College of Law and Management Studies

Permanent URI for this communityhttps://hdl.handle.net/10413/6699

Browse

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

Analysing the effects of flexible working conditions in the workplace: a case of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of co-operative governance.
(2023) Shandu, Ruth Bhekekile.; Nzimakwe, Thokozani Ian.
Currently, South African government departments face common problems such as punctuality, frequent leave requests, lack of engagement, absenteeism, and poor management of employee wellbeing, resulting in high absenteeism rates. These issues affect the work-life balance, which negatively impacts employee performance, thereby affecting delivery of services to the department and community at large. This study investigated how flexible work arrangements can reduce time management issues while increasing job satisfaction and performance in the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. Flexible working schedules can increase the level of contentment and performance, which has been discovered to benefit both the employer and the employee. A qualitative research method was chosen for the study because it provided an opportunity to explore the research objectives in greater detail. The sample size and strategy used comprised organising focus group interviews as well as individual interviews, representing the population by using a sample of 10 participants from different levels, namely senior managers to lower levels in the Department. The study reviewed aspects of analysis of the impact of workplace flexibility and its effect on employee performance by looking at previous research on similar topics. This review was designed to explore workplace flexibility in order to delve deeper into the need for it and the benefits it could provide. The findings of the study revealed that offering flexibility could help and support the emotional health of the employees, as well as improving their relationship with the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. A call for a flexible work strategy is of interest to most employees in the Department, since flexibility provides for a work-life balance that is essential to everybody. The conclusion and recommendations were that the Department should consider implementing and making provision for flexible working arrangements, which can achieve greater job fulfilment, a better balance between work and life and motivate employees, as well as reducing absenteeism and increasing the quality of service delivery at all employee levels.
Complex adaptive leadership approach in the South African local government: a case of uMzimkhulu Local Municipality, South Africa.
(2023) Ngqoyiya, Andile Christopher.; Mutereko, Sybert.; Ndebele, Nduduzo Comfort.
The South African local governments are faced with a growing trend of service delivery protests from a population that requires an array of high-quality services. To overcome the service delivery challenges faced by South African local government there is a need for strong adaptive leadership. The main objective of this study was to recommend an adaptive complex leadership style towards achieving optimal performance in a specific South African Local Municipality with a view to assisting local government to achieve optimal service delivery and reach set goals of the South African Constitution. This study was conducted in the uMzimkhulu Local Municipality. A mixed-method approach was used. Data were collected through interviews and a survey questionnaire. Qualitative data were analyzed through the use of NVIVO software and quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24. A total of 112 respondents completed the questionnaires and 11 participants were interviewed. The findings of this study revealed that effective leadership strategies should be adaptive to complex internal and external environmental factors. Leadership effectiveness is affected by several internal environmental factors. These internal factors include personality clashes among employees, conflicting interests between management, tensions from agent interactions, management unwillingness to embrace innovation, lack of skills among employees, employee lack of passion and a lack of organisational cohesion. External factors affecting leadership included: technology, political influence, public pressure, economic factors and changes in the needs of residents. A model for complex adaptive leadership should include leadership that is enabling, administrative, and adaptive, and must have a combination of different leadership styles. In conclusion the model confirms that leadership is a complex phenomenon as it demands the understanding and appreciation of various factors occurring simultaneously. Leadership decision making requires an understanding such complex internal and external factors. From the study, it is recommended that future studies should focus on understanding the cause of the internal and external complexities affecting leadership in local municipalities.
Leading from face-to-face to virtual: leaders' experiences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal during the pandemic.
