1,721,010 research outputs found
Customer perceptions of quality service delivery within the department of Financial Aid at a University of Technology
No full textSubmitted In Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters in Business Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2022.With over thirty-four Private Universities in South Africa targeting students (customers) by marketing their services; offering free learning devices, state-of-the-art learning tools, modern amenities and other visually appealing packages, it has become imperative for Public Universities to find ways and means to secure the best students (Customers) to sustain their image and service excellence. For this study, a service quality tool known as the SERVQUAL/RATER model was used to measure a public University of Technology's Customer Perceptions of Quality Service Delivery within the Department of Financial Aid. Both one-on-one interviews and online questionnaires were applied using the SERVQUAL/ RATER genetic formula (SQ= E-P) to form part of the qualitative and quantitative methods to achieve the most accurate results. These results were achieved by measuring the five dimensions: tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, assurance and empathy. Using forty statements, rating customers' expectations minus rating customers' perceptions established the gaps. In this study, all five dimensions of the SEQUAL/ Rater model displayed negative quality services. According to the attached statistical report, the largest gap (-2.01) was established from responsiveness, making this an even greater challenge for Public Universities since this reflects that they take long periods to respond to the issues of students. Recommendations were made for amenities such as access ramps for differently abled students and staff performance/project workshops to be held. Developing a few direct NSFAS helpline stations with their central information call-logging system generating reference numbering is highly recommended to reduce student waiting periods and frustrations and improve quality service delivery overall.
The impact of dialysis therapy on metabolic syndrome traits at the Groote Schuur Hospital
Full text linkSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements for Masters in Technology: Clinical Technology Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2014.Background
The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a clustering of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and is noted to be increasing globally. Several studies have shown a link between the MS, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) possibly through a process of inflammation. Dialysis therapy may increase inflammation and could worsen MS and increase CV risk and diseases in ESRD patients. ESRD has been associated with increased CV disease in dialysis patients. Although there have been several reports on the prevalence of MS from the general population as well as from other specific groups, there are no known studies in South Africa on the prevalence of MS in ESRD patients on chronic dialysis therapy. The prevalence and risk factors for CV diseases are also currently unknown in the dialysis population in Cape Town.
Aim
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MS in the dialysis population at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, to determine the effect of dialysis on MS and its traits and to evaluate CV risk in this patient group.
Methods
A total of 143 prevalent chronic dialysis patients who consented were used for this study. Demographic and relevant clinical details including systolic and diastolic blood pressures, waist and hip circumference and body mass index were obtained from all patients. Blood was drawn in the fasting state for assessment of full lipogram, glucose, ferritin, iron, calcium and phosphate. The metabolic syndrome was defined using the Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) criteria. To determine the impact of dialysis on MS and its traits in our patients, only incident (new) patients starting dialysis were followed up for assessment of MS traits at timed intervals (at baseline, at 6 months and at 12 months) following initiation of chronic dialysis. To evaluate CV risk in this study, common traditional CV risk factors were assessed and were stratified according to number of risk factors as low ( ≤ 1), moderate (2 – 4) or high ( ≥ 4). Relevant statistical methods were used for analysis.
Results
Of the 143 patients in the study, 67.8% were on haemodialysis (HD) and 32.2% were on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The mean age of all the patients was 38.5 ± 10.4 years. The MS was present in 37.1% of all patients (PD – 52.2%, HD 29.9%; p = 0.015) and the frequency of increased waist circumference and hypertriglyceridaemia were significantly higher in PD patients than HD patients (p 0.05)
Conclusion
The prevalence of the MS is higher in dialysis patients compared to the general population in South Africa and among dialysis patients, the prevalence is higher in PD than HD patients. Patients with MS have significantly higher CV risk factors than those without MS. Although dialysis therapy appear to have no significant effects on the prevalence of the MS or its traits in this study, the increased prevalence of the MS and CV risk factors may be related to the underlying disease process associated with ESRD. There is therefore an urgent need to identify and treat dialysis patients with the MS in order to reduce CV morbidity and mortality in this group of patients. Further prolonged prospective studies are needed to clarify the impact of dialysis on the MS and its traits in the ESRD population.
