Masters Degrees (Human Resource Management)

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The Efficacy of the skills development act in the manufacturing and retail sectors - Pietermaritzburg areas.
(2006) Singh, Amritha.; Hunter, Clive Robert.
This study is concerned with the efficacy of the Skills Development Act in promoting skills development and training in South Africa. Skills development and training was examined in the context of the 30 manufacturing companies and 20 retail companies based in Pietermaritzburg. Firstly, the literature study provided a foundation on which to base the idea that skills development and training is vital in order for a country to achieve economic success. Secondly, efforts of other countries in promoting skills development and training were examined. Thirdly, skills development and training was examined in the South African context. The literature study lent support to the idea that there is a need for skills development in South Africa, considering factors such as HIV/AIDS, the shortage of scarce skills and labour demand trends in the South African labour market and the South African economy. The field study involved the use of questionnaires to gather data from the respondents. The results of the field study were group into pre-defined variables. The variables were then correlated and hypothesis testing was conducted to test the relationship between the variables. The main conclusions of the study are based on the hypothesis testing and the results of the field study and are detailed below. 1. The perceived effectiveness of the Skills Development Act was found to be a positive correlate of the effectiveness of training, the application of effective training procedures, the percentage of employers conducting formal training and the percentage of training costs recovered from the SETAs. 2. Training was perceived to be effective in terms of employee learning, employee performance and organizational performance. 3. There was an even split between companies that applied effective training procedures and those that did not. 4. Compliance with the Act was a pre-requisite for selection of the sample, however full participation in the Act was found to be lacking in general. This means that the majority of companies in the sample did not submit Workplace Skills Plans and Implementation of Training reports. 5. Compliance with the Skills Development Act was found to be a correlate of the application of effective training procedures, assistance received from the SETAs, the perceived effectiveness of training and the perceived effectiveness of the Skills Development Act. 6. It was generally perceived that the assistance received from the SETAs was poor. 7. On-the-job training was found to be prevalent in all companies; however formal training was more prevalent in companies that have a large number of employees. The average rate of formal training was calculated as 29.64%. 8. The number of employees was found to be a correlate of the percentage of formal training conducted, the percentage of training costs recovered from the SETAs, the perceived effectiveness of training and the application of effective training procedures.
Investigation of work-life balance in organisations in KwaZulu-Natal : comparison with the United Kingdom.
(2008) Nzimande, Judith.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
It has become imperative for organisations to create family-friendly work-environments, where employees can effectively balance work and family life, in order to ensure employee satisfaction and increased productivity. It is important to establish how far South African organisations are in creating such environments and how much still need to be done as employee productivity ultimately impacts on the country's economic performance. This research study was concerned with dissecting the concept of work-life balance by highlighting the various types of flexible work arrangements that exist and comparing the legislations that promote work-life balance in South Africa with those of UK. The study was conducted in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal in Durban. A questionnaire was administered to 84 adults occupying management positions in various corporate organisations in Durban. The analysed findings revealed that South KwaZulu-Natal organisations are far behind UK in adopting and implementing work-life balance initiatives. South African organisations must introduce more flexible-working arrangements and the government must improve family-friendly legislation. South Africa still has a lot of work to do in introducing family-friendly legislation. Recommendations were also made with regards to what organisations as well as the government need to do in implementing work-life balance initiatives.
Rationale for the participation of low level employees in industrial action in a public sector provincial department.
