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Faculty of Management Sciences

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Capacity building

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    Exploring capacity development programmes for socio-economic transformation in South Africa : a case study of the South African petroleum industry
    (2021-12) Kikasu, Tanzala Eustache; Dorasamy, Nirmala; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
    Capacity development programmes in the workplace, whether in the public or private sectors, play a strategic role through increasing the ability of people, organisations, and societies to cope with or adapt to challenging and adverse circumstances that affect the organisations or systems that societies depend upon. Capacity development programmes are an approach that addresses, in a continuous manner, specific issues at institutional/organisational, socio-economic, environmental, and infrastructural levels, with the aim of improving the delivery of adequate services; boosting organisational competitive advantages; improving productivity; and meeting sustainable development goals. In the workplace, capacity development is a significant socio-economic resource and a foremost key factor that can guarantee the development of employees’ skills, abilities, talents, performance, and value, as well as enabling organisational perspectives for improved innovation, efficiency, and sustainable growth. This study examined capacity development programmes as a tactical approach, suitable for tackling and bridging the gaps of technical skills shortages, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African society and petroleum industry respectively. The vision and mission statements of capacity development programmes are to continually equip, build and develop positive, creative, and innovative human capital capacity with functional, technical, and behavioural capacities to convey organisational and societal change through supporting people knowledge, skills, talents, capacities or abilities improvement and development in various spheres of socio-economic activities. The focus of this study was to describe the role that capacity development programmes could play in the petroleum industry for socio-economic transformation in South Africa, through the case study of the South African petroleum industry. It also examined the critical factors affecting the best practice of policies, programmes and strategic plans that support structures of human capital capacity development in the workplace and the challenges obstructing the effective best practice of capacity development programmes on job-related skills development of employees in the South i African petroleum industry. Therefore, the triangulation methods assisted the researcher with using more than one approach as sources of data collection and analysis process and by approaching data with various theories or perspectives in mind to extend the possibilities of bridging the gaps of technical skills shortage, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African petroleum industry. This method was useful in producing knowledge from diverse viewpoints upon matters that were discussed in this study. The triangulation methods facilitated the researcher in terms of gathering and converging quantitative and qualitative data from petroleum companies that are members of the South African Petroleum Industry Association (SAPIA). Therefore, the quantitative survey combined with qualitative in-depth interviews provided a better understanding of the information obtained. In this study, the PESTIE framework was applied in line with the aim and objectives defined for this research. However, only the political, economic, and social variables were examined to identify the challenges and effects of capacity development programmes in the process of developing technical skills, controlling/minimising skills waste and developing positive human capital capacity in the South African petroleum industry. Accordingly, findings indicated that (87.6%) challenges affecting the petroleum industry development and socio-economic transformation in South Africa are mostly caused by the lack of policies, programmes, and strategic plans best practice to bridging the gaps of technical skills shortages, skills waste, and the deficit of positive human capital capacity in the workplace. In addition, respondents (77.6%) affirmed that policies improvement and best practice could be a vital key in promoting scarce skills development in the South African petroleum industry. Furthermore, respondents (78.6%) agreed that awareness campaigns about capacity development programmes best practice in the South African petroleum industry could fuel the engine of technical, functional, and behavioural capacities development, and put in place a locomotive of organisational improved competitive advantages (innovation, productivity, and performance improvement) and socio-economic transformation. Moreover, respondents (73.7%) agreed that an improved/developed model of capacity development programmes in the workplace could be a sine qua non condition for scarce skills (technical skills) development and retention in the South African petroleum industry. Therefore, the CDP-PUSH-Effects model that comprises the Big Push and Push-Pull strategies associated with reactive, proactive, and active approaches was suggested as an indispensable tool, useful in tackling the critical matters of technical skills shortages, skills waste and the deficit of positive human capital capacity affecting the South African petroleum industry and society. Accordingly, more awareness, resources and efforts from role-key players (policy-makers, decision-makers and stakeholders) would be required towards supporting the scarce skills development process and strengthening employees’ ability to deliver quality services as well as deal with unpredicted adverse events that could prevent the petroleum industry’s development and socio-economic transformation processes in the country.