Employee satisfaction with union representation at a selected South African University of Technology
No full textSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Masters in Management Sciences: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2021.Komsi (2010: 7) identifies three reasons for workers joining a trade union. The first
motive is to better know workers’ rights, the second is because of belief in collective
action and the third is to promote the interest of one’s self and co-workers.
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) has three trade unions on campus, i.e.,
TENUSA, NEWAHU AND NTEU. Each trade union representatives, known as shop
stewards, face the difficulty of having to support two, roles i.e., (i) the role of either a
lecturer, administrator or administrator support and (ii) that of a shop
steward/executive member. The trade union representatives are elected at an Annual
General Meeting (AGM) for a period of between one and three years and expected to
perform union activities over and above their own job functions and responsibilities.
The aim of this study was to survey employee satisfaction with union representation
at a selected University of Technology. The objectives of the study were to determine
whether union members are happy with union representation of their interests to
identify the areas of representation that is lacking and to recommend ways in which
worker interest can be improved.
The population consisted of all full-time staff members of the Durban University of
Technology. These included academics, academic support and administrative
support staff; male and female; of diverse race groups; working on all seven campuses
of the University.
The initial sampling method used for this study was stratified systematic because the
population comprised of distinctly different categories of workers and each category
was sampled separately to ensure that it was equally represented. The researcher
used questionnaires as the data collection tool. The following factors were taken into
consideration in determining the best possible way of distributing the questionnaires:
the large sample size of 620 staff that needed to be surveyed and the wide geographic
spread of the selected sample elements. To facilitate easy collection the researcher opted to use Microsoft Forms as the data
collection tool. Microsoft Forms is a lightweight, simple tool that allows you to easily
construct a form, collect real-time responses, and display automated charts to show
your data. You can create a form in minutes, no training needed and respondents can
fill it out on any browser without downloading a separate app. After numerous followup attempts, the response rate was still very low requiring the researcher to conduct
a purposive / convenient sampling method targeting all unionised staff.
The study found that the members surveyed were very satisfied with the effectiveness
of their unions. Members indicated that union officials were available as soon as you
needed them; gave members a choice in how the union works; kept their members
updated and treated complaints properly. Members were satisfied with the
membership fees and were actively involved in electing their union leadership.
Notwithstanding, the fact that there was overall satisfaction by the members survey,
the researcher provided recommendations on each of the areas that received a
minimally negative rating.
Assessing infection control knowledge and compliance in theatre at a private hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the Requirements of the degree of
Master of Health Science: Clinical Technology, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2021.Infections acquired in a hospital (HAI) often referred to as nosocomial infections are
related with increasing morbidity and death among patients that are hospitalised and
are predisposed to an elevated risk of infection by health workers (HCWs). The need
to maintain an effective infection prevention and control program is therefore essential
for quality health care. This study sought to assess the knowledge and compliance of
infection control practices of Cardiovascular Perfusionists in theatre at a private
healthcare facility in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) in the city of Durban.
A qualitative, research design was used to explore the knowledge and compliance of
infection control practices of Cardiovascular Perfusionists by conducting online semi
structured interviews. The interviews were conducted online due to the current
pandemic of COVID-19, where much consideration was given to social distancing and
modes of virus transmission. Duration of the interviews lasted no more than 20
minutes.
Prior to conducting the main study, a pilot study was pursued in order to ensure that
the interview questions were relevant and that the participants had clear engagement
with the questions and no modification nor questions were added to the interview
guide. The researcher found that the actual description of the professions differed in
the procedures carried out, however, the theatre environment is the same, and only a
few questions pertaining to the difference in practice of the participants had to be
slightly rephrased in order to be more applicable to the main study.
The study was conducted by means of a purposive sample of Cardiovascular
Perfusionists. The interviews conducted were limited to only those that practice in the
private sector. Participants were chosen based on their ability to provide the
necessary information. The interviews were transcribed and then coded by a
statistician. The rationale for selecting this strategy was that the researcher was
seeking knowledge about the factors that influence the knowledge and compliance of
Cardiovascular Perfusionists in the private sector regarding infection prevention and control techniques. Subsequently, these participants would be therefore able to
contribute valuable information.
