Work/family conflict across various life and career stages
- Authors: Bostock, Natalie Jean
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Work and family , Work environment , Well-being
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020157
- Description: This study examines Work Family Conflict including Work Interferes with Family (WIF) conflict, Family Interferes with Work (FIW) conflict, role overload, role interference and the impact of children across various life and career stages. Much of the research in this area focuses on the differences in the way the genders experience Work Family Conflict. Research has shown that various life and career stages can have a marked impact on this type of conflict and this study aims to determine how individuals in the various life and career stages experience this conflict. A correlational research design was used for this study. Using a five point likert scale, participants were asked to score their responses to seventeen items. The instrument was based on Duxbury and Mills Measure of Work Family Conflict (1990) (in Handbook of Quality-of-Life Research: An Ethical Perspective by Sirgy, 2001) with the inclusion of two additional items due to their high face validity. The questionnaire was distributed to human resources managers in organisations, friends, family members and colleagues and friends, family members and colleagues of theirs. Most of the responses were scored using a pencil and paper technique and the remainder was distributed using a Surveymonkey application on social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin. The overall sample size of respondents was 175. The raw data was entered on an excel spreadsheet and analysed using Statistica version 12 and Microsoft Excel applications with VBA macros developed by a consultant for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Unit for Statistical Consultation. . Statistics such as means, Cronbach alpha’s, relationships between factors, descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used to analyse the data. The results of this study demonstrate the need for organisations to take heed of the various challenges that individuals face in both the workplace and home environment and the different ways in which these are experienced across various life and career stages. This will enable them to design specific interventions to mitigate the effects of Work Family Conflict and improve employee’s level of performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Bostock, Natalie Jean
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Work and family , Work environment , Well-being
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9413 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020157
- Description: This study examines Work Family Conflict including Work Interferes with Family (WIF) conflict, Family Interferes with Work (FIW) conflict, role overload, role interference and the impact of children across various life and career stages. Much of the research in this area focuses on the differences in the way the genders experience Work Family Conflict. Research has shown that various life and career stages can have a marked impact on this type of conflict and this study aims to determine how individuals in the various life and career stages experience this conflict. A correlational research design was used for this study. Using a five point likert scale, participants were asked to score their responses to seventeen items. The instrument was based on Duxbury and Mills Measure of Work Family Conflict (1990) (in Handbook of Quality-of-Life Research: An Ethical Perspective by Sirgy, 2001) with the inclusion of two additional items due to their high face validity. The questionnaire was distributed to human resources managers in organisations, friends, family members and colleagues and friends, family members and colleagues of theirs. Most of the responses were scored using a pencil and paper technique and the remainder was distributed using a Surveymonkey application on social media platforms like Facebook and Linkedin. The overall sample size of respondents was 175. The raw data was entered on an excel spreadsheet and analysed using Statistica version 12 and Microsoft Excel applications with VBA macros developed by a consultant for the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Unit for Statistical Consultation. . Statistics such as means, Cronbach alpha’s, relationships between factors, descriptive statistics, MANOVA and Chi-squared tests were used to analyse the data. The results of this study demonstrate the need for organisations to take heed of the various challenges that individuals face in both the workplace and home environment and the different ways in which these are experienced across various life and career stages. This will enable them to design specific interventions to mitigate the effects of Work Family Conflict and improve employee’s level of performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Factors affecting information technology implementation in the mobile telecommunications industry: a family business case
- Authors: De Jong, Piet
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- Technological innovations , Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8629 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1486 , Mobile communication systems -- Technological innovations , Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Description: This treatise investigates how information technology (I.T.) enables growth in a family business (the firm) in Port Elizabeth. The firm operates in the mobile telecommunications sector. The objective of the study is to gain a deeper understanding on why family businesses adopt information technology in their firm by means of a case study. The firm found its technology (or lack thereof) completely out-dated compared to the competition and customer demands. The future of the firm was in jeopardy. The study starts with a literature review of the following three topics which form part of the scope of the research: 1. Family businesses; 2. Influence of I.T. as a driver of growth in business; and 3. An introduction into the mobile telecommunications industry. Data are collected through structured interviews with family members involved in the business. The data are consequently linked to the theory and provides insight as to what the drivers are for I.T. adoption and the required core competencies or critical success factors of the firm. Although it might seem trivial for a small family business to adopt information technology, the research concludes that I.T. is critical for continuous growth and survival of this family business. Conversely