Employee engagement in small medium micro enterprise in the Buffalo City Municipality
- Authors: Mlakalaka, Bulelwa Ndileka
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Employee empowerment -- South Africa -- Buffalo City Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18959 , vital:28760
- Description: The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that affect the engagement of the employees in Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Buffalo City. The quantitative data gathering was conducted in the form of questionnaires accompanied by a covering letter and was distributed amongst the SMMEs in the Buffalo City Area. The companies selected were those that had been operational for longer than four years with an employee complement of more than five. Employee engagement is given different definitions by different authors. The Kenexa Work Trends Report, (2012 cited by Bhuvanaiah and Raya) explain employee engagement as the extent to which employees are motivated to contribute to organisational success and are willingly applying their efforts to accomplish the organisational goals (Bhuvanaiah and Raya 2014:65). Dubrin says that engagement is the employee’s commitment and willingness to stay in the company they work for and to deliver beyond what is expected of them (Dubrin 2013: 205). The variables identified in literature that affect employee engagement are: Nature of continuous learning, Revenue transparency, Employee value proposition, Job satisfaction, Leadership style, Equitable rewards, Supportive colleagues, Supportive working conditions, Compensation and job security and Policies and procedures. The study proved that different variables cannot be looked at in isolation by the SMMEs. This is because the study showed some form of dependency, which was weak, moderate or strong, that existed in these variables. The research proved a weak relationship exists between working conditions and leadership management. A moderate relationship existed between: Continuous learning and Leadership style, Leadership style and Revenue transparency, Working conditions and Continuous improvement, Job security and Leadership style, Leader and Management, Working conditions and Revenue transparency A strong relationship was seen to exist between Continuous learning and Revenue Transparency. A strong relationship also exists between Continuous learning and Management innovation and leadership and revenue transparency. The final recommendations provide the SMMEs in the Buffalo City Municipality with the opportunity to take their businesses from good to great.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mlakalaka, Bulelwa Ndileka
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Employee empowerment -- South Africa -- Buffalo City Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Buffalo City
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18959 , vital:28760
- Description: The purpose of the study was to identify the factors that affect the engagement of the employees in Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in Buffalo City. The quantitative data gathering was conducted in the form of questionnaires accompanied by a covering letter and was distributed amongst the SMMEs in the Buffalo City Area. The companies selected were those that had been operational for longer than four years with an employee complement of more than five. Employee engagement is given different definitions by different authors. The Kenexa Work Trends Report, (2012 cited by Bhuvanaiah and Raya) explain employee engagement as the extent to which employees are motivated to contribute to organisational success and are willingly applying their efforts to accomplish the organisational goals (Bhuvanaiah and Raya 2014:65). Dubrin says that engagement is the employee’s commitment and willingness to stay in the company they work for and to deliver beyond what is expected of them (Dubrin 2013: 205). The variables identified in literature that affect employee engagement are: Nature of continuous learning, Revenue transparency, Employee value proposition, Job satisfaction, Leadership style, Equitable rewards, Supportive colleagues, Supportive working conditions, Compensation and job security and Policies and procedures. The study proved that different variables cannot be looked at in isolation by the SMMEs. This is because the study showed some form of dependency, which was weak, moderate or strong, that existed in these variables. The research proved a weak relationship exists between working conditions and leadership management. A moderate relationship existed between: Continuous learning and Leadership style, Leadership style and Revenue transparency, Working conditions and Continuous improvement, Job security and Leadership style, Leader and Management, Working conditions and Revenue transparency A strong relationship was seen to exist between Continuous learning and Revenue Transparency. A strong relationship also exists between Continuous learning and Management innovation and leadership and revenue transparency. The final recommendations provide the SMMEs in the Buffalo City Municipality with the opportunity to take their businesses from good to great.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Employee happiness at a financial institution
- Authors: McConnell, Daniel Matthys
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- South Africa Happiness -- South Africa -- Employees , Positive psychology -- Employees Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/19026 , vital:28766
- Description: Happiness, or the concept of well-being can be traced back to the era of Aristotle (384 to 322 BC), Epicuruss (341 to 270 BC), John Locke (1632 to 1704) and more recently Ed Diener (DOB 1946), who played an integral part in the well-being revolution. People have very different ways in seeking happiness, whether it is closely associated to their personal life, the work environment or in society, they are constantly striving towards a goal of experiencing happiness at its purist form. Bursts of absolute joy and the purist form of immediate gratification cannot provide a path to finding happiness and well-being. The process is intricate and requires a variety of variables integrated into a combination of events and lifestyle experiences to culminate into an existence which produces a feeling of inner peace and fulfillment. Current research suggests that this is not an attainable state of existence, but human nature drives every individual to seek out a path to finding true happiness. The advent of the modern day economic crisis has changed the global environment to the extent where society is attempting to find a new norm to operate in. As a consequence, individuals are presented with new challenges which have forced them to re-evaluate their path to finding a balance in their lives. These changes have added new challenges to deal with and adapt to as new forces in the global environment start to shape a new tomorrow. People spend a large portion of their existence working to earn an income and to provide a means of supporting themselves and their dependents. The challenges they face are enhanced by the strains of working in stressful and pressurised working environments as their employers are also adapting to the changing global environment. Economic pressure is passed on to employees, as they are pushed to achieve the financial results demanded by shareholders. The last ten years has seen a wealth of research being conducted in the space of well-being and how it relates to business has gained popularity. The study of epidemiology refers to the study of components of human behaviour, which have a negative impact on individual functioning, like stress and anxiety disorders. Well-being in the workplace can counter these ailments and create a working environment absent of these negative afflictions which damage the productivity of a workforce. Employers who understand the positive aspects associated with well-being are in a position to effectively deploy their employees to produce improved financial results. The starting point for many organisations is to determine the current level of happiness in their businesses and to establish what variables are responsible for the current state of well-being. The main objective of the empirical study was to determine the level of happiness at a financial institution. The target population (354 potential respondents) is the regional office the financial institution based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Potential respondents received electronic requests by email, requesting their participation in the study. A total of 164 completed questionnaires were returned (46.33%) and analysed. Literature was reviewed to develop a conceptual model. Seven variables were identified as having an influence on employee happiness and have the potential to change employee well-being levels to aid organisations in their quest to adapt to the prevailing economic conditions and stress people have to deal with on a daily basis. The results from the study show that Work-life, Safety and Security, Growth and Development, Health, Recognition and Reward, Autonomy and Social Connectedness are all closely associate with employee well-being. Safety and security, Autonomy and Recognition and Reward have direct positive associations with the concept of well-being and have a significant relationship and potential to enhance well-being. The end result is that with the correct interventions by an employer, well-being can be measured and applied in the working environment. The correct combination of variables can have a positive impact in the work environment. A happy workforce can be an advantage to an organisation, their interventions can add great value to employees by increasing their commitment to the organisation and ultimately the business can benefit from their Interventions by seeing their efforts being realised in their financial results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: McConnell, Daniel Matthys
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- South Africa Happiness -- South Africa -- Employees , Positive psychology -- Employees Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/19026 , vital:28766
- Description: Happiness, or the concept of well-being can be traced back to the era of Aristotle (384 to 322 BC), Epicuruss (341 to 270 BC), John Locke (1632 to 1704) and more recently Ed Diener (DOB 1946), who played an integral part in the well-being revolution. People have very different ways in seeking happiness, whether it is closely associated to their personal life, the work environment or in society, they are constantly striving towards a goal of experiencing happiness at its purist form. Bursts of absolute joy and the purist form of immediate gratification cannot provide a path to finding happiness and well-being. The process is intricate and requires a variety of variables integrated into a combination of events and lifestyle experiences to culminate into an existence which produces a feeling of inner peace and fulfillment. Current research suggests that this is not an attainable state of existence, but human nature drives every individual to seek out a path to finding true happiness. The advent of the modern day economic crisis has changed the global environment to the extent where society is attempting to find a new norm to operate in. As a consequence, individuals are presented with new challenges which have forced them to re-evaluate their path to finding a balance in their lives. These changes have added new challenges to deal with and adapt to as new forces in the global environment start to shape a new tomorrow. People spend a large portion of their existence working to earn an income and to provide a means of supporting themselves and their dependents. The challenges they face are enhanced by the strains of working in stressful and pressurised working environments as their employers are also adapting to the changing global environment. Economic pressure is passed on to employees, as they are pushed to achieve the financial results demanded by shareholders. The last ten years has seen a wealth of research being conducted in the space of well-being and how it relates to business has gained popularity. The study of epidemiology refers to the study of components of human behaviour, which have a negative impact on individual functioning, like stress and anxiety disorders. Well-being in the workplace can counter these ailments and create a working environment absent of