Repository logo
 

Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

Browse

Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Career development

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Investigating career pathing and retention of agents at WNS Global Services
    (2022) Manjoo, Noorain; Rajlal, Ashnee
    This research was carried out to investigate the existence of career pathing linked to staff retention at WNS Global Services. Furthermore, the study aimed to highlight any shortfalls in the current career pathing and staff retention policies and procedures at WNS and subsequently provide recommendations for improvement. The research design adopted a quantitative paradigm. A pre-coded closed-ended questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale was sent to the sample (234) identified from the target population of 586 call centre staff across the Durban and Port Elizabeth WNS Global sites. Two hundred and four of the 234 sample respondents returned the questionnaire. However, it was discovered that certain respondents failed to answer all of the questions and were therefore omitted from the analysis. In total 198 completed questionnaires were returned which provided a response rate of 85%. The SPSS version 27 of Windows was used to test the variables that formulated the study. There were a number of noteworthy findings as a result of the empirical analysis of data. The descriptive analysis of the quantitative methods was presented using tables and graphs. Factor analysis, correlation analysis and Pearson’s chi-square were utilised to calculate the statistical analysis. Additionally, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and Bartlett’s test of sphericity were used to determine the factorability of an inter-correlation matrix. The correlation analysis of the two variables indicated that the correlation between employees taking steps in the near future to look for another job, and the perception that career pathing processes at WNS are effective, was -0.171 (Correlation Analysis 5). This is indicative that ineffective career pathing processes are highly likely to influence an employee’s decision to seek alternate work opportunities. The findings of the study show that some elements of staff retention are practised at WNS Global Services. However, one could conclude that it is not fully implemented in a manner that has maximum impact on staff. Furthermore, career pathing as a concept is not fully established at WNS Global Services. One of the recommendations arising from this study is that career pathing strategies and policies to improve staff retention should be implemented.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Workplace inequality and discrimination on individual development and organisational performance, in selected hotels in Durban Metropolitan city, South Africa
    (2022) Vareta, Nyamupachari; Dlamini, Bongani Innocent
    Orientation: Workplaces today consist of many cultures, ages, genders, races, and ethnicities. This varied work environment offers prospects for employers to generate and encourage organisational strategies that value and manage diversity while eliminating workplace inequality and discrimination. This research explores employees’ subjective experiences of workplace inequality and discrimination within South African hospitality contexts. Research purpose: The aim of the research was to understand the implications of workplace inequality and discrimination on individual development and organizational performance in the South African hotel environment. Motivation: The nature of inequality and discrimination in the South African work context and its influence demands the review of the hotel working environment and influence changes to close the existing knowledge gap. Research design, approach, and method: A qualitative case study within the social constructivist/interpretivist paradigms culminated in in-depth, rich, and detailed descriptions of employees’ experiences in the South African Hotel Industry. Purposive sampling with the help of snowballing were used to recruit the participants. Data were collected using informal discussion, observation, and interviews. The interview guide consisted of 14 semi-structured open-ended questions. The interviews were conducted face-to-face, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim using computer REV transcription. I verified the transcriptions by listening to the audio and making corrections to ensure accuracy. Setting: Participants were recruited from two hotels in Durban City, KwaZulu-Natal. Data analysis: Data were analysed as recommended in qualitative studies. Structured data were analysed using inductive and deductive methods. Thematic analysis and computer software NVivo played a critical role in analysing and refining the results. The search, query, and visualization tools of NVivo effectively verified the networks and patterns in the data and interpretation of the context and identity of participants’ answers. Main findings: The findings identified four main themes: Recruitment and work experience; Emotions; Discrimination at work, and Inequality at work. The study demonstrates the hidden inequalities and discrimination within the industries (the hospitality industry in this case). However, participants confirmed that racism is a severe problem in hotels. The study highlights the experiences of Blacks within the toxic working environment. The research demonstrated the impact of workplace inequality and discrimination on individual development and organizational performance. Practical implications: This study provided valuable insights into the impact of workplace inequality and discrimination on individual development and organizational performance. Contributions/value-adding: The results of this research can be used by human resources managers to (1) create awareness and communication within individuals, organisations, and society regarding workplace inequality and discrimination. (2) insist that trade unions and the government must revisit their mandate to protect workers, irrespective of nationality. This research has shown that vulnerable employees: women, foreign workers, and school leavers are exploited in the hospitality industry. (3) implement training and development programmes to help employees improve their skills and meet the organization’s objectives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    A professional development framework supporting life sciences educators' pedagogical content knowledge in the relationship between the human nervous system and the endocrine system