The major themes which emerged where namely., infection control and prevention,
knowledge of healthcare associated infections, awareness of healthcare acquired
infections, cardiovascular perfusionists procedures and precautions followed in
cardiovascular surgery.
The study found that there is a need for Clinical Technologist specialising in
Cardiovascular Perfusion to undergo training in infection control and prevention
practices at the higher education and training level. Subsequently, the study reveals
that Cardiovascular Perfusionists have a good overall understanding of pathogens and
the implications thereof. The study also notes that there is considerable compliance to
infection control practices in theatre irrespective of the knowledge pertaining to
infection control and prevention policies.
An analysis of inter-healthcare facility transfer of neonates within the eThekwini Health District of KwaZulu-Natal
No full textDissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of
Technology: Emergency Medical Care, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2012.Introduction
The safe transfer of neonates from one healthcare facility to another is an integral
component in the process of neonatal care. Neonates, a term applying specifically to
infants during the first 28 days of life, are transferred from medical healthcare
facilities which do not have specialist care or intensive care management to more
specialised facilities in order to improve their clinical outcome and chance of survival.
The transfer system is thus an important aspect of the overall care provided to
neonates. The transfer process, however, poses a threat of aggravating the clinical
condition of the neonate. Inter-healthcare facility transfer of a neonate requires
careful planning, skilled personnel and specialised equipment to maintain the
continuum of care, as this directly impacts on the morbidity and mortality of the
neonate.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of the study was to undertake a descriptive analysis of the current
neonatal inter-healthcare facility transfer system in the eThekwini Health District of
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). This service is provided by the public sector ambulance
service known as the Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS). The study,
based on 120 consecutive transfers, assessed the clinical demographics of the
neonates, the time taken to complete the transfers, including time sub-intervals, the
equipment that was necessary for the transfers and the qualifications and
procedures performed by the transfer team. The study also identified any adverse
events that were encountered during the transfers.
Methodology
The study was conducted from 19 December 2011 to 30 January 2012. It used
quantitative methodology and a non-experimental prospective design to undertake a
descriptive analysis of 120 inter-healthcare facility transfers of neonates within the
eThekwini Health District of KwaZulu-Natal. Data collection relied upon two types of
questionnaires. A descriptive survey method incorporated logistic and deductive
reasoning to evaluate the objectives of this study. Frequency distributions were
generated to describe data categories. Bivariate analysis was conducted using chi-
square.
Results
During the study period there were a total of 120 neonatal inter-healthcare facility
transfers. All referrals were undertaken by road ambulances. Eighty-three (62.2%),
transfers were undertaken by the operational ambulance units, 35 (29.2%) by the
obstetric unit and 2 (1.7%) by the planned patient transport units. Thirty one (28.5%)
transfers were on Fridays, followed by 24 (20.8%) on Mondays and 20 (16.6%) on
weekends. Ninety seven (80.8%) were during the hours of dayshift (07h00-19h00)
and 23 (19.2%) were during nightshift (19h00-07h00). Of the 120 neonatal transfers,
29 (24.2%) were specialised transfers, of which 22 (75.9%) were ventilated.
With reference to the gestational ages of the neonates being transferred 90 (76.7%),
were pre-term, 26 (21.7%) were term and 2 (1.7%) were post-term. There were 11
(9.2%) newborns (from birth to 4 hours), 56 (46.7%) early neonates (from 4 hours to
7 days) and 53 (44.2%) late neonates (from 7 days to 28 days). Of the 120 neonatal
transfers, 90 (75.0%) were pre-term having associated co-morbidities and 49
(40.8%) had respiratory problems.
