A case study of role conflict experienced by change champions during organisational change
- Authors: Nakani-Mapoma, Xoliswa Faith
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Organization change , Organization change -- Management , Role conflict , Organizational behavior -- Case studies , Corporate culture -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/96848 , vital:31337
- Description: A change champion has been defined as a person from any level of the organisation who is skilled at initiating, facilitating and implementing change, and who can effectively champion organisational changes. From a review of the literature, it was anticipated that change champions may experience role conflict, due to the multiple roles that they needed to fulfil simultaneously. Informed by organisational role theory, this research investigated the change management programme of a specific public entity as a case study, and analysed the nature of the role conflict that change champions experienced during a specific organisational change. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four change champions, the change coordinator and the Executive Director Corporate Services. The organisational documents that relate to change management were also consulted with a view to providing background information and an overview of the change management programme. A deductive thematic analysis approach was used to analyse the data. A coding framework was developed prior to the collection of data, and was used for the identification of theoretical codes and themes in the data. The following codes were developed and explored as types of role conflict: role ambiguity, person role conflict, role strain, role overload and role incompatibility. In terms of the findings, this study confirmed that change champions did experience role conflict during organisational change, mainly due to various expectations that come from different role senders. In the light of these findings, it was recommended that senior managers could reduce the incidents of role conflict by training change champions, introducing an orientation programme for new change champions, consider their personal values when appointing them, and allocating sufficient time for change champions to fulfil this additional role. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge by drawing on role theory and applying it to change management, in order to provide insight on the role of change champions during the organisational change, and in particular the role conflict that they experienced.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A corporate social responsibility (CSR) analysis of the transformation of the mobile telephone industry of South Africa
- Authors: Nyamande, Godfrey
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social responsibility of business -- South Africa , Cell phone systems -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa , Mobile communication systems -- Moral and ethicsl aspects -- South Africa , Telecommunication -- Moral and ethicsl aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/93887 , vital:30967
- Description: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) requires companies to fulfil certain responsibilities in society that are outside of the core operational activities of the company. The socio-economic dynamics of the region or country that the company operates from, as well as the pressures those stakeholders tend to apply, have a bearing on the direction that the CSR development takes. Mirvis and Googins (2006) described the CSR developmental path followed by international companies. Before that Carroll (1991) had suggested a developmental pyramid that suggested that philanthropy represented the highest level of CSR development. This pyramid was later revised by Visser (2005) in order to suit the African environment. In South Africa CSR development is mainly driven by legislation through the BEE Act of 2003. This has resulted in the birth of industry charters that guide the development of CSR in different industries. To fulfil the requirements of the charter and score vital B-BBEE points, companies have to engage with both internal and external stakeholders, holistically. One such industry is the telecommunications industry, which formed the basis for this research, with special emphasis on the mobile telecommunications industry. The research set out to explore how the industry charter and company practices compared with the existing literature on CSR. The aim of this research was therefore to analyse the existing CSR practices in the mobile telecommunication industry in South Africa, where the B-BBEE Act plays a pivotal role in influencing practice. Using publically available documents, this research conducted an analysis of the B-BBEE components in the telecommunications charter as the catalyst to development of CSR in the South African mobile telecommunications industry, with the three dominant companies, - MTN, Vodacom and Cell C – being utilised as case studies. Key research findings were that transformation is still low in terms of equitable gender and racial representation at the top management level. The industry charter attempts to address these and other social challenges and economic problems. However, it does not address ecological issues that may emanate from the industry operations. Therefore, a CSR assessment framework that addresses all stakeholders for sustainable economic development is proposed.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A framework for capital structure decision-making in South African businesses
- Authors: Du Toit, Jan Lodewicus
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Corporations -- Finance -- South Africa , Business enterprises -- South Africa Decision making
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39567 , vital:35291
- Description: The research is undertaken to understand how businesses make their capital structure decisions by identifying and evaluating the factors to be considered in making capital structure decisions in South African businesses. Qualitative research methods are used in two phases. In phase one, a literature review is conducted to create a framework of strategic aspects to consider when making capital structure decisions. In phase two the framework is evaluated by conducting in-depth interviews. The purpose of phase two is to identify the strategic aspects that are considered in the South African business context. The literature overview identified twelve strategic aspects for consideration when making capital structure decisions, namely business risk, control, flexibility, growth rate, long-run viability, management constraints, management conservatism, market conditions, rating agencies, size, taxation and transactional cost. The framework of twelve strategic aspects to be considered when making capital structure decisions was empirically evaluated by means of interviews. The interview responses regarding the initial twelve strategic aspects were coded and three themes emerged, namely critical strategic decision-making factors (business risk, financial flexibility, tax advantage, and volatility of earnings cash flows); factors relating specifically to markets in South Africa (growth rate, long-term viability, market conditions, credit rating, and transaction costs) and autonomy of the decision-making process (control, management constraints, managerial conservatism, and size). During the interview process, it was indicated that the autonomy of the decision-making process theme (control structure, management constraints, managerial conservatism and business size) do not form part of the strategic capital structure decision-making process in their companies and should be omitted. The interviewees highlighted four additional themes that may affect their capital structure decisions, namely government interference in the market and in the local business; Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) rating; political stability, and state capture. The study suggests a proposed framework consisting of six themes that can be used to guide capital structure decisions in South Africa businesses.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A framework for the adoption and optimization of technology within Coega Business Center
