Faculty of Management Sciences
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/13
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Item Conflicting practices in higher education : a practitioner’s perspective(2024) Patel, Abdul-Kader; Hardman, Stanley GeorgeThe purpose of the study is to provide insights into the challenges faced by academics at a previously disadvantaged university of technology in Durban. The challenges academics face has been divided thematically in terms of learning and teaching challenges; workload including administrative challenges; research and individual challenges including mentorship, supervision and student challenges. A systems thinking lens was used throughout the ethnographic study. The soft systems methodology diagramming technique was used to construct a rich picture to unravel the problematical situation with a view to constructing a framework of enquiry for the study. A living theory paradigm with the aim of improving my practice was maintained throughout the study by the practitioner-researcher using action research. It is the researcher’s intention that the thesis is a new, serious contribution to a critical understanding of the university of technology sector because it offers empirically-based research analysing and dissecting existing challenges at a specific institution that can provide a basis for further research in the sector. The findings of the study can be of assistance to university leadership and management as well as politicians, policy makers and practitioners not only to understand and absorb the harsh reality of a concrete environment but to think, plan, design and implement strategies and tactics leading to a better institution.Item Leadership capabilities for improving financial management ineffeciencies in the public sector(2023-06) Ntuli, Leanett Fanyana; Hardman, Stanley GeorgeA sound public financial management system is a precursor for the enhancement of service delivery and poverty reduction in an independent, democratic South Africa. The government has, through various Acts, closely regulated financial management in public institutions to ensure sustainable resource management for future generations. However, complex challenges related to leading and managing such institutions have continued to monopolise the realities of public financial management in towns and cities. Basic amenities such as water, electricity, and roads remain in a deplorable state, more so in disadvantaged communities. A volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous socio-economic landscape has exacerbated overspending and further widened the budget deficit gap. Legislators and public office bearers spend most of the time debating and aligning policy instruments towards compliance with standard procedure. They have not considered the relationship between convectional management and their leadership capabilities and its effectiveness in enhancing proper financial management and the resultant service delivery. Thus, an appreciation of the dynamic nature of how various institutions interact with policies and procedures, and inherent values, societal beliefs, as well as ethics, in effective management of finances is key, with this option enabling a robust approach in the management of public financial systems. Essentially, the research applied a multi-methodology research approach, which used a combination of System Dynamics, Soft Systems Methodology and Critical Systems Heuristics. The study revealed that if the Municipalities could recruit competent staff, the level of irresponsibility in the accounts or finance department would reduce inefficiencies and accountability will improve. This research unearths how systems thinking can develop and enhance leadership capabilities in an environment that allows for continuous learning. The outcome of the research is pertinent to public financial management practitioners, managers, and politicians, on how to enact sustainable public financial management.