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The preparation of BODIPY and porphyrin dyes and their cyclodextrin inclusion complexes and Pluronic® F-127 encapsulation micelles for use in PDT and PACT

  • Authors: Molupe, Nthabeleng
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Dyes and dyeing -- Chemistry , Drug delivery systems , Fluorescence spectroscopy , Cancer -- Photochemotherapy , Photosensitizing compounds -- Therapeutic use , Cyclodextrins -- Biotechnology , Nanoparticles
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/117574 , vital:34528
  • Description: Several novel BODIPY dyes ((4,4′-difluoro-1,7-tetramethyl-3,5-(3-dithiophene)-2,6-diiodo-8-(4-dimethylamino)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (1c), 4,4′-difluoro-1,7-tetramethyl-3,5-(3 dithiophene)-2,6-diiodo-8-(4-methylthio)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (3c) and 4,4′-difluoro-1,7-tetramethyl-3,5-(4-dibenzyloxybenzene)-2,6-diiodo-8-(4-methylbenzoate)-4 bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (4c)) and porphyrins (tetraacenaphthylporphyrin (7a) and Sn(IV) tetraacenaphthylporphyrin (7b)) were synthesized and characterized. Previously reported BODIPY dyes (4,4′-difluoro-1,7-tetramethyl-3,5-(2-dihydroxy)-2,6-diiodo-8-(4-bromo)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (5) and 4,4′-difluoro-1,7-tetramethyl-3,5-(2-dithiophene)-2,6-diiodo-8-(phenyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (6)) were also used. Pluronic® F-127 and cyclodextrins were used as solubilizing drug delivery agents for the synthesized BODIPY dyes. The encapsulation of BODIPY dyes with Pluronic® F-127 micelles improved the water solubility of the BODIPY 5. Further modification of Pluronic® F-127 by coating with folate-functionalized chitosan for targeted delivery of BODIPY 1c and 6 was explored. The BODIPY dyes and their encapsulation complexes exhibited significant inhibition of human MCF-7 breast cancer cell growth. When cyclodextrins were used as nanocarriers, the inclusion complexes of BODIPY 4c with mβCD were found to enhance the water-solubility of the dye. Greater photoinactivation of Staphylococcus aureus was observed for the inclusion complexes when compared to the effect of solutions of non-complexed BODIPY 4c. The cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of porphyrin 7b with mβCD were also found to enhance the water-solubility of 7b. When the photodynamic effect was evaluated, solutions of the porphyrin alone and their inclusion complexes were found to have significant photodynamic effects against human MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy in Africa: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Authors: Businge, Charles Bitamazire , Longo-Mbenza , Benjamin , Kengne, Andre Pascal
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Africa , Iodine , Pregnancy
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/5882 , vital:44662 , https://DOI:10.1186/s13643-019-1092-7
  • Description: Background: Insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy is associated with many adverse pregnancy outcomes. About 90% of African countries are at risk of iodine deficiency due to poor soils and dietary goitrogens. Pregnancy predisposes to insufficient iodine nutrition secondary to increased physiological demand and increased renal loss. Iodine deficiency is re-emerging in countries thought to be replete with pregnant women being the most affected. This review seeks to identify the degree of iodine nutrition in pregnancy on the entire African continent before and after the implementation of national iodization programmes. Methods: A systematic search of published literature will be conducted for observational studies that directly determined the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake among pregnant women in Africa. Electronic databases and grey literature will be searched for baseline data before the implementation of population-based iodine supplementation and for follow-up data up to December 2018. Screening of identified articles and data extraction will be conducted independently by two investigators. Risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using a risk of bias tool. Appropriate meta-analytic techniques will be used to pool prevalence estimates from studies with similar features, overall and by major characteristics including the region of the study, time period (before and after implementation of iodization programmes), sample size and age. Heterogeneity of the estimates across studies will be quantified and publication bias investigated. This protocol is reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. Discussion: This review will help ascertain the impact of national iodization programmes on the iodine nutrition status in pregnancy in Africa and advise policy on the necessity for monitoring and mitigating iodine deficiency in pregnancy in Africa. This review is part of a thesis that will be submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, for the award of a PhD in Medicine whose protocol has been granted ethics approval (UCT HREC 135/2018). In addition, the results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42018099434 Keywords: Iodine, Insufficiency, Pregnancy, Africa
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The protection against child labour in South Africa

