Research Publications (Management Sciences)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/217
Browse
11 results
Search Results
Item Roots and causes of occupational stress amongst female academics in Universities of Technology in South Africa(Sciedu Press, 2022) Mathews, Mercillene; Khumalo, Njabulo; Dlamini, Bongani Innocenttress and stress-related problems have negative human resource and financial implications for Universities of Technology (UoT) in terms of absenteeism, productivity, organizational effectiveness, employee morale and medical aid subsidies. For tertiary institutions, the impact of stressed academics on core business activities relating to students and examinations are far-reaching. The paper assessed the roots and causes of occupational stress amongst female academics in a UoT in South Africa. The paper adopted a qualitative research approach with a focus group of selected female academics in the UoT. The paper revealed that workload and performance management, as well as family life and personal life; teaching vs research and administration; Covid-19 and online teaching and learning; holidays and leave and lack of leave; meetings and support deficiency; resources and lack of care and empathy, as well as poor HR, bullying and imposition and a lack of professionalism; nepotism and favouritism; retrenchments and instability, along with poor recognition and appreciation, were the roots that contribute to occupational stress in the UoT in SA. The paper recommends that effective interventions be implemented by the UoT in order to manage the stress of these female academics, thereby reducing the negative impact thereof on themselves and the institution. University policy-makers should devise a variety of solutions in a well-balanced package that places responsibility on both the university and staff to manage occupational stress.Item The implications for the curriculum of the learning opportunities provided to students studying office management and technology during work integrated learning(Scientific Research Publishing, Inc., 2024) Ndhlovu, Thobekile Octavia; Ogunsola, Sijuwade Adedayo; Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Zondo, Robert Walter DumisaniThe field of secretarial and administrative work is confronted with challenges posed by the quick development of office technology, organizational reor ganizations, and shifts in the global economy. These challenges impact not only the workers who are currently employed as secretaries or administrative staff but also higher education institutions and students pursuing administra tive careers. As a result, workplace demands must be better met by both in dustry and academic institutions. This study looks at the learning opportuni ties provided to Office Management and Technology (OMT) students during Work-integrated Learning (WIL). It also investigates the implications for the curriculum to enhance workplace and classroom learning and makes recom mendations for changes to the OMT curriculum at Universities of Technolo gy (UoTs). It further explores and presents the skills, attributes, and compe tencies that OMT graduates must have in the workplace of the twenty-first century. Moreover, it gives UoT office technology departments a thorough analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of their current curriculum, enabling them to make any necessary improvements. This research comprises a case study involving Durban University of Technology (DUT) and Mango suthu University of Technology (MUT). Due to its sole reliance on surveys, the approach was primarily quantitative; however, a petite amount of qualita tive data emerged from the open-ended questions. In addition to giving par ticipants a chance to voice their ideas, the qualitative questions served to in terpret the quantitative information included in the questionnaire. The study included two sets of questionnaires that were given to two distinct divisions in work-integrated learning and industry supervisors who oversee OMT stu dents at DUT and MUT. The analysis demonstrates how well the existing OMT program satisfies the fundamental demands of the sector. There is evi dence, that workplace and classroom learning both require improvement. For OMT curricula to be more relevant and responsive in workplaces, the study also identified new competencies and qualities that must be included. Ac cording to the findings, universities and businesses should work together to improve student readiness for professional needs and that the Office Man agement and Technology curriculum be revised regularly of the targeted population: MUT third-year OMT students who participatedItem Organizational benefits of human resource management roles in South African state-owned enterprises(2022-10-07) Muzanenhamo, Arvid; Dlamini, Bongani InnocentHuman Resource Management practitioners have been criticized for lacking business acumen due to the nature of the personnel management concept. There has been a change in Human Resource Management roles from traditional personnel management to Strategic Human Resource Management which seeks to provide organizational competitiveness. This article aims to provide organizational benefits of Human Resource Management to an organization as a result of the Strategic Human Resource Management concept. The strategic nature of Human Resource Management has been revealed in this article as there is evidence of Human Resource Management's contribution to the business success. This paper is a study carried out in a South African State-owned enterprise to identify organizational benefits acquired from Human Resource Management roles. Qualitative research was used in this study, and interviews were administered to obtain data from Human Resource practitioners and departmental supervisors in a state-owned enterprise. 