these negative afflictions which damage the productivity of a workforce. Employers who understand the positive aspects associated with well-being are in a position to effectively deploy their employees to produce improved financial results. The starting point for many organisations is to determine the current level of happiness in their businesses and to establish what variables are responsible for the current state of well-being. The main objective of the empirical study was to determine the level of happiness at a financial institution. The target population (354 potential respondents) is the regional office the financial institution based in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Potential respondents received electronic requests by email, requesting their participation in the study. A total of 164 completed questionnaires were returned (46.33%) and analysed. Literature was reviewed to develop a conceptual model. Seven variables were identified as having an influence on employee happiness and have the potential to change employee well-being levels to aid organisations in their quest to adapt to the prevailing economic conditions and stress people have to deal with on a daily basis. The results from the study show that Work-life, Safety and Security, Growth and Development, Health, Recognition and Reward, Autonomy and Social Connectedness are all closely associate with employee well-being. Safety and security, Autonomy and Recognition and Reward have direct positive associations with the concept of well-being and have a significant relationship and potential to enhance well-being. The end result is that with the correct interventions by an employer, well-being can be measured and applied in the working environment. The correct combination of variables can have a positive impact in the work environment. A happy workforce can be an advantage to an organisation, their interventions can add great value to employees by increasing their commitment to the organisation and ultimately the business can benefit from their Interventions by seeing their efforts being realised in their financial results.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating critical success factors for effective leadership of projects
- Authors: Notununu, Fezile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Project managers Leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20042 , vital:29069
- Description: Leadership skills in projects are viewed as the secondary need in projects for a competent project manager while technical core skills are viewed as the primary need. This argues that leadership and technical core skills should be treated the same as the primary need, furthermore the leadership skills should never be compromised when recruiting a project manager. Qualitative research was employed for this study. The researcher explored the ontology and epistemology as the research paradigms of the study. Data was collected through focus groups, unstructured interviews and through case study. The data collected was analysed by employing the content analysis and descriptive analysis. The quality of the data was the main focus for ensuring that correct information was obtained, and hence triangulation was employed. The recommendations provided will contribute to the efficient and successful execution of projects. The drive to ensure effective leadership projects can be achieved through employing the following: Development of accidental project managers; accreditation of project managers; project management training for project managers; recruitment of project managers, hard technical skills and soft skills for competent project managers. If these recommendations are properly implemented the organisation may realise savings on their projects, and will be able to complete their projects on time, within approved budgets and approved scope of work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Notununu, Fezile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Project managers Leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20042 , vital:29069
- Description: Leadership skills in projects are viewed as the secondary need in projects for a competent project manager while technical core skills are viewed as the primary need. This argues that leadership and technical core skills should be treated the same as the primary need, furthermore the leadership skills should never be compromised when recruiting a project manager. Qualitative research was employed for this study. The researcher explored the ontology and epistemology as the research paradigms of the study. Data was collected through focus groups, unstructured interviews and through case study. The data collected was analysed by employing the content analysis and descriptive analysis. The quality of the data was the main focus for ensuring that correct information was obtained, and hence triangulation was employed. The recommendations provided will contribute to the efficient and successful execution of projects. The drive to ensure effective leadership projects can be achieved through employing the following: Development of accidental project managers; accreditation of project managers; project management training for project managers; recruitment of project managers, hard technical skills and soft skills for competent project managers. If these recommendations are properly implemented the organisation may realise savings on their projects, and will be able to complete their projects on time, within approved budgets and approved scope of work.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating intrapreneurship levels at an Eastern Cape automotive manufacturing plant
- Authors: Barnard, Christiaan Beautry
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Business incubators -- South Africa Entrepreneurship -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14960 , vital:28023
- Description: The term automotive industry is an umbrella term for concerns and undertakings contributing to the manufacturing of motor vehicles. This includes components such as engines, electronics, harnesses, interiors and shells, but excludes consumables such as tires, batteries and fuel. The local automotive industry is one of South Africa’s most profitable industries, funding more than 7% of the country’s GDP and contributing towards almost 12% of South Africa's manufacturing exports. Many multinational automotive manufacturers have invested in South Africa. This has allowed them to be strategically placed with the intention to source components, assemble and produce vehicles locally for the South African and other world markets. Due to the current contributions and its potential to grow the South African economy, the South African administration has recognised the automotive industry as an important sector. The South African government introduced the Motor Industry Development Programme during 1994 and the Automotive Production and Development Programme since 2013 to further stimulate the market and investment and further aims to increase the local production of vehicles to 1.2 million units per year as part of its 2020 vision. When considering the global competition, from China and Eastern Europe, it is imperative for the South African manufacturers to pursue and implement innovative practices to ensure that they can be competitive in the global arena, to retain and attract more multinational manufacturers to invest in the country and to ensure the future of existing multinational manufacturing facilities. Many scholars agree that intrapreneurship, also known as corporate entrepreneurship, is an approach which has the ability to help organisations to be more innovative and can guarantee competitiveness. Intrapreneurship is a valid and important aspect of entrepreneurial research. The subject of intrapreneurship can be divided into several key areas: 1. The individual operating as an intrapreneur within an organisation, focusing on his or her traits and the acknowledgement and support received within the organisation; 2. The conceptualisation and implementation of innovative projects from inside the organisation, focusing on the different departments and business units within the organisation’s corporate structure; 3. The entrepreneurial organisation, focusing on the core characteristics of the organisation. This study explores the concept of intrapreneurship, by consulting existing literature and then measuring the levels of intrapreneurship at a German automotive manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape. To ensure anonymity of the organisation in which the study is conducted, it will be referred to as Company X. Currently no studies focused on intrapreneurship have been conducted within Company X. Innovative practices are not demonstrated as much as desired at the local manufacturing plant of company X and the levels of intrapreneurship within the manufacturing plant are currently still unknown. With the automotive industry being such an important contributor to the South African economy, it might be beneficial to do a similar study pertaining to multiple companies within the industry and value chain. This can assist in creating a bigger awareness within the industry, so that the affected organisations can have a more intrapreneurial approach towards business. The study can furthermore be adapted to consider a more technical approach of production facilities within South Africa and the intrapreneurial approach and innovations implemented to insure productivity and future investments, locally and international, within the production sector of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Barnard, Christiaan Beautry
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Business incubators -- South Africa Entrepreneurship -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14960 , vital:28023
- Description: The term automotive industry is an umbrella term for concerns and undertakings contributing to the manufacturing of motor vehicles. This includes components such as engines, electronics, harnesses, interiors and shells, but excludes consumables such as tires, batteries and fuel. The local automotive industry is one of South Africa’s most profitable industries, funding more than 7% of the country’s GDP and contributing towards almost 12% of South Africa's manufacturing exports. Many multinational automotive manufacturers have invested in South Africa. This has allowed them to be strategically placed with the intention to source components, assemble and produce vehicles locally for the South African and other world markets. Due to the current contributions and its potential to grow the South African economy, the South African administration has recognised the automotive industry as an important sector. The South African government introduced the Motor Industry Development Programme during 1994 and the Automotive Production and Development Programme since 2013 to further stimulate the market and investment and further aims to increase the local production of vehicles to 1.2 million units per year as part of its 2020 vision. When considering the global competition, from China and Eastern Europe, it is imperative for the South African manufacturers to pursue and implement innovative practices to ensure that they can be competitive in the global arena, to retain and attract more multinational manufacturers to invest in the country and to ensure the future of existing multinational manufacturing facilities. Many scholars agree that intrapreneurship, also known as corporate entrepreneurship, is an approach which has the ability to help organisations to be more innovative and can guarantee competitiveness. Intrapreneurship is a valid and important aspect of entrepreneurial research. The subject of intrapreneurship can be divided into several key areas: 1. The individual operating as an intrapreneur within an organisation, focusing on his or her traits and the acknowledgement and support received within the organisation; 2. The conceptualisation and implementation of innovative projects from inside the organisation, focusing on the different departments and business units within the organisation’s corporate structure; 3. The entrepreneurial organisation, focusing on the core characteristics of the organisation. This study explores the concept of intrapreneurship, by consulting existing literature and then measuring the levels of intrapreneurship at a German automotive manufacturing plant in the Eastern Cape. To ensure anonymity of the organisation in which the study is conducted, it will be referred to as Company X. Currently no studies focused on intrapreneurship have been conducted within Company X. Innovative practices are not demonstrated as much as desired at the local manufacturing plant of company X and the levels of intrapreneurship within the manufacturing plant are currently still unknown. With the automotive industry being such an important contributor to the South African economy, it might be beneficial to do a similar study pertaining to multiple companies within the industry and value chain. This can assist in creating a bigger awareness within the industry, so that the affected organisations can have a more intrapreneurial approach towards business. The study can furthermore be adapted to consider a more technical approach of production facilities within South Africa and the intrapreneurial approach and innovations implemented to insure productivity and future investments, locally and international, within the production sector of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating the automotive production development programme of the automotive component manufacturing industry: envisaged future interventions
