1,720,962 research outputs found
Exploring the perceptions of homosexuals on the role played by the South African Police Service on crimes experienced by gays and lesbians in Durban.
Full text linkMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.This study focused on the perceptions of homosexuals and lesbians regarding the role of the police in investigating crimes that were committed against them in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. In particular, the study explored the experiences of gays and lesbians who had been victims of various type of crime due to their sexuality or sexual orientation. The objectives were, to explore which types of crimes were committed against gays and lesbians, to determine the reasons why homosexuals tend not to report crimes committed against them to the South African Police Service (SAPS), and to explore the perceptions of homosexuals on the efforts of the SAPS in dealing with crimes reported by gays and lesbians. To elicit data the study used a qualitative research method. A sample of 15 participants (7 gay men and 8 lesbian women) from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban was purposively selected. The researcher employed in-depth interviews as the primary data collection method and the data were analysed by means of a thematic analysis process. This involved the identification of themes as they emerged from participants’ responses. The findings revealed strong tendencies among communities to victimise gays and lesbians due to their sexuality. Most respondents admitted that they chose not to report such crimes to the police due to reasons such as lack of trust in the police, the fear that the police would not take their cases seriously, shame, blaming themselves for the crimes, and the fear that their families would find out that they were homosexual. The findings also showed that gay and lesbian victims who reported crimes to the police felt that the police did not take their cases seriously, as they would be asked questions that were not helpful but showed a homophobic attitude on the side of the police. The study thus recommends that the police should obtain training in order to be able to understand and deal fairly and more professionally when crime is reported by gay and lesbian victims even if they are personally, culturally or religiously against homosexuality. Laws should be establish that deal specifically with crimes that are motivated by hate or dislike of a person based on their sexuality or sexual orientation in order to address these crimes in a humane and thorough manner and within legal parameters. Furthermore, communities should be educated about homosexuality in order for them to not see it as abnormal but as a manifestation of people’s right to diversity
Mitigating recruitment and selection challenges through the utilization of AI
Full text linkHuman resource management (HRM) is a crucial component of an organization’s management and aims to enhance employee efficiency and an organization’s competitiveness. As organizations advance and grow, recruitment and selection decisions become more critical. The thinking of human resources practitioners and experts must be transformed to accommodate the current workplace. Practitioners and experts must ensure that qualified candidates are attracted to the organization at the right time to fill open positions. Traditional HRM methods are insufficient for the progressively more complicated HRM challenges. Recruitment and selection, as one HRM component, is a process with numerous challenges. This study examines how the use of AI technologies can assist in mitigating recruitment and selection challenges. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and soliciting data from databases such as Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct, a systematic literature review analysis was conducted to investigate the human resources challenges in recruitment and selection and explore how AI can moderate these challenges. The analysis indicated several challenges, including high costs, bribery and corruption, political interference, inadequate job descriptions, nepotism and favoritism, and lengthy recruitment and selection processes. Recommendations of the study suggest that the accuracy and efficiency of recruitment and selection can be enhanced by involving AI technologies, which can assist in lowering the risks and expenses associated with recruitment and selection
Investigating factors that impact employee retention at Kunene Health Care.
Full text linkMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The efficiency and success of an organisation depends mainly on its capacity to retain its employees. High staff turnover may result in an organisation not being able to meet its objectives and cause it to lose business and customers – and this can spoil its good reputation. Previous studies emphasised the importance of regarding human resource management as the most important asset in any serious organisation determined to realise self-determined goals and objectives. The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that influence employee retention at Kunene Health Care, in order to provide recommendations aimed at curbing or significantly reducing employee turnover and enhancing staff retention. A qualitative research approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 individuals in the company. The study used a purposive sampling technique – collecting primary data while also utilising secondary data. The study found that inconsistent remuneration packages discouraged employee retention at Kunene Health Care. Employment security, workplace organisation, and the working environment were the most important factors that employees considered when deciding whether to stay or leave the company. Poor working conditions, a lack of skill recognition, failure of management to provide opportunities for career progression, unchallenging job content, un-natured superior-subordinates relationships, and a hostile social atmosphere all discouraged employee retention at Kunene Health Care. The study recommended that Kunene Health Care use techniques that increase communication, performance and career planning, in order improve retention – while also mitigating the cost of new employees
Elevating knowledge sharing and communication through Artificial Intelligence: An organizational perspective
Full text linkKnowledge-sharing is essential for organizations that seek to maximize collective intelligence, foster collaboration, and enhance employee relations. Effective communication accelerates the exchange of ideas, ensuring that knowledge is shared accurately within groups. Knowledge sharing and organizational communication are essential characteristics of any organization, and employees must support each other to survive internal organizational dynamics. The study aims to understand the relationship between knowledge sharing, organizational communication, and artificial intelligence (AI). The study examined how organizational communication strengthens knowledge sharing and how AI technologies enhance the connection. A systematic literature review analysis was conducted using the PRISMA flow diagram to explore the effect of communication strategies on knowledge sharing and identify how AI tools can streamline these processes. Data from databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, and Science Direct were accessed. The analysis indicated that incorporating AI technologies to improve knowledge sharing and organizational communication minimizes costs, increases employee productivity, streamlines workflows, provides faster information retrieval, and enhances decision-making. However, despite its possible benefits, incorporating AI in organizational communication strategies does not come without challenges. The study recommends how organizations can encourage employee knowledge sharing through communications and AI to improve employee relations and organizational performance. It is additionally essential to reflect on how AI can be brought in strategically to break the barriers around effective knowledge sharing and organizational communication. Sharing knowledge and communicating effectively across an organization is more critical than ever in today’s fast-paced business environment
Upward communication as a vehicle for enhancing effective communication at South African petroleum retail service stations
Full text linkThe study evaluates the role that upward communication plays in enhancing effective communication. It is however vital for petroleum retail service stations, and the petroleum industry as a whole to prevent the occurrence of accidents and to ensure safety. Upward communication in an organisation underline the significance of employee feedback in improving organisational performance and shaping decision-making. It promotes a culture of transparency and trust, encouraging employees to share suggestions, ideas, and concerns with management. The study is conducted in the petroleum sector and focuses on the selected petroleum retail service stations in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative approach to address the objectives and prove the hypothesis. The data was collected from 740 retail service station employees in South Africa. The data collection method that was utilised for the study was closed-ended questionnaires that were personally administered. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 25) and includes both inferential and descriptive statistics. The result of the study proves that there is a relationship between upward communication and effective communication in the South African petroleum sector. The manner in which top-level employees communicate impacts on how effective communication is in sites. The conclusion drawn from the study have shown that upward communication have a positive and significant association with effective communication. The study recommends that there should be various options for communication media, also accommodating technological advances. The study also recommends the creation of an open communication environment where barriers to communication are minimised. This be in need of accessible feedback, manager training, clear communication in the daily operation to promote continuous improvement, transparency, and trust.