due to a lack of internal skills the firm is heavily reliant upon outside consultants for advice, implementation and support. Recommendations which are of particular interest to family businesses in a similar environment are: • Embrace technology early, utilise I.T. solutions to grow and enhance current competitive advantage, do not see I.T. as a competitive advantage alone (Pavlou & Sawy, 2006); • If information expertise is not present within the company it is advisable to invest in that expertise through recruitment, training, partnership, or outsourcing; • Ensure software meets specification / is effective enough – this can be achieved by frequent releases cycles with small changes instead of infrequent release cycles with many big changes; • Engage the consultants in a partnership by i.e. providing a profit share – this will ensure that the consultants are committed to the cause and will also ensure that their involvement is also in their own best interest; • Choose local consultants who are easily accessible – build relationships and focus on trust; • Create lock-in (Amit & Zott, 2001), provide tools free-ofcharge for customers, this will make switching to competitor more difficult; • Automate as much as possible, enable standard work practices, routinize; • Be ready to adjust the organisational structure or relinquish control (Bruquea & Moyanob, 2007)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: De Jong, Piet
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Mobile communication systems -- Technological innovations , Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8629 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1486 , Mobile communication systems -- Technological innovations , Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa
- Description: This treatise investigates how information technology (I.T.) enables growth in a family business (the firm) in Port Elizabeth. The firm operates in the mobile telecommunications sector. The objective of the study is to gain a deeper understanding on why family businesses adopt information technology in their firm by means of a case study. The firm found its technology (or lack thereof) completely out-dated compared to the competition and customer demands. The future of the firm was in jeopardy. The study starts with a literature review of the following three topics which form part of the scope of the research: 1. Family businesses; 2. Influence of I.T. as a driver of growth in business; and 3. An introduction into the mobile telecommunications industry. Data are collected through structured interviews with family members involved in the business. The data are consequently linked to the theory and provides insight as to what the drivers are for I.T. adoption and the required core competencies or critical success factors of the firm. Although it might seem trivial for a small family business to adopt information technology, the research concludes that I.T. is critical for continuous growth and survival of this family business. Conversely due to a lack of internal skills the firm is heavily reliant upon outside consultants for advice, implementation and support. Recommendations which are of particular interest to family businesses in a similar environment are: • Embrace technology early, utilise I.T. solutions to grow and enhance current competitive advantage, do not see I.T. as a competitive advantage alone (Pavlou & Sawy, 2006); • If information expertise is not present within the company it is advisable to invest in that expertise through recruitment, training, partnership, or outsourcing; • Ensure software meets specification / is effective enough – this can be achieved by frequent releases cycles with small changes instead of infrequent release cycles with many big changes; • Engage the consultants in a partnership by i.e. providing a profit share – this will ensure that the consultants are committed to the cause and will also ensure that their involvement is also in their own best interest; • Choose local consultants who are easily accessible – build relationships and focus on trust; • Create lock-in (Amit & Zott, 2001), provide tools free-ofcharge for customers, this will make switching to competitor more difficult; • Automate as much as possible, enable standard work practices, routinize; • Be ready to adjust the organisational structure or relinquish control (Bruquea & Moyanob, 2007)
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
The effect of a soil-amending hydrogel on Eucalyptus grandis establishment practices in the Zululand forestry region
- Authors: Viero, Paul Walter Mario
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Eucalyptus grandis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Forestry)
- Identifier: vital:10973 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/90 , Eucalyptus grandis
- Description: To ensure acceptable survival and initial growth of Eucalyptus grandis clonal and clonal hybrid material planted in the cool temperate and sub-tropical climates of Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) the planting seasons are currently restricted to the winter or summer months respectively. The Zululand coast (sub-tropical climate) experiences traditionally hot and humid summers and as a result Eucalyptus planting is largely restricted to the cool and dry winter months when survival is acceptable (90- 95%). In comparison, the Zululand interior (cool temperate climate) experiences moderately cooler summers followed by drier winters. As a result, the Eucalyptus planting season is reversed to that of the Zululand coast, with most of the planting taking place during the summer months with little or no planting occurring during winter. To ensure adequate transplant survival during and beyond these periods, transplants are planted with large volumes of water at a high cost. To determine whether it was possible to significantly reduce current water volumes at planting and therefore reduce costs, and to potentially extend the current planting seasons, two field trials were initiated during traditionally unsuitable planting periods (winter months for the Zululand interior and summer months for the Zululand coast). These trials were established near Kwambonambi on the Zululand coast and at Ntonjaneni in the Zululand interior. Five levels of water were combined with five levels of hydrogel and applied to the pit at planting in a 5 x 5 factorial treatment design for both trials. The tree variates of mortality, height, groundline diameter, crown diameter, corrected leaf surface index (LSIC) and corrected biomass index (BIC) were assessed at regular intervals until the final measurement dates (118 and 128 days after planting for the