- Authors: Fokker, Cornelis Dirk
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- Developing countries , Sustainable development -- Developing countries , Production management -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15215 , vital:28179
- Description: The automotive component manufacturer's (ACM's) operations are not sustainable due to their competitiveness, only determined by price. for ACM's to be competitive, effective government incentives in the automotive industry need to be present. The study was undertaken to provide a blueprint for change required in government incentives.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Fokker, Cornelis Dirk
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- Developing countries , Sustainable development -- Developing countries , Production management -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15215 , vital:28179
- Description: The automotive component manufacturer's (ACM's) operations are not sustainable due to their competitiveness, only determined by price. for ACM's to be competitive, effective government incentives in the automotive industry need to be present. The study was undertaken to provide a blueprint for change required in government incentives.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating the impact of responsible investing strategies on fund performance
- Authors: Ntuli, Thulani
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7067 , vital:21214
- Description: Several studies have been undertaken to evaluate performance of responsible investments, that is, funds that integrate ethical as well as environmental, social and governance considerations in the investment process (ESG). Particularly to address the question whether it is possible for investors to do well while doing good. Modern Portfolio Theory predicts sub-optimal performance for funds constructed on any basis other than risk-reward optimisation. These studies usually compare performance of responsible investments with conventional funds or an unrestricted benchmark portfolio. The findings have been contradictory and on the main inconclusive. Underlying this contradiction is the treatment of responsible investments funds as a homogenous group of funds and not acknowledging their heterogeneity owing to methods and strategies used to construct them. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature by investigating the impact of responsible investment strategies on fund performance. The performance of nine South African responsible investment funds constructed and manged using different responsible investing strategies are analysed over a five-year period from 01 October 2010 to 31 October 2015. Their performance is benchmarked against the JSE ALL Share Index (ALSI) and the FTES/JSE SRI index. Specifically, the average monthly returns, variability and Sharpe ratio of the constituent fund is used to compare performance. Moreover, the CAPM based Jensen alpha is used to determine any significant under or overperformance of respective funds relative to the benchmarks. The study found to be no difference in average monthly returns and risk relative to the two benchmark indices for all respective strategies. However, funds constructed using the negative screening strategy generally underperform. These funds overall deliver a statistically significant lower alpha. It is concluded that this RI investing strategy is not suitable for investors concerned about a trade-off between fund performance and ESG performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ntuli, Thulani
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7067 , vital:21214
- Description: Several studies have been undertaken to evaluate performance of responsible investments, that is, funds that integrate ethical as well as environmental, social and governance considerations in the investment process (ESG). Particularly to address the question whether it is possible for investors to do well while doing good. Modern Portfolio Theory predicts sub-optimal performance for funds constructed on any basis other than risk-reward optimisation. These studies usually compare performance of responsible investments with conventional funds or an unrestricted benchmark portfolio. The findings have been contradictory and on the main inconclusive. Underlying this contradiction is the treatment of responsible investments funds as a homogenous group of funds and not acknowledging their heterogeneity owing to methods and strategies used to construct them. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature by investigating the impact of responsible investment strategies on fund performance. The performance of nine South African responsible investment funds constructed and manged using different responsible investing strategies are analysed over a five-year period from 01 October 2010 to 31 October 2015. Their performance is benchmarked against the JSE ALL Share Index (ALSI) and the FTES/JSE SRI index. Specifically, the average monthly returns, variability and Sharpe ratio of the constituent fund is used to compare performance. Moreover, the CAPM based Jensen alpha is used to determine any significant under or overperformance of respective funds relative to the benchmarks. The study found to be no difference in average monthly returns and risk relative to the two benchmark indices for all respective strategies. However, funds constructed using the negative screening strategy generally underperform. These funds overall deliver a statistically significant lower alpha. It is concluded that this RI investing strategy is not suitable for investors concerned about a trade-off between fund performance and ESG performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating the safety climate effects on employee safety behaviour in ESKOM distribution Eastern Cape operating unit
- Authors: Rondganger, Aron Dominique
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Eskom (Firm) Industrial safety -- South Africa , Employee health promotion -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47755 , vital:40368
- Description: Work-related injuries have a significant social and economic impact on organisations and countries. Safety climate has been found to be the leading indicator to predict employee safety behaviour in an effort to reduce incidents and injuries. The organisation selected has implemented a health and safety strategy that includes a safety management system that defines safety practices. There has been an improvement seen at an organisation level, however this improvement is not wide spread. The aim of this study is to understand the role of safety climate and its effect on safety behaviour within the Eastern Cape Operating Unit. The sample only consisted of employees from the organisation selected for this study. A stratified sampling method was chosen and three hundred (300) questionnaires were distributed to managers (10), supervisors (20) and field workers (270). A total of two hundred and seventy eight employees (92.7% response rate) participated in the study consisting of nine managers (90% response rate), seventeen supervisors (85% response rate) and two hundred and forty-nine field workers (92.2% response rate). The empirical results show that organisational-level safety climate has a significant influence on team-level safety climate. The overall safety climate within the organisation was not high and the safety climate perceptions of managers, supervisors and field workers were not related. Organisation-level and team-level safety climate was found to influence safety behaviour. The results also revealed that the compliance and participation safety behaviours reported by managers, supervisors and field workers are high. It was further discovered that the safety behaviours of these three groups are related. The implementation of the recommendations that were highlighted from these results would have a significant improvement in the organisation’s safety climate and this would lead to reduced unsafe acts and safety related incidents in the workplace.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Rondganger, Aron Dominique
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Eskom (Firm) Industrial safety -- South Africa , Employee health promotion -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47755 , vital:40368
- Description: Work-related injuries have a significant social and economic impact on organisations and countries. Safety climate has been found to be the leading indicator to predict employee safety behaviour in an effort to reduce incidents and injuries. The organisation selected has implemented a health and safety strategy that includes a safety management system that defines safety practices. There has been an improvement seen at an organisation level, however this improvement is not wide spread. The aim of this study is to understand the role of safety climate and its effect on safety behaviour within the Eastern Cape Operating Unit. The sample only consisted of employees from the organisation selected for this study. A stratified sampling method was chosen and three hundred (300) questionnaires were distributed to managers (10), supervisors (20) and field workers (270). A total of two hundred and seventy eight employees (92.7% response rate) participated in the study consisting of nine managers (90% response rate), seventeen supervisors (85% response rate) and two hundred and forty-nine field workers (92.2% response rate). The empirical results show that organisational-level safety climate has a significant influence on team-level safety climate. The overall safety climate within the organisation was not high and the safety climate perceptions of managers, supervisors and field workers were not related. Organisation-level and team-level safety climate was found to influence safety behaviour. The results also revealed that the compliance and participation safety behaviours reported by managers, supervisors and field workers are high. It was further discovered that the safety behaviours of these three groups are related. The implementation of the recommendations that were highlighted from these results would have a significant improvement in the organisation’s safety climate and this would lead to reduced unsafe acts and safety related incidents in the workplace.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Evaluating the share performance of socially responsible investment on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
- Authors: Cormack, Bradley Alexander
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Investments -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Johannesburg Stock Exchange , Social responsibility of business -- Standards , Social responsiblity of business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/36251 , vital:24532