(2008) Jugwanth, Usha.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
It has been observed within the provincial department under study, that officials occupying levels 1-4 constituted approximately 70% of the population that participated in the National Public Service Strike of 2007. Higher level employees piggy-back on the efforts of low level employees, since they do not participate in industrial action, do not have any deductions made from their salaries due to the implementation of the 'no work no pay' rule, but derive benefits from the collective efforts of industrial action. This study explored the rationale for the participation of low level employees in industrial action in a Public Sector Provincial Department. The objectives of the study was to establish the psychological motivation for low level employees engaging in collective action and the types of behaviour low level employees engage in when participating in industrial action. In this study, the population constituted all level 1-4 employees that participated in the Public Service Strike of 2007. The sample included 80 subjects that were selected, using the probability simple random sampling design, from the population. The questionnaire was used as a data collection tool. Frequency distributions, percentages, chisquare distributions and graphs were used to analyse the data. Very strong response rates were received for subjects indicating that they did not participate in strike/protest action because they thought that they can have a holiday or that the supervisor will not be at work. Very strong response rates were also recorded for subjects indicating that they did not force/influence other people to participate in strike/protest action when they themselves participated in strike/protest action. Strong response rates were received for subjects indicating that they did not participate in strike/protest action because other employees of similar level as them participated in strike/protest action, they were not absent on the day of a strike/protest action because of the pressure from union officials or that they were forced by union officials not to attend work, that when they participated in strike/protest action they were notified by the union about the strike, that when they participated in strike/protest action they participated in union marches/rallies, that they participated in strike/protest action because their grievances were not attended to and that they participated in strike/protest action because they believed that they could control events by their own behaviour. Moderate response rates were recorded for subjects indicating that they participated in strike/protest because they felt that they were worse off than other employees who earn more and have greater benefits than they have, that they participated in strike/protest because they were frustrated and dissatisfied in the work place and that they participated in strike/protest action because they believed that such behaviour could impact on political processes. This study has provided greater insight into the rationale for the participation of low level employees in industrial action despite the monetary losses they suffer due to the implementation of the 'no work no pay' rule.
An analysis of the perceptions of expatriate academics on the factors affecting their work performance.
(2009) Henha, Pauline Ngo.; Vayej, Jameela.
This study examines the perceived influence of the following factors on the performance of expatriate academics: biographical profile, social and cultural adjustment, homesickness, language, organizational socialization, and satisfaction with the policies and practices of the organization with regard to salary, rewards and promotion. The study was conducted on a sample of 85 expatriate academics employees of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). The research data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire where all answers were requested using a five point likert scale (from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree‟) except for the section on the biographical profile of the participants. In other words, the research data captured the perceptions of the respondents measured on the above-mentioned scale. This means for example that every expatriate academic in the study made a self-assessment of his or her work performance. The research sample was constructed using a snowball sampling method. The results obtained from the inferential statistical analysis indicate that language is the only predictor of work performance. The frequencies and means analysis revealed that respondents are not quite satisfied with their salary and rewards. Correlation analysis also revealed the following relationships between the research variables: a correlation was found between social and cultural adjustment and homesickness; a correlation was found between social and cultural adjustment and organizational socialization; and correlation was found between satisfaction with the policies and practices of the organization with organizational socialization. The findings of this research can be useful to universities for improvement of the performance of their expatriate academics through the following research recommendations: conducting language training; providing market-related salaries to expatriate employees; and granting holiday allowances and stress management programmes to expatriate academics so as to alleviate their homesickness.
Perceptions of human resource information system usage for knowledge management in the context of human resource management .
(2010) Naicker, Krisandra.; Govender, Loganathan Narayansamy.
21st century human resource (HR) managers face new challenges that require the management of employee resources and the management of information resources overload to support human resource management (HRM). The proposed research will examine the integrated approach that could be adopted by human resource information systems (HRISs) to identify, classify, store and evaluate human resource information assets to meet the strategic needs of HRM in the 21st century organisational era. The information assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, as well as the un-captured tacit expertise and experience stored in individual’s heads, in the form of knowledge. We live in an information economy powered by the human capacity to create value out of knowledge – an intangible asset that is referred to as Due to scarcity in natural resources, modern and knowledge organisations increasingly depend on the knowledge contained in the organisation to succeed and remain competitive. This study examines the perceptions of Human Resource Information System usage for knowledge management in the context of human resource management. Data for the study was obtained from a sample of 70 human resource employees employed at retail organisations within South Africa. The data was quantitatively analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study indicated uncertainty about the use of HRIS functions while the respondents agree with using technology as a tool for sharing information. The concept of knowledge was explored as a strategic asset for the organisation to capitalise on as a competitive advantage, and the study explained that while HR employee’s value and recognise the various forms of the knowledge assets within employees, HR employees were uncertain about knowledge challenges. Although knowledge is generally shared within organisations, the benefits must be further explained in order to gain commitment and support.
Flexitime as a tool to reduce employee stress : an exploratory study.
(2011) Karyabwite, Alice.; Govender, Pathmavathie.