- Authors: Zulu, Zwelibanzi
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Technological innovations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40206 , vital:35982
- Description: The special economic zone sector plays an important role in economies across the African continent. The mission of the COEGA Development Corporation (CDC) is to provide a competitive investment location supported by value added business services that ultimately enable socio-economic development. The Entity is mandated to develop and operate the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), which is located adjacent to the modern deep-water port facility, Port of Ngqura, developed and owned by Transnet National Ports Authority. The CDC attracts investors from all over the world and in different business sectors through investment promotion as well as Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The Coega Development Corporation whose core mandate is to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) struggles to adopt innovative information technologies expeditiously, which is problem for the organization. The organization currently has Information Technology (IT) systems and applications such as the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other IT systems that have been used, but there has been failure in maximizing the IT capabilities implemented internally. Employees are not understanding and seeing the benefit of using IT systems and there is no integration of systems within the CDC. This paper aims to acquire underlying knowledge of how IT is adopted in private sector organizations and further explore what factors impact its adoption. The main objective of this study was to propose a framework for adopting an optimizing technology usage within the Coega development Corporation to enhance productivity and efficiency. The study focused on the effect of components such as top management involvement, management styles, innovative organization culture, end user training, innovation diffusion, championship and knowledge management. In conclusion, this study showed the importance of optimizing technology, within the Coega Business Center. The author presented and made Recommendations on how to integrate the independent variables identified can influence the optimization of technology. v The proposed conceptual IT innovation adoption and optimization framework is a contribution to theory. This framework presents a detailed list of internal factors that influence IT adoption and optimization in government sector organizations such as the Coega Development Corporation. The author inferences that each factor within this framework signifies its importance and must be considered by organizations while adopting innovation technologies.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A framework of macroeconomic factors to be considered when evaluating commercial real estate development in sub-Saharan Africa
- Authors: Lawson, Stephen
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Commercial real estate -- Development -- Sub-Saharan Africa , Real estate investment -- Sub-Saharan Africa Macroeconomics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40072 , vital:35745
- Description: Sub-Saharan Africa as a region is one with great potential given the positive demographic trends experienced in recent history, trends expected to continue into the future. The factors contributing to this positive demographic trend include, improved healthcare, education and life expectancy, all of which have contributed to a younger and growing population. The younger and growing population, the majority of which are located within the working age group, have resulted in high rates of urbanisation as the populous move from traditional rural areas to more urbanised areas and cities in search of greater opportunities, employment, and ultimately, better quality of life. The positive population growth and urbanisation trends exhibited in the region provide an opportunity to the role players in industry and commerce, as they seek to take advantage of the growing consumer base. Accordingly, commercial real estate developers active within the region have an opportunity to satisfy the growing needs of the market given the low levels of commercial real estate stock available in the region. However, historically the region has served as a poor investment destination for commercial real estate given the dynamic and occasionally volatile political, economic and legal environments. The opportunity presented to commercial real estate developers as a result of the positive demographic trends is met with large scale risks in the form of a dynamic and ever-changing macroeconomic environment within the region. To ensure the success, profitability and longevity of their commercial real estate developments, active real estate developers and in pursuit of commercial real estate development in sub-Saharan Africa need to approach the opportunities in a cautious and informed manner. The purpose of the study is to develop a framework which will identify a common set of macroeconomic factors and associated variables in order to assist South African real estate developers in the identification, mitigation and management of macroeconomic risks when evaluating commercial real estate in sub- Saharan Africa. A frame of reference was developed on the PESTEL Analysis in order to identify factors within the macroeconomic environment, following which a literature-driven framework was developed after an extensive literature review process, which identified macroeconomic risk variables associated with each of the factors identified. The literature-driven framework was then tested through a series of semi-structured interviews, which comprised five suitably qualified and experienced respondents who are real estate developers currently active in pursuit of commercial real estate development in sub-Saharan Africa and are currently employed by or own a real estate development organisation. Following the data analysis of the respondent interviews, a proposed framework was developed which detailed the macroeconomic factors and associated variables to be considered when evaluating commercial real estate development in sub-Saharan Africa, by providing a ranked scale of relevance for the variables associated with the respective macroeconomic risk factors identified. The development of the proposed framework is intended to assist South African real estate developers in the identification, mitigation and management of macroeconomic risks when evaluating the development of commercial real estate in sub-Saharan Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A maintenance strategy assessment that supports quality electricity generation and availability