- Description: Socially responsible investing (SRI) integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into the investment decision-making process. Growing ESG concerns and the uncovering of corporate scandals have catalysed the substantial growth in SRI portfolios worldwide. Notwithstanding its increasing popularity, barriers to further SRI growth have been identified. Traditional investing practices suggest that theoretically, SRI may underperform conventional investment strategies. However, despite the vast amount of literature on SRI, empirical studies have yielded a mixture of results regarding fund performance. The JSE SRI Index was launched in 2004 to promote transparent business practices. It was discontinued at the end of 2015 succeeded by a new Responsible Investment Index established by the JSE in association with FTSE Russell. The aim of the research was to evaluate the share performance of the JSE SRI Index from 2004-2015. Additionally, the indices were categorised by environmental impact to further analyse disparity among share returns. The study was also divided into two sub-periods, 2004-2009 and 2010-2015, with the latter following the endorsement of integrated reporting by the King III Code as a listing requirement in 2010. A single-factor Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) was used to assess differences in risk-adjusted returns. Engle-Granger and Johansen tests were employed to explore the possibility of a cointegrating relationship between the indices. No significant difference between returns was observed for 2004-2009, with the SRI Index exhibiting statistically significant inferior risk-adjusted returns for the latter half of the study. Overall, a significant difference between share returns was found, with CAPM results suggesting that the JSE SRI Index underperformed the All Share Index by -2.33% per annum throughout the time span of the study. Engle-Granger and Johansen test results indicated the existence of a cointegrating relationship over the first half of the study. However, there was no cointegration between the two indices for 2004-2015, which may be attributed to no significant relationship found for the latter years. Results support the notion that investors pay the price to invest ethically on the JSE. Inferior risk-adjusted returns associated with SRI may be a major barrier to its development in South African markets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Cormack, Bradley Alexander
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Investments -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Johannesburg Stock Exchange , Social responsibility of business -- Standards , Social responsiblity of business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/36251 , vital:24532
- Description: Socially responsible investing (SRI) integrates environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into the investment decision-making process. Growing ESG concerns and the uncovering of corporate scandals have catalysed the substantial growth in SRI portfolios worldwide. Notwithstanding its increasing popularity, barriers to further SRI growth have been identified. Traditional investing practices suggest that theoretically, SRI may underperform conventional investment strategies. However, despite the vast amount of literature on SRI, empirical studies have yielded a mixture of results regarding fund performance. The JSE SRI Index was launched in 2004 to promote transparent business practices. It was discontinued at the end of 2015 succeeded by a new Responsible Investment Index established by the JSE in association with FTSE Russell. The aim of the research was to evaluate the share performance of the JSE SRI Index from 2004-2015. Additionally, the indices were categorised by environmental impact to further analyse disparity among share returns. The study was also divided into two sub-periods, 2004-2009 and 2010-2015, with the latter following the endorsement of integrated reporting by the King III Code as a listing requirement in 2010. A single-factor Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) was used to assess differences in risk-adjusted returns. Engle-Granger and Johansen tests were employed to explore the possibility of a cointegrating relationship between the indices. No significant difference between returns was observed for 2004-2009, with the SRI Index exhibiting statistically significant inferior risk-adjusted returns for the latter half of the study. Overall, a significant difference between share returns was found, with CAPM results suggesting that the JSE SRI Index underperformed the All Share Index by -2.33% per annum throughout the time span of the study. Engle-Granger and Johansen test results indicated the existence of a cointegrating relationship over the first half of the study. However, there was no cointegration between the two indices for 2004-2015, which may be attributed to no significant relationship found for the latter years. Results support the notion that investors pay the price to invest ethically on the JSE. Inferior risk-adjusted returns associated with SRI may be a major barrier to its development in South African markets.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Exploring a capacity development framework for South African foreign economic representatives
- Authors: Williams, Mario Rene
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Finance, Public South Africa -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13491 , vital:27210
- Description: Commercial trading in various formats has characterised relations between humans for centuries. However, in a world driven by higher levels of consumption, and where citizens demand higher returns for their hard-earned taxes, governments are becoming more active in ensuring favourable conditions for their own enterprises, either operating or seeking to operate, in foreign markets, as well as local enterprises that seek to extract value from foreign markets. The past failure of the markets to self-regulate, with the recent events of the 2008/09 market crash, gave fresh impetus for governments to play a more active role in ensuring favourable outcomes for their local economies. To be effective, requires the deployments of capable officials to fulfil this mandate. However, given that governments have traditionally not operated in the sphere of what is termed as ‘commercial diplomacy’, it is evident that a concerted effort needs to be made to have a skilled and capable workforce which can function in both the commercial and diplomatic market spaces across the world. Against the background sketched above, the South African government, with the dti spearheading the initiative, has been running capacity building programmes to train officials as designate FERs, to function as commercial diplomats in targeted foreign markets. This contrasts with its sister-department, DIRCO, which has established 126 foreign missions focusing on political diplomacy. Anecdotal evidence, and previous capacity building reports, have highlighted the need for a framework to regulate and inform the development of officials. Due to the framework’s broader focus, and the acknowledgement of the rich experiences of the officials being trained in the programme, it has been termed as capacity development. An initial review of the topic, revealed that there had been limited research into a framework that regulates the capacity development of foreign economic representatives (FERs), the term used for commercial diplomats of the South African government. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore a capacity development framework (CDF) for South African FERs. This exploratory capacity development framework will then be tested, to inform the capacity development programme used for the training of designated FERs. To achieve this goal, a literature review of academic sources of information regarding the concepts of commercial diplomacy, capacity development and conceptual frameworks, was conducted. This led to the development of a qualitative questionnaire which was then distributed to all currently posted (27) and returned FERs (33), with 18 completed questionnaires returned. The questionnaire contained both closed and open-ended statements that delved deeper into the experiences and opinions held by the respondents. Using the dti as a case study, the content analysis method, which uses open coding, was applied to identify the theme and codes emanating from the data. This was assessed against the research questions (RQs) constructed in the research proposal, and was found to be in line with the sentiments flowing from the research data. The theme, indicated as capacity development and its concomitant codes (Process, Content, Technology and Management Support), thus formed the basis and skeleton of the exploratory capacity development framework. The codes were further analysed and sub-codes identified, which were incorporated into the exploratory capacity development framework. The analysis further revealed that, while the dti is committed to ensuring the designate FERs are adequately capacitated before being posted, much more could be done to improve the efficacy of the training provided. To this end, a number of gaps were identified from the data and these will need to be addressed to ensure that an effective capacity development programme is developed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Williams, Mario Rene
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Economic development -- South Africa , Finance, Public South Africa -- Economic aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/13491 , vital:27210
- Description: Commercial trading in various formats has characterised relations between humans for centuries. However, in a world driven by higher levels of consumption, and where citizens demand higher returns for their hard-earned taxes, governments are becoming more active in ensuring favourable conditions for their own enterprises, either operating or seeking to operate, in foreign markets, as well as local enterprises that seek to extract value from foreign markets. The past failure of the markets to self-regulate, with the recent events of the 2008/09 market crash, gave fresh impetus for governments to play a more active role in ensuring favourable outcomes for their local economies. To be effective, requires the deployments of capable officials to fulfil this mandate. However, given that governments have traditionally not operated in the sphere of what is termed as ‘commercial diplomacy’, it is evident that a concerted effort needs to be made to have a skilled and capable workforce which can function in both the commercial and diplomatic market spaces across the world. Against the background sketched above, the South African government, with the dti spearheading the initiative, has been running capacity building programmes to train officials as designate FERs, to function as commercial diplomats in targeted foreign markets. This contrasts with its sister-department, DIRCO, which has established 126 foreign missions focusing on political diplomacy. Anecdotal evidence, and previous capacity building reports, have highlighted the need for a framework to regulate and inform the development of officials. Due to the framework’s broader focus, and the acknowledgement of the rich experiences of the officials being trained in the programme, it has been termed as capacity development. An initial review of the topic, revealed that there had been limited research into a framework that regulates the capacity development of foreign economic representatives (FERs), the term used for commercial diplomats of the South African government. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore a capacity development framework (CDF) for South African FERs. This exploratory capacity development framework will then be tested, to inform the capacity development programme used for the training of designated FERs. To achieve this goal, a literature review of academic sources of information regarding the concepts of commercial diplomacy, capacity development and conceptual frameworks, was conducted. This led to the development of a qualitative questionnaire which was then distributed to all currently posted (27) and returned FERs (33), with 18 completed questionnaires returned. The questionnaire contained both closed and open-ended statements that delved deeper into the experiences and opinions held by the respondents. Using the dti as a case study, the content analysis method, which uses open coding, was applied to identify the theme and codes emanating from the data. This was assessed against the research questions (RQs) constructed in the research proposal, and was found to be in line with the sentiments flowing from the research data. The theme, indicated as capacity development and its concomitant codes (Process, Content, Technology and Management Support), thus formed the basis and skeleton of the exploratory capacity development framework. The codes were further analysed and sub-codes identified, which were incorporated into the exploratory capacity development framework. The analysis further revealed that, while the dti is committed to ensuring the designate FERs are adequately capacitated before being posted, much more could be done to improve the efficacy of the training provided. To this end, a number of gaps were identified from the data and these will need to be addressed to ensure that an effective capacity development programme is developed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Exploring the relationship between job satisfaction (as measured by the JDI) and sales executive performance at a private South African Motor Retail Group