The mean time ± standard deviation (SD), taken by EMRS eThekwini to complete an
inter-healthcare facility transfer was 3h 49min ± 1h 57min. The minimum time to
complete a transfer was 55min and the maximum time was 10h 34min. The mean
time ± SD from requests to dispatch was 1h 20min ± 1h 36min. The delays in
dispatch were associated with no ambulances being available 70 (58.3%), no ALS
personnel available 48 (40.0%), no equipment available 23 (19.2%) and no ILS
personnel available 7 (5.8%) to undertake the transfers. Junior or inexperienced
personnel in the communication centre also contributed to the time delays by
dispatching ALS personnel for non-specialised transfers and requesting neonatal
equipment when it had not been requested by the referring personnel for the
transfer. The mean time ± SD from the referring hospital to the time mobile to the
receiving hospital was 43min ± 26min. Six (5.0%) neonates were clinically unstable
at the referring facility for transfer. For 15 (12.5%) transfers, neonates had been
inappropriately packaged for transport by the hospital staff, which added to the
delays, p. value = 0.018.
The necessary equipment was unavailable for 37 (30.8%) of the transfers. The lack
of equipment was due to problems such as poor resource allocation, and
malfunctioning, inappropriate, insufficient and unsterile equipment. The pre-
departure checklist had not been completed in 50 (41.67%) of the transfers.
The study identified 10 (8.3%) adverse events related to the physiological state of
the neonate and included 1 (0.8%) mortality. Nine (7.5%) neonates suffered serious
life threating complications during transportation, 8 (6.7%) of which were due to
desaturation, 6 (5.0%) due to respiratory deterioration, 3 (2.5%) due to cardiac
deterioration and 1 (0.8%) due to temperature related problems. Eighteen (15.0%) of
120 transfers experienced equipment related adverse events of which 9 (7.5%) were
associated with ventilators, 9 (7.5%) with incubators, 3 (2.5%) with the ambulance, 2
(1.7%) with the oxygen supply and 1 (0.8%) with arterial cannulation. Five (33.3%) of
the 15 equipment related adverse events contributed directly to life threatening
physiologically related adverse events, p. value = 0.007.
Conclusion and recommendation
The Emergency Medical Rescue Service (EMRS) is involved in the transportation of
a significant number of neonates between various healthcare facilities in the
eThekwini Health District, some requiring intensive care and some not. This
descriptive, prospective study has identified numerous shortfalls in the service
provided by the EMRS in the eThekwini District.
Inter-healthcare facility transfer of neonates can be safely performed by the transport
services if the operations are well co-ordinated and there are dedicated, specialised
and trained transport teams armed with appropriate equipment and medication,
together with the guidance of policies and quality assurance. Transport teams must
be trained to provide this specialised care in various environments, including ground
and air ambulances and understand the multiphase neonatal transfer processes.
There must be good communication and co-ordination by all role players, which is
underpinned by good team work to improve the standards of neonatal care and
monitoring. Only then can clinical excellence be achieved when transporting
neonates between healthcare facilities.
Integration of pharmaceutical care in rural public health : a case study in Ugu and Umzinyathi districts in KwaZulu-Natal
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2019.South Africa’s Healthcare system being in transitional phase presented opportunity for
pharmaceutical service development within the public sector, however, strong leadership with
visionary advocacy and stewardship is indispensable. The National Health Insurance (NHI)
mandate and the growing emphasis on primary healthcare (PHC) re-engineering, further
strengthens the prominence of many healthcare professionals and processes towards equitable
and quality healthcare service delivery, among them pharmaceutical services. This research
sought to identify the gap in the provision of pharmaceutical care services within the rural public
context.
There are several reasons why an investigation into the role of the pharmacist in PHC facilities
is warranted. Firstly, several pharmaceutical processes within the public sector have and are
contributing to a void in the pharmacist primary role and responsibility, thereby promoting their
expansion into PHC, which at present is limited. Secondly, the growing incidence of
communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by the lack of clinical governance
questions the quality of patient-centred care and outcomes. Thirdly, the absence of antibiotic
and anti-retroviral clinical stewardship and the World Health Organization calling for professional
collaboration in managing NCDs highlights the need for pharmaceutical care (PhC) intergration.