24 participants were purposively selected to provide data for the study. This study revealed that the Human Resource department provides beneficial activities to the organization such as reduction of employee turnover, employee development, employee wellness, and internal communication. The critical discussion provided in this paper would strengthen the body of knowledge on the role of Human Resource Management in improving organizational effectiveness.Item Assessing the integrated development plan as a performance management system in a municipality(2021-01-01) Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Zogli, Luther-King JuniorThis paper examines the role the IDP as a performance management system in a municipality. Notwithstanding unsurpassed planning efforts towards sustainable development, municipalities nationally appear to be losing this battle. South African municipalities are confronted with harsh realities after 12 years of legislated Integrated Development Planning (IDP) as poverty remains widespread and persists alongside affluence and increasing inequalities. Service delivery mechanisms in municipalities are hampered by bureaucratic tendencies within Local Government and the ambiguity attached to some projects. This research, grounded within the positivist paradigm, evaluates the IDP as a Performance Management System (PMS) in UGU District Municipality. Interviews were conducted amongst employees of UGU District Municipality and the community served by the municipality to evaluate the extent to which the IDP is used as a tool to deliver sustainable development. The study utilized the quantitative research approach and participants were selected using stratified sampling. The research results indicated that the overwhelming perception of the participants was that the implementation of the IDP at UGU District Municipality had been successful. The IDP was deemed to be a strategic mechanism in finding the best solution to achieve superior long-term developmental objectives.Item Challenges facing HRM practitioners in achieving organisational effectiveness in South African State-owned enterprises(2021) Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Zogli, Luther-King Junior; Muzanenhamo, ArvidThe South African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have drawn criticism in the country concerning their performance. Retrenchments and government bailouts have been resorted to for South African SOEs in a bid to avoid liquidation. As a result, Human Resource Management is regarded as a source of organisational competence which aims at improving employee morale, reducing cost of operations and quality service improvement. An investigation was undertaken at a selected South African SOE to examine the challenges facing human resource professionals in obtaining organisational competitiveness. A qualitative research design was applied, and interviews were used on human resource practitioners who occupy departmental supervisory positions. The study revealed that Human Resources departments experienced challenges such as lack of technology, high labour turnover, and not attracting skilled technical personnel thus impending company competitiveness.Item Towards achieving organisational competitiveness: the role of human resource management in state-owned enterprises(2021) Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Muzanenhamo, Arvid; Zogli, Luther-King JuniorThis study examined the role of Human Resource Management (HRM) in achieving organisational competitiveness in a selected South African State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) in Gauteng province.A qualitative research approach wasused with data obtained usingstructured interviewsfrom the company’s human resource practitioners and departmental heads. Purposive non-probability sampling was applied in recruiting 24 participants and data was analysed usingthematic analysis. The study revealed that, HRMdepartment provided opportunities for employees to upskill themselves through short courses and university degrees such as honours, masters and PhDs. However, employees reported that their remuneration packages are not commensurate with their skill sets and capabilities leading to low morale. It was therefore recommended for the organisation to conduct an industrial survey to decipher the going remuneration rates in order to offer competitive packages to their employees.Item Factors influencing the adoption and implementation of customer relationship management strategies by small and medium enterprises in KwaZulu Natal(Inderscience, 2021-04-13) Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Garatsa, CletosSmall to medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in the development of economiesboth in the developed and developing countries. SMEs face many obstacles in their path to survival and much has been discussed in terms of helping the small enterprises to survive and grow to fulfill their economic potential and derive the benefits that come with it. As such, many solutions have been