- Authors: McNaughton, Peter
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- South Africa -- Case studies , Employee attitude surveys -- South Africa , Kelston Motor Group (South Africa) -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4466 , vital:20675
- Description: This study explores the relationship of job satisfaction as measured on the Job Descriptive Index with sales performance per individual, aimed at investigating the relationship between job satisfaction and a sales executive’s performance. The Kelston Motor group was nominated as the organisation which the study would be conducted on. The approach to this study was to provide a sound academic base followed by a quantitative analysis. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) questionnaire was used to determine the sales executives’ current satisfaction levels and these where compared to the sales average gross profit incomes averaged out over a 6-month period. A sample of 34 sales executives employed by the Kelston Motor group were sent the JDI questionnaire. These individuals were selected based on the length of time they have worked for the organisation. Each sales executive was given a pseudonym to ensure anonymity. The various sales executives average monthly gross profit earnings over a 6-month period were linked to these pseudonyms. This information was then linked to each respondent’s questionnaire before sending the questionnaire via email. The results of this study show that job satisfaction played a fairly insignificant role on sales executives performance. It was, however, found that job satisfaction had a direct effect on activities such as staff turnover and absenteeism which does have a direct impact on sales executives performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: McNaughton, Peter
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Job satisfaction -- South Africa -- Case studies , Employee attitude surveys -- South Africa , Kelston Motor Group (South Africa) -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4466 , vital:20675
- Description: This study explores the relationship of job satisfaction as measured on the Job Descriptive Index with sales performance per individual, aimed at investigating the relationship between job satisfaction and a sales executive’s performance. The Kelston Motor group was nominated as the organisation which the study would be conducted on. The approach to this study was to provide a sound academic base followed by a quantitative analysis. The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) questionnaire was used to determine the sales executives’ current satisfaction levels and these where compared to the sales average gross profit incomes averaged out over a 6-month period. A sample of 34 sales executives employed by the Kelston Motor group were sent the JDI questionnaire. These individuals were selected based on the length of time they have worked for the organisation. Each sales executive was given a pseudonym to ensure anonymity. The various sales executives average monthly gross profit earnings over a 6-month period were linked to these pseudonyms. This information was then linked to each respondent’s questionnaire before sending the questionnaire via email. The results of this study show that job satisfaction played a fairly insignificant role on sales executives performance. It was, however, found that job satisfaction had a direct effect on activities such as staff turnover and absenteeism which does have a direct impact on sales executives performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Factors affecting the implementation of the Water Services Provision (WSP) strategy at Amathole District Municipality (ADM)
- Authors: Snombo, Kanyisa
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5533 , vital:20939
- Description: Amathole District Municipality (ADM) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa changed its water service provision strategy in 2012 from decentralized to a centralized strategy as a way of trying to improve its water service delivery. Since this change, no study has been done to explore how the centralized water service strategy has so far been implemented at ADM. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to describe how ADM implemented its centralized water strategy and also assess the extent of alignment of strategy execution using Higgins’ (2005) 8 “S” model. Purposively, a total of five senior managers were identified and interviewed in East London as they were intimately involved in the daily operation of the water service provision over the years. Data gathered through audio recorded, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with each of the senior managers and also documented reports on Water Service Provision (WSP) were analyzed using thematic analysis into meaningful patterns reflecting each of the components of Higgins’ (2005) 8 “S” model. Findings of this qualitative study reveal that senior managers had different but complementary views of what strategy they were implementing at ADM. More importantly, the implementation of centralized water services provision model by ADM was characterized by deep and persistent vacancies of key technical but also managerial positions in the new structure. Furthermore while human and financial resources were inadequate to match with the depth and variety of changes necessary to have the requisite number of staff, ADM implemented the centralized water service strategy with poor skills mix which negatively impacted on quality of water service. While ADM had ten espoused shared values, none of these were commonly and widely shared by employees in their day-to-day world of work. Instead, employee’s behavior at ADM was practically shaped by the emergent values of cooperation, and employee care and recognition. Thus there was misalignment between espoused and practiced shared values. Furthermore there was also recurrent and deep misalignment between structure, staff, resources and water quality systems which compounded the difficulties experienced by ADM in pursuit of centralized water service provision. While the use of outsourced mechanical and electrical services was a remedy to staff shortages and the lack of skills mix, it ultimately further aggravated the financial challenges of ADM by draining more of the already limited financial resources. Recommendations for improving the implementation of centralized water service strategy and areas for further research are suggested.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Snombo, Kanyisa
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5533 , vital:20939
- Description: Amathole District Municipality (ADM) in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa changed its water service provision strategy in 2012 from decentralized to a centralized strategy as a way of trying to improve its water service delivery. Since this change, no study has been done to explore how the centralized water service strategy has so far been implemented at ADM. The aim of this exploratory qualitative study was to describe how ADM implemented its centralized water strategy and also assess the extent of alignment of strategy execution using Higgins’ (2005) 8 “S” model. Purposively, a total of five senior managers were identified and interviewed in East London as they were intimately involved in the daily operation of the water service provision over the years. Data gathered through audio recorded, in-depth and semi-structured interviews with each of the senior managers and also documented reports on Water Service Provision (WSP) were analyzed using thematic analysis into meaningful patterns reflecting each of the components of Higgins’ (2005) 8 “S” model. Findings of this qualitative study reveal that senior managers had different but complementary views of what strategy they were implementing at ADM. More importantly, the implementation of centralized water services provision model by ADM was characterized by deep and persistent vacancies of key technical but also managerial positions in the new structure. Furthermore while human and financial resources were inadequate to match with the depth and variety of changes necessary to have the requisite number of staff, ADM implemented the centralized water service strategy with poor skills mix which negatively impacted on quality of water service. While ADM had ten espoused shared values, none of these were commonly and widely shared by employees in their day-to-day world of work. Instead, employee’s behavior at ADM was practically shaped by the emergent values of cooperation, and employee care and recognition. Thus there was misalignment between espoused and practiced shared values. Furthermore there was also recurrent and deep misalignment between structure, staff, resources and water quality systems which compounded the difficulties experienced by ADM in pursuit of centralized water service provision. While the use of outsourced mechanical and electrical services was a remedy to staff shortages and the lack of skills mix, it ultimately further aggravated the financial challenges of ADM by draining more of the already limited financial resources. Recommendations for improving the implementation of centralized water service strategy and areas for further research are suggested.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Factors influencing retention and turnover of the South African healthcare workforce
- Authors: Isaacs, Janice
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Labor turnover -- South Africa Employee retention -- South Africa , Personnel management -- South Africa Organizational behavior -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16055 , vital:28316
- Description: South Africa experiences a steady loss of skilled workers, which compromises the provision of healthcare in the country. This study has explored and will outline the main factors that influence the decision of South African healthcare professionals to either remain with or leave their organisations. As migration involves both internal and external movement, the public sector is frequently overburdened as healthcare workers additionally tend to prefer working in the private sector with its offers of better financial incentives and better working conditions. That said, it has become apparent that it is not only financial factors but many other non-financial factors that play a role in employee turnover. From the literature explored for this paper, five main factors were identified and discussed for different groups of healthcare professionals. This study used a qualitative research approach by means of a content analysis, whereby data from secondary sources were reviewed. This study disregarded studies done in other countries and focused only on the South African healthcare sector. Push and pull factors were established and, during this process, HIV/AIDS, crime and human resources were identified as possible push factors that contribute to the movement of South Africa’s healthcare workers. Since the five main retention factors identified for the purpose of this research paper all fall under human resources, the study proposes a retention strategy that involves the revision of the employee value proposition for different healthcare groups, as their demands are not uniform. Financial as well as non-financial factors have been taken into account for the various employee value proposition frameworks. These factors must be dealt with congruently if retention and turnover strategies are to be successful. Factors that push healthcare workers from the public.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Isaacs, Janice
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Labor turnover -- South Africa Employee retention -- South Africa , Personnel management -- South Africa Organizational behavior -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16055 , vital:28316