The aim of the study was to investigate flexitime as a potential moderator to reduce the administrative employee stress, and to reduce the negative aspects associated with stress through the use of flexitime programmes. This exploratory study was conducted in a tertiary environment. The literature review explores the core areas of the main and sub-variables. A literature review was conducted relating to the key variables of the study, that is, flexitime and stress. In terms of flexitime, emphasis was placed on the benefits of flexitime, flexible work practice and the drawbacks of flexitime. In terms of stress, emphasis was placed on stress reduction, work/life balance and employee commitment. This study was conducted with a sample of 97 subjects from a tertiary environment. The data was collected using questionnaires, and reliability was also determined. Various statistical techniques were used to test the hypotheses. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics and the results were presented using tabular and graphical representations. Furthermore, comparisons were made with studies of other researchers who have embarked on this area of the study or studies close to this research topic. The study shows correlations and significant associations with employee stress and flexitime. The findings also indicate that stress can be reduced through the moderator, that is, flexitime.
Perceptions of knowledge transfer of foreign African doctors practicing in South African provincial hospitals.
(2012) Lutakwa, Joly Nziavake.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
The study examined the factors affecting the African foreign doctors' perception of knowledge transfer with special reference to South African provincial hospitals. The influence of three organisational factors (Interpersonal relationships, Language & communication and organisational culture) and the demographic variables on knowledge transfer were assessed. From these variables four hypotheses were formulated and tested. The study employed a cross-sectional study and a total of 62 African foreign doctors practicing in South African provincial hospitals completed a structured questionnaire. The findings indicated that interpersonal relationships, language and communication as well as organisational culture influenced knowledge transfer. Also, there was a variation on the influence of language and communication on knowledge transfer among different age groups in the organisation. Based on the research findings the results were discussed and compared and contrasted to previous research and the literature review. The recommendations as outlined in a graphical representation indicate how the organisation can improve the transfer of knowledge and improve their efficacy in the process subsequently.
Work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction among employees of a diamond mining company in Zimbabwe.
(2012) Masvaure, Polite.; Ruggunan, Shaun Denvor.; Maharaj, A.
Orientation: The mining industry has been one of the industries that has struggled the most to deal with employee welfare matters. As a result, it has been difficult to maintain industrial peace and harmony in several workplaces, resulting in negative multiplier effects to the mining business, particularly the unsatisfactory working conditions faced by the lifeblood of any organisation –its employees. In response to this, most organisations directed the bulk of their resources to the basics and tangible things, such as salary and rewards needed by employees to perform their duties, but a lot of unrest is still recorded. This dissertation examined aspects of work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction among employees in a diamond mining company in Zimbabwe in order to understand those aspects that drive employees to apply themselves wholly to their work roles. Research Purpose: The research aimed to quantitatively explore levels and interrelationships between three constructs: work engagement, intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction among mine workers in a diamond mining company in Zimbabwe. In addition, the research qualitatively explored what managers’ perceptions of these three constructs are. Research Design, Approach and Method: This was a mixed methods, viz quantitative and qualitative study, which consisted of two phases of data collection. The first phase was a cross-sectional survey design, consisting of a sample (n= 157) drawn from employees of the diamond company. Three instruments: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) and the Minnessota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) were used to obtain the needed information from these participants. The second phase was the qualitative aspect, which consisted of in-depth individual interviews with functional managers. Main Findings: The study found that, while most of the participants (74%) are highly satisfied by their work, a substantial number (59%) are moderately (of average level) engaged and 67% are moderately motivated intrinsically. The findings suggest a positive co-relation between job satisfaction and work engagement; job satisfaction and intrinsic motivation, and work engagement and intrinsic motivation among the miners. Of all the factors that play a significant role in determining employees’ levels of job satisfaction, intrinsic motivation and work engagement, age and marital status were found to be significant contributors to the way the employees apply themselves to their work roles. The findings also suggest that the majority of managers in the company believe that the shop floor workers (miners) are highly engaged in their work, highly intrinsically motivated and highly satisfied in their jobs. However, this contradicts the results obtained from the miners themselves. Practical/ Managerial Implications: The study notes with concern the opposing perceptions that managers seem to have regarding work engagement, job satisfaction and motivation levels among the miners. This attests to a knowledge gap that management has about low-level employees, a fact which may call into question the existence or non-existence, in the company, of a proper communication structure (and infrastructure) that allows employees to communicate with management. This may also point to the management approach adopted by the company, which may be discouraging employees from communicating their feelings to management. The ‘false’ impression which management has about employees may result in negative multiplier effects, such as strikes, high rate of staff turnover, inefficiency and, ultimately, organisational failure.