proffered to ameliorate the demise of SMEs in their early stages of establishment. This paper wishes to harness customer relationship management (CRM) to help SMEs to survive and thrive in the harsh economic environment. CRM creates a competitive advantage that can be viewed as a panacea to SME failure. It is therefore the aim of this study examined the factors that influence the adoption of CRM by SMEs in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN).The goal is to move away from the misconception that CRM is a technology but gravitate towards treating CRM as a holistic strategy that should diffuse within the whole organisation. Organisational, environmental, technological and information culture factors should all be integrated and help the firm to make a well-informed decision when it comes to adopting CRM strategies. The scope of this paper is further motivated by the fact that there is a paucity of studies that investigate the adoption of CRM by SMEs in KZN CRM adoption and implementation are not without their problems, but the promises are too good to ignore; and, indeed, the future prosperity of SMEs may lie in CRM adoption and implementation.Item Assessing the effectiveness of Human Resource Management in creating organisational competitiveness in a South African state-owned enterprise(Richtmann Publishing, 2021-05) Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Zogli, Luther-King Junior; Muzanenhamo, ArvidSouth African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have been underperforming for the past decade riddled with poor service delivery, employee retrenchments, lack of employee motivation and inability to embrace innovative approaches in management of business. There has been a call from the South African government for SOEs to self-renew and become effective in service delivery. As a result the role of human resource management (HRM) assist organisations to become effective through the use of innovative human resource practices. This paper is an investigation carried out at a selected South African SOE to determine the effectiveness of HRM in creating organisational competitiveness. A qualitative research approach was adopted where interviews were used to gather data from the company’s human resource practitioners and departmental heads. Non-probability sampling was used and 24 participants were purposively selected. The study revealed that HR practitioners do not participate in policy reviews whereas their skills are underutilised, they lack latest technology and it was noted that there is excessive control from high authorities. Received: 11 February 2021 / Accepted: 16 March 2021 / Published: 17 May 2021Item Household challenges, family dynamism and online learning under COVID-19 pandemic in a South African University(2021-11-06) Mthalane, Peggy Pinky; Agbenyegah, Albert Tchey; Dlamini, Bongani InnocentPurpose: Reduce the spread of the virus amongst people, especially students and lecturers, thus online learning was introduced in 2020. To find out the effectiveness of online learning and family dynamics posed by this phenomenon Design/methodology/approach: The researchers conducted a research at one of the University of Technology in South Africa, situated in the Province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, in Pietermaritzburg. The main aim was to determine the challenges posed by online learning while students were at home, compounded by COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The results of the analysis showed the connection between family dynamics such as family settings, online learning and the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in this regard. It can then be concluded that there is a significant influence between family setting, such as bereavement, divorce, lack of internet connection and overcrowding at home, COVID-19 and the adjustment to online learning. Research limitations/implications: Lack of internet connection and overcrowding at home, COVID-19 and the adjustment to online learning.Item Ambient situation and customer satisfaction in restaurant businesses: a management perspective(2022-01-01) Agbenyegah, Albert Tchey; Zogli, Luther-King Junior; Dlamini, Bongani Innocent; Mofokeng, Nyane Ezekiel MacDonald; Kabange, Martin MulundaThe current study illustrates the influence of restaurant ambient conditions on customers satisfaction in the tourism and hospitality industries through cluster and simple random techniques. The primary objective was to ascertain the relationship between the restaurant ambient conditions and customer satisfaction in rural restaurants. A closed-ended questionnaires with varying options were designed to collect primary data from randomly selected customers from 11 restaurants from the study settings. Primary data was analysed via the SPSS software based on statistical tools of regression analysis to determine the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Final outcomes indicated significant relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The restaurant ambient conditions have significant relationship with customer satisfaction. Based on the findings, this study recommends that owner-managers of restaurants in rural areas need to improve the bulk of the ambient situations to attract more customers. This empirical study contributes to existing literature on the tourism and hospitality industry with specific reference to the restaurant businesses.