- Description: South Africa experiences a steady loss of skilled workers, which compromises the provision of healthcare in the country. This study has explored and will outline the main factors that influence the decision of South African healthcare professionals to either remain with or leave their organisations. As migration involves both internal and external movement, the public sector is frequently overburdened as healthcare workers additionally tend to prefer working in the private sector with its offers of better financial incentives and better working conditions. That said, it has become apparent that it is not only financial factors but many other non-financial factors that play a role in employee turnover. From the literature explored for this paper, five main factors were identified and discussed for different groups of healthcare professionals. This study used a qualitative research approach by means of a content analysis, whereby data from secondary sources were reviewed. This study disregarded studies done in other countries and focused only on the South African healthcare sector. Push and pull factors were established and, during this process, HIV/AIDS, crime and human resources were identified as possible push factors that contribute to the movement of South Africa’s healthcare workers. Since the five main retention factors identified for the purpose of this research paper all fall under human resources, the study proposes a retention strategy that involves the revision of the employee value proposition for different healthcare groups, as their demands are not uniform. Financial as well as non-financial factors have been taken into account for the various employee value proposition frameworks. These factors must be dealt with congruently if retention and turnover strategies are to be successful. Factors that push healthcare workers from the public.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Factors that prevent black South Africans from attaining adequate levels of saving
- Authors: Mantashe, Zuko Nathi
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Saving and investment -- Blacks -- South Africa Finance, Personal -- Blacks -- South Africa , Economic development -- Blacks -- South Africa Economics -- Blacks -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18551 , vital:28676
- Description: South Africa is trailing behind its BRICS counterparts in terms of Gross national Savings rates. South Africa stands at around 16% of gross domestic product, fellow BRICS members China and Russia are standing at approximately 52% and 22% respectively. South Africa saw a decline from approximately 30% GDP to savings ratio before 1994 to the current level of approximately 16%. The trend has been very similar in comparison with India. The other similarity between these BRICS countries is that they all have seen very rapid growth. All economic indicators have indicated that the economies of the BRICS nations are very strong and have been performing at a superior level to South Africa. South Africa compares even worse with regards to household savings versus its BRICS counterparts. Various arguments and explanations as to why this is so come up on a number of social, government and corporate platforms. The “aspirational” culture is widely blamed for the poor showing of South African households when it comes to savings. The South African financial sector is very sophisticated and is widely blamed for the encouraging consumption and even worse credit consumption. An analysis done by Ecnometrics found that amongst the significant determinants of household saving rates are: uncertainty (inflation), income level, public sector savings, development’s in the global economy and government economic policy. The study revealed that the above factors were very influential in the rapid economic growth and increased per capita net worth seen of the most BRICS countries. The correlation between saving/investment and consumption/irresponsible consumer behavior is indicated to be a very strong one and takes a very longtime to evolve. This requires outrooting certain societal norms, attitudes and culture and replacing it with a brand new behavior, beliefs and aspirations. Role players that emerge as strong drivers in this phenomena is the societal culture however the other role player who prove to be prominent are the policy makers. In most cases the economic and gross national saving rates coincided with major economic policy reforms in the countries that have performed well.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mantashe, Zuko Nathi
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Saving and investment -- Blacks -- South Africa Finance, Personal -- Blacks -- South Africa , Economic development -- Blacks -- South Africa Economics -- Blacks -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18551 , vital:28676
- Description: South Africa is trailing behind its BRICS counterparts in terms of Gross national Savings rates. South Africa stands at around 16% of gross domestic product, fellow BRICS members China and Russia are standing at approximately 52% and 22% respectively. South Africa saw a decline from approximately 30% GDP to savings ratio before 1994 to the current level of approximately 16%. The trend has been very similar in comparison with India. The other similarity between these BRICS countries is that they all have seen very rapid growth. All economic indicators have indicated that the economies of the BRICS nations are very strong and have been performing at a superior level to South Africa. South Africa compares even worse with regards to household savings versus its BRICS counterparts. Various arguments and explanations as to why this is so come up on a number of social, government and corporate platforms. The “aspirational” culture is widely blamed for the poor showing of South African households when it comes to savings. The South African financial sector is very sophisticated and is widely blamed for the encouraging consumption and even worse credit consumption. An analysis done by Ecnometrics found that amongst the significant determinants of household saving rates are: uncertainty (inflation), income level, public sector savings, development’s in the global economy and government economic policy. The study revealed that the above factors were very influential in the rapid economic growth and increased per capita net worth seen of the most BRICS countries. The correlation between saving/investment and consumption/irresponsible consumer behavior is indicated to be a very strong one and takes a very longtime to evolve. This requires outrooting certain societal norms, attitudes and culture and replacing it with a brand new behavior, beliefs and aspirations. Role players that emerge as strong drivers in this phenomena is the societal culture however the other role player who prove to be prominent are the policy makers. In most cases the economic and gross national saving rates coincided with major economic policy reforms in the countries that have performed well.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs
- Authors: Boniwe, Sihlangule
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14598 , vital:27800
- Description: The situation in South Africa throws up a trickier and more unconventional challenge. The country has symptoms of a spatial realm that is not fully connected with the urban systems (spatially, socially, or structurally) and is certainly disconnected from the rural economy. This is the realm of the country’s townships and informal settlements. Conceptually, they are relics of the country’s special past, but the policies of post-apartheid South Africa have inadvertently kept their contemporary reality alive. In many ways, the townships and especially the informal settlements are similar to the slums in much of the developing world, although never was a slum formed with as much central planning and purpose as were some of the larger South African townships. This paper undertakes to understand the growth strategies of black township entrepreneurs in South Africa. This paper also undertakes to investigate the perceived influence of education, government policies, access to funding, market constraints, crime and social norms on the development or perceived growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs. Propositions are made and tested through conducting interviews with individuals involved with the dynamics presented by this subject on a day to day basis. Evidence collected is interpreted into knowledge and finally recommendations are made.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Boniwe, Sihlangule
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14598 , vital:27800
- Description: The situation in South Africa throws up a trickier and more unconventional challenge. The country has symptoms of a spatial realm that is not fully connected with the urban systems (spatially, socially, or structurally) and is certainly disconnected from the rural economy. This is the realm of the country’s townships and informal settlements. Conceptually, they are relics of the country’s special past, but the policies of post-apartheid South Africa have inadvertently kept their contemporary reality alive. In many ways, the townships and especially the informal settlements are similar to the slums in much of the developing world, although never was a slum formed with as much central planning and purpose as were some of the larger South African townships. This paper undertakes to understand the growth strategies of black township entrepreneurs in South Africa. This paper also undertakes to investigate the perceived influence of education, government policies, access to funding, market constraints, crime and social norms on the development or perceived growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs. Propositions are made and tested through conducting interviews with individuals involved with the dynamics presented by this subject on a day to day basis. Evidence collected is interpreted into knowledge and finally recommendations are made.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Happiness in the private physiotherapy sector of South Africa
- Authors: Elliot, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Happiness Well-being , Health behavior -- Economic aspects Economics -- Sociological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15171 , vital:28171
- Description: There is limited research pertaining to assessing the happiness levels of various disciplines within the healthcare industry. Furthermore, happiness and physiotherapy studies are two research areas that are not necessarily associated with one another on a global perspective. Hence, the happiness levels have not been adequately established for private physiotherapists. This treatise is the first attempt to evaluate the happiness levels of private physiotherapists in South Africa. A thorough literature review was conducted to determine the current climate of happiness studies pertaining to the business industry, with focus on private physiotherapy businesses in the healthcare sector. The literature review enabled the development of a hypothesised model, which was tested with quantitative techniques consisting of a questionnaire, data collection and statistical analysis. The research confirmed that influence, social relations, life balance, optimism, work and leisure are all positively associated with the happiness levels of private physiotherapists in South Africa. These variables are recommended as key focus areas for physiotherapy business owners to address, in order to positively affect happiness levels in the workplace and thereby create favourable bottom line results. In accordance with the reviewed literature and the findings of this treatise, by adequately addressing these variables the business owners of physiotherapy practices will generate a workforce that are more productive, demonstrate greater collaboration with colleagues and customers, produce happier customers, are more positively energised and are less absent and more loyal to the business. It is recommended that the proposed model is tested to provide further benefit to the industry by constructing evidence-based retention and recruitment strategies for high performing private physiotherapy staff.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Elliot, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Happiness Well-being , Health behavior -- Economic aspects Economics -- Sociological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15171 , vital:28171