The relationship between organizational commitment and turnover intentions.
(2014) Ramakhula-Mabona, Rethabile.; Mutinta, Given Chigaya.
The study investigated the relationship between organisational commitment and turnover intentions among civil engineers in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Lesotho. The levels of commitment and turnover intentions and influence the biographic variables (gender, age, marital status, qualifications and experience) have on the study variables respectively were studied. It was of interest also to determine which aspect of orgaisational commitment mostly predicted turnover intentions. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to analyse the data from a sample of 86 subjects that was randomly selected from a population of 100 civil engineers. A questionnaire whose reliability test revealed a Cronbach’s Alfa of 0.712 was used to collect data. Organisational commitment (independent variable) included affective, normative and continuance and turnover intensions (dependent variable) included intention to stay and intention to leave. The results revealed variations in the levels of organisational commitment and turnover intentions. There were moderate levels of organisational commitment as well as low levels of intentions to stay and to leave. The results also showed no significant correlation among turnover dimensions. Both organisational commitment and turnover intention dimensions showed a significant difference with gender, whereas there were no significant differences between the latter and the respective biographic variables (age, status, qualification and experience). With multiple regression results, continuance commitment was the best predictor of intention to leave and normative commitment was the best predictor of intention to stay. The study was confined to one sector of civil engineering within the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Lesotho. Further research is to establish precursors and implications of organisational commitment in other sectors for applicability and generalisability of the findings to other studies. The study contributes to the emerging team of research on how work commitment forms and influences work behavior. In order to enhance employee retention and to decrease the likelihood of turnover, allowing the prevalence of organisational support, the supervisory support and the person job-fit exchange behaviours is very vital.
Successfully integrating and managing millennials in the 21st century workplace.
(2015) Nnambooze, Beatrice Elizabeth.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
The study aims to examine the three generations (Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers) that constitute the present day labour force and the differences between these three groups. The millennial generation brings with them a diverse set of workplace attitudes, expectations and characteristics in comparison to the two previous generations (Baby Boomers and Generation X). Therefore, the study serves to provide a better understanding of millennials’ characteristics, expectations and values and how they can cohesively be integrated with the other two generations, which will result in the effective integration and management of millennials in today’s 21st century workplace. In particular, generational differences were assessed in terms of six dimensions (extrinsic values/rewards, an interesting and motivating work environment, a flexible and efficient work environment, workplace fun, learning and diversity and, constant growth and advancement in the workplace) having the potential to influence the integration and management of millennials in the workplace. The research study was conducted in a public sector organisation in KwaZulu-Natal. The study utilised the cluster sampling technique to draw a sample of 93 employees from a public sector whilst ensuring representation of the three generations. Data was collected from employees using a self-developed questionnaire, whose psychometric properties (validity and reliability) were statistically assessed using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. Raw data was captured using the Excel, processed using SPSS version 22 and analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis. The results indicate that learning and diversity, workplace fun and extrinsic values/rewards were ranked as the three most important workplace dimensions by employees in the public sector organisation. Additionally, the three generations within the public sector organisation (Generation Y, Generation X and Baby Boomers) were found to have significantly different perceptions in relation to an interesting and motivating work environment, a flexible and efficient work environment and learning and diversity and, biographical differences across the generations were also noted. It was noted that these three generations also shared a number of similarities, for example, all desire workplace fun. Since today’s organisations entail all three generations, both managers and organisations have a critical role to play in gaining deeper insights and understanding in relation to this new generation. As a result, this study provides guidelines and recommendations that assist in promoting continuous and harmonious workplace relationships amongst the three generations, resulting in the successful integration and management of millennials, as well as better retention of key employees within the organisation.
The effectiveness of the fibre processing and manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) in addressing skills shortages.
(2015) Ngcobo, Ngibongiseni Patrick.; Govender, Krishna Kistan.
Abstract available in PDF file.
Evaluation of employees’ perceptions on the adoption of a human resource information system at Alfred Nzo District Municipality.
(2015) Mazabelena, Lucky Emmanuel.; Mutinta, Given Chigaya.