  • Authors: Abrahams, Collis
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Child labor
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40204 , vital:35986
  • Description: This treatise seeks to describe the legal protection of children against child labour in South Africa. It does so within the context of international-law-protection in the form of Conventions of the International Labour Organisation. The treatise distinguishes between the concepts of child labour and child work and traces the history of international law prohibiting and regulating child labour. The two most important ILO Conventions, Convention 138 of 1973 and 182 of 1998 are considered in some detail before the national legislature is explained and analysed. From the discussion it is apparent that South Africa is giving effect to the applicable ILO Conventions. Not only does national legislation prohibit child labour, the state also adopted nation-wide programmes to eradicate child labour. Despite the efforts there is still room for improvement. The fight to eradicate child labour must continue!
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The psychological sequelae of the impact of violence perpetrated against men in intimate partner relationships: A systematic review

  • Authors: Warmington, Meagan Patricia
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Intimate partner violence -- South Africa , Gender based Violence -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45646 , vital:38923
  • Description: Men who are victims of intimate partner violence seem to be largely ignored in research and literature. This in part is linked to the perception of men as perpetrators, rather than as victims of violence. While intimate partner violence has been studied extensively across the world, through a number of disciplines, there appears to be a glaring gap in the literature. Men who are victims of intimate partner violence may experience the emotional and psychological consequences of violence differently, given the factors influencing the role of men in society. The resulting shame, guilt and even rejection may be factors explaining why these cases of violence are underreported. This research used a systematic review methodology and data was collected through online databases. Significant thematic findings identified included 1) the impact of stigma, 2) misrepresentation of the article content focus, and 3) the lack of awareness surrounding the act of male abuse within intimate partner relationships. The study findings suggested that male victims of intimate partner violence are likely to experience the psychological and emotional experiences that follow the experience. Further insight was given regarding the need to develop interventions that take into account the required social, psychological and emotional needs of men in violent intimate partner relationships.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between cultural intelligence and cross-cultural psychological capital amongst expatriates

  • Authors: Lamont, Mia Adri
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Cultural intelligence , Business anthropology Management -- Cross-cultural studies Corporate culture Work environment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40467 , vital:36168
  • Description: This study explored the relationship between Cross-cultural (CC) PsyCap and Cultural Intelligence (CQ) amongst expatriates. The literature review revealed preliminary relationships between the two constructs and illuminated the need to broaden and extend current research to expatriates specifically. The study followed a quantitative research design in the form of non-experimental, cross-sectional research using convenience and snowball sampling. A composite questionnaire comprising the CC PsyCap scale and Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) was used to measure CC PsyCap and CQ levels. This self-report measure was distributed via various social media platforms (N=102). Overall, the measurement models revealed high reliability in the present study. Although the modified hope subscale did not appear to be suited to the expatriate sample in the present study, confirmatory factor analysis revealed acceptable validity for both instruments overall. Significant differences were found in the means of CC PsyCap and CQ between demographic groups. Relationships between the constructs were tested through correlation-and regression analyses and several significant positive relationships were found between the constructs and their dimensions. Two of the strongest relationships found were between CC self-efficacy and CQ and between motivational CQ and CC PsyCap. Further, CC PsyCap was shown to account for a part of the variance in CQ and vice versa. This research adds to insights gained from the previously validated cross-cultural PsyCap measure and studies on the relationships between the two constructs.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between employee wellness and gratitude