- Authors: Hendricks, Hubert
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Electric power distribution -- South Africa , Electric power production -- South Africa Electric power consumption -- South Africa Electric power -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40305 , vital:36133
- Description: This paper seeks to contribute to the solutions of some of the challenges faced within Eskom Generation with regards to sustainably supplying electricity to South Africa and the neighbouring countries – the approach used in this paper is to improve quality within the maintenance sphere, considering quality workmanship and high quality standard equipment normally increases reliability and availability – With an increased reliability and availability, there is a strong likelihood that Eskom equipment will be able to produce electricity sustainably. Furthermore, the research found that there are a number of aspects to incorporate into the business in order to have a well-rounded quality system within the business. The Maintenance department would need to have a strategy that is founded on the type of assets and life of the assets, the department needs to have a computerised maintenance management system that integrates with other relevant departments such as Finance who needs to guarantee correct budgets for the respective maintenance plans, Stores who will have to ensure correct stock levels to carry out maintenance works, and Procurement who will need to know which services and goods to prioritise among purchase requisitions and purchase orders. HR also plays an important role, as per the research, when it comes to training and development that can improve the abilities of the employees to provide a speedier and accurate service when he/she is more competent; Maintenance management along with engineers then have the crucial role of marrying these aspects to provide the maintenance philosophy for the business that is most suited to the equipment in the plant. If any of these aspects are missing, it becomes a bit challenging to have a complete quality result. Some of the tools that the research considered are TQM and TPM with a strong focus on WM pillar. WM provides for equipment to be part of a Preventative Maintenance schedule to ensure all equipment is properly cared for, and to ensure history and trends are captured for future planning. Even though this research was limited to assess Tutuka EMD strategy, the above principles are applicable and helpful for maintenance departments on a global scale, and not only limited to power industries.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A model for retaining employees in an organisation within the aviation industry
- Authors: Makalima, Odwa Vuyolwethu
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Employee retention , Labor turnover Job satsifaction Employee motivation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40800 , vital:36238
- Description: Staff turnover affects even the best of organisations. It results in positions with high employee turnover rates being left open for months on end in other cases with other employees being appointed to act in those positions. Even after appointments are made there is a time period before appointees are proficient in the company operations and procedures. Staff turnover not only affects management but the organisation as a whole. It can sometimes lead to a decrease in organisational efficiency and a drop in the performance of the remaining staff. Employee retention is amongst the issues facing organisational managers as a result of a shortage of skilled workers, economic growth and high employee turnover. Organisations can no longer afford to leave the responsibility of retaining skilled and high performing employees to the Human Resources department. Management needs to take accountability for reducing loss of talent. The aim of this study is to improve employee retention by investigating factors that affect intention to resign in an aviation organisation. The study specifically examined how independent variables such as trust in management, organisational values, growth and advancement opportunities, effective communication, and work-life balance will influence the intent to resign of employees in an aviation organisation. An empirical study, consisting of a mail survey was conducted amongst 151 employees of an organisation in the aviation industry based across all nine provinces. The purpose was to investigate the determinants of intent to resign among employees in the aviation industry. The key findings indicate that growth and advancement opportunities and work-life balance are key variables for reducing intent to resign and thereby improving retention in aviation organisations. Trust in management, organisational values and effective communication were found to not have a significant relationship with employees’ intent to resign. Recommendations were made to management to ensure that they pay specific attention to growth and advancement opportunities as well as work-life balance in order to improve the retention of their employees.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A model for smart factories in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector
- Authors: Mugwagwa, Basil
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Internet of things , Manufacturing processes -- Automation Drug factories Pharmaceutical technology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41897 , vital:36607
- Description: Since the turn of the century, the manufacturing industry has metamorphosed from manually driven systems to digitalisation. Product life cycles have shortened and customer demands have become more intense. Globalisation has brought about challenges that drive the need for smart manufacturing. Industry 4.0 has emerged as a response to these demands. The integration of various processes, facilities and systems throughout the value chain and digitalisation of physical systems is promoted in Industry 4.0. Due to increased competitive pressures, organisations are strategically looking at automation to deliver competitive advantage in delivering products at the right cost, quality, time and volumes to the customers. Organisations are therefore looking for manufacturing solutions that are technology driven, such as cyber-physical systems, big data, collaborative robots and the Internet of Things. This allows autonomous communication throughout the value chain between machine-to-machine and human-to-machine. The smart factory, a component of Industry 4.0, is a self-organised, modular, highly flexible and reconfigurable factory that enables the production of customised products at low cost, therefore maximising profitability. Smart manufacturing can bring about competitive advantages for an organisation. Labour concerns have been raised against automation and smart manufacturing, citing potential job losses, workforce redundancy and potential employee lay-offs. This unease, in turn, influences the employees’ attitude towards technology, which could lead either to its acceptance or refusal. The purpose of this research is to enhance the understanding of smart factories in the pharmaceutical industry by conducting a systematic analysis of the factors which influence the attitude of those involved towards a smart factory implementation. This study focuses on the perceptions among employees and management. The research is a quantitative study consisting of a literature review of the key concepts related to Industry 4.0, smart factories and technology-acceptance theories. The empirical study consisted of surveys completed by management and employees of one of the pharmaceutical manufacturers in South Africa. The questionnaire used in this research consists of questions regarding demographic data and questions regarding the perception of change and factors influencing attitudes towards the acceptance of technology, within the pharmaceutical manufacturing company. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the data into a more condensed form, which could simplify the identification of patterns in the data. Inferential statistics were used to validate if the conclusions made from the sample data could be inferred to a larger population. Various factors influence perceptions about ease of use and usefulness, which then, in turn, influence attitudes and the intention to use technology. These factors have been examined by numerous authors in the technology acceptance literature. Recommended factors based on the statistical analysis of the questionnaire results were identified. A model, supported by Exploratory Factor Analysis, Correlations and ANOVA Testing identified the following factors as having an influence on the Attitude towards the Positive Impact of Smart Factories, within the pharmaceutical manufacturing company: Training and Development, Individual Characteristics, Trust, Organisational Culture, Resources and Costs and Job Security. The importance of each factor was identified to understand its function how to improve the implementation of smart factories. The research results indicated that the perception of management and employees is different on factors like such as Training, Individual Characteristics, Trust, Resources and Costs, Automation and Support and Parent Company in relation to technology acceptance. There was however no difference in perception between managers and employees on Security, Government Laws and Regulations, Organisational Culture, Peer Support and Organisational Support in relation to technology acceptance. The research study contributed to the identification and understanding of the factors influencing the implementation of smart factories in the pharmaceutical industry.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A study on technology adoption in agriculture in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Keevy, Christine
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Agricultural implements -- Economic aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/48628 , vital:41054
- Description: arrival of the Fourth Industrial Revolution has brought with it a vast array of new technologies that can be applied across many industries and various applications, to help solve many of the social, economic and environmental issues the world faces. However, it also heralds in an unprecedented rate of change. The agricultural industry is expected to be heavily affected by new technology. As they are run by smaller management teams they may need support from organisations to introduce technologies. The study aims to identify drivers and barriers to technology adoption in agriculture through a conceptual model based on the Technology Adoption Model, Diffusion of Innovation Theory, and a Technology-Organisation-Environment Model, along with a thorough industry analysis. The study obtained quantitative data from 59 respondents from the Eastern Cape farming community. The key findings include the identification of Perceived Usefulness and Industry Pressures as the variables with a significant driving influence on the intention to adopt new technologies. However, Perceived Ease of Use, Employee Knowledge and External Support Structures were found to have a negative relationship with the adoption of technology. It has been interpreted that improvements in these areas may enable farmers to adopt technology more easily but that farmers feel sufficient pressure to make them adopt technology despite the complexities and lack of required internal skills or external support. Due to the low number of respondents, it is not possible to infer the findings on the larger population of farmers. The findings can therefore only be used as exploratory findings which need to be verified in focus groups, with farmers, before any action is taken. However, the findings in the study can be used to aid the definition of frameworks for further studies and the development of action plans to support farmers in the adoption of technology.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025
- Authors: Ghansar, Grant John
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Electric vehicles -- Economic aspects , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42152 , vital:36630
- Description: Disruption is an ongoing process. Nearly every industry has experienced some form of disruption, and these disruptions bring about a changing of the guard. At the turn of the twentieth century, the automobile of that era was considered to be a toy for the rich. Henry Ford, however, had a vision that changed this equation. He saw the automobile as a way to displace the horse and increase the ability to transport people over larger distances. Vehicles eventually became more affordable to the average person. The global automotive industry is currently ripe for disruption. An understanding and appreciation of Africa’s readiness for the future of electric vehicles will be off significant value to various stakeholders throughout Africa. This research will identify and describe current drivers that should be appreciated for the government, business communities, academic institutions, automotive manufacturer’s policy makers, and society at large to make intelligent decisions about Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025 and beyond. This study was aimed at identifying possible futures of Africa’s readiness for electric vehicles towards 2025. Causal Layered Analysis (CLA) and the Six Pillars of Futures were utilised as the preferred methodologies to respond to the research objectives of this study. A detailed literature study was undertaken to evaluate the existing body of knowledge on the research topic. The literature study revealed that several factors need to be addressed, and that there is a robust requirement for a fundamental shift in the ways and methods of planning the future of the automotive industry in Africa and its readiness for the electric vehicle industry towards 2025. Most major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) have already committed to changing their products and fleets to alternative mobility in the near future. As vehicles move toward EVs and self-driving, the future becomes more uncertain; thus, the focus on urban transport and clean mobility is pertinent in Africa due to its anticipated rapid increase in urban share, resulting in a mobility revolution in the coming years. Electric vehicles are therefore imminent, and with Africa being a developing continent, it is imperative that the individual countries are proactive in embracing the new disruption, and in doing so, become the front runners for the future transportation method.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Altruistic love culture and workers well-being: a study in workplace spirituality
