Human resources strategies for creating a green organisational culture
- Authors: Jacobs, Petro
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Personnel management , Environmental responsibility Corporate culture Social responsibility of business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22090 , vital:29839
- Description: Organisations of the future have to focus strongly on sustainability to meet the needs of and ensure the survival of future generations. Many organisations either ignore environmental issues or address these issues superficially. To become a green organisation, requires a change in attitude, knowledge and behaviour and therefore a change in organisational culture. The purpose of this study was to explore Human Resources strategies for developing and implementing a green organisational culture in organisations. To address the main problem and the identified sub-problems, a literature study was undertaken. The concept of sustainability was explored, the rationale for going green and major stakeholders in creating a green organisational culture were identified. The literature study provided a synopsis of previous research on HR strategies for managing a culture change and more specifically, for creating and implementing a green culture in organisations. The research revealed that leadership, communication, recruitment, orientation, training, performance management, reward and recognition initiatives, as well as discipline, could be used to develop green values, attitudes and behaviours among organisational members. A web-based survey with a questionnaire as data collecting instrument was conducted among public and private organisations in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area to determine the extent to which these organisations used the identified HR strategies to create a green organisational culture. A snowball sample technique was used. The main factors surveyed, included leadership, green technologies, green communication, HR strategies and procedures, brand communication and brand image. The results confirmed that executives or senior management were the main drivers to create a green culture; however, even though these leaders were considered passionate about the environment, they did not optimise the vision values and strategy to build a green organisational culture. The study also confirmed that although these organisations used green technologies to reduce waste, they did not encourage or reward employees for their contributions to green initiatives and did not adequately use communication in this respect. The results revealed that of the factors surveyed, leadership and HR strategies or procedures contributed the most to organisations developing a green organisational brand or image. The study confirmed the importance of using an integrated approach to develop a green organisation. Such an approach is initiated by senior management, through the formulation of a green vision, green values and a green strategy, and is supported by both technological resources and employee contributions. In addition, HR strategies should be aligned vertically and horizontally to develop an appropriate green mind-set and behaviour among all organisational members. In this respect, the HR department should also model appropriate green behaviours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Jacobs, Petro
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Personnel management , Environmental responsibility Corporate culture Social responsibility of business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/22090 , vital:29839
- Description: Organisations of the future have to focus strongly on sustainability to meet the needs of and ensure the survival of future generations. Many organisations either ignore environmental issues or address these issues superficially. To become a green organisation, requires a change in attitude, knowledge and behaviour and therefore a change in organisational culture. The purpose of this study was to explore Human Resources strategies for developing and implementing a green organisational culture in organisations. To address the main problem and the identified sub-problems, a literature study was undertaken. The concept of sustainability was explored, the rationale for going green and major stakeholders in creating a green organisational culture were identified. The literature study provided a synopsis of previous research on HR strategies for managing a culture change and more specifically, for creating and implementing a green culture in organisations. The research revealed that leadership, communication, recruitment, orientation, training, performance management, reward and recognition initiatives, as well as discipline, could be used to develop green values, attitudes and behaviours among organisational members. A web-based survey with a questionnaire as data collecting instrument was conducted among public and private organisations in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan area to determine the extent to which these organisations used the identified HR strategies to create a green organisational culture. A snowball sample technique was used. The main factors surveyed, included leadership, green technologies, green communication, HR strategies and procedures, brand communication and brand image. The results confirmed that executives or senior management were the main drivers to create a green culture; however, even though these leaders were considered passionate about the environment, they did not optimise the vision values and strategy to build a green organisational culture. The study also confirmed that although these organisations used green technologies to reduce waste, they did not encourage or reward employees for their contributions to green initiatives and did not adequately use communication in this respect. The results revealed that of the factors surveyed, leadership and HR strategies or procedures contributed the most to organisations developing a green organisational brand or image. The study confirmed the importance of using an integrated approach to develop a green organisation. Such an approach is initiated by senior management, through the formulation of a green vision, green values and a green strategy, and is supported by both technological resources and employee contributions. In addition, HR strategies should be aligned vertically and horizontally to develop an appropriate green mind-set and behaviour among all organisational members. In this respect, the HR department should also model appropriate green behaviours.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The effect of using a six brick Duplo block guided play approach on pre-school learners’ visual perceptual abilities
