MBA & MM Theses

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End date: 2011

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 750
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    An assessment of the effectiveness of the governance arrangements of the Thusong Service Centres.
    (2010) Wenhold, Marece.
    The problem which this thesis addresses concerns the effectiveness of the governance arrangements of the Thusong service centres, which are intended to provide integrated services to communities. This research on Thusong conducted an empirical analysis using a field survey approach to determine what factors impact on Thusong’s effectiveness. This research is conducted by means of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The constituent parts of the thesis jointly contribute to an assessment of the effectiveness of the governance arrangements of Thusong as an integrated services centre. In other words, how effective are Thusong’s governance arrangements to promote these centres as integrated services centres? The first chapter contextualizes the problem statement of this research. The second chapter frames integrated services centres in terms of theory. The third chapter provides a literature review of the governance arrangements of Thusong, based on the theoretical framework on integrated services centres. The fourth chapter explains the research methodology of this research. The fifth chapter presents the findings of the research on Thusong, whilst the last two chapters constitute an analysis of the findings and a summary of the answers to the research questions. Primarily, the research findings recognize that the measures of effectiveness used for this research reflect that Thusong’s governance arrangements are not effective to promote it as an integrated services centre. Secondly, the research indicates that Thusong can do more to enhance the capacity of its service providers to solve problems and serve clients. Lastly, there is not enough evidence in order to conclude that the institutional arrangements of Thusong contribute to the efficient and effective delivery of services as a collective.
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    Electricity interdependence of memebers of the Southern African Development Community.
    (2010) Mokhethi, Keketso E
    The SADC region has been experiencing power shortages since 2007 and this has been more pronounced in South Africa, the biggest generator and consumer of electrical energy in the region. The power shortages have been primarily blamed on SADC governments‟ failure to invest in new power stations. In 2008 Eskom was forced to request its key customers (including those beyond the borders) to reduce their consumption by 10% in an effort to reduce electricity demand. Load shedding was also introduced as a way of Demand Side Management (DSM). Eskom is a major contributor in terms of supplying other countries with electricity in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). Therefore, any supply challenges it is facing will inadvertently affect the SAPP community. The SAPP is considering establishing a competitive cross-border electricity market where a buyer will have the freedom to purchase electricity from a supplier of their choice at a spot market rate. The study examines the extent to which SADC countries depend on each other for their electricity needs and the potential for a competitive cross-border electricity market given the current supply situation. A qualitative research methodology was used. Data collection was based on a questionnaire with the same questions asked to each respondent. The study found that SADC countries that participate in the SAPP depend on each other quite extensively for their electricity needs. The research also revealed that Eskom is the main player in the region as it trades electricity with many countries some of which depend on the South African utility for more than 50% of their domestic electricity needs. Another revelation of the study is that the SAPP utilities need to invest in generation and transmission capacity before a successful competitive cross-border electricity market can be operational. Security of supply and a reliable transmission network are crucial to the success of any power pool.