Many organisations in South Africa have started to use human resource information systems to deliver human resource functions. As the world is driven by technology and continues to change, there is a need for human resource departments to response quickly to the needs of its customers and for organisations to be competitive. This can be done through the use of human resource information systems (HRIS) and processes at the intersection of human resource management (HRM) and information technology (IT). However, there are few studies that have been conducted to investigate the readiness of organisations to use HRIS. HRIS’ failures are documented and literature shows that many HRIS projects failed because of a number of reasons, which could have been dealt with before the implementation of the system to ensure that the organisation was ready for change. Organisations spend a lot of money implementing systems that are already set for failure. This study closes this gap by examining factors affecting HRIS adoption. Using ‘Diffusion of Innovation’ as a theoretical framework, data was obtained from the Co-operate Department at Alfred Nzo District Municipality. To get an understanding of employees’ perceptions of the acceptability of HRIS, the study examined all five variables of innovation: compatibility; complexity; trialability; relative advantage; and observability. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to generate knowledge about employees’ perceptions on the adoption of HRIS at Alfred Nzo district municipality and relevant documents were collected to support results. Results revealed that technology is under-utilised and employees are hesitant to use HRIS. This implies that the municipality needs to deal with resistance and bring everybody on board, even top management to support HRIS before adopting or adapting the current system. Moreover, the municipality needs a system that integrates all HR functions and the organisation as a whole.
Exploring strategies used to retain academic employees of University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville Campus.
(2016) Ajadi, Taiwo Hassan.; Akbar, Khalida.
The rise of technology since the 21st century has seen the advent of the microprocessors, computer software and a rapid change in technological advancement has increased the hunt for talented experts and skilled employees. The global economy is faced with increased competition for knowledgeable employees; this has made knowledge a strategic value. South Africa is a faced with a shortage of skills across the service industries most especially the educational service industries. Retaining employees has become a problem for human resource managers. Many organizations including higher education institutions have become unproductive and lost competitive advantage because of the high turnover of their core employees. Higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa are faced with problems of high demand for academics of which there is limited supply. In spite of the extensive academic discuss on employee’s turnover and retention, the debate remains inconclusive. Employee retention is important for all business or organization, as employee loyalty has reduced drastically raising the problem of turnover. HEIs in South Africa are faced with lot of turnover of employees and shortage of staff. They constantly adopt and review strategies to retain key staff and employees in their institutions. UKZN presently is faced with problem of retention of its academics, and is relevant to the problem my dissertation aims to explore. Academic staff retention is a recurring problem across higher educational institutions in South Africa. Despite the gravity of the problem of turnover, there are still relatively few studies focused on academic’s retention across HEIs and literature in this area is sparse. To understand the motivations and the reasons academics leave or stay despite the strategies in place. The methodology adopted was a qualitative in-depth interview. Using a non- probability sampling technique, a sample of fifteen respondents were chosen purposively from one particular college consisting of four schools at UKZN. Fifteen respondents were interviewed, voices recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was done with the aid of the Nvivo qualitative analysis software. The study found out compensation, training & development and academic workloads were high variables factors that influenced employees’ intention to leave. However, on its own, recognition programs do not influence turnover intentions among academics unless combined with other variables. The majority of the academics also stated that the performance management system is inadequate to capture their academic workloads. Based on the findings, the study recommends that compensation packages should be made competitive. Training & development programs should be sustained and new ones be adequately initiated in line with the UKZN’s goals and objectives. Academic workloads could be made more flexible or reduced, while recognition programs be made more frequent and informal. A conceptual framework on talent retention is also proposed for the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This dissertation will contribute to literature in this arena and provide a platform for further research.
Factors influencing employee turnover rates in an insurance call centre environment.
(2016) Mkhize, Lindokuhle Vuyisile Bridget.; Parumasur, Sanjana Brijball.