Cyberbullying Perpetration: Children and Youth at Risk of Victimization during Covid-19 Lockdown
Full text linkThe Covid-19 is believed to have emerged in Wuhan, China, and has affected many countries across the globe. In response to this pandemic, governments in different countries have implemented social distancing measures to stop the spread of the virus. The closure of schools and switch to remote learning of universities to protect youth and children from exposure to the virus might also open opportunities for certain crimes such as cyberbullying. The study aimed at exploring the risks of victimization of children and youth through cyberbullying during the lockdown. A qualitative approach, non-participant observation was utilised. Data was collected from three social media platforms which include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram from posts since the beginning of lockdown. Keywords such as “ama2000s”, “2000s” and “90s vs 2000s” were used to search for content. Facebook groups for “2000s” where most young people engage were also used. The study found that with the increase of the use of social media among children and youth during the lockdown, most have been victims of cyberbullying. In these platforms where young people engage, most posts and comments carried content which includes sexting, sexual comments on young girls’ pictures, trending of videos of school children fighting, and insulting each other. A significant finding was the use of fake accounts to perpetrate cyberbullying. The study recommends that addressing cyberbullying through educating children and youth about acceptable online behaviour, signs of cyberbullying, responses to it, and cybersecurity should be prioritised
Online Romance Scams: Perceptions on the Risks of Victimisation of LGBTQ+ Individuals on Dating Apps
No full textWith the growth of technology, cybercriminals have their opportunity to target victims online. Although online dating platforms offer LGBTQ+ individuals a means to connect, they also expose users to significant risks such as fraud, assault, and other forms of victimisation. People of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities are no exception to this online victimisation. Although it is known that LGBTQ+ community members are frequently the target of online victimisation, little information is available on this matter related to the use of dating sites in South Africa, specifically. This study therefore explored how LGBTQ+ individuals perceive the risks of victimisation when using dating sites. The research objectives included: to identify the types of cybercrimes that occur on dating sites against LGBTQ+ people; to understand the views of LGBTQ+ individuals in using dating sites; and to examine LGBTQ+ individuals’ awareness of the occurrence and prevention of victimisation against LGBTQ+ people on dating sites. Employing a qualitative methodology and exploratory case-study research design, the study recruited five participants who identify as LGBTQ+ individuals and reside in South Africa to share their perceptions on dating sites used by LGBTQ+ individuals. The semi-structured interviews yielded rich data and saturation was soon reached. These transcribed interviews were thematically analysed to identify the multiple risks that members of the LGBTQ+ communities face while engaging on dating sites and social media platforms. Additionally, it was found that perpetual stigmatisation of the LGBTQ+ community has led to the innate need for love, acceptance, and connection, which can lead to engagement in potentially risky situations for the chance at fulfilling this need. No member of a socially just society should face victimisation in the pursuit of connection, be it intimate or platonic connection. These findings highlight, once more, the need for social inclusion to be at the forefront of societal collective consciousness. The authors believe that this lack of social inclusion could be addressed through inter-group contact and accurate media representation of members of the LGBTQ+ community to achieve familiarisation and acceptance between differing groups in society.
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Police Turn Blind Eye to Homosexual Victims of Crime in Durban of South Africa
No full textThis study focused on the perceptions of gays and lesbians regarding the role of the police in dealing with crimes committed against them in Durban. The study explored types of crimes committed against gays and lesbians, and their perceptions on the efforts of the South African Police Service in dealing with crimes reported by them. A qualitative research method was used to elicit the data. A sample of 15 participants (7 gay men and 8 lesbian women) was purposively selected. Interviews were used to collect data and it was analysed by means of a thematic analysis. The findings revealed homosexual victims experience crimes such as “corrective” rape, assault, sexual harassment and hate crime. These crimes committed against them are not investigated. Recommends: the police should be trained to deal fairly and more professionally when crime is reported by homosexual victims. Laws should be established that deal specifically with crimes that are motivated by hate based on sexual orientation
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