- Authors: Simms, Michelle
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Employee assistance programs -- South Africa , Religion in the workplace Altruism Interpersonal relations and culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43468 , vital:36892
- Description: Business leaders and company analysts identify the fact that the marketplace necessitates flexibility and mobility to triumph over the competitive difficulties which businesses usually encounter. More recently approaches have focused on the role that people perform in bringing about competitive advantage and in particular strategies on how to increase Employee Well-being. Given the need for Employee Well-being in order to achieve desired work-related results, management has become progressively more enthusiastic about methods to improve the well-being of their employees. This research study seeks to make a contribution to this topic by investigating how Employee Well-being can be increased by inculcating an Altruistic Love culture amongst employees. To achieve this objective an Employee Well-Being Model was presented. Spiritual Leadership in the workplace was discussed as the theoretical framework with Altruistic Love as a feature in the intrinsic model of motivation explained further. Six values were defined and according to the theoretical framework were important in order to achieve Employee Well-being. These values were Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity, Compassion, Humility and Forgiveness. The Employee Well-Being Model served as a basis for the compilation of the survey questionnaire to investigate the role of Altruistic Love values in achieving Employee Well-being. The questionnaire was administered in two stages. The first was a printed survey distributed to all workers at a FMCG company called Springbok Discount Meat Centre. The second part was an electronic survey sent out by email, where a link to the online survey could be accessed. The empirical results revealed that Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity and Humility were significantly positively related to Employee Well-being. Compassion was significantly negatively related to Employee Well-being. It can consequently be postulated that there will be a significant improvement of Employee Well-Being in the workplace if Altruistic Love values, defined in the study as Appreciation, Kindness, Integrity and Humility are practised more often by employees including management.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An analysis of barriers to employee adoption of workplace health and safety standards at Eskom, Makhanda (Grahamstown)
- Authors: Makholwane, Nobubele
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Eskom (Firm) -- Employees -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Eskom (Firm) -- Management -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Industrial hygiene -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Employee motivation -- South Africa -- Makhanda
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/93898 , vital:30968
- Description: Workplace fatalities and injuries are a concern around the world, with over 2 million deaths because of workplace related activities. This makes safety culture in the workplace crucial to the sustainability of individuals, businesses and the society in general. Safety culture includes everything in the workplace, and is understood as common sense awareness and practice relating to safety. Central to developing a safety culture in an organization, is a good understanding of what safety problems existed in the past; what safety problems exist in the present, and what caused them, as well as what could be done to deal with those causes. The goal of this thesis, therefore, was to understand what barriers potentially exist for Eskom employees in Makhanda (Grahamstown) to understanding and adopting the company’s safety policies and measures. A secondary aim was to explore different strategies for addressing these barriers. In order to get to the goal, it was important to; first, understand which aspects of Eskom’s health and safety standards do employees have difficulty adopting. Second, it was important to investigate the specific barriers to employees’ non-adoption of health and safety standards, by understanding their perceptions of safety issues in the workplace. Third, based on the findings, the study aimed to propose recommendations for improving the adoption of safety policies and measures by employees of Eskom. The key findings of the study include the fact that car accidents are the company’s and employees major concern, but the employees also have many other concerns that they see as needing the company’s attention (e.g. dealing with attacks on employees by customers; focusing on incentives rather than harsh enforcement for violators of safety policies). However, it is also clear that most employees do see safety as their responsibility as well. The two key areas of recommendations are, first, that leadership of Eskom adopt alternative leadership styles that focus more on ethical leadership, rather than transactional leadership that focus on profit margins more than it does on people. Second, it is recommended that Eskom provide incentives for compliance with safety policies; more training and education about safety; encouragement for Eskom to not put so much pressure on employees, who can lead fatigue; rather they should employ more people to do the jobs that the high pressure. To conclude, this research argues that neither do employees not employers think death and injuries are good for anybody. This is why this researcher is hopeful that this will get better, not worse, in terms of having a firm safety culture at Eskom as a workplace environment.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An analysis of how smart ships are going to impact the manning costs of merchant ships by 2028
- Authors: Ramonyaluoe, Tshepo
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Shipping
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43024 , vital:36725
- Description: The maritime shipping industry is one of the most important industries in global logistics and economics. It facilitates international trade of goods and other commodities, whilst also supporting other sectors like tourism and the oil and gas industry. Despite technological breakthroughs over the years, the maritime shipping industry has not undergone any huge and fundamental changes in the way it conducts business. This is about to drastically change with the advent of the fourth industrial revolution. For the past two decades, the industry has been battling escalating operating costs due to challenges pertaining to diminishing skilled labour, increasing fuel costs and growing environmental concerns. These challenges are fast approaching crisis levels and a solution appears to be on the horizon in the form of smart ships; autonomous and remotely controlled ships that fully embrace the benefits of artificial intelligence, robotics and automation. The main purpose of this research is to determine how smart ships are going to affect the costs of manning a merchant ship by 2028. The study analyses the voyage cost structure of merchant's vessels, and looks at how smart ships are going to impact the costs of crewing a ship. This is a qualitative study that employed futures methodology called Environmental Scanning. This paper has led to conclusions and recommendations that should enable maritime shipping companies and agents to develop strategies that yield increased competitiveness in the age of smart technologies and big data.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An analysis of logistics companies as contributors to efficient supply chain solution to the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela Bay