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    Organisational challenges in the formulation process of a Mineral Resource Management Systems Strategy in South Africa
    (2011-11-22) Andersen, Donovan Cedric
    A case study conducted on the challenges encountered during the formulation process of a systems strategy to facilitate an organisational change within the mining environment. With the economic climate of 2009 many mining companies felt the threat of inefficiencies. Anglo Platinum was no exception. With the introduction of a new CEO and new practises, the company had the task of managing the change for the benefit of remaining cost effective. The data was collected throughout the entire process formulation period, by means of individual observations conducted during the group sessions and with an unstructured interview using the participants of the process. Pertinent to the process there are significant amounts of challenges that were highlighted. Research however, went a long way in identifying the generic aspects of group dynamics, diagnosing, planning and implementing change, change management and institutionalising change. The case study itself proved to be lively and challenging and no amount of prereading prepares the manager or participant for the reality, as every case is unique and sometimes the solutions even more so
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    STAFF TURNOVER CHALLENGES IN THE TEACHING PROFESSION IN LIMPOPO PROVINCE
    (2011-11-22) Ramakgolo, Matome
    The teaching profession in South Africa continues to experience an exodus of teachers; a trend which impacts negatively on service delivery and matric results. In a country faced with persistent unemployment, poverty and acute skills shortage, effective education becomes an important tool for remedying the situation. Attracting and retaining talented teachers is vital in building the capacity required to improve teaching and learning as well as educational policy outcomes. The purpose of this research was to analyse the challenges contributing to staff turnover in some schools in Capricorn district municipality in Limpopo province. The study found that adverse working conditions and lack of support were the major contributory factors to the problem of staff turnover in the province. The study recommended that talent retention strategies be integrated with operational plans in order to minimise the exodus of suitably qualified teachers in the province
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    Measuring Customer Service Quality in a South African Industrial Automation Company
    (2011-11-22) Sali-Ameen, Mohammed
    The study will be demarcated as follows. Chapter One has provided a background of some of the issues facing Honeywell Automation South Africa and some of the industry challenges. Pressure from competitors in the South African market is also discussed in this chapter. Chapter Two will review literature on the work of several authors on the generic determinant of service quality. A comparison of the factors identified reveals common elements. Some criticism is levelled against SERVQUAL, and the alternative INDSERV model is introduced. Chapter Three outlines the research design and methods for conducting this study. The data analysis techniques are explained and consideration given to the limitation/delimitation of this study, as well as issues relating to confidentiality, validity and reliability. Chapter Four and Five present the response data. The results of the study are integrated with the objective of this research, literature review and management models presented in the previous chapters. Chapter Six Conclusions have been drawn from the survey results and recommendations made for improving service quality at Honeywell Automation South Africa. A theoretical framework has been developed within the scope of this study to assist the company in improving customer service levels in order to gain competitive advantage
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    Enhancing the Implementation of the National Waste Management Strategy in Greater Sekhukhune
    (2011-11-22) Masemola, Seporo Sam Addison
    This research was conducted with the aim of finding out why medical waste that is often found illegally disposed of and who is responsible for it. Such waste poses a danger to people, animals and the environment. The researcher has visited health care waste generators (and the landfill site) in the area under review and conducted a number of interviews with different stakeholders. The findings indicated that hospitals in the area were found to be the main sources of illegal dumping. The research recommends a continuous intensive health education process for all personnel working with medical waste management. Private commercial providers should also be organised into jointly contracting a service provider who will collect their medical waste and dispose of it appropriately. The researcher highly recommends that all medical waste generators in the area be registered and a collection method be jointly found to rid the area of the dangers of incorrectly handling and disposing of medical waste. Public-Private Partnerships can also be explored to help sustain the medical waste management strategy.
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    THE ORIGINS OF FINANCIAL PROVISIONS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN SCHOOLS ACT
    (2011-11-22) Bembe, Nomfundo Patience
    This research investigated the emergence on of financial provisions in the South Africa Schools Act (SASA). This was motivated by the need to understand key issues that helped to shape education policies in postapartheid South Africa and specifically to analyse the bottlenecks and factors that affected the policy transformation phase. The purpose of this research is to understand key issues that helped to shape education policies in post-apartheid South Africa and to examine factors that affected the policy transformation process. The research used qualitative methodology in order to collect in-depth information from various respondents. The research employed both qualitative interviews and document analysis as a way of data collection techniques. The research shows that the circumstances during the formulation of SASA do not support the notion that neo-liberal ideologies have direct implications for policy development in South Africa. It was recommended that further research could be undertaken on how these policies could best be improved to achieve desirable outcomes
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    Strategic Planning as a Change Management Intervention in the Eastern Cape Education Department
    (2011-11-22) Chigume, Richard
    Transformation is at the heart of policies adopted in South Africa in 1994 after the demise of apartheid. The White Paper on Education and Training (1995) became the blue print for transformation for the education sector. At a provincial level the Provincial Growth and Development Plan (PGDP) (2004 – 2014), which sets out the vision of sustainable growth and human development, espoused the transformative goal. In these policy frameworks education and training was not only seen as a means to address the social ills of the past but also a means to provide the country with the competitive edge necessary to sustain itself in a world that is fast evolving into a knowledge economy. In its response to these imperatives the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) adopted its own Transformation Agenda (2005) with the strategic intent of providing quality education in the province. More than a decade after the White Paper, and more than 5 years after the adoption of both the PGDP and Transformation Agenda the Department continues to be in the limelight, often for the wrong reasons: poor learning outcomes, backlogs on school infrastructure, poor audit findings and perceptions of rampant corruption. Some analysts as well as management of the Department have suggested that the root cause of the Department’s woes can be traced to poor planning. While there is anecdotal evidence that seems to suggest that this may be true, there has not been any research that assessed the validity of this claim. The current study is an attempt to address this gap. In pursuing this objective, assessing the planning frameworks used in the public sector in the country became inevitable. The study reveals that strategic planning as a function has not been accorded a significant status in the Department, despite the fact that the Presidency has elevated this function to play a leading role in guiding the decision making processes and improving effectiveness in service delivery. The overall approach to planning in government needs to be re-evaluated to take into account the complex nature of the purpose of the Department which requires an integrated approach to strategic planning across all state and non-state institutions. Furthermore, the complex nature of the political terrain in the Province has resulted in leadership instability that in turn impacts negatively on the Department’s long term strategic thrust. This study confirms the assertion that strategic planning models that are influenced by managerialism have limited value in the South African public sector as demonstrated by the case of the Eastern Cape Department of Education. The complexity of the purpose of public sector institutions, their political contexts, and the resources envelop needed to implement a strategy are all factors that not only distinguish the public sector from private sector but also affect the applicability of managerialism-type of strategic planning. Going forward, while strengthening systems that support strategic planning will be vital for the Department, there is also a need to explore planning models that appreciates the unique circumstance of public sector institutions such as the Eastern Cape Department of Education
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    CRITERIA FOR TOP PERFORMING SERVICE BRANDS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN SOUTH AFRICA
    (2011-11-22) Parsard, Nishana
    This study focused on identifying criteria for top performing service brands in the Public Secondary School Sector. While it is significant that the White Paper on Transforming Public Service Delivery (1997) fore-grounded ‘transforming service delivery’ as the key transformation priority, of the eight identified transformation priorities, it did not elaborate on what effective service delivery entailed or how to achieve it. Improving service delivery in education has been prioritised at both the national and provincial levels in the last year following the African National Congress (ANC) Manifesto released in 2009. Significantly low literacy and numeracy achievements by learners, recorded in national and international assessments and tests in comparison to their international counterparts, have signalled the need to improve service delivery in schools. Focus group interviews were conducted with three groups – School Management Team (SMT), School Governing Body (SGB) and learners - in four top performing schools in the Johannesburg Central District. The findings were useful in deriving criteria for top performing school service brands. Firstly, it was evident from the responses that the basics of learning, teaching and support had to be in place. Teacher and learner commitment, leadership, discipline, and effective forms of communication were attributed to all four school brands as key drivers of their high performance. Secondly, responses reflected how effective and interactive relationships among learners, teachers and parents, as well as, community support of the school, strengthened the implementation of the schools’ operational activities. Thirdly, strong and tested service routines were emphasised by respondents as contributing to the school’s success, specifically providing feedback on learner performance, establishing performance benchmarks, implementing their own and supporting other intervention programmes for learners and rewarding learner performance. It was indicated how the holistic development of the learner was strived for at each of the four schools. Finally, challenges the school faced, that hindered service delivery, were identified by the respondents
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    THE IMPACT OF INFLATION TARGETING ON UNEMPLOYMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA
    (2011-11-22) Pretorius, Jenean Ann
    Amidst an environment characterized by stark inequality, average economic growth, structural unemployment and high levels of poverty, South Africa has adopted an inflation targeting monetary policy. Whilst some view this as a necessary prerequisite for growth, unemployment and poverty alleviation, others have condemned it as conservative and counter-productive to the economic policy goals of South Africa. This report draws conclusions from a wide range of literature together with data analysis from key expert in the field and data drawn on specific macro-economic variables between the period 2000 and 2009