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Research Publications (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/217

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    Decolonising public administration content curriculum in a post-colonial South African university: policy monitoring and evaluation perspective
    (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2022) Makiva, Msuthukazi; Ile, Isioma; Fagbadebo, Omololu
    One of the major areas of focus in public administration discipline is policy monitoring and evaluation. This paper focuses on how this is understood in selected indigenous communities in South Africa. The current public administration curriculum content taught in Universities hardly recognises and reflects bits of practices and realities of indigenous communities, especially in conducting policy monitoring and evaluation. The paper unearths the origins and current state of public administration content curriculum updates taught in selected higher institutions of learning, with specific reference to policy monitoring and evaluation. The article further sought to understand public administration discipline content curriculum alignment with South Africa’s contextual realities in selected indigenous communities of the Eastern Cape. Using explorative research, the study discovered that the teachings of public administration hardly reflect the realities among the indigenous communities. This presents public administration discipline to be epistemic universal instead of being epistemic diverse. The conclusion is that as much as African scholars learn from their European counterparts, all forms of knowledge ought to be documented and amalgamated into curriculum content. It is critical, therefore, that a hybrid will be suitable for policy monitoring and evaluation. In addition, indigenous policy monitoring and evaluation knowledge should be accredited and included in the curriculum content of public administration discipline.
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    Imperatives for co-operative governance : a case study of local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
    (KRE Publishers, 2016) Govender, Ivan Gunass
    Despite the South African government’s effort to enhance co-operative governance, the high rate of service delivery protests confirm that co-operative governance has not fully developed as a mechanism to improve service delivery. The aim of the study was to ascertain factors influencing co-operative governance and the perceptions of local government regarding the effectiveness of both the National and Provincial Governments’ support for co-operative governance. The study used the quantitative research method to investigate the needs and extent of co-operative governance in local municipalities with the KwaZulu-Natal province as a case study. The key issues municipalities consider important for improving intergovernmental relations (IGR) include communication and consultation, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), concurrent function clarity and technical support. The paper recommends the implementation of a participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) system to enhance communications and alignment of the integrated development plans across the three spheres of government.
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    Monitoring and evaluation of corporate social responsibility programmes in South Africa
    (Virtus Interpress, 2015) Rampersad, Renitha
    The South African corporate sector invests millions to support community development and social programs. One of the more fundamental issues about sustainability in a business context is the fact that directors have a fiduciary duty to take into account interests of those stakeholders other than investors/shareholders. This therefore places major importance on sustainability reporting through reports on governance, economic, social and environmental performance and is increasingly being regarded as a key form of stakeholder engagement, and the most accepted formal way of communicating measured outcomes to all stakeholders. A number of methodologies may exist for the development of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies or “how-to guides” for community engagement and investment, however, it lacks development in the field of CSR Programme Evaluation. Integrated approaches to the measurement thereof are still in expanding stages of development and statistical data and/or empirical evidence is lacking at this point. Trust and relationships take time to build but are valuable assets, therefore a company must show it has listened and acted in response to stakeholder concerns, this means that ongoing communication and reporting back to stakeholders is a very important component in any engagement strategy. It is therefore important for the corporate sector to not only evaluate the effectiveness of their CSR Programmes, but also to measure the impact on both their beneficiary communities and their business and subsequently on the Return on Investment (ROI). This paper will highlight a case of the South African corporate sectors attempts to evaluate its effectiveness and impact on beneficiary communities and how they quantify the impact of the investment through successful CSR interventions.
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    Role of student ratings of lecturers in enhancing teaching at higher education institutions : a case study of the Durban University of Technology
    (International Foundation for Research and Development, 2013-05) Dorasamy, Nirmala; Balkaran, Rishi
    Evaluation of the quality of programmes by students is considered an important assessment instrument in determining programme effectiveness within higher education institutions. Student ratings of lecturers are only a partial assessment of programmes, since other evaluations beyond students’ perceptions are also considered important within higher education institutions. Student ratings are not only important in determining how students perceive their programmes within a highly competitive higher education landscape in South Africa, but also highlight the strengths and weaknesses of programmes which can be used as an impetus for programme enhancement, especially in view of the increasing number of students entering higher education, while government spending is steadily diminishing. The purpose of this study is to assess student ratings of teaching competencies that can be used for programme evaluation. A quantitative approach was used to analyse the various elements within specific domains in the lecturer evaluation instrument used by the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The data reported are suggestive of the usefulness of identifying student ratings of important teaching competencies, which is considered as important in a growing student centred orientation within higher education institutions. The article offers constructive analysis of student ratings of various teaching competencies across departments in the faculty, while highlighting strategies to ensure enhanced validity of student ratings. Student ratings of lecturers provide valuable information for faculty to use in programme assessment and consequent programme enhancement. Further, student ratings of lecturers encourages a student’s voice through confidential participation, thereby ensuring that the student experience is fore grounded at the learning and teaching interface.