight poverty in various ways like, poverty alleviation, poverty eradication and poverty reduction programmes. This study looked at poverty of targeted people after Zamokuhle Ngcweleni was implemented. The researcher looked at the project’s contribution on poverty under sustainable livelihood approach with guidance of OECD(1991) criteria of judging the project these being; relevance, effectiveness and sustainability South Africa is committed in this regard with policies and strategies directed to fight poverty, Altman, Hart and Jacobs (2009). In the Constitution of South Africa (Act 1996) section 27 (1) (b)-(c) of this country, poverty is set to be fought, that people must have access to food sustainably through food security strategy. Government, through its departments commits to deliver to mostly affected people, services that deal with poverty reduction. The Department of Social Development is one of the vehicles to get these services to poverty stricken people blamed to history, politics and social ills. It is upon this background the study is done. The community of Ngcweleni with the assistance of the Department of Social Development and Special Programme has assumed this project, the Zamokuhle Ngcweleni with two activities, household gardens and egg production. 30 beneficiaries would sell for income and feed from the produce .This project started in 2010/11 financial year by the sub section, sustainable livelihood in the DOSD, based from the socio economic conditions of Ngcweleni where poverty is one the characteristic. The Zamokuhle Ngcweleni project was randomly chosen by the researcher for this study. The research was based on the aims and objective of the study. The study took place in a natural setting and was descriptive. Interviews, focus groups, documents and household survey were used by the researcher as data collection tools. The study was qualitative. Data was analysed using themes and interpreted thereafter. Participants were the beneficiaries of the Zamokuhle Ngcweleni project and officials of the department. Tables and graphs were used for biographical information to show age, gender, educational and marital status of the beneficiaries; for officials it showed qualification, designation and gender. The researcher gathered that the project has contributed positively to the poverty of the beneficiaries because of its relevance and effectiveness. It made beneficiaries food secure and the impact showed poverty is reduced. The project showed unsustainability and the researcher recommends the needs to investigate this further.
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- Date Issued: 2014