  • Authors: Jordaan, Chrizelle
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Employee health promotion -- South Africa , Work environment -- Psychological aspects Gratitude Psychology, Industrial
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39984 , vital:35636
  • Description: A lack of research studies and available literature on the relationship between employee wellness and gratitude revealed enormous potential for further exploration and investigation, especially within a South African context. This is a relatively new field with limited literature and research evidence available. From the commencement of the research it was evident that there is possibility to successfully research if a relationship between employee wellness and gratitude exists, which formed the primary objective of the current study. The current study therefore aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge regarding the possible relationship that exists between employee wellness and gratitude within South African organisations. The researcher utilised a quantitative research technique by making use of a composite questionnaire measuring employee wellness and gratitude respectively. The results were then analysed in an attempt to establish if a relationship exists between employee wellness and gratitude, based on the responses gathered from the research population. The research sample consisted of 121 employees working in the waste collection industry. A combination of the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form, Gratitude Questionnaire (6-item form) as well as a demographic variable information page was utilised to gather data for the current study. The results indicated that significant findings between the demographic variables and the individual constructs respectively, however, the relationship between the dimensions of employee wellness and gratitude was lower than expected. Based on the results obtained within this study, it was concluded that a small relationship exists between employee wellness and gratitude. Chapter 5 includes a discussion on the recommendations for both the organisation as well as future researchers.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between exposure to traumatised complainants and secondary traumatic stress among police detective officers

  • Authors: Vilakazi, Julias Makhosonke
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Police -- Job stress -- South africa , Traumatic shock -- Psychological aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45668 , vital:38925
  • Description: South Africa is faced with high incidents of sexual violence and abuse, affecting a large part of the population either directly or indirectly.Previous studies have shown that a contact with victims of violent crime may cause psychological symptoms of Secondary traumatic Stress (STS) in police officers. Despite this knowledge, there appears to be a lack of studies that focus specifically on police detective officers (PDOs) in South Africa. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to traumatic complainants and STS among PDOs in the SAPS-FCS unit. Findings: The results have shown that most of the PDOs were exposed to traumatised complainants as they often conduct investigation, testify in court, escort complainants for biopsychosocial services and collect evidence from both complainants and perpetrators. The study further found that most PDOs were experiencing a degree of STS symptoms. Additionally, no significant statistical relationship was found between exposure to traumatised complainants and STS. Nonetheless, there is a statistically significant relationship between type of crimes and STS among PDOs in the SAPS-FCS unit. This study sheds light on how the PDOs are indirectly affected by the crimes experienced by complainants’, such as indecent assault and child molestation. This research can be used as a platform for the development of various interventions with police officials exposed to or affected by indirectly trauma. Future research should investigate other pivotal risks and protective factors such as environmental factors and personal factors that may have impacted on the development of STS in the PDOs.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between leadership behaviours and employee inclusion

  • Authors: Jagers,Leizel Hilary
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Leadership -- South Africa , Diversity in the workplace Organizational behavior Work -- Psychological aspects Psychology, Industrial
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40084 , vital:35753
  • Description: In recent times, the discussion on diversity has shifted to that of inclusion. Employee inclusion plays an integral role in the quality of the organisational environment to create an organisation that maximises and leverages diverse talents, backgrounds and perspectives of all employees to increase organisational success. Inclusion has emerged as a contemporary area of exploration while diversity embraces a rich body of research. Leadership theorists have yet to discover an approach to inclusive leadership. It is interesting to note the lack of integration concerning the relationship between leadership behaviours and employee inclusion within a South African context, thus it is worth exploring what meaning and interpretation employee inclusion holds in a diverse South African work context. The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between leadership behaviours and employee inclusion. A literature study was conducted to explore work previously done regarding leadership behaviours and employee inclusion. For the empirical study, a positivistic paradigm with a quantitative research method was utilised. The confectionary organisation under study is situated in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The leadership behaviours of production line managers (n = 11) contributing to employee inclusion of production line workers (n = 141) was studied by means of a survey in the research design. To compensate for the simplistic responses to complex issues, both closed-ended and open-ended surveys were administered. Random sampling was selected as the sampling strategy for this study. In addition, the research study made use of both inferential and descriptive statistic techniques. A statistically significant relationship exists between leadership behaviours and employee inclusion. The findings reveal that production line managers generally believe that they exhibit leadership behaviours associated with employee inclusion, whereas production line workers generally believe that their managers exhibit certain, but not all leadership behaviours associated with employee inclusion. Furthermore, production line managers leaned towards a positive point of view of their perception of the extent to which production line workers experience employee inclusion. However, most of production line workers leaned towards a negative point of view whilst the minority leaned towards a positive point of view in relation to the extent to which they experience employee inclusion. These findings suggest that components of leadership behaviour namely commitment, courage, cognizance of bias, curiosity, cultural intelligence and collaboration correlate strongly to employee inclusion in terms of uniqueness and belongingness. The leadership behaviours discussed in the literature and empirical study can contribute to future studies in terms of creating an inclusive leadership approach or style as this has not been discovered yet. Leaders should be aware of their leadership behaviours and familiarise themselves with and implement the preferred leadership behaviours for employee inclusion through self-development initiatives, leadership training and social change initiatives. Furthermore, leaders should practice leadership behaviours and techniques based on each situation, individual or group with a specific focus on the six signature traits of an inclusive leader and finally, organisations should create opportunities for employees to give feedback to their managers to raise awareness around the importance of employee inclusion.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between leadership styles and talent retention within South Africa