    (2022-09-15) Naidoo, Nathasia; Lourens, Melanie Elizabeth; Lourens, Melanie
    The aim of this study was to determine whether current professional development programmes are effective for Life Sciences educators within the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education to gain pedagogical content knowledge. The main problem focused on the quality of education determined by the quality of educators who are knowledgeable of the content and knowledgeable about strategies to be used to convey learning of the content. An objective of the study included determining whether current Life Sciences educators gain aspects of pedagogical content knowledge through teacher professional development programmes. The objectives also included the development of a Conceptual Framework Model to improve Life Sciences education. The study made use of a quantitative research methods approach. A structured questionnaire in the format of scaled questions namely the Linkert scale was used. The target population comprised of 210 Life Sciences educators in the Umlazi District of the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education. For the purpose of pretesting, 10 samples were randomly selected. Therefore, from a target population 200 Life Sciences educators, 132 samples were randomly selected for the purpose of this study. A total of 127 questionnaires were returned by the sample respondents, providing a high response rate of 96%. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0.0. Results were shown as descriptive statistics of the quantitative data obtained in the form of graphs, cross tabulations and other figures. The use of correlations and chi-square test values were interpreted and used to test the 10 hypotheses for various components of this study. The researcher observed some significant results from the data analysis which included: more than 40% of respondents required a form of professional development to improve pedagogical content knowledge and that more than 40% of teacher training workshops need to be aspect specific. This study culminated with proposals for future research in this field of study.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The investigation of the effectiveness of employee training on career development: a case study of South African Police Service (SAPS)
    (2021-11) Ngema, Khayelihle; Rajlal, Ashnee
    The stagnation of police members in their current position for many years despite the South African Police Service (SAPS) having numerous higher posts that have been left unoccupied for some years, has prompted renewed attention on career development in the SAPS. The SAPS is susceptible to retarded workforce career growth and poor security service as most members are not skilled and qualified, as well as not exposed to the experience of higher positions. Due to ignorance of continuous employee training most members of the SAPS are stagnant at their current positions for many years. Preliminary indications have shown that the stagnation of police members in their current position may continue to escalate should no proper research be undertaken. For this study, a descriptive research design and quantitative research method were adopted. Three police stations in eThekwini District comprised the population of this study. The target population for this study was all constables, sergeants and warrant officers at the Workshop Satellite Police Station, Umbilo Police Station and Berea Police Station in eThekwini District. The identified target population equated to n = 211. For this study, stratified sampling and random sampling techniques were utilised since it was supported by a sampling frame. Basically, the sample was drawn from the ranks of the population. The sample comprised 139 respondents. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the data. The personal method of data collection was used whereby the researcher hand delivered the questionnaire. Both inferential and descriptive analyses were utilised in analysing data. The responses were analysed using the latest version of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 for Windows using the appropriate statistical tests. In accordance with regression equations, the results of this study indicated that employee training has a strong positive relationship with career development. The Chi-square statistical test results revealed a significant relationship between employee training and career development at the workplace. The findings of this study showed that employee training (coaching, mentoring, workshop, discussion, lectures, role-plays and understudy) is necessary to stimulate career development at the SAPS within the eThekwini District. The results indicated that mentoring is the most predicting (influencing) variable that contributes the highest to the variation in career development. Employees at the SAPS were not satisfied with the training that was provided by their organisation, they viewed it as inadequate. The influence of employee training on career development has been established therefore the primary objective of this study was achieved. Therefore, the SAPS in eThekwini District should increase the investment in employee training. The SAPS should ensure that employee training is regularly reviewed to align with emerging technology. Due to differences of situational factors, generalisation of results to other police stations may only be possible to those that share the same setting. For future studies, it would be interesting to study the influence of employee training on career development at the SAPS on other districts outside KwaZulu-Natal province for the sake of establishing the differences and similarities that may exist. This research significantly contributed to the existing body of knowledge in respect of employee training and its impact on career development through revealing new insights.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Deferred dreams : the contribution of skills development to the further education of employed, non-matriculants in the private security industry of South Africa
    (2019-06) Terblanche, Anel; Perumal, S.