It is vital to understand the nature of the factors that contribute to employee turnover in the call centre environment. This study investigates unique or industry specific factors that contribute to high turnover rates in the call centre industry with a view of suggesting and designing retention strategies. The research study was conducted in five insurance companies based in the Johannesburg area. As a result, five strata (A to E) are drawn from the population using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. In this study, the questionnaire was used as the main instrument for data collection. The psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the questionnaire was statistically analysed using Factor Analysis and Cronbach’s Coefficient Alpha respectively. The data was captured using Excel Version 2010 and processed using SPSS Version 22. For the analysis of data, descriptive and inferential statistics was used. The findings of this study indicate that supervisor support is the most significant dimension that has the potential to influence employee turnover. Compensation and career development have the most significant inter-correlations, which impact on the turnover intention, especially if both dimensions are below the employees’ required standard. Biographical variables (age and gender) have also been found to have the potential to influence employee turnover. The key findings and recommendations for reducing the potential for employee turnover are graphically presented to enable practical implementation by practitioners, particularly in a call centre environment.
Exploring factors affecting knowledge sharing at national institute for crime prevention and reintegration of offenders in Pietermaritzburg.
(2016) Mkhwanazi, Nosipho Phumzile.; Mutinta, Given Chigaya.
Fast changes in business and innovation are driving organisations to learn and adapt to changes at an extraordinary rate. Most of them understand that unless information gathering and exchange happens quicker they will not have a competitive advantage, as they will be at risk of losing the significant resource of knowledge through knowledge erosion. This study is about exploring factors influencing knowledge sharing in a non-governmental organisation called the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Reintegration of Offenders (NICRO). This is a qualitative study where interviews were used as a data collection technique and thematic analysis used as a data analysis method. Explorative research design was used in this study to explore a variety of factors impacting knowledge sharing. The targeted population was the employees of NICRO and the purposive sampling method was used to select a sample. The sample size consisted of five employees with different professions and roles in the organisation. The findings indicated that there were a variety of individual, organisational as well as technological factors which influenced knowledge sharing at NICRO. Individual factors such as awareness, personality, altruism and self-efficiency were key determinants of knowledge sharing in the organisation studied. The trust and rewards system was a predominant organisational factor that impacted employees’ behaviour with respect to sharing knowledge, followed by factors such as organisational culture, leadership and organisational structure. The study also ascertained that technological factors played a significant role in influencing knowledge sharing in the studied organisation. On the basis of the research findings, the study recommended that the management of NICRO review and improve their reward system in order to encourage employees to engage in knowledge sharing. The study also recommended that employer and employees reestablish a trustworthy relationship among themselves in order to create favourable conditions for sharing knowledge.
An empirical study of the reward preferences of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) academics.
(2017) Makhanya, Sharon Nosipho.; Maharaj, Ashika.
The aim of this study is to investigate the ability of the rewards offered by UKZN to attract, retain and motivate academic employees. The Reward Preference Questionnaire (RPQ) adopted from Nienaber, Bussin and Henn (2011), and modified by Snelgar, Renard and Venter (2013) was used to collect the data for this study. A total of 140 questionnaires were administered to Westville, Howard College and Medical School campuses with 111 questionnaires completed and returned. Descriptive statistics were utilised to analyse the responses and presented in the form of tables and graphs. Principal component analysis was used to extract factors. Four factors were extracted and named; ie., base pay, benefits, performance recognition and career management and quality work environment.The study found that UKZN academics are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied by base pay, benefits, and performance recognition and career management. However, the study found that the academics at UKZN are highly dissatisfied by quality work environment. The study also found that age, level of education, job level and conditions of service influence reward preferences. In addition, the study found that the respondents view rewards offered by the institution to be unfairly and inconsistently implemented. The respondents indicated that they were unhappy with the way performance management was rated; differences in conditions of service; confusing rewards; unfair implementation of academic promotions and unfair, inconsistent implementation of sabbatical leave. This study recommends that the institution should create reward systems that are based on the academic’s preferences by focusing on benefits, base pay, quality work environment, performance recognition and career management as they were indicated as the reward categories that attract, retain and motivate academics. This study’s findings contribute to knowledge by investigating the most valued rewards categories and the contribution of rewards to attraction, motivation and retention of academic staff. This study will also be beneficial to policy makers, Human Resources Departments and to Higher Education institutions. Furthermore, this study provides evidence to assist the employer in developing suitable and improved rewards packages to enhance the attraction, motivation and retention of academics of high calibre.
Understanding individual workforce resilience of women in selected Durban organisational settings.
(2017) Cadete, Núria Leandra de Jesus.; Ruggunan, Shaun Denvor.