- Authors: Jemutai, Sarah
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Teaching -- Aids and devices , Early childhood education -- South Africa Early childhood education -- Kenya Education, Preschool -- South Africa Education, Preschool -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17724 , vital:28442
- Description: This study investigated the possible effects that the use of guided play using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach might have in terms of the development of aspects of visual perception in pre-literate 5-7year old children. An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was employed. Seventy-seven Grade R learners in two schools, one in the Republic of South Africa and the other in the Republic of Kenya, comprised the purposive convenience sample. Quantitative pre- and post-intervention data were generated using the Visual Perception Aspects Test (VPAT) and analysed using Excel functions to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. The pre-test mean score in the Kenyan school was statistically and practically significantly lower than the South African pre-test mean score. This difference was attributed to the amount and type of play that took place in the natural settings of these schools prior to the intervention and the nature and amount of play material available in each. The largest improvements from the pre- to post-tests occurred in the South African and Kenyan experimental groups and the difference between them dropped from the 99% level of confidence in the pre-test to the 95% level of confidence in the post-test. These findings suggest that using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach may accelerate the development of aspects of visual discrimination in pre-literate 5-7-year-old children and that the approach may be most effective when used with children who have had little previous exposure to guided play at school. Qualitative data were obtained through open-ended classroom observations and semi-structured teacher interviews with the experimental group class teachers. Classroom observation revealed that the learners were enthusiastic about the guided play and the semi-structured interviews revealed that they realise the importance of using guided play for developing the visual skills necessary for reading, writing and numeracy. The overall findings of this study suggest that the development of aspects of visual perception were accelerated in the study sample of pre-literate Grade R learners when their teachers facilitated guided play using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach. Recommendations are made that curriculum developers, early childhood advisors and teachers should be made aware of the potential of using guided play and reconsider the Piaget‟s stages of cognitive development to design appropriate instructional materials that promote learners‟ visual perceptual growth and development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Jemutai, Sarah
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Teaching -- Aids and devices , Early childhood education -- South Africa Early childhood education -- Kenya Education, Preschool -- South Africa Education, Preschool -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17724 , vital:28442
- Description: This study investigated the possible effects that the use of guided play using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach might have in terms of the development of aspects of visual perception in pre-literate 5-7year old children. An explanatory sequential mixed-method design was employed. Seventy-seven Grade R learners in two schools, one in the Republic of South Africa and the other in the Republic of Kenya, comprised the purposive convenience sample. Quantitative pre- and post-intervention data were generated using the Visual Perception Aspects Test (VPAT) and analysed using Excel functions to generate descriptive and inferential statistics. The pre-test mean score in the Kenyan school was statistically and practically significantly lower than the South African pre-test mean score. This difference was attributed to the amount and type of play that took place in the natural settings of these schools prior to the intervention and the nature and amount of play material available in each. The largest improvements from the pre- to post-tests occurred in the South African and Kenyan experimental groups and the difference between them dropped from the 99% level of confidence in the pre-test to the 95% level of confidence in the post-test. These findings suggest that using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach may accelerate the development of aspects of visual discrimination in pre-literate 5-7-year-old children and that the approach may be most effective when used with children who have had little previous exposure to guided play at school. Qualitative data were obtained through open-ended classroom observations and semi-structured teacher interviews with the experimental group class teachers. Classroom observation revealed that the learners were enthusiastic about the guided play and the semi-structured interviews revealed that they realise the importance of using guided play for developing the visual skills necessary for reading, writing and numeracy. The overall findings of this study suggest that the development of aspects of visual perception were accelerated in the study sample of pre-literate Grade R learners when their teachers facilitated guided play using the 6 Brick Duplo Block approach. Recommendations are made that curriculum developers, early childhood advisors and teachers should be made aware of the potential of using guided play and reconsider the Piaget‟s stages of cognitive development to design appropriate instructional materials that promote learners‟ visual perceptual growth and development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- «
- ‹
- 1
- ›
- »