  • Authors: Liss, Kirstin
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Leadership styles
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44578 , vital:38139
  • Description: The challenge of retaining employees is becoming increasingly difficult. This purpose of this study was to examine if employee leadership style preferences are currently being met and whether a relationship exists between leadership styles and talent retention. Data from leadership styles and talent retention questionnaires was used in the analysis. The results of the paired sample t-test indicated that leadership style preferences were not currently being met by employees providing input to the research question. The relationship between leadership styles and talent retention were explored using a correlation and a relationship was found to be significant thus supporting the research question. Multiple linear regression analysis provided further support in this relationship and investigated to what extent leadership styles influence retention. A significant positive relationship was found in that the experience of negative or positive levels of leadership styles, will influence employee retention. Leadership styles are not currently being met by employees thus the retention of employees are at risk for organisations in South Africa. The study concludes with recommendations for research and Industrial and Organisational Psychologists in practice.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between Millon’s personality styles and the secondary traumatic stress beliefs of trauma counsellors

  • Authors: Rossouw, Gwynneth
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Treatment , Psychic trauma -- Treatment Personality assessment Stress (Psychology)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43545 , vital:36917
  • Description: The research aim of this study was to explore and describe the relationship between Millon’s personality styles and the secondary traumatic stress beliefs experienced by trauma counsellors. An exploratory-descriptive design was employed to collect the quantitative data by means of a biographical questionnaire, Millon’s Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (3rd Edition) (MCMI-III) and the Trauma and Attachment Belief Scale (TABS). Purposive sampling was used to select the participants from 22 organisations spread across the Port Elizabeth, Uitenhage and Cape Town geographical areas. A total number of 98 participants completed the MCMI-III and the TABS. The data were analysed using descriptive and correlational statistics. It was found that the relationship between many of the MCMI-III scales and the TABS was significant. The majority of the participants responded positively to the study as it made them more aware of their emotions. Certain conclusions and recommendations were made based on the findings of the study. The results for our sample showed that there is a strong and positive relationship between Millon’s personality styles and the secondary traumatic stress beliefs of trauma counsellors, which was found to be both practically and statistically significant. The use of discriminant analysis provided better prediction for this study as it enables better prediction on which personality type is more prone to develop STS in future. This is a study of limited scope and the participants were selected from counsellors working with victims of trauma. Furthermore, it would be useful for future research to investigate if demographic variables such as: age, gender, level of education, level of experience and the number of working hours with trauma could have an impact on developing STS.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between organisational culture and cross-team collaboration at an institution of higher learning

  • Authors: McGowan-Berry, Charlene Hilda
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Corporate culture , Organizational change Organizational behavior Organization -- Research Education, Higher -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/42628 , vital:36675
  • Description: Institutions of higher learning are under constant pressure to become more effective amidst lowering subsidies and increased student intake. Bozalek, Ngambi and Dachago (2013) identify a limit of resources as one of the major challenges facing higher education. As a result, resources and talent need to be more effectively utilised. There is also a growing call for closer co-operation across disciplines, for example in terms of increased interdisciplinary teaching and research to address real life issues. The opposite, namely a silo mentality where people focus on their own tasks without interacting and solving problems collaboratively, does not lead to excellence. Silos are invisible barriers which fragment organisations and make it difficult to cross boundaries (Cilliers & Greyvenstein, 2012). The primary objective of this study was to explore the existing culture at a selected university and to determine whether a relationship between organisational culture and cross-team collaboration existed. A positivistic research approach was followed and quantitative research methods were adopted. The target population included all of the academics from one of the campuses of the selected university. A non-probability sampling technique of convenience sampling was used. The Organisational Culture Questionnaire (OCQ) developed by Harrison (1993) was administered to 120 employees at the selected university. The results suggested that a Task and Role Culture was most evident at the University, but that a Support Culture was mostly supportive of cross-team collaboration. Recommendations were made for the University and for future research.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between perceived ethical leadership and employee life-satisfaction in South Africa

  • Authors: van Rooyen, Uné
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Leadership -- Moral and ethical aspects , Leadership Business ethics Social responsibility of business
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44100 , vital:37110
  • Description: Leadership behaviour has a significant impact on follower outcomes. How leaders are perceived in terms of ethical leadership and integrity may have an impact on follower well-being. This non-experimental, correlational study aimed to determine the relationships between Ethical Leadership, employee Life-satisfaction and Job-satisfaction in South Africa. Perceived Leader Integrity was used as an indicator of Ethical Leadership. Employing the survey method, Ethical Leadership was measured with the Perceived Leadership Integrity Scale (PLIS), Life-satisfaction was measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Job-satisfaction was measured with the Michigan Organisational Assessment Questionnaire Jobsatisfaction Subscale (MOAQ-JSS). The sample consisted of lower and middle managers in various organisations across different geographical locations in South Africa. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including Cronbach’s alpha testing, Person Product Moment correlation calculations as well as Independent samples T-tests and ANOVA statistics. The results indicated a positive, yet negligible relationship between Perceived Leader Integrity and Life-satisfaction, and a fair positive relationship between Perceived Leader Integrity and Job-satisfaction, as well as between Lifesatisfaction and Job-satisfaction. Despite several limitations, the study contributes to the current body of knowledge regarding leadership and well-being, specifically in a South African context. Recommendations for future research include cultural considerations, and more specific populations groups, among others.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between psychological capital and flourishing in the workplace

  • Authors: De Reuck, Jani
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Psychology, Industrial , Personnel management Human capital -- Psychological aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39491 , vital:35272
  • Description: Sales employees are often the most important channel a company uses to execute their strategies and generate income. Psychological capital emerged from the field of positive organisational scholarship, which believes that individuals and organisations will benefit from unlocking hidden potentials of employees by focusing on their strengths and positive qualities, leading to overall subjective well-being, referred to as flourishing. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between Psychological Capital and the Flourishing of retail sales employees. The current research study employed a descriptive, exploratory, quantitative and cross-sectional research design. Results were gathered through formal measurements using, The Psychological capital Questionnaire and the PERMA-Profiler and were analysed through the use of statistical measures. The Psychological Capital questionnaires were used to measure the construct of Psychological Capital (hope, resilience, optimism and self-efficacy). The PERMA-Profiler were utilised to measure the level of flourishing of the sample. Participants was selected by means of non-probability convenience sampling, while a sample of 350 retail sales employees employed at the three leading retail centres in Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, completed the questionnaires. Quantitative data obtained from the survey questionnaires, were analysed through the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. The Pearson product-moment correlation was used to determine the strength of the relationships between the variables and the level of significance was set at a 95% confidence interval level (p ≤ 0,05). Owing to the data being non-normal, the Kruskal Wallis test was used to compare the distribution of different populations and nonparametric post hoc, Mann-Whitney U test. Based on the findings, there was a significant relationship found between psychological capital and flourishing amongst the sample employees in the retail industry. It is therefore possible that those relationships may hold true for future studies, in different industries as well as different occupations. Further exploration of these constructs is required in the South African context to see if the result in the present study can be supported or not.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between psychological capital and work engagement among educators in Port Elizabeth