BACKGROUND: Over the past decades there has been an enormous increase in scientific research publications, targeting resilience of women within the workplace environment. Despite the potentially adverse effects that women may experience following adversities within their environments, many of them thrive through exercising mindfulness, self-efficacy, coping skills, while trying to manage the effects of neuroticism. Given the overall aim and purpose of this study vis-à-vis: to understand individual workforce resilience of women in selected Durban organisational settings; these factors are presented in terms of a ‘Biopsychological Model of Resilience’ indicating their connections to promoting psychological resilience. Further in the thesis, women experiences are discussed in light of feminism tenets to uncover their significance to resilience in the context of experiences of women beyond the workplace settings. METHODOLOGY: The study applied a qualitative approach, supported by the social constructivism paradigm. Ten women were chosen to be an instrumental part in this study, and were sourced based on preliminary set of criteria using purposive and snowballing sampling methods. Participants were interviewed to allow comprehensive collection of baseline insights and experiences on resilience over life history interviews. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. A pilot study was performed to address potential challenges to the achievement of the study prior to the launch of the research process. FINDINGS: The multi-dimensional constructs of resilience and feminism theories reviewed, have indicated a good fit with the analysed findings, regarding the participants’ perceptions toward resilience. Overall, the findings supported the hypothesis that biopsychosocial dimensions influence the development of resilience. By not displaying resilience qualities, adverse experiences had greater undesirable impacts on women. Women reported experiences of different kinds of adversities including domestic violence, divorce, workplace harassment and discrimination, breast cancer, and death of a loved one. Despite experiencing challenges women reported using different strategies which helped them cope with setbacks. The findings revealed that the attribute of resilience can be exhibited by nurturing and applying resilience knowledge toward adverse experiences. Overall, the study facilitates knowledge sharing on resilience of women which may be insightful or increase awareness to different audiences regarding the theoretical underpinning of resilience. CONCLUSION: A biopsychosocial model of resilience was used to understand how factors such as mindfulness, self-efficacy, coping, neuroticism influenced resilience of women. Moreover, the association between resilience of women and feminism is evident in this study, and serves to highlight how the experiences of women from diverse personal and organisational backgrounds fit into the model of resilience. IMPLICATIONS: The study provides initial understandings of the multidimensional nature of psychological resilience which may throw new light into how women in circumstances of adversity can thrive more effectively. The Human Resource Management [HRM] should deepen understanding of individual workforce resilience to develop and implement meaningful policies to encourage resilience. Further studies should be conducted to explore the actual effect size of the individual resilience model toward mitigating the outcomes of adversities.
The implications of human resource practices on employee commitment at the University of KwaZulu-Natal institution of higher education.
(2017) Mutibi, Rudzani Meryl.; Ramasamy-Gurayah, Jayrusha.
While organisational commitment has been discussed frequently in organisational psychology for approximately four decades, insufficient studies have involved higher learning institutions’ professionals. This study looks at Human Resource (HR) practices along with their implications in the educational industry. It focuses on HR practices and their application in South Africa at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), one of Africa’s leading higher educational institutions as well as one of the top 3% of universities worldwide. The goal of the study was to examine the implications of Human Resource practices on employee commitment at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Objectives were achieved through a survey using a cross-sectional design. This study implemented a quantitative, positivist paradigm, which included questionnaires designed with quantitative questions to collect data. Respondents’ experiences of HR practices and employee commitment were obtained through the administration of surveys such as the discretionary and transactional HR practices measure, which was developed by Gavino, Wayne and Erdogan along with the Mowday et al. Organisational commitment questionnaire (OCQ). Data collected was analysed using statistical data analysis, SPSS. The use of statistical data analysis proved appropriate due to its coherence with the epistemology of the research, as it was a good tool to ascertain overall inclines as well as links in the data without tainting it with the partiality of the researcher. This assisted the researcher to amass adequate data to derive a conclusion. Moreover, to limit the study to a focused area, the author conducted this study only with employees at the School of Management, Information Technology & Governance (SMITG), Westville Campus, UKZN, with a sample size of approximately 80 staff members across the executive management, school leadership, academic and professional / support workforce, N= 80; S= 66. The results showed a correlation between HR practices and employee commitment in the sampled institution of higher education, with training and developmental opportunities as the two main discretionary HR practices (DHRP) that contributed to the commitment of employees. The transactional HR practices (THRP) with the highest correlation to employee commitment were benefit enrollment and information provided by HR, as they account for 25.3% of the variance in commitment each, and thus constitute 50,6% of the predictors of employee commitment. Furthermore, findings showed that discretionary HR practices account for 54.1% of variance in employee commitment (R 2= .541), F (1, 74) = 87.376, p<.0005). This suggests that discretionary HR practices are a significant predictor of organisational commitment (β =1.042, p<.0005). From this, the study concludes that discretionary HR practices play a greater and a more significant role in ensuring and enhancing employee commitment and are the chief predictors of commitment amongst employees.