Ntonjaneni and Kwambonambi trials respectively). For the Kwambonambi trial, the response of transplant survival to the application water was highly significant (p<0,01) 128 days after planting, but not to the application of the hydrogel. Transplant survival nevertheless conformed to the silviculturally accepted norms of 90-95% using the hydrogel, thus water volumes could be significantly reduced without negatively affecting current survival standards. The lack of the expected response of significantly reduced transplant survival to increasing levels of hydrogel could possibly be attributed to the significant rainfall event (146 mm) that fell two days after trial initiation. Increasing levels of both water and hydrogel resulted in significantly enhanced growth (LSIC and BIC: p<0.01) for the final measurement date. For the Ntonjaneni trial, there was a significant (p<0,01) interaction between hydrogel and water, 118 days after planting. There were significant (p<0,01) differences between water only and all hydrogel treatments, with the hydrogel treatments performing significantly better. Optimum transplant survival for water only treatments was 50% using 4000 ml water while that for hydrogel treatments was 100% using 6 g hydrogel with 1000 ml of water and 12 g hydrogel with 2000 ml of water. The variates, corrected leaf surface index and corrected biomass index indicated that tree growth was significantly enhanced by the addition of a hydrogel over all levels of water. A pot trial was subsequently implemented to ascertain whether the significant increases obtained for initial transplant growth for the sandy clay loam soils of Ntonjaneni were due to an initial but unsustainable positive response of the roots to the presence of the hydrogel, or whether root growth was sustainably advantaged by the presence of the hydrogel. There was a highly significant (p<0,01) response of root biomass and above ground biomass over all levels of hydrogel, including a significant positive linear (p<0,01) relationship between increased root biomass and above ground biomass. This clearly indicated that initial root growth was not negatively affected by the addition of the soil-amending hydrogel Stockosorb 400K.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- Authors: Viero, Paul Walter Mario
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Eucalyptus grandis
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech (Forestry)
- Identifier: vital:10973 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/90 , Eucalyptus grandis
- Description: To ensure acceptable survival and initial growth of Eucalyptus grandis clonal and clonal hybrid material planted in the cool temperate and sub-tropical climates of Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa) the planting seasons are currently restricted to the winter or summer months respectively. The Zululand coast (sub-tropical climate) experiences traditionally hot and humid summers and as a result Eucalyptus planting is largely restricted to the cool and dry winter months when survival is acceptable (90- 95%). In comparison, the Zululand interior (cool temperate climate) experiences moderately cooler summers followed by drier winters. As a result, the Eucalyptus planting season is reversed to that of the Zululand coast, with most of the planting taking place during the summer months with little or no planting occurring during winter. To ensure adequate transplant survival during and beyond these periods, transplants are planted with large volumes of water at a high cost. To determine whether it was possible to significantly reduce current water volumes at planting and therefore reduce costs, and to potentially extend the current planting seasons, two field trials were initiated during traditionally unsuitable planting periods (winter months for the Zululand interior and summer months for the Zululand coast). These trials were established near Kwambonambi on the Zululand coast and at Ntonjaneni in the Zululand interior. Five levels of water were combined with five levels of hydrogel and applied to the pit at planting in a 5 x 5 factorial treatment design for both trials. The tree variates of mortality, height, groundline diameter, crown diameter, corrected leaf surface index (LSIC) and corrected biomass index (BIC) were assessed at regular intervals until the final measurement dates (118 and 128 days after planting for the Ntonjaneni and Kwambonambi trials respectively). For the Kwambonambi trial, the response of transplant survival to the application water was highly significant (p<0,01) 128 days after planting, but not to the application of the hydrogel. Transplant survival nevertheless conformed to the silviculturally accepted norms of 90-95% using the hydrogel, thus water volumes could be significantly reduced without negatively affecting current survival standards. The lack of the expected response of significantly reduced transplant survival to increasing levels of hydrogel could possibly be attributed to the significant rainfall event (146 mm) that fell two days after trial initiation. Increasing levels of both water and hydrogel resulted in significantly enhanced growth (LSIC and BIC: p<0.01) for the final measurement date. For the Ntonjaneni trial, there was a significant (p<0,01) interaction between hydrogel and water, 118 days after planting. There were significant (p<0,01) differences between water only and all hydrogel treatments, with the hydrogel treatments performing significantly better. Optimum transplant survival for water only treatments was 50% using 4000 ml water while that for hydrogel treatments was 100% using 6 g hydrogel with 1000 ml of water and 12 g hydrogel with 2000 ml of water. The variates, corrected leaf surface index and corrected biomass index indicated that tree growth was significantly enhanced by the addition of a hydrogel over all levels of water. A pot trial was subsequently implemented to ascertain whether the significant increases obtained for initial transplant growth for the sandy clay loam soils of Ntonjaneni were due to an initial but unsustainable positive response of the roots to the presence of the hydrogel, or whether root growth was sustainably advantaged by the presence of the hydrogel. There was a highly significant (p<0,01) response of root biomass and above ground biomass over all levels of hydrogel, including a significant positive linear (p<0,01) relationship between increased root biomass and above ground biomass. This clearly indicated that initial root growth was not negatively affected by the addition of the soil-amending hydrogel Stockosorb 400K.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2002
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »