1,720,978 research outputs found
An employee satisfaction management framework for the textile and garment industry in Lesotho
No full textOrganisations that provide employees with environments that enable unleashing one’s potential enhance employee satisfaction and are regarded as a key source for competitive advantage. However, only little attention is given to the development and implementation of satisfaction management practices that may be linked to improved employee satisfaction. Researchers have found that no organisation can perform optimally unless its employees are satisfied and committed to the success of the organisation. Sustainability of the textile and garment industry in the development of economies depends on the attributes of investors and the effectiveness of government policies or industrial practices. Hence, this study focused on the development of a framework for managing employee satisfaction to enhance employee satisfaction in the textile and garment industry in Lesotho. The literature review discusses factors that affect employee satisfaction and conceptualises employee satisfaction in terms of its relationship with organisational performance. The empirical investigation sought to determine the overall level of employee satisfaction/dissatisfaction, assess contextual determinants of employee satisfaction, and develop an implementation procedure for the strategies that could be incorporated in the framework for managing employee satisfaction to enhance employee satisfaction in the textile and garment industry in Lesotho.
In line with a pragmatic paradigm, a convergent mixed-methods design was adopted. To gather quantitative data, a questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire included three sections that comprised a demographic component, the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), and a set of closed-ended questions followed by one open-ended question. This questionnaire was utilised to determine the level of employee satisfaction, factors affecting employee satisfaction, and strategies to improve employee satisfaction in the industry. To gather qualitative data, interviews were conducted. These interviews evinced challenges that contributed to lower employee satisfaction in the textile and garment organisations of Lesotho and strategies for managing employee satisfaction. Data were organised, presented, and analysed by the help of the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) and ATLAS.ti computer packages. On the one hand, quantitative analyses included frequency distributions, bivariate correlations, analyses of variance (ANOVAs) and T-tests. On the other hand, the qualitative analysis utilised content analysis. The analyses of quantitative and qualitative data were done independently, after which the results were triangulated for deeper interpretation. The study established a positive relationship between employee satisfaction and organisational performance. Overall, employee satisfaction was regarded as an antecedent for organisational performance or success. The findings of the study also indicated that employees were moderately dissatisfied with their jobs and organisations in the textile and garment industry in Lesotho. Factors of employee satisfaction and strategies for managing satisfaction were established across three levels, namely the individual, organisational, and industrial levels. Subsequently, this study not only expands the theoretical and empirical literature on employee satisfaction, but also adds knowledge of employee satisfaction from a management perspective. In addition, this study expands knowledge on the mixed-methods approach in investigating employee satisfaction. The results could strengthen the role of all stakeholders in organisations and those outside organisations in supporting this industry in Lesotho. Specifically, the findings of the study can give decision and policy makers some insight into improving employee satisfaction in the textile and garment industry in Lesotho. By doing so, the performance of the whole textile and garment industry will likely improve and translate into the national economic upliftment of the country. The findings of the study could also be used as a baseline for similar studies on the textile and garment industries in other countries
Factors influencing the adoption of project management methodology at Central Bank of Lesotho
No full textCentral Bank of Lesotho (CBL) came to a realisation that most of their projects are either over budget, delivered way later than they had anticipated or are of poor quality and in some instances the end product completely different from what was initially planned. These problems warranted the Central Bank of Lesotho to establish a project management office which amongst other responsibilities is tasked with ensuring that all projects are implemented in a standardised way across the bank. When Project Management Office (PMO) came into operation it decided to adopt a project management methodology. However there seems to be an inconsistency in the use of the methodology within the bank as other projects are strictly adhering to the methodology whilst others still deviate from using the methodology.
The primary objective for this research is to find those factors that are important or have an influence in the successful adoption of the project management methodology at Central Bank of Lesotho. The secondary objectives were to determine if there was a proper foundation set at CBL for the adoption process and whether there are any factors that might hinder the adoption of the project management methodology at CBL.
A quantitative approach was used in the form of a survey to gather data regarding the adoption of the project management methodology at CBL. A 5 Likert scale questionnaire was distributed to 40 respondents who are currently involved with project management, using a non-probability sampling method.
The research has revealed that the Central Bank of Lesotho had laid down the necessary foundation for the implementation of the project management methodology even though non-inclusion of the project related activities on employee contracts might slow down the adoption process. Even though everything is in place there is still a problem of some departments not adhering to the project management methodology, which warrants further research into aspects such as organisational culture which were not covered in this research project
Employee engagement at a Lafarge Cement South Africa production facility
No full textIncreased competition due to lower sales margins, excess capacity, imports and a new entrant into the local market has led to various attempts to improve competitiveness in the cement industry over the last few years. The contribution of employees to improve competitiveness and sustainability required the companies to ensure higher levels of employee engagement to fuel innovation and productivity. Lafarge SA recently experienced increases in employee turnover and negative operational performance, indicators of possible low engagement levels. The purpose of the study was to determine the engagement levels at Lafarge SA.
This quantitative study used three measures, the Gallup Q12, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and Work Engagement Scale (WES), to determine the antecedents of engagement and the levels of psychological engagement at Lafarge SA. According to the Gallup Q12, the engagement level for Lafarge SA is 65.78%. The composite psychological engagement level according to the WES is 68.14%, and 64.84% according to the UWES. These levels are similar to the engagement level of other South African companies.
The research has identified several antecedents to improve employee engagement at Lafarge SA. Employees have a desire for feedback and recognition as this assists in the employees’ feeling of adding value to the company. Lafarge SA has to develop employees, in line with their own talents. Decision making is a key driver to improve employee engagement. Management of Lafarge SA should create an environment that fosters the growth of a true social connection and mutual support at the company. Open, frequent, honest feedback on job performance contributes significantly to the employees’ perception of their worth and meaning. Effective training remains a challenge for organisations; managers should facilitate the process to enable employees to update their skills and ability to the benefit of the company. The research confirms the negative relationship between employees’ intention to stay and their levels of engagement.
Organisational leadership should allow a two-way open communication environment, assisting further in creating a harmonious working environment where employees
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respect and help each other, and is committed to employee well-being. Employees should release their discretionary effort, be prepared for change, be positive, encouraging, helpful and accountable and, lastly, they should seize the opportunity to make things better for themselves and their organisation.
Lafarge SA therefore needs to implement measurable organisational strategies to enhance employee engagement that will improve competitiveness and the retention of talent
Management capacity at the Maluti Technical and Vocational Education and Training College
No full textThe primary objective of this study was to evaluate the leadership and management capacity at the Maluti Technical and Vocational education and Training College. This study was prompted by the increasing focus on the post-school sector in South Africa, especially the TVET college sector. The South African National Development
Plan emphasises that by 2030, South Africa should have access to education and training of the highest quality. The education and training system is envisaged to play a greater role in building an inclusive society that is more responsive to the needs of the economy.
The study includes a theoretical literature review that focused on a definition of management capacity, an investigation of different models of management capacity, the factors that may influence management capacity and what the general problems encountered in terms of management capacity are.
The empirical studies obtained from the survey indicated a clear disconnect between desired leadership and management capacity versus existing leadership and management capacity.
The main findings from the research indicated that staff members are divided as to how they experience the existent management capacity at the Maluti TVET College.
The study further indicated that the rate of change required in the sector had a negative impact on management capacity. A final point that emerged from this study is that in general the staff members are not attuned to the vision and mission of the Maluti TVET College. This will also reflect on the extent to which the sectorial vision and mission is actualised, not only by the Maluti TVET College, but also by the
sector as a whole
Burnout of clinical personnel at Dr J S Moroka District Hospital
No full textOver the years the public hospitals had undergone service transformation and were consequently faced with multiple challenges such as the rapid expansion of primary healthcare services and an epidemically demanding profile of patients. The clinical personnel at Dr J S Moroka District Hospital had been subjected to enormous pressure to deliver healthcare services. No formal study had been done to assess the problem of declining personnel motivation and increase in personnel absenteeism which resulted in work overload and the impact of burnout on the clinical personnel, which had been the focus of this field study.
The primary objectives was to determine the level of burnout on clinical personnel and assess the relationship between burnout, work stress and job satisfaction at Dr J S Moroka District Hospital.
The study targeted the clinical personnel who worked in the clinical department during the survey period. A quantitative method was used where the respondents participated by filling out a self-administered questionnaire that included an assessment of burnout, job satisfaction and demographic details.
The response rate was 83.72%, with females making up the majority of the respondents. The clinical personnel experienced a medium level of burnout and were exposed to a moderate level of work-related stress. Among the different departments, personnel at the MDR TB ward were more prevalent to burnout, while at the casualty department, the personnel had the highest
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prevalence of work stress. Females with a longer service record were proven to experience a higher level of burnout. Despite the medium level burnout, the majority of the clinical personnel were somewhat satisfied with their job and 28.99% said they will definitely refer a friend for a job at the hospital. Staff motivation was very low, with 34.78% indicated that they were not at all motivated.
This study has illustrated the prevalence of burnout and significant concern on staff engagement at DR J S Moroka district hospital as it proven to exist among the study population. Substantial evident discussed above has proven the importance of employee assistance programs and the need to improve staff engagement so to achieve future sustainability and benefits for the organisation and its staff
The influence of the Eskom North Western Region’s safety vision on the organisation’s safety culture
No full textThe North Western Region suffered a very poor safety performance over a number of years (2001 to 2008) leading to the establishment of a safety vision in 2008. A safety vision was developed and implemented in the NWR but its desired effects are not visible.
The primary objective for the study was to investigate the influence of an electricity supply industry’s safety vision on its safety culture. The study was to evaluate further the relationship between a safety vision and a safety culture from an electricity supply industry’s perspective.
The empirical approach to the study was to use a quantitative survey. A sample of 350 employees was identified for the study, with a reasonably good response rate of 291 employees (83.14% of the identified sample).
The study revealed that a significant positive relationship between the Eskom NWR safety vision and the organisational safety culture exists. The vision is not only articulated at the highest possible level in the organisation but has positively contributed to the existing organisational safety culture. The study has however also revealed a disconnection between employees and management as far as what the priority is between production and safety. This might be due to the importance given to production on both the employee performance dashboards and scorecards. In these, safety’s percentage target is far lower than production. With a target of 20 per cent, the safety target might be confusing to employees as having a lesser weight and importance than production. This was however not an expected outcome.
It can be concluded that the employees in the NWR are currently driven by the conciseness, future orientation, abstractness, desirability, and ability of their safety vision. This vision has become a very strong option in a quest to change behaviour. The employees have accepted and are clear on the strategy behind the vision. Their norms, values, and beliefs system are developing towards achieving the organisational objectives. If leadership continues to employ this vision with vigour, it is bound to have far-reaching implications on both organisational safety and performance
Expatriation and repatriation of employees at group technology
No full textThe primary objective of the research is to determine the preparedness of Group Technology’s employees for expatriation and repatriation. This is in response to the fact that there is a view that the employees at Group Technology are not adequately prepared for expatriation to and repatriation from long-term international assignments, leading to delays; cross-cultural tension; career uncertainty issues; decrease in productivity; and ultimately, resignations. This study falls within the Human Resources Management (HRM) sphere. The population of this research was all Group Technology employees that are expatriates and repatriates. A sample of 52 employees was drawn from the population of 79
employees that were on the expatriate database. A comprehensive sampling method was used. The criteria used to take the sample from the population were that an employee had to be a permanent employee, had to be on a long-term assignment (six months or longer) and the employee had to be on an international project.
A quantitative research method and a structured questionnaire with a five-point Likert scale was used to gather responses on the levels of satisfaction of the expatriates with the expatriate process at Group Technology. Descriptive statistics were applied in the analysis of the data gathered and a software tool called SPSS was used to
analyse the data. The model – identified as a model of choice for the research – is a four-stage expatriate cycle. The stages of the expatriate cycle are: selection, preparation, support and repatriation.
The expatriates and repatriates rated Group Technology’s expatriate process as being fair for all four of the expatriate cycle stages. As a new entrant into the international market (compared to peers), Group Technology still has a long way to go in improving its process. However, it has been proven that the fair rating received
from its employees is comparable with multi-national companies in all regions
Staff morale in the Department of Public Works, Kimberley regional office
No full textThis study aimed to evaluate the staff morale in the Department of Public Works Kimberley Regional Office. A sample of 20 participants was chosen to fully represent the staff. The data was collected through in-depth interviews and was analysed by means of content analysis. Herzberg‟s Motivator-Hygiene theory forms the basis of the study by distinguishing the three different work environments that exist and the effects that these environments have on morale. The results of the study show that within the three work environments, the human and organisational environments have the most impact on morale. Within those two environments the main contributors to the low levels of morale are the lack of management and leadership, and aspects that relate to that. The possible contributors within the technical environment have virtually no effect on morale as they are considered hygiene factors by Hertzberg
Accounting ethics in the accounting profession: a sample stakeholder survey in Bloemfontein
No full textRecent years have witnessed an increase in the emphasis on accountability and transparency in both private and public sectors, largely because of a need to optimize efficiencies and productivity. Accompanying this trend has been an increasing appreciation of the centrality of ethics in public life. A key profession in meeting these demands is the accounting profession. An often-understated aspect of the accounting profession that strives to ensure adherence to ethics by accounting professionals is accounting ethics, which is defined as an example of professional ethics and, in particular, the study and practice of moral values and judgments in the field of applied ethics as they apply to accountancy. Against this background and with a specific focus on Bloemfontein, this study sought answers from the following research question: (i) Why are accounting ethics important/critical to the accounting profession?
To answer the above, the secondary objectives of the study were:
(a) To identify the development of accounting ethics in accounting as a profession.
(b) To assess the importance of accounting ethics in the accounting profession in Bloemfontein.
(c) To evaluate the role of accounting ethics education in the accounting profession among stakeholders in Bloemfontein and thereafter map the range of these stakeholder perceptions. The research methods used was a quantitative approach through the use of questionnaires.
Questionnaires were coded and analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results from questionnaire data show a high percentage of the sampled population being aware of accounting ethics and that they chose to be ethical in their business decisions. Further, the overwhelming majority (85%) of the sampled population indicated that ethics should be integral to all modules that form the basis of accountancy training. It is for this reason that the study recommends that (accounting) ethics should not be a stand-alone module or subject but one that is integrated vertically (in a succession of study years, i.e. first, second and third years of study as the case may be) and horizontally (in different modules/subjects in a particular year of study). Other recommendations of the study include continuous development and support in the form of workshops and other forms of in-service training and development programmes for accounting professionals and corporate leaders, aimed at engendering accounting ethics in the workplace and as an integral part of personal values. Additionally, these recommendations include professional bodies in the accounting profession that should enforce registration by accounting professionals so as to be in a position to enforce their codes of conduct. Another recommendation is that there is a need for close cooperation in all aspects of accountancy training (from curriculum design through to curriculum delivery) between educational institutions and professional and regulatory bodies in the accounting profession so as to guarantee organic development of training in alignment with the changing demands of the profession
Factors affecting turnover of nurses in rural clinics of Lesotho
No full textThe primary objective of the study was to establish the factors affecting turnover of nurses at the nine rural clinics in Lesotho that are managed by the Lesotho Flying Doctors Services. The turnover of nurses at the nine rural clinics of Lesotho has contributed to challenges faced by the health care system of the country. This is exacerbated by the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS that has led to a heavier burden on nurses to provide anti-retroviral treatment and primary health care. The widespread poverty dominant in the rural areas affected a large number of Basotho to use public health care as opposed to private health care. In addition, low remuneration and hardship allowances paid to nurses in the rural areas may drive them to look for better paying jobs. Challenges faced by the health college are aggravating the situation.
Using the qualitative research method, the study concluded that demographic factors have varying effects on the turnover of nurses. However, their influence is less significant in comparison with general factors and economic factors. Among other factors identified in the three themes, the participants were dissatisfied with accommodation, which was very poor despite the recent refurbishment and construction of the clinics. It appears from the findings that non-financial factors were more significant than the financial ones, and many participants were concerned about a number of them. The most significant non-financial factors, for example, include the issue of accommodation, communication, and infrastructure, which in turn affect access to the remote clinics negatively. Economic factors had a significant effect on the turnover of nurses, and the main challenges were caused by budgetary constraints.
The turnover of nurses, particularly with regard to those working in the rural areas, can affect the quality of services in the nursing profession negatively. A number of factors, consequences, and challenges may also hamper nurses‟ work at the remote clinics. Management at the Ministry of Health should implement a number of strategies that will assist in reducing the level of turnover of nurses and enhance health care services at the rural clinics
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