  • Authors: Van Kerkhof, Michelle
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Human capital -- Psychological aspects , Psychology, Industrial Employees -- Psychology Management|xPsychological aspects
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44145 , vital:37117
  • Description: Psychological Capital (PsyCap) and work engagement (WE) are both positive constructs which research shows has an advantageous effect on the performance of the organisation. The educational system, and in particular the job of the educator, remains an important field of study as 80% of schools in South Africa are deemed dysfunctional (Spaull, 2013). Although educators face numerous challenges, there are still educators who remain determined in their work role. This research used a cross-sectional design, using a composite questionnaire to measure PsyCap and WE. The self-report questionnaires were distributed to a sample of educators (n=106) of which 53% were from private schools and 47% were from public schools in Port Elizabeth. Various studies both locally and abroad confirm the reliability and validity of the PCQ-24 and UWES-9 measures utilised in this study. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between PsyCap and WE of educators. The relationship between PsyCap and WE was assessed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis. Furthermore, it also considered whether a significant distinction exists among the PsyCap and WE levels of private and public schools in Port Elizabeth. A t-test was used to establish the difference among the levels of PsyCap and WE of private and public school teachers. As indicated by previous research, the current study uncovered that PsyCap predicts WE, exhibiting a positive relationship among the constructs. In addition, this study found that there was a difference among the PsyCap and WE levels of private and public school teachers in Port Elizabeth.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between psychological capital and work engagement in a work setting

  • Authors: Rennick, Ashlynne Tamsyn
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Employees -- Psychology , Employee motivation Human capital -- Psychological aspects Work -- Psychological aspects Psychology, Industrial
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43534 , vital:36907
  • Description: According to research, psychological capital (PsyCap) and work engagement are two constructs within the realm of positive psychology that have a positive impact on employees. The importance of work engagement in organisations is evident in the global interest in human capital development. Work engagement has several positive outcomes such as job satisfaction, job performance and well-being that have been linked to PsyCap. Considering Positive Organisational Behaviour (POB) and understanding how this has an impact on public service sector employees is important. The purpose of this research is to describe the relationship between PsyCap and work engagement. The study was conducted in order to understand the levels of PsyCap and work engagement that exist in a work setting given the current global economic changes. A convenience survey design was used with a nonprobability sample (N=155) of NGO employees across South Africa in Port Elizabeth, East London and Johannesburg. The measuring instruments consisted of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-17) and a biographical questionnaire. The data was collected using the pencil-and-paper method. Demographic groups showed significant differences in the means for both PsyCap and work engagement. The study also found that participants scored high on work engagement and its dimensions indicating that participants experienced high levels of engagement in their work-related tasks. Consistent with previous research, the results of this study showed that PsyCap is a predictor of work engagement, indicating a positive relationship between the dimensions of PsyCap and the dimensions of work engagement.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between psychological contract, job satisfaction, organisation citizenship behaviour and turnover intention