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    Exploring the academic staff development programme for newly appointed academic staff members in Universities of Technology : a systems approach
    (2021-11) Lecheko, Matthews; Bodhanya, Shamim
    ABSTRACT Academic staff development programmes are meant to assist newly appointed academic staff members in executing their duties effectively as university teachers. Newly appointed academic staff members join the university system with only their discipline knowledge (mode one of knowledge production). However, they are expected to teach and impart knowledge to students such that they become equipped for the marketplace. With rapid globalisation in a volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous world economy, newly-appointed academic staff members have continued to apply conventional methods of teaching as they were instructed to do, thus affecting teaching practice and the quality of graduates they release. A need has thus arisen to reconsider academic staff development in terms of a dynamic approach which recognizes that academia is not divorced from the socio-economy and rapidly changing environment. A University of Technology functions as a system where all stakeholders work towards producing graduates who are equipped to function in the marketplace. When a systems approach is used, the appreciation of academic staff development is from a broader perspective. This includes understanding interactions between all facets of the institution, its staff members, students, curriculum and the broader society. The interaction and interconnectedness of components is complex and the output, which is the graduate student, is a product of these complex relationships. Two Universities of Technology were conveniently sampled, from each of which participants were purposively selected to participate in the study. A qualitative case study design was employed from a social constructivism lens in order to explore academic staff development programmes for newly appointed academic staff members in Universities of Technology. Interviews and focus group discussions guided by a Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) were used to elicit data from participants. Participants’ experiences were critical in outlining their perceived ways of viewing the world. Hence, soft issues were unearthed as critical in fostering the academic development of newly appointed academic staff members. The process of facilitation and initiation of academic staff development, the role of academic leadership in academic staff development and current practices of academic staff development have a significant bearing on individual development.
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    The effect of absenteeism on productivity at Durban container terminals
    (2021-11) Zondi, Buyani Mgcini Cyril; Kader, Abdulla
    The Durban container terminal (DCT) is the biggest and busiest container terminal in the African continent. The terminal has a throughput capacity of 2.9 million per annum but is now under threat due to absenteeism. In recent years, the DCT struggled with a high rate of absenteeism which is thought to be the reason for decreasing productivity. The study, therefore, sought to investigate the effect of absenteeism on productivity at DCT with a view to finding ways of curbing the scale of absenteeism. A quantitative research approach was adopted with a view to finding ways of curbing the scale of absenteeism. Stratified random sampling was used to select 321 participants from the human resource inventory at DCT. The data were analysed using both descriptive statistics. The study questionnaire was validated by pretesting the questionnaire to some selected employees at the DCT. Ethical approval was requested and obtained from the Research and Ethics Office at the Durban University of Technology. The study revealed that employees perceived absenteeism as the reason for lower productivity, lower quality of product and service. Absenteeism is perceived as the source of increase in losses and as well as increase in administrative costs. The study found that absenteeism at DCT is caused illness, toxic organisational culture, stress levels, family problems, personal need and poor relations amongst core workers and between mangers. In addition, the study also found that improving conditions of service and organisational culture can potentially lower absenteeism at DCT. On the other hand, the study concluded that offering employee assistance, disciplinary action and a caring leadership were not helpful in reducing absenteeism at DCT. Drawing from the findings made, the study recommended the need to establish the employee health centres such as clinics manned by full time personnel such as nurses and doctors to provide health care and support to all employees of the organisation. There was also need for leaders/mangers to undergo training on effective leadership that fosters on a learning organisation in order to improve organisational culture leading to a culture that motivates the workforce. It is through this culture that issues of personal needs, family matters and relationships will be take care of. The study also recommended an overhaul of the conditions of service that includes salary upgrade, allowances such as transport and housing, medical care etc. There was need also to investigate the current disciplinary measures used by DCT that include disciplinary action and the employee assistance programs as they have proved to be helpful in other organisations globally except for DCT becoming cause for concern.