(2022) Badru, Abdulbaqi Eyitayo.; Proches, Cecile Naomi Gerwel.
The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown disrupted the usual functioning of businesses and organisations had to operate remotely to continue working. This brought about a unique opportunity for organisations such as traditional Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), who would not have previously considered virtual work arrangements, to explore and experience the opportunities and possibilities of virtual work arrangements. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, organisations are now re-strategising and incorporating elements of virtualness in their operations, which require new structures and leadership beyond traditional face-to-face approaches. This increasing interest in virtual work arrangements and existing virtual leadership challenges necessitates further research to explore leaders' experiences of leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic to identify successful approaches and their specific challenges. The study employed the qualitative research approach to explore leaders’ experiences of leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa. A purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the study participants. Thirteen participants were interviewed, including academic leaders and directors of professional services. The interviews were recorded via Zoom and subsequently transcribed. Thematic analysis of interview transcripts was undertaken using the NVIVO software. Codes and themes were generated from the analysis to answer the research questions. The study findings revealed that participants adopted and hardened their face-to-face leadership styles upon transitioning to virtual leadership. Amongst the attributes and behaviours exhibited by the leaders were trust, empathy, good communication, consultation, and self-confidence. Some of the challenges participants faced when leading virtually included a lack of participation by subordinates, slow response rates, exhaustion, balancing work and personal life, isolation, and load shedding. Generally, participants expressed both positive and negative feelings toward leading virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. All participants believed that the era of completely face-to-face work arrangements is over and that a hybrid working model should be adopted and institutionalised in the future. Based on the key findings of the study, a face-to-face-tovirtual leadership transition conceptual framework was developed to illustrate the possible journey of face-to-face leaders to become virtual leaders.
The impact of COVID-19 on the South African stock market: a sectoral-level analysis.
(2024) Ramterath, Akshay Saish.; Peerbhai, Faeezah.
The novel 2019 Coronavirus (COVID-19) quickly spread all over the world. It dramatically affected the financial markets in almost every country, creating substantial uncertainty permeating every aspect of life and business. Investors and markets are facing a high degree of volatility regarding the physical and financial impacts of the virus. Behavioural Finance studies are steadily emerging, highlighting the impact of investors' emotions on their investment decisions in stock markets during macroeconomic events. Existing research of the pandemics impact on volatility and/or stock returns have predominantly focused on the overall performance of the South African stock market with limited evidence on the industry specific impact. This study therefore aims to analyse the impact of COVID-19 on the 8 largest industry sectors of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). In particular, the study attempts to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on industry performance, stock returns, trading volume, stock volatility and COVID-related investor sentiment. These research objectives are analysed using a variety of different methodologies, such as an event study, and GARCH (1,1) model. With existing global studies indicating a rise in the importance of industry specific factors which aid in the pricing of equities, a study of this sort is imperative to the South African investor. The sample in this study consists of daily data from the 8 largest sectors on the JSE and spans the period 1 January 2017 – 30 August 2022. The selected period ensured to include stock market performance before the COVID-19 outbreak, allowing a more accurate comparison of industry performance. The results of this study suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on all sectors of the JSE included in this paper, both in the short-term and long-term. Some sectors gained from the impact of the pandemic and others suffered - with the number of the sectors negatively impacted outweighing the number of sectors positively impacted. Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest significant implications for investors and policymakers. For investors, it is suggested that they be cognisant of how industry sector idiosyncrasies affect company performance during crises. Investors who seek a healthy return on their investment should avoid investing in sectors that are more vulnerable in times of crisis and negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, risk-seeking investors may opt to invest in higher-risk sectors since these stocks may generate higher returns due to an increased market risk premium. For policymakers, the findings of this study indicate that the implementation of strict lockdowns in times of crisis be carefully implemented as many sectors were not able to recover from the implications brought on by this policy, crippling further operation of many companies. Regulators should be cautious of the effect of such policies on industries and the economy as a whole. Policymakers must customise such policies based on the characteristics or nature of each market sector.