  • Authors: Pal, Ajay Kumar
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Contracts -- Psychological aspects , Job satisfaction Organizational behavior Psychology, Industrial
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43127 , vital:36740
  • Description: Psychological contracts, which are made up of employees’ beliefs about the reciprocal obligations between them and their organisation, lie at the foundation of employment relationships (Rousseau, 1989; Schein, 1965). Yet many trends, such as restructuring, downsizing, increased reliance, pressure on cost and high competition, have a profound impact on employees and organisations, leading to an impact on psychological contracts. These trends increasingly make it unclear what the employee and organisation owe each other. The intention of this study is to the relationship between, psychological contract, job satisfaction, organisation citizenship behaviour, and turnover intention in the factory workers of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company based in the Durban area of South Africa. This research made use of quantitative research methods in order to conduct this study using a cross sectional design. A composite questionnaire was used to gather the necessary data for the study using a sample of 63 employees, which constitute 26% of work force working in the factory of a pharmaceutical company, represented by the different departments that operate in the factory setup. The quantitative findings indicate that all three of the measurement scales were reliable due to Cronbach’s alpha coefficient exceeding 0.60. Out of the three dependent variables, psychological contract is found to be highly correlated to job satisfaction. The findings of the study revealed that psychological contract has a positive medium correlation with job satisfaction, and that psychological contract has a medium negative correlation with turnover intention, while it has negligible correlation with organisation citizenship behaviour for the samples. The findings of this research study contribute to the literature available in terms of the construct of psychological contract, job satisfaction, organisation citizenship behaviour and turnover intention. Consequently, the results from this study provided the management of this company with important information on psychological contract and its relationship with work-related behaviours.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between reward preferences and occupational stress within the South African law environment

  • Authors: Orban, Shanice
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Psychology, Industrial , Stress (Psychology) -- Research Job stress
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/43101 , vital:36735
  • Description: The primary objective of this dissertation was to investigate the relationship between reward preferences and occupational stress within the South African law environment. In order to achieve this objective, the researcher tested a theoretical model using regression analysis, and made use of Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations. A further aim was to investigate whether differences existed according to different types of lawyers with regards to these constructs. This was done using t-Tests and analysis of variance tests. The questionnaire was completed by a total of 207 lawyers spanning across 21 law firms, in both the Eastern and Western Cape. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics which included frequency tables, and pie charts, and the aforementioned inferential statistics. The findings revealed a number of correlations between the factors of the two constructs, and significant differences with regards to the amount of stress experienced by employees within the law environment compared to the general population. The proposed theoretical model could be partially accepted as it showed that a correlation exists between Occupational Stress and the reward preference factors of Contingency Pay, Performance and Career Management, Quality Work Environment and Work/Home Integration, with no significant correlation between Occupational Stress and Base Pay and Benefits. Moreover, there was a statistically significant correlation between Distress and Reward Preferences, with no significant correlation between Coping Ability and Reward Preferences. The results of this study theoretically contribute to the area of reward preferences, and have uncovered a new area whereby reward preferences are shown to be related to occupational stress. The findings of this study hold important implications for the effective management and retention of key employees in the law environment within the South African context.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between reward preferences, psychological empowerment and emotional intelligence within the investment banking industry in South Africa

  • Authors: Michalopoulos, Maria
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Incentives in industry -- South Africa , Emotional intelligence -- South Africa Investment banking -- South Africa Financial services industry -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/41095 , vital:36295
  • Description: The primary objective of this dissertation was to investigate the relationship between reward preferences, psychological empowerment and emotional intelligence (EQ) within the investment banking industry in South Africa. The researcher tested a theoretical model using regression analysis and made use of Pearson’s Product Moment Correlations in order to reach this objective. The secondary aim was to determine whether any differences existed according to job level with regards to these three constructs. This was achieved through using analysis of variance and Tukey’s HSD test. A questionnaire comprised of the Reward Preferences Questionnaire, Psychological Empowerment Questionnaire and Schutte Self-report Emotional Intelligence test was completed by a total of 221 investment banking professionals and managers, working within South Africa from several different private banking firms, as well as from larger institutional banks across the country. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics, including frequency tables and pie charts, as well as the inferential statistics mentioned above. The findings revealed a number of correlations between the three constructs, as well as significant differences between job levels. The proposed theoretical model could be partially accepted as it showed that emotional intelligence acts as a partial mediator only when predicting Contingency Pay as a reward preference via psychological empowerment. In addition, emotional intelligence acts as a predictor for psychological empowerment and its subfactors, as well as the subconstructs that comprise reward preferences. These results provide topical insight into this line of research, as well as having contributed theoretically to these three constructs. Additionally, a gap in research was unveiled showing the various connections found between reward preferences, psychological empowerment and emotional intelligence. The findings of this study offer valuable implications concerning the effective management and performance of employees within the investment banking industry of South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between stock market development and economic growth in Africa