- Authors: Nyweba, Akhona Gcinashe Andiswa
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Business logistics -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality , Industrial procurement -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Physical distribution of goods -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42957 , vital:36714
- Description: Nelson Mandela Bay region is one of the leading provinces that are contributing positively to the South African economy as the province is privillaged to being the home for giant multinational original equipment manufactureres (OEMs) such as Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA), Isuzu South Africa, Ford South Africa, First Auto Works (FAW), Beijing Automoive Industry Holding Company (BAIC) South Africa, Mercedes and Daimler. To support these automotive companies, logistics companies such as Transnet State Owned Company (SOC) Ltd, DHL South Africa, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) need to ensure that they positively influence the smooth transition of goods. However there are challenges of cost and inefficiences currently faced by the industry. These challenges effectively affect economic growth and the sustainability of the automotive industry. Against this background, this treatise investigates and seeks to address the underlying factors contributing to the ineffectiveness and inefficiency in supply chain for the industry. By establising and understanding how the logistic companies can contribute towards the sustainanbility of the automotive industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay region by driving efficiences in the value chain. The logistics companies are major influencers in the value chain for the industry and by breaking down logistics and supply chains as enablers will be beneficial for the industry. The overall objectives are to reveal and address the automotive industry’s supply chain challenges in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness. This will ultimately contribute to reducing the cost of doing business and improve the competitiveness of the industry. Furthermore to that, the researcher looked at the internal aspects such as resource availability, current infrastracture in the region, interconnection between road, rail and sea. On the external aspects, the researcher looked at the economic stability in the region, unemployment rate, and conduction of customer surveys to analyse how the automotive industry can be helped. These conclusions indicate that the above mentioned factors are contributing to the state of supply chain solutions in the Nelson Mandela Bay region and the recommendations highlighted will make a positive impact in the automotive industry within region. The study was done using the quantitative business research methodology, with an electronic survey as the measuring instrument. The sample consisted of industry players in the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela Bay region. Future research regarding the topic on hand which is to analyse logistics companies as contributors to efficient supply chain solution to the automotive industry within the Nelson Mandela bay could be futher extended to other geographical arears. Furthermore, the research could be used by other industries to gain advantage on how their value chains can be improved thereby positively inpacting the overall trade and investment of the country and boosting econonomic stability for the country.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An assessment of community partnerships with Amadlelo Agri in the Keiskammahoek dairy: A case of Amahlathi Local Municipality
- Authors: Hlobongwana, Vukile
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture -- Economic aspects , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Farms, Small -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40150 , vital:35821
- Description: The study is based on partnerships between a rural agricultural community of South Africa and a private dairy company based in the Eastern Cape Province. The Department of Rural Development took an initiative to revitalise all the schemes inherited from the former homelands. Although profits earned from agriculture tend not to be immediate but rather gradual, the advancement of agriculture stimulates economic activity in other sectors. Amadlelo Agri in partnership with the communities and Government have turned this into a multi- million-rand profitable business. The challenge is how to replicate the model to operate on a large scale. The current setup has its pitfalls, and these include cutting of fences and allowing village animals to graze in the pastures belonging to the Dairy. To ensure that the study was well articulated and to assess and address those challenges, the project utilised a case study inquiry of the Amahlathi local municipality in the specific partnership of Amadlelo Agri and the Keiskammahoek community in shared milk ownership initiative. Primary data was collected using simple mixed methods research approach to 8 community members as the instrument was more aligned to the qualitative nature of the inquiry. Gathered data was organised and cleaned manually for analysis. Following the review and discussion of the findings the main findings that the study observed in the assessment of the benefits of community partnerships or sharedownerships are as follows: female and youths are not participating in such types of programmes; contradiction exists between participants regarding the objectives of the initiative; there is a lack of clarity from the developer side with regards to the type of shared ownership initiative; farmers lack the know-how of appropriately handling funds, strategic planning and marketing skills; partnerships are very influential in the creation of work culture and coordination in the community; resource endowment is a crucial factor hindering small scale farmers; and farmers’ training, development and update is lacking consistency. Recommendations put emphasis on ensuring that training is consistent and rigorous to ensure that the community will gain experience of the value of the project which can motivate and ensure that protection is improved by the same community members due to sense of ownership.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An evaluation of loyalty programmes
- Authors: Thaver, Aneshree Terrilla
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Customer loyalty programs -- South Africa , Customer clubs -- Evaluation Customer relations -- Evaluation Customer services -- Management Consumer satisfaction -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43856 , vital:37062