The organic development of a legal writing and tutoring programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Law: reflections on a sustainable, structured approach to teaching and tutoring legal writing in South African law schools.
(2022) Crocker, Angela Diane.; Strode, Ann Elaine.; Freedman, David Warren.
Abstract Although much advocacy work takes place in courts, a considerable amount of the background work and day-to-day tasks of lawyers is writing and clearly articulating various legal positions. Thus, the ability to write like a lawyer is very important. However, legal academics as well as the law profession have consistently made the point that there is a real issue with the quality of legal writing of law students. This is a problem that many South African Universities are grappling with, and which must be addressed urgently. An examination of the literature, through the lens of four iterations of legal writing programmes implemented at the University of KwaZulu-Natal School of Law, Howard College, shows that the key drivers of good legal writing are critical thinking and student motivation. If these principles are incorporated into the structure of the programme, it will help students to be motivated to think critically, which will enable them to engage on a sufficiently deep level with the material being studied. This in turn should help to produce written work that is persuasive. Thus, it is submitted that the design of a legal writing programme should include four teaching principles: the constructive alignment of the programme; a commitment to learner participation; the implementation of conversations in feedback; and the transformative contextualisation of programme materials. However, the real question is how can a sustainable, structured approach to teaching and tutoring legal writing in South African law schools be achieved with large classes of novice legal writers and legal lecturers sometimes having overwhelming teaching loads and competing academic commitments? It may seem like an impossible task, but it is not if the legal writing programme is pedagogically well-designed and administratively well-structured. This thesis submits that the answer lies in training senior law student peer tutors to assist in a legal writing programme. Iqoqa Nakuba umsebenzi wokushushisa wenzeka enkantolo, umsebenzi omningi wenzeka usuku nosuku emahhovisi kuvaliwe lapho abameli bechitha isikhathi esiningi bebhala futhi behumusha imithetho eminingi elandelwayo. Ngakho-ke, ikhono lokubhala njengommeli libaluleke kakhulu. Kodwa-ke, izifundiswa zomthetho kanye nendima yezomthetho ihlale ikhala njalo ngekhono lokubhala elivezwa ngabafundi beziqu eziphansi kwezomthetho. Lena yinkinga amanyuvesi amaningi aseNingizimu-Afrika abhekene nayo futhi okumele ilungiswe ngokushesha. Ukubuyekezwa kwemibhalo, kusetshenziswa indlelakubuka yezinhlelo zomthetho eqalwe eSikoleni seZomthetho eNyuvesi yaKwaZulu-Natali, eHoward College, kuveze ukuthi izinto ezibalulekile ekugqugquzeleni indlela enhle yokubhala kwezomthetho ukukwazi ukucabangasakuhlaziya kanye nokuzimisela. Uma lawa makhonsepthi ethathwa njengaqavile ekubunjweni kohlelo lokufunda umthetho, angalekelela abafundi ukuba bakwazi ukuba yingxenye yokufunda ngendlela esezingeni eliphezulu kulokho okufundwayo. Ukugxila ekucabangeni njengommeli kungalekelela ekukhiqizeni imibhalo enohlonze futhi kungakhuthazi ukugxila kakhulu emaphutheni olimi nohlelo kodwa engqikithini yomsebenzi. Ngakho-ke, kuphakanyiswa ukuba izinhlelo zokufundwa komthetho zifake lezi zinsika ezine: indlela eya phambili yokuhlelwa kwezinhlelo zokufunda; ukuzibophezela kwabafundayo ukuba bafunde; ukukhuthaza izingxoxo; nokuvumela inguquko ekuhlanganisweni kwezinsizakufunda. Nokho, umbuzo omile ukuthi le ndlela ebalulwe ngenhla ingasebenza kanjani ezikoleni zomthetho eNingizimu-Afrika ngenxa yokugcwala kwamaklasi abafundi abasafufusa bokubhalwa komthetho futhi uma abafundisi bebhekene nomthwalo wokufundisa ongaphezu kwamandla abo kanye nenggcindezi yomsebenzi abawenzayo? Kuzwakala njengento okungelula ukuba yenzeke, kodwa akunjalo, inqobo nje uma izinhlelo zokufunda umthetho zilandela indlela okuyiyona yokufundisa futhi zihlanganiswe ngobunyoninco. Lolu cwaningo luphakamisa ukuthi kuqeqeshwe abafundi bezomthetho asebemnkantshubomvu ukuba babe ngabasizi noma abalekeleli balabo abasafufusa kwezokubhalwa komthetho.

Browse

Browsing College of Law and Management Studies by SDG "Not mentioned"