  • Authors: Mkhize, Siyanda
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Stock exchanges -- Africa , Africa -- Economic conditions -- 21st century , Economic development -- Africa -- 21st century , Capital market -- Africa , Finance -- Africa -- 21st century , Developing countries -- Economic conditions -- 21st century
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115149 , vital:34082
  • Description: Over the years there has been a substantial increase in the number of African stock markets. This has generated much interest from local and foreign investors, as these stock markets have had high returns. These conditions have created an interesting scenario for investigating the relationship between stock market development and economic growth. However, this opportunity has largely been neglected as the research on African stock market development is limited in developing economies relative to research conducted in developed countries. Furthermore, the research that has been conducted on the relationship between stock market development and economic growth in Africa, has generated inconclusive and conflicting results, in addition to this, the institutional quality of African countries is disregarded in most studies when the stock market development and economic growth nexus is analysed. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationship between stock market development and economic growth, incorporating institution variables to account for the institutional quality of African countries to provide clarity in this context. To achieve this, two sets of research hypotheses were created the first set aims to determine whether stock development has an influence on economic growth. The second set is to determine if there is any causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth. The study utilizes System Generalized Method of Moments models to examine the effect of stock market development on economic growth, in 18 African countries for the period 2003- 2016. The results indicate that market capitalization has a positive influence on economic growth whilst, contrastingly liquidity in the form of value traded has a negative effect on economic growth. The study further analyses the causal relationship between stock market development and economic growth, by employing the recently developed PVAR-Granger causality test. However, before this is done several Pedroni cointegration tests were first conducted to establish whether a long-term relationship exists between stock market development and economic growth, which revealed that no strong evidence of cointegration exists necessitating the use of a PVAR-Granger causality test. The PVAR-Granger causality test reveals that stock market development granger causes economic growth, irrespective of the stock market development measure used and there is no feedback effect from economic growth. The unilateral causality established in this study flowing from stock market development to economic growth supports the supply-leading hypothesis. The overall results of this study demonstrate that there is ambiguity on the impact of stock market development on economic growth, as the measures of stock market development have contrasting impacts on economic growth. The size component of stock market development in the form of market capitalization has positive influence whilst, liquidity in form of total value traded has a negative effect. However, the causal relationship is clearly shown to be unilaterally flowing from stock market development to economic growth.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

The relationship between trait anxiety, job insecurity and intention to quit among employees at Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality

  • Authors: Kavi, Bongiwe Morida
  • Date: 2019
  • Subjects: Job security Job stress -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Industrial Psychology)
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12337 , vital:39254
  • Description: There is relatively limited research based on trait anxiety, job insecurity and intention to quit and the relationship thereof. Job insecurity and anxiety are all reported in this study and in literature to have negative mental, emotional and even physical health hazards. The general objective of this study was to determine the moderating effect of trait anxiety on the relationship between job insecurity and intentions to quit. This study was solely quantitative in nature. The sample consisted of 122 municipality employees. The results emanating from the research indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between Trait anxiety, Job insecurity, and intention to quit among the sample of employees selected to participate in the research, which negatively influences job satisfaction, organisational commitment, job involvement and trust. The study also concluded that trait anxiety was a significant moderator to the relationship between job insecurity and employees’ intention to quit. However, adding job insecurity to trait anxiety did not significantly add unique variance in predicting intention to quit. Thus, adding job insecurity to trait anxiety as an additional predictor on intention to quit, results in a nonsignificant increase in the amount of variation. The findings will aid human resource officers, managers and practitioners who work with the objective of attracting, recruiting and retaining the best staff, the study recommends these stakeholders to continuously review the factors and aspects of the job that may invite the feeling of insecurity on the part of employees.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2019
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