    The purpose of the study was to investigate aspects relating to skills development within the Private Security Sector. The study investigates the role skills development, outcomes based education and related legislation plays in shaping of the career pathways of individuals. The study further investigates the reasons associated with noncompletion of Secondary Schooling and why no attempt was made to obtain a National Senior Certificate once employed or economically active. The researcher was motivated to select this topic as she worked in Human Resources within an organisation that falls within the Private Security Sector. The researcher has been working in Human Resources and training and development for the past nine years and has developed a keen interest in skills development and its impact on employability and career growth.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The effectiveness of training and development strategies to improve employee performance in the construction industry in Zimbabwe : a case study of KMP Holdings
    (2018-11) Liambo, Tatenda Freedom; Lourens, Melanie Elizabeth
    The overall aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of training and development strategies to improve employee performance at KMP Holdings in Zimbabwe. Employee performance plays a critical role in the effectiveness of the business and plays an integral part in developing a competitive advantage. The improvement in employee performance by ensuring training and development strategies for employees will sustain organizational effectiveness and induce long- term success for KMP Holdings. The study was conducted at KMP Holdings, a construction company in Zimbabwe. The study adopted the quantitative research design and a survey method was employed for all 110 employees at KPM Holdings. A structured closed-ended questionnaire was used to collect data. A significant response rate of 93.58% was obtained using the personal method of data collection. The responses to the questionnaire were captured and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 for Windows. Several hypotheses were formulated and tested using the Pearson`s chi-square and Spearman`s rank order correlation co-efficient. The findings showed that there were significant relationships between the variables. The findings of the study at KMP Holdings also indicated that training and development strategies provided by the organization were not aligned with technology. The recommendations suggest that top management should ensure that all the equipment and tools used for staff training are aligned with prevailing technology. The recommendations also suggest that management should understand that most employees do not come to their jobs with the total knowledge and experience required for them to perform perfectly. Therefore, at KMP Holdings, employee performance should be enhanced by providing the training needed to the employees to produce the desired outcomes. Relevant literature was also studied on topics related to this research. Recommendation and conclusion form the last part of this paper.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Encounters of women in physically demanding jobs within Rustenburg
    (2017-12-15) Tlome, Nthabeleng; Dumisa, Bonke
    The South African government through the 2004 mining charter stated that all mining companies must be transformed and empowered such that 15% black ownership is realised by 2009 and a final target of 26% black ownership by 2014. The target was not achieved, reaching only 9% in 2009, this trend was observed in the proportions of women representation in physically demandingjobs. The research methodology employed was that of a quantitative nature, a survey questionnaire was utilized in gathering the research data from respondents; research tool used was a questionnaire using a Likert- 5 type rating scale in order to accomplish the research objectives. The basis of the research was centred on women development, contribution women make within the businesses, women's specific needs, programmes addressing the skills gap between men and women, and leadership care for women's career progression. The study objectives were to among other things establish if the current network structures and sex-specific reward systems kept women in subordinate professional positions, and how key technical competences previously constructed as masculine can include women from new professions emerging from technological innovation. Findings briefly showed male employees as the ones who were more favoured to being promoted into executive positions; stereotypes still exist regarding women's capabilities, with unconscious bias being reflected. Inherent cultural practises also compelled discrimination towards certain gender roles, thus subtle manifestation of prejudicial bias with undeserved effects on women employees working in the physically demandingjobs. Conclusions and recommendations showed that women form the most essential component of the work force in South Africa. To attain best results on the success and sustainability of the economy, the society, and the industries at large; a renewed commitment by all stakeholders on the development and nurturing of women in the jobs that require physical strength was found to be imperative. Measures to promote co-existence between men and women, improved ergonomics to meet women's physiological basic needs, together with recognition and award systems need to be implemented, consequently improving numbers and retention of women in physically demanding jobs.