- Description: There is limited research pertaining to assessing the happiness levels of various disciplines within the healthcare industry. Furthermore, happiness and physiotherapy studies are two research areas that are not necessarily associated with one another on a global perspective. Hence, the happiness levels have not been adequately established for private physiotherapists. This treatise is the first attempt to evaluate the happiness levels of private physiotherapists in South Africa. A thorough literature review was conducted to determine the current climate of happiness studies pertaining to the business industry, with focus on private physiotherapy businesses in the healthcare sector. The literature review enabled the development of a hypothesised model, which was tested with quantitative techniques consisting of a questionnaire, data collection and statistical analysis. The research confirmed that influence, social relations, life balance, optimism, work and leisure are all positively associated with the happiness levels of private physiotherapists in South Africa. These variables are recommended as key focus areas for physiotherapy business owners to address, in order to positively affect happiness levels in the workplace and thereby create favourable bottom line results. In accordance with the reviewed literature and the findings of this treatise, by adequately addressing these variables the business owners of physiotherapy practices will generate a workforce that are more productive, demonstrate greater collaboration with colleagues and customers, produce happier customers, are more positively energised and are less absent and more loyal to the business. It is recommended that the proposed model is tested to provide further benefit to the industry by constructing evidence-based retention and recruitment strategies for high performing private physiotherapy staff.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Identifying operations waste at a logistics service institution in Port Elizabeth
- Authors: Bailey, Grizenier
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Service industries -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17537 , vital:28376
- Description: In today’s dynamic market, it is crucial that logistics systems understand their activities and processes in an efficient way. Lean, in essence, is a method to assist companies in rendering efficient services to customers (Andrejic, 2013, p. 84). The Lean approach for waste elimination can be applied to many different types of operations whether in manufacturing or service industries. The identification of warehousing wastes is sometimes considered difficult in its identification within processes (Villareal, Garza, Rosas & Garcia, 2012, p. 278). The purpose of this case study is to contribute to finding a solution for the decreasing operational efficiency in the operation under study. The researcher found that this paper filled an important research gap in terms of offering management of the selected logistics institution a better understanding of the different waste types in each process. Operational areas such as receiving, unboxing, put-away, picking and issuing were examined as possible reasons for concern about service orientated wastes. The research was conducted through observations and thereafter a questionnaire was distributed amongst a sample of 40 employees within a specific logistics institution. The study discussed certain key factors in Lean, specifically focusing on the types of waste in a service environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Bailey, Grizenier
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth Service industries -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17537 , vital:28376
- Description: In today’s dynamic market, it is crucial that logistics systems understand their activities and processes in an efficient way. Lean, in essence, is a method to assist companies in rendering efficient services to customers (Andrejic, 2013, p. 84). The Lean approach for waste elimination can be applied to many different types of operations whether in manufacturing or service industries. The identification of warehousing wastes is sometimes considered difficult in its identification within processes (Villareal, Garza, Rosas & Garcia, 2012, p. 278). The purpose of this case study is to contribute to finding a solution for the decreasing operational efficiency in the operation under study. The researcher found that this paper filled an important research gap in terms of offering management of the selected logistics institution a better understanding of the different waste types in each process. Operational areas such as receiving, unboxing, put-away, picking and issuing were examined as possible reasons for concern about service orientated wastes. The research was conducted through observations and thereafter a questionnaire was distributed amongst a sample of 40 employees within a specific logistics institution. The study discussed certain key factors in Lean, specifically focusing on the types of waste in a service environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Improving revenue management at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality through customer relationship management
- Authors: Nogqala, Mbuzeli
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Revenue management -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Customer relations -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20191 , vital:29155
- Description: In South Africa, local government as represented by a number of municipalities, is at the coal-face of service delivery. As such, the effect of community displeasure with poor service delivery is usually directed at this sphere of government. To maintain and develop infrastructure such as roads and electricity, municipalities are dependent on financial grants allocated by the national government. Notably, in the main, municipalities are required to maximise their own sources of revenue in order to render the requisite operational services/activities. Inevitably, municipal budgets are usually not sufficient to meet the unlimited service delivery obligations required by the local communities. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is not immune to these interconnected revenue generation and service delivery priorities. The primary objective of the study is to establish an effective CRM framework that may enhance revenue collection at the NMBM. More specifically, the study investigates the nature of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at the NMBM, factors that are responsible for ineffective CRM at the NMBM, the impacts of ineffective CRM on revenue collection at the municipality and the ways in which a CRM framework suitable to improve revenue collection at the NMBM can be established. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 130 respondents from a population of 420 employees in the Revenue Management and Customer Care Sub-directorate of the municipality. In view of the primary objective of the study, participants were drawn from relevant divisions such as, customer care, debtor management, rates and valuations, billing coordination and receipting. Of 130 questionnaires distributed, only 121 usable questionnaires were returned. This translates to a response rate of 93%. The empirical results reveal that there is a positive relationship between CRM and revenue management. In addition to this, the empirical results show that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction, customer engagement, customer value, customer experience, service standards and CRM. Furthermore, the findings of the study show that more needs to be done, as very little has been achieved by the NMBM in the context of implementing measures to enhance CRM. In this regard, the study provides managerial and future research recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Nogqala, Mbuzeli
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Revenue management -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Customer relations -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20191 , vital:29155
- Description: In South Africa, local government as represented by a number of municipalities, is at the coal-face of service delivery. As such, the effect of community displeasure with poor service delivery is usually directed at this sphere of government. To maintain and develop infrastructure such as roads and electricity, municipalities are dependent on financial grants allocated by the national government. Notably, in the main, municipalities are required to maximise their own sources of revenue in order to render the requisite operational services/activities. Inevitably, municipal budgets are usually not sufficient to meet the unlimited service delivery obligations required by the local communities. The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is not immune to these interconnected revenue generation and service delivery priorities. The primary objective of the study is to establish an effective CRM framework that may enhance revenue collection at the NMBM. More specifically, the study investigates the nature of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) at the NMBM, factors that are responsible for ineffective CRM at the NMBM, the impacts of ineffective CRM on revenue collection at the municipality and the ways in which a CRM framework suitable to improve revenue collection at the NMBM can be established. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 130 respondents from a population of 420 employees in the Revenue Management and Customer Care Sub-directorate of the municipality. In view of the primary objective of the study, participants were drawn from relevant divisions such as, customer care, debtor management, rates and valuations, billing coordination and receipting. Of 130 questionnaires distributed, only 121 usable questionnaires were returned. This translates to a response rate of 93%. The empirical results reveal that there is a positive relationship between CRM and revenue management. In addition to this, the empirical results show that there is a positive relationship between customer satisfaction, customer engagement, customer value, customer experience, service standards and CRM. Furthermore, the findings of the study show that more needs to be done, as very little has been achieved by the NMBM in the context of implementing measures to enhance CRM. In this regard, the study provides managerial and future research recommendations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Improving the effectiveness of training in Sanlam sky
- Authors: Gonya, Odwa Otto
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Employees -- Training of -- Evaluation Occupational training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15116 , vital:28140
- Description: Sanlam Sky is a division of the Sanlam Group focusing on the developing markets. The division plays an important role in employing previously disadvantaged people with little or no prior training and experience. Training is the methodical development of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude that is required by the employee to perform a given task on the job satisfactorily. The training department therefore has a key responsibility of providing effective training to the newly appointed and existing employees and can be viewed as an essential vehicle for company success. The study identified that investment is allocated for the training and development of employees over the past years at Sanlam Sky and the organisation has not measured the effectiveness of training prior to this study. The main purpose of this study was to determine if the training initiatives at Sanlam Sky are effective or not and then identify factors to improve effectiveness of training at Sanlam Sky. The study also addresses the question of “what are the assessment methods for measuring T&D effectiveness that exist in the literature?” The empirical study included the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire amongst operations and distribution staff. Data was collected from multiple sources including 88 respondents and triangulated with unstructured interview data sourced from the learning managers; this data was used to assess the effectiveness of training and develop strategies for improvement. The findings indicate that the training provided at Sanlam Sky is effective, however there are no clear guidelines on identifying training needs in the organisation. The study identified that there is no evaluation framework that is used at Sanlam Sky. The trainees are not given an opportunity to choose how they want their training to be facilitated. Hypothesis of the study was tested and finally the study offers recommendations to be implemented in improving the effectiveness of training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Gonya, Odwa Otto