Assessing emotional labour practices amongst lecturers in private higher education institutions in KwaZulu-Natal.
(2017) Maharaj, Vidna.; Ruggunan, Shaun Denvor.
The purpose of this study is to assess emotional labour practices amongst lecturers in private higher education institutes. This study focuses on private higher education institutes in Kwa Zulu natal, specifically lecturers that are exposed to an environment which is emotionally demanding .Private higher education institutions are the main interest in which academics may experience emotional labour. For this reason the various private higher education institutions is the focus of this study. Literature on emotional labour was discussed. This terms plays an important role in higher education institutions, where lecturers are seen to be providing more of a service in this profession rather than just playing the role of an academic. Both the private higher education sector and emotional labour is discussed extensively and reviewed in relation to one another. Thereafter emotional regulation processes and concepts, coping mechanisms and management support is discussed as part of the literature. The research methodology applied was qualitative research. Qualitative research allows the researcher to make sense of people experiences and interacting with them, thereafter making use of qualitative research techniques to collect and analyse information (Blanche, Durrheim &Painter, 2006). A case study was used. This case study focused on the academic staff at private higher education colleges. Given that the research undertaken in this study is qualitative; a case study is also the most appropriate research design considering the contextual, iterative and phenomenological nature of the study. This study used in- depth interviews as a data collection instrument. Interviews are used to elicit imperative information during research, interviewing is more natural form of interacting with people rather than making them fill out a questionnaire, this is the reason as to why interviews fit well with the interpretive approach to research (Blanche et al., 2006) .In- depth interview allows the interviewer to extract maximum information needed from participants.The findings were that academics need to constantly regulate emotions in order to function effectively at work. There is a high degree of emotion suppression in individuals that work in private higher education institutions. Most individuals feel that there are no support structures to able them to cope better within this service related work environment. Stress and exhaustion was evident within this environment. For future studies, the researcher recommends a support structure for lecturers within private institutes and additional management support towards employee mental wellbeing including emotional support programmes.
Impact of transformational leadership mediated by self-efficacy on employee innovation in the South African local government sector.
(2017) Msweli, Qinisani Ndabezinhle Mpumelelo.; Kader, Abdulla Dawood.
The study investigated the impact of transformational leadership as a ‘predictor variable’ on employee innovation ‘predicted variable’. The relationship is mediated by self-efficacy. Studying these variables in isolation is helpful but the challenge is posed by limited resources especially when employee innovation has been identified as an imperative to organizational strategy and a desired positive organizational behaviour. Municipalities will know which predictor variable to primarily focus on in order to enhance innovation. In the previous study conducted by the researcher involving leader member exchange (LMX), self-efficacy and employee innovation, the statistical results from the regressions revealed an R square of .20. This showed that LMX and self-efficacy only had a 20% effect on employee innovation. It indicated that 80% of employee innovation is explained by other constructs hence the inclusion of transformational leadership as one of the predictor variables (Msweli, 2015). The study further recommended examining different predictor variables for future research. A random sample of 141 employees from Mandeni Municipality and the City of Umhlathuze was used in this study. A cross-sectional design was adopted. The analysis included the correlation and regression analysis which examined in isolation the relationships of transformational leadership with self-efficacy, self-efficacy with employee innovation, transformational leadership with employee innovation and finally all three constructs combined. Regressions were also used to examine the main relationship model of transformational, employee innovation with self-efficacy as a mediator. The research findings provide leaders in the South African local government sector with an understanding of the relationship of the constructs. They will also contribute to the body of knowledge by furnishing a better insight with regards to the impact of transformational leadership on employee innovation. Primarily, it provides a prototype that clarifies the relationship of transformational leadership, work self-efficacy with employee innovation in the South African local government context.

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