Faculty of Management Sciences
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Item Managing tacit knowledge in a hi-tech learning organisation(2005) O'Neill, Shawn; Pankhurst, RowenaProject managers are faced with the challenge of matching skills to a task rather than merely assigning people to a job. If these skills are not readily available, the project may not be able to be executed with the desired level of quality and timescales may not be met. Nowadays, organisations need to respond faster to market requirements than before due to increased competition and rapid advances in technology. Coupled to this is the trend for human resources to be more mobile, as lifelong commitment to an organisation becomes a thing of the past. These two trends present modern organisations with the requirement that their human resources require increasing levels of skills, yet they are faced with the risk that these skills may be lost due to their mobility. Organisations, therefore, need to understand what their core competencies are and ensure that these competencies are developed such that the organisation retains an adequate supply of core skills. The aim of the study is to identify the core competencies and associated skills within an organisation and devise a method whereby these competencies and skills can be measured and duplicated such that core knowledge is retained and developed within the organisation.Item An investigation of the impact that the nature of administration has on a port's competitiveness : Durban, South Africa(2006) Tosh, Garth DouglasThe challenges of the 21st century have influenced the transportation of growing cargo volumes at ports that intercept major shipping routes along the coastline of Southern Africa (McCan, 2003:32-34). In view of these challenges, rivalry between ports along the coast of Southern Africa has increased (Nevin, 1998:27-28). Empirical research focuses on the financial management, management processes and competitive attributes at the port of Durban, South Africa. The primary objective investigates the impact that the nature of port administration had on the competitiveness of the port.Item The determination of core competencies of Sappi Forest Product Division as a basis of establishing future development(2004) Khan, ImtiazThe purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies of Sappi Forest Product division as a basis for establishing future developments. The literature focused on the resource-based view where the analysis of the firm’s internal resources and capabilities can be used as the starting point of strategy.Item Job satisfaction of "Level 1 learners" within Masonite (Africa) Ltd(2006) Prando, HarryIn 2005, Masonite (Africa) Ltd embarked on a level 1 learnership program, in line with the National Skills Development Strategy. Within a few months, it became apparent that there was a need to investigate the job satisfaction of the level 1 learners (learners) in the work component of their learnership program. To investigate their job satisfaction, a study was conducted which was guided by three objectives. These were: firstly to determine the general job satisfaction of the learners; secondly, to assess the satisfaction of the learners according to twenty dimensions of the job, as measured by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and thirdly, to investigate the relationship between the job satisfaction of the learners and their demographic variables gender, age, work experience and level of education.Item Barriers preventing marginal income groups from accessing housing finance(2006) Shelembe, Sipho DennisThe marginal and low-income groups face a number of obstacles in their quest to secure housing finance to improve their living conditions. South Africa has a sophisticated and effective finance system. However, it appears that the only beneficiaries from it are the middle and upper income groups of the housing market. The whole system of accessing housing finance has proven to be problematic for the marginal and lower income groups for various reasons, among others: it is not user friendly and is not easily understood by an illiterate or poorly educated person. The key challenge for the South African housing finance system is to find ways of bridging the gap between those who have a regular income and those who do not. The credit gap exists because of the relationship between risk and cost which is a standard lending issue across the globe. The study has unpacked the obstacles by looking at the literature and role players in the housing finance.Item The sustainability of the South African automotive export leather sewing industry(2006) Molokoane, LymonThe South African automotive leather export sewing industry was established in about 1991, when domestic firms were exposed to international markets. The industry’s success was largely attributed to the relatively cheap labour, infrastructure, leather and tax incentives given by the South African government. Interest in investment shown by multinational companies has resulted in significant growth in the industry today. However, at one time, the socio-political status in South Africa meant that the environment in which the industry developed was artificial. Economic, political and cultural conditions were not conducive to export manufacturing due to international sanctions. Consequently, the leather export industry was provided with an opportunity to integrate into the international arena primarily through the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP). The MIDP initiative allows South African automotive companies to offset import duties against exports. This duty offset programme aims to encourage firms to focus on high volume production runs and import less popular models that are expensive to produce locally. However, with the inclusion of the Eastern European countries into the European Union, it is expected that the market will become highly competitive. It has already been predicted by Ballard (2002) in a study on the South African leather business that the automotive leather sewing export industry is an “easy-come-easy-go” industry, with its success not linked to any intrinsic advantages South Africa possesses, but due to rebates from the Motor Industry Development Programme. Although South Africa has a number of advantages such as relatively cheap labour, material in leather hides, and a good infrastructure, the automotive sewing industry has yet to establish its efficiency when exposed to open market competition. Therefore, to create a perception of stability for international investors, the industry must seek contact with outside partners for market access, technology and process know-how through collaboration and benchmarking. This study therefore aims to develop a discourse related specifically to the sustainability of the leather export sewing industry as it approaches deregulation.Item The training needs of leather technicians to support corporate competitive advantage at Feltex automotive leathers(2006) Unruth, RajeshThe purpose of this study is to identify the training needs of leather technicians with the aim of supporting corporate competitive advantage within their company. Identifying competencies is an essential first step towards developing a training programme and to support corporate competitive advantage.Item The impact of a piece rate incentive scheme on employee output at a selected automotive company(2005) Walsh, AnthonyThis study encompasses the triangulation of research methods in order to determine the impact of a piece rate incentive scheme on employee output within the South African context. The existing body of knowledge tends to reflect the conditions found in developed countries such as the USA, Canada and the UK, very little research appears to have been conducted in the South African context.Item Selecting an appropriate organisational performance management system for South African municipalities(2006) Zulu, ZwileThis study is aimed at understanding the potential organisational performance management systems that could be used by municipalities and hence the topic "Selecting an appropriate organisational performance management system for South African municipalities"Item Management attitudes towards gainsharing as a strategic tool for productivity improvement at a selected South African company(2005) Zondo, Robert DumisaniThere is a lack of commitment and participation in productivity initiatives at shop floor level in South Africa and companies are faced with competitive challenges of promoting innovativeness relating to productivity improvement amongst employees. South Africa’s labour productivity in the manufacturing sector is low when compared to Korea, United States of America, Taiwan, Japan, France and the United Kingdom. It has increasingly been recognised in industry that by introducing a carefully crafted incentive scheme, it may be possible to induce South African workers to work both harder and smarter and use existing technologies in new and better ways that enhance their productivity. The study proposes to evaluate to what extent gainsharing can be a solution.