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Employees -- Training of -- Evaluation Occupational training
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/15116 , vital:28140
- Description: Sanlam Sky is a division of the Sanlam Group focusing on the developing markets. The division plays an important role in employing previously disadvantaged people with little or no prior training and experience. Training is the methodical development of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude that is required by the employee to perform a given task on the job satisfactorily. The training department therefore has a key responsibility of providing effective training to the newly appointed and existing employees and can be viewed as an essential vehicle for company success. The study identified that investment is allocated for the training and development of employees over the past years at Sanlam Sky and the organisation has not measured the effectiveness of training prior to this study. The main purpose of this study was to determine if the training initiatives at Sanlam Sky are effective or not and then identify factors to improve effectiveness of training at Sanlam Sky. The study also addresses the question of “what are the assessment methods for measuring T&D effectiveness that exist in the literature?” The empirical study included the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire amongst operations and distribution staff. Data was collected from multiple sources including 88 respondents and triangulated with unstructured interview data sourced from the learning managers; this data was used to assess the effectiveness of training and develop strategies for improvement. The findings indicate that the training provided at Sanlam Sky is effective, however there are no clear guidelines on identifying training needs in the organisation. The study identified that there is no evaluation framework that is used at Sanlam Sky. The trainees are not given an opportunity to choose how they want their training to be facilitated. Hypothesis of the study was tested and finally the study offers recommendations to be implemented in improving the effectiveness of training.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Information as a service for dairy farmers
- Authors: Hart, James Andrew
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Communication in agriculture -- South Africa Customer relations -- Management -- Agriculture -- Developing countries , Customer services -- Agriculture -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16000 , vital:28303
- Description: Communication with an organisation’s customers has become one of the most important factors that play a role in doing business today. Organisations that supply their customers with correct and different kinds of information create customer loyalty. Dairy farmers are no exception to the rule, because of the ongoing planning that dairy farmers need to do on a daily basis. Dairy farming in South Africa is extremely price sensitive and therefore information that can help in decision making plays an important role in making the right decision at the right time. The Internet has become an essential environment where information is readily available to anyone who has access to the technologies, such as smartphones, computers and tablets. Thus, it will be beneficial for both the organisation and the dairy farmer to have relevant information available on the organisation’s website. The information that is made available to the dairy farmers on these websites needs to be updated on a daily basis. The information must be relevant to dairy farming and must provide additional information besides the information that the specific organisation specialises in. Information as a Service (IaaS) for Dairy Farmers in South Africa is the focus of this research. The purpose of the investigation is to provide a means of providing the information needed by dairy farmers in South Africa, to enable them to make the right decisions on an operational level. The empirical data were collected, analysed and interpreted. From these findings a proposed communications framework is created to assist organisations to better communicate with dairy farmers in South Africa. The purpose of this research study is to design a framework which will provide IaaS to dairy farmers in South Africa. The research determined the different ways in which organisations can communicate with dairy farmers and the best time period in which that communication should take place for each specific communication strategy. Therefore, the aim of the research study was to determine the best ways to communicate with dairy farmers. A clear knowledge of the technologies that dairy farmers use to manage information was determined by the research study. The required information that dairy farmers need to make the correct decisions suitable for the requirement of farming on a practical level was determined by the research study.The proposed framework on Information as a Service for Dairy Farmers could help organisations to supply dairy farmers with the right information at the right time. The proposed framework will assist organisations dealing with dairy farmers easier and will also assist farmers, because the information provided as a service will be relevant to dairy farming. The treatise is an exploratory, mixed method research study which consists of literature reviews, surveys and cross-sectional studies. Secondary resources was used to conduct literature studies to determine the information needed by dairy farmers. A questionnaire was compiled from existing questionnaires as well as from literature studies and was completed by the respective respondents in the dairy farming community. The survey also consists of questions that determine what dairy farmers think about the service they receive from the organisations that they deal with. A cross-sectional study was used to compare the information needed specifically by pasture-based dairy farmers in relation to total mixed-ration-based dairy farmers. Both Descriptive and Inferential Statistical methods will be used for the analysis of the data. The communication systems can vary from Self-Help Groups to Mobile Technology. The type of communication system will depend on the systems that the organisation have available for their customers. The timing of communication with dairy farmers needs to be convenient and depends, according to literature, on the type of social networking that the organisation might use. An organisation that deals with dairy farmers needs to decide which Social Media site is most suitable when it needs to communicate with dairy farmers. The technology used to access information consist of Laptops, Smart Phones, Tablets and Desktops. Agricultural organisations provide information which dairy farmers need, to give them the correct guidance in performing good farming practices in order to produce safe, high-quality milk. The study will conclude with the development of a proposed communications framework where agricultural organisations can provide information as a service to dairy farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Hart, James Andrew
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Communication in agriculture -- South Africa Customer relations -- Management -- Agriculture -- Developing countries , Customer services -- Agriculture -- Developing countries
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/16000 , vital:28303
- Description: Communication with an organisation’s customers has become one of the most important factors that play a role in doing business today. Organisations that supply their customers with correct and different kinds of information create customer loyalty. Dairy farmers are no exception to the rule, because of the ongoing planning that dairy farmers need to do on a daily basis. Dairy farming in South Africa is extremely price sensitive and therefore information that can help in decision making plays an important role in making the right decision at the right time. The Internet has become an essential environment where information is readily available to anyone who has access to the technologies, such as smartphones, computers and tablets. Thus, it will be beneficial for both the organisation and the dairy farmer to have relevant information available on the organisation’s website. The information that is made available to the dairy farmers on these websites needs to be updated on a daily basis. The information must be relevant to dairy farming and must provide additional information besides the information that the specific organisation specialises in. Information as a Service (IaaS) for Dairy Farmers in South Africa is the focus of this research. The purpose of the investigation is to provide a means of providing the information needed by dairy farmers in South Africa, to enable them to make the right decisions on an operational level. The empirical data were collected, analysed and interpreted. From these findings a proposed communications framework is created to assist organisations to better communicate with dairy farmers in South Africa. The purpose of this research study is to design a framework which will provide IaaS to dairy farmers in South Africa. The research determined the different ways in which organisations can communicate with dairy farmers and the best time period in which that communication should take place for each specific communication strategy. Therefore, the aim of the research study was to determine the best ways to communicate with dairy farmers. A clear knowledge of the technologies that dairy farmers use to manage information was determined by the research study. The required information that dairy farmers need to make the correct decisions suitable for the requirement of farming on a practical level was determined by the research study.The proposed framework on Information as a Service for Dairy Farmers could help organisations to supply dairy farmers with the right information at the right time. The proposed framework will assist organisations dealing with dairy farmers easier and will also assist farmers, because the information provided as a service will be relevant to dairy farming. The treatise is an exploratory, mixed method research study which consists of literature reviews, surveys and cross-sectional studies. Secondary resources was used to conduct literature studies to determine the information needed by dairy farmers. A questionnaire was compiled from existing questionnaires as well as from literature studies and was completed by the respective respondents in the dairy farming community. The survey also consists of questions that determine what dairy farmers think about the service they receive from the organisations that they deal with. A cross-sectional study was used to compare the information needed specifically by pasture-based dairy farmers in relation to total mixed-ration-based dairy farmers. Both Descriptive and Inferential Statistical methods will be used for the analysis of the data. The communication systems can vary from Self-Help Groups to Mobile Technology. The type of communication system will depend on the systems that the organisation have available for their customers. The timing of communication with dairy farmers needs to be convenient and depends, according to literature, on the type of social networking that the organisation might use. An organisation that deals with dairy farmers needs to decide which Social Media site is most suitable when it needs to communicate with dairy farmers. The technology used to access information consist of Laptops, Smart Phones, Tablets and Desktops. Agricultural organisations provide information which dairy farmers need, to give them the correct guidance in performing good farming practices in order to produce safe, high-quality milk. The study will conclude with the development of a proposed communications framework where agricultural organisations can provide information as a service to dairy farmers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017