- Description: A Loyalty Programme, is the term most commonly used to summarise various Customer Relationship Management programmes instituted by companies, to endear and encourage loyalty from customers. In order to better understand the component of loyalty within the context of Loyalty Programmes, a dimensional approach has been suggested. The dimensional approach is based firstly, on behavioural loyalty theories, which focus on purchase patterns to qualify/quantify loyalty. Secondly, it included attitudinal loyalty measures to account for customer’s actions and feelings to aid in both the conceptualisation and measurement of loyalty. The need to understand and evaluate the effects of programmes specifically designed to promote loyalty from customers has prompted a surge in academic research, which has led to great debate over the effectiveness of these programmes. Previous empirical research has provided divergent findings and many polarised views abound. This is due in part to the lack of consistent research methodologies, concepts and measurements of previous studies, which has made the comparison of Loyalty Programmes increasingly difficult. However, despite these challenges, there remains substantial evidence in support of the overall effectiveness of Loyalty Programmes. The aim of this research has been to focus on developing a model to evaluate the components of Loyalty Programmes based on attitudinal and behavioural loyalty dimensions, with the view of recommending components that should be included in the design of Loyalty Programmes. An in-depth literature review was conducted and the two dimensions of loyalty (attitudinal and behavioural) were examined. Additionally, the following Theories were explored Social Exchange Theory, Equity Theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour, to examine the interchange between participants of Loyalty Programmes. The review of literature further laid the foundation for the conceptual model that proposed purchase behaviour, trust, communication, personalisation, flexibility, rewards and methods of participation as components which influenced Loyalty Programmes. A multi-method study, with 1090 respondents, was conducted and a proposed conceptual model was compiled. An analysis was conducted through various descriptive and inferential statistical tests as well as Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis. The results of the study identified the following factors Attitudinal loyalty (Attitudinal – Communication, Attitudinal – Flexibility, Attitudinal – General, Attitudinal – Rewards (Personal and Monetary) and Attitudinal – Trust) and Behavioural loyalty (Behavioural – Communication, Behavioural – Flexibility, Behavioural – General, Behavioural – Personalisation, Behavioural – Purchasing Behaviour, Behavioural – Rewards and Behavioural – Trust) to be of influence with regard to the effectiveness of Loyalty Programmes. The study concludes with managerial recommendations for the improvement in the design of Loyalty Programmes to enhance Attitudinal and Behavioural loyalty from participants. The recommendations from this study are based on the three strongest factor relationships identified through Pearson Product Moment Correlations. They are (a) Attitude – General and Behavioural – General (0.723), (b) Attitude – Communication and Behavioural – Communication (0.691) and (c) Attitude – Trust and Behavioural – Trust (0.595). Hence it is suggested that communication surrounding Loyalty Programmes needs to embrace new technologies and adopt a multichannel and multi-directional strategy to be more responsive to customers. Furthermore, trust was found to be influential in Loyalty Programme participation and how managers used the shared personal data, impacted customer willingness to participate in Loyalty Programmes. This study found that overall purchasing behaviour is poorly influenced by Loyalty Card/Programmes, as discounts and promotions did not sway shopper purchasing behaviour and that the most preferred rewards were monetary, free shipping and brand partnerships. In summary, consideration should be given to the type, flexibility and expiration of rewards offered. Further, a regular review of personalisation strategies, customer expectations and participation methods are recommended to bridge the mismatch between idle membership and active participation in Loyalty Programmes.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An evaluation of social team building intervention on MBA group formation
- Authors: Westraadt, Johan Ewald
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Team learning approach in education , Business Administration -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45679 , vital:38926
- Description: Teamwork and the ability to work effectively in a team is a critical skill in a technologically complex workplace where no individual can possess all the knowledge and skills. MBA programmes, therefore, require students to work in collaborative learning groups in order to not only share their knowledge and skills, but also to develop the needed team-based competencies. However, collaborative learning groups are prone to many pitfalls that could result in intra-group conflict and inefficiencies such as social loafing, where the group performance is less than the sum of the output of the individual members when working alone. Team development interventions (TDI) aim to improve team-based competencies of a team. One type of TDI that is often employed is social team building. It typically consists of a one-day extra-mural excursion involving some non-work-related tasks performed by teams to improve interpersonal relationships. The MBA groups are pre-allocated at the start of the academic programme and team building interventions are therefore needed to facilitate group formation. The main research question in this study deals with the effectiveness of these social team building TDI’s to promote group formation. The literature of teams and the factors that influence team effectivity were reviewed. Input-Process-Output models relate the factors that drive team performance. Three team viability measures critical to a teams’ performance were identified namely, group cohesion, group communication and goal-setting. There is strong empirical evidence that these factors contribute positively to the performance of the team. The influence of team building interventions on each of these factors were discussed. There is empirical evidence for the impact of team building interventions on these affective outcomes. However, empirical evidence for the link to objective performance measures is still lacking
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- Date Issued: 2019
An exploratory case study of accelerator programmes in the Republic of South Africa
- Authors: Mametse, Mmankitseng Lerato
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/92639 , vital:30737