Therefore, the study focus aimed to guide the development of a collaborative pharmaceutical
care model, within the rural domain, by applying a mixed methodology to describe the roles and
responsibilities of the Primary Care Drug Therapy (PCDT) pharmacist; identifying enabling and
disenabling factors to consider in developing a collaborative health care team through the
perceptions of key informants, authorized nurse prescribers, visiting doctors and pharmacists
working at the public primary healthcare clinics, and by conducting the South African Pharmacy
Council (SAPC) legislative assessment of the ‘ideal’ clinics.
The basis of the argument encompassed philosophical perspectives, legislation, role and
collaborative advantage theory including moral theory of Ubuntu and care ethics related to rules
and regulations of pharmaceutical care practice. The study harnessed healthy discussions
among public healthcare professionals. The outcome supported unanimously a need to integrate
pharmaceutical care and that a Pharmacist can add a meaningful role to the delivery of optimal patient care. A role of collaborative practice was preferred, citing conclusively themes of role
clarity, resources & location and drug supply management by 100% of the respondents. An interprofessional team of doctor, authorized nurse prescriber and pharmacist at facility level to
ensure a public health, primary care, clinical patient outcome focus was favoured by 97% of the
respondents. Continued training of nursing staff and pharmacists was advocated by 94% and
62% of respondents respectively. Further themes of patient safety (82%) and quality of care
(76%) were highlighted. The Kruskal Wallis test (p<0.05), illustrated statistically significant
differences for doctors and authorized nurse prescribers in four medication related processes,
diagnosis & prescribing; administration/documentation; education & training and medication
review, with nurses moreover monitoring patient safety. Pharmacists instead placed more
emphasis on monitoring compliance, educating patients about chronic medication, providing
drug information to prescribers and identifying prescribing errors than over prescribing rights.
The barriers identified were transport unavailability for outreach services, language deficiencies,
scarce resource equipment and the shortage of doctors and authorized nurse prescribers.The
pharmacist advocacy in these under-resourced rural communities that was demonstrated
beneficial is one that drives pharmacovigilance in adverse drug reporting, antibiotic stewardship,
clinical governance with continuous prescription audits followed by structured training for PHC
authorized nurse prescribers, patient engagement and interaction to ensure optimal patient
outcomes and safety. The factors to be considered for such an intergration rely on facility
infrastructure, co-location, SAPC legislative compliance standards among them, role clarity
building on relationship and trust, leadership, principles of Ubuntu and care, a culture of
accountability and responsibility, implementation time, and local context.
Encounterted limitations of time, distance and challenging terrain confined the research study to
two rural districts wherein selective sampling further narrowed the clinics to ideal status. Future
action research of a larger sample across more rural health districts and primary healthcare
clinics is hence recommended to validate and expand the findings of the study which commits
to apprise significant role players in Sub-Saharan Africa that may wish to pursue similar practice
within a rural context, in the hope of changing “Africa’s health care landscape”.
Assessment of technical competence of candidates within a clinical pathology discipline
Full text linkSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Health Sciences: Medical Laboratory Science Degree, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017.Background
Medical laboratories play a crucial role in patient care and require a competent skilled workforce to deliver this essential service. The current process of Medical Technologist training is a summative assessment consisting of two written 3 hour papers that correlates theoretical knowledge acquired at a tertiary level with the practical internship. Currently there is no assessment of technical competence of Intern Medical Technologists (candidates) by the HPCSA.
Aim: This study aims to determine how technical competence was assessed for Intern Medical Technologists who are eligible to write the National Board Examination in the Clinical Pathology discipline.
Methods: A quantitative design was used for assessing the technical competence of the candidates that were eligible to write the National Board Examination by using an adapted SANAS witnessing tool across ten Clinical Pathology test procedures by direct observation as well as to determine how technical competence is assessed in HPCSA registered training laboratories using a survey administered to Laboratory managers and trainers. The data was collected and analysed using the statistical software SPSS version 24.0.
Results
Some candidates that were directly observed in each of the Clinical Pathology test procedures were deemed not yet competent in compliance and adherence to SOP’s, acceptability of results, internal quality control procedures and the acceptability of the outcome and availability of signed training and competency records on the direct observation checklist. These results of the assessment of technical competence were compared to the results of the National Board examination that candidates wrote and there was no correlation between the two except for the Microbiology sub-discipline and the general section.
Results of operations of competency assessment in 9 HPCSA registered Training Laboratories revealed that 100% of respondents have a technical competence laboratory policy, 90% identified the Laboratory Manager as having responsibility for ensuring assessment of staff competency, 100% stated that frequency of competency testing was upon initial employment and once in two years thereafter, 90% had clear criteria to define competency assessment and 100% indicated that the remedial process used in their laboratories was documented corrective action which included re-training and re-assessment.
Conclusion:
From this study it can be concluded that assessment of technical competency for Intern Medical Technologists in the Clinical Pathology could augment current assessment systems of Intern Medical Technologists for conferment of professional designation and a policy review is recommended.
Entrepreneurial intention of matric commerce students in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
No full textSubmitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management Sciences
Specialising in Business Administration in the Faculty of Management Sciences at the Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2022.Entrepreneurship is widely accepted to be an effective mechanism for elevating
tripartite challenges of unemployment, inequality and poverty. This study was
conducted to gauge whether matric commerce students in rural areas of KwaZuluNatal have the intention to start their own businesses.
The study put heavy reliance on entrepreneurial intention models and focused on the
relationship between exposure to entrepreneurship education, personality traits of
entrepreneur and social capital as variables of the study, aimed to establish whether
they are related to the intention of matric commerce students to start their own
businesses.
The current literature was consulted in an effort to understand diverse views on
entrepreneurial intention and entrepreneurial intention models; entrepreneurship
education and its role in strengthening entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial selfefficacy, entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial intention; the influence of
social capital on entrepreneurial intention, key drivers and enablers of entrepreneurial
intention and personality traits that influence entrepreneurial intention.
A survey was conducted among commerce students in 11 districts of Kwa-Zulu Natal.
The respondents for the study comprised 433 matric commerce students of which 38
were from Amajuba, 45 from Ethekwini, 43 from Ilembe, 39 Sisonke, 33 from Ugu, 47
Umgungundlovu, 56 from Umkhanyakude, 47 from Umzinyathi, 36 from Uthukela, 34
from Uthungulu and 15 from Zululand. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics
and nonparametric statistics.
The findings revealed that seventy percent were ready to start a business after their
studies and believed that their professional goal was to be an entrepreneur. Some significant relationships were found between entrepreneurial intention and the key
variables of the study. The study developed an entrepreneurship model using the
personality traits influencing entrepreneurial intention, social capital and
entrepreneurship education as variables of entrepreneurial intention.
The study recommended that government authorities should come up with awareness
programmes that encourages business start-ups especially considering the fact that
unemployment looms the South African market. The government authorities should
channel the curriculum even more positively in order to interest these matric students
in starting a business after leaving school. The authorities are highly encouraged to
provide free workshops and training activities that will equip these matric students as
far as the management of financial records and assets of the business is concerned
besides the academic subjects they are getting.
The study recommends that future researchers may consider the same scope and
area of study but making use of a different methodological approach. Studies may
use an approach that will be able to rank the level of entrepreneurship intention of
these matric students.
Alternatively, the same research can be conducted but in the form of a comparative
study across African countries and this will enrich a wider and better understanding
at continental level.
A study on entrepreneurial intention of commerce matric students can also be
examined in the context of both urban and rural areas of South Africa in order to
ascertain the net effect as entrepreneurship cuts across both in the rural and urban
areas
Developing measures to improve employee engagement in public Technical Vocational and Educational Training (TVET) colleges in Gauteng Province, South Africa : an investigation of antecedent and outcome variables
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2021.This study investigated the antecedent and outcome variables of employee
engagement within the public Technical Vocational and Educational Training
(TVET) colleges in South Africa’s Gauteng Province. Job demand in the form
of work overload, job resources in the form of supervisor and co-worker
support and role clarity, personal resources in the form of self-efficacy,
individual differences in the form of proactive personality, and psychological
conditions in the form of psychological meaningfulness and psychological
availability were assessed as the possible antecedents to employee
engagement (referring to job engagement and organisation engagement).
Discretionary effort and turnover intention were assessed as the possible
outcomes of employee engagement. Adopting a quantitative cross sectional
design survey, a random sample of 190 lecturers across 43 campuses of the
eight public TVET colleges in Gauteng was used for the study. Twelve
variables were considered with six major hypotheses. The research
hypotheses were tested through correlation analysis and structural equation
modelling. Results revealed that some of the proposed antecedents
significantly predicted employee engagement. For example, workload has a
statistically significant positive and direct effect on psychological availability (β
= 0.28, p < 0.003), and a statistically significant negative effect on job
engagement (β = -0.32, p < 0.000) and organisational engagement (β = -0.37,
p < 0.000). Supervisor support has a statistically significant positive
relationship with psychological meaningfulness (β = 0.27, p < 0.003), job
engagement (β = 0.35, p < 0.000), and organisational engagement (β = 0.23,
p < 0.000). This study also supported the view that psychological conditions
are positive antecedents of employee engagement, and that employee
engagement can influence positive employee intention and behaviour in an
organisation. Implications for scholars and practitioners, especially
management of public TVET colleges and the South African government are
discussed as viable options for providing conditions that aid the development
of employee engagement and consequently organisational performance.
Assessing the impact of language diversity on communication : a narrative inquiry conducted at a South African stevedoring company
No full textSubmitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Management Sciences
in Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2021.Prior to 1994, South Africa was a country that had segregation among race
groups due to apartheid legislation. Post 1994 South Africans had to deal with
the combining of culture and races. The merging of communities required
businesses to employ previously disadvantaged groups for a more diverse
organisation. Although this produces superior results over uniformity, since
development and creativity are more reliant on diversity working together and
capitalising on their individuality than on high-intelligence sole thinkers
(Herring, 2009). It also has its own set of unique challenges, according to
Herring (2009) diversity can present conflict, separating a nation and other
issues that diminishes an organisations effectiveness and productivity. There
is a rising pressure placed on employers and employees for accountability in
the workplace and an increasing importance for evaluation of performance
(Denzin and Lincoln, 2003). Twenty-three years post-democracy South Africa
faces many challenges in various sectors of society. Living in a rainbow nation
means living amongst people of different nationalities, beliefs and customs. At
the organisation which this research is based upon, there are people of varying
races and culture. The problem with this is that in a predominantly English
medium of instruction, the employees who communicate via other languages
are finding it difficult to understand and follow instruction.
Hence, the purpose of this study was to assess the impact of language
diversity on communication at a South African stevedoring company. This
study was driven by three research questions, namely: What are the identities
of the participants of the study? Secondly, what are the employee experiences
of the effects of language diversity on communication? And lastly, how does
communication style between the participants affect the rate of productivity at
the workplace?
This research study was supported by using the principles of the Social Identity
Theory and the Communication Accommodation Theory. The paradigmatic
approach used viewed this research study through the lens of the interpretivist paradigm in order to understand and learn from the narratives of casual
employees at a South African stevedoring company. This research study was
performed within the boundaries of the qualitative design. The narrative inquiry
methodology was applied to this study in order for the researcher to narratively
explore the lived experiences of the participants. Five participants were
selected for this study by putting into effect the principles of the purposeful
sampling method. Field texts (data) were generated by employing the
unstructured interviews and the collage inquiry method. The generated data
was then analysed through two methods of analysis. These methods are the
narrative analysis and analysis of narratives. The findings of this study show
that one of the key components of high productivity is effective communication.
Due to many employees including all five participants being second language
(Isizulu) speaking, a barrier to language could be considered as a
communication barrier. Communication barriers arise when the individuals
involved speak in completely different languages from one another (van Rosse
et al., 2016). Language barrier or linguistics barrier can be defined as
miscommunication (Harzing and Feely, 2008). In any company or
organisation, communication is the pillar of strength for any organisation, and
poor communication has severe repercussion to productivity. The success of
an organisation depends heavily on the flexibility and the effectiveness of the
internal organisational communications between all levels of employees. For
this reason, it is the job of managers to lead employees with effective
communication.
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