- Description: South Africa is facing a challenge of poverty, unemployment and low growth. Government has identified the small and medium-sized business (SME) sector as one of the ways through which to combat these challenges. Government has also set up programmes and agencies to support SMEs in their search for funding and other kinds of support. South Africa, however, has one of the highest rates of SME failures in the world, with the majority not surviving beyond three years. Alternative interventions are therefore required to support South Africa’s SMEs to become sustainable companies beyond three years and to contribute positively to economic growth, poverty alleviation and job creation. This paper explores one kind of intervention that has been used internationally and that is increasingly being adopted in South Africa. Accelerator programmes, aimed at supporting start-ups to get to the next level of their development, have been growing in numbers around the world, trying to replicate the success of the original accelerator programme – the Y Combinator – which was responsible for the success of household names such as Airbnb and Dropbox. Accelerator programmes help start-up companies define and build their initial products, identify promising customer segments, and secure resources, including capital and employees. By making these necessary resources available to start-ups, it may be possible to ensure that fewer start-ups fail and more SMEs remain sustainable into the future. Several accelerator programmes have been founded in South Africa, all with a similar aim: to accelerate the development of start-ups that have the potential to grow exponentially given access to the right resources. This paper examines how South African accelerator programmes work in terms of the key resources made available to the start-ups that participate in their programmes. An increasing number of academic papers have been written on accelerator programmes internationally, but little information is available for the South African context. This research study investigated the phenomenon of accelerator programmes in South Africa through the lens of Resource-based Theory. The theory posits that, in order to gain a sustained competitive advantage, companies need to utilise their resources (including physical, human and organisational) in a manner that is effective and efficient, both internally and externally. The research answers the following questions: How do accelerator programmes work in South Africa? What value (in terms of resources offered) do they claim to bring to start-ups that go through their accelerator programmes? An exploratory case study method was selected to understand the phenomenon of accelerator programmes in South Africa. Purposeful sampling was used in the selection of accelerator programmes, as it allows for the selection of information-rich cases. The research findings indicate that accelerator programmes in South Africa follow the structure of providing start-ups, over a period between three months and one year, with resources that will assist them to be successful into the future. The investigation finds that human and financial resources are some of the most valuable resources that accelerator programmes provide to start-ups to help progress these start-ups to their next level of development. The most important resource is mentorship from knowledgeable industry players who are themselves entrepreneurs. Access to networks to gain access to the market, as well as funding, is also made available by accelerator programmes. This investigation provides a glimpse of the accelerator programme phenomenon in South Africa and highlights the important role that mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs, and access to markets and funding, play in the development of start-ups.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An exploratory view of e-governance as a driver of operational efficiency in the Amathole District Municipality
- Authors: Masiza, Luthando
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Internet in public administration , Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Information technology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Electronic government information -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42639 , vital:36676
- Description: This study is an exploration on how e-governance can be utilised as a means to attain operational efficiency. The study analyses matters around benefits and challenges, needs and sustainability. It specifically focussed on exploring means through which e-governance could be used as a leverage towards operational efficiency. The study was conducted in the context of the Amathole District Municipality from the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. It made use of mixed research methods, blending qualitative methods with quantitative methods. The primary data used in this study was collected from managers who are employees of the Municipality. Analysis of responses was more inclined towards interpretivist paradigm. Analysis made use of the study used thematic analysis and codes. The analysis provided in this study clearly outlined the link between operational efficiency and service delivery as facilitated by e-governance. While there were a few respondents who could not differentiate between e-governance and e-government, most were able to clearly differentiate the two. Outstanding benefits of e-governance were identified as being cost-saving, enhanced communication and improved decisions among several others. The study also revealed several factors inhibiting the acceleration of e-governance. Outstanding among these challenges include, technological illiteracy, cyber-crime and online trust. The ultimate recommendation was that citizens, businesses and the government must separately and collectively develop strategies, enhancing e-governance through harnessing the internet technology.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Analysis of strategies for an effective Supply Chain Management Policy Framework in the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.
- Authors: Balman, Vuyani Brian
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Industrial procurement -- Management Business logistics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/36299 , vital:33918
- Description: After the 1994 general elections, the government realised the importance of efficient and effective financial management and public sector procurement for the rebuilding of South Africa. This was done by embarking on a major review of its financial and supply chain management systems. The financial and supply chain management systems operate in an ever-changing environment, and that requires that these systems are fit for purpose. Supply Chain Management is one of the cornerstones for the performance of any organisation or company. Section 217 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa requires organs of state irrespective of whether they are at National, Provincial or Local government level to apply a procurement system which is fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective when contracting for goods and services. The Constitution also attempts to protect and advance persons disadvantaged by unfair discrimination. Supply Chain Management has met an ever-increasing interest over the past decade. This interest comes from within the industry due to the huge amounts involved in procurement and the supply chain value creation. Every society strives to be in a state where every need is available and every citizen has what he/she requires to be able to leave a fulfilled life. In order to meet the needs of societies, member of the society carry out economic activities. The public procurement practice and systems have been acclaimed, based on empirical evidence, as the best means of guaranteeing the provision of public goods to the Citizens and public expenditure management.
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- Date Issued: 2019