MBA & MM Theses

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Start date: 2011End date: 2015

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Now showing 1 - 10 of 1503
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    Leadership at funded NPO's rendering substance abuse programmes in Gauteng .
    (2015) Mkhonto, Ramaesela Cathrine
    The problem of substance abuse in the Gauteng Province of South Africa is increasing at an alarming rate and costing the province millions of Rands to deal with the scourge through partnerships with Non Profit Organisations (NPOs). The NPOs are an extended service delivery arm of the Department in seeking to address this problem. This has seen a number of NPOs over the years applying for funding at the Department. However, it remains unclear whether these NPOs are adding value to assist the Department to curb the social pathology of substance abuse. The purpose of this research was to investigate the leadership challenges encountered in Non Profit Organisations rendering substance abuse programmes in Gauteng Province. The study seeks to establish an understanding of leadership within the funded NPOs and how this has impact on delivery of services. The study will also present the findings, interpretation of the findings and provide recommendations for strategies in implementing effective leadership strategies at these funded NPOs. The recommendations will assist the decision-makers to address leadership challenges at funded NPOs delivering substance abuse services in order to enhance the delivery of services. This research provides an insight into and better understanding of leadership practices and how service delivery can be improved. The study employed the qualitative approach following exploratory design to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect data. Through a purposive sampling method, two members of the management board who are deemed to be the employers at NPOs as prescribed by the NPO Act, seven directors employed by the NPOs and two line managers employed by NPOs were purposefully selected to participate in the study through in-depth face-toface interviews The findings of the study confirmed that there are challenges that impact on effective leadership at these NPOs and ultimately affect the quality of services that are being rendered. The study revealed that the dearth of leadership at these NPOs is the result of structural challenges that are caused by the legislation that informs the framework for the functioning of the NPOs. Furthermore, the NPOs lack strategic direction and vision as it is not clear who should provide this as the roles and responsibilities between the Board of Management and Directors are blurred. This contributes to tension and confusion that impact on delivery of quality services. It was concluded that the lack of adequate leadership at funded NPOs rendering substance abuse programmes in Gauteng Province impacted negatively on delivery of quality services.
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    The reinforcing effects between flying as a core service and partners within a local oyalty programme .
    (2015) Mosala, Thabo
    This research replicated a dynamic model of cross-buying across loyalty programme partnerships and tested the model using data from a South African airline. The research sought to identify reinforcing mechanisms active between partners.
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    Factors that influence the socio-economic impact of financial inclusion programmes in a South African financial institution.
    (2015) Khoza, Amanda Sibongile
    Financial inclusion programmes are not naturally structurally aligned with the socio-economic needs of the society in which they are implemented. This is due to them primarily being driven from a business and legislative context. Financial inclusion programmes are also subject to adverse selection, resulting in product take-up being most attractive for funeral policies, credit life, and borrowing. Global interest has however increased the scope of programmes such that access to finance has been identified as a catalyst for development, and consequentially, good global corporate citizenry. Based on the literature review, a qualitative model was generated making use of fuzzy cognitive mapping (“FCM”). The FCM was formulated to explore the effects of the circumstantial psychographic and demographic influencing factors of participants in the shaping of and participation in the programmes. The model is based on a multi-faceted causally linked framework of all the identified drivers for the configuring of sustainable and impactful financial inclusion. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with 11 opinion-leader / expert respondents, over 20 hours, were used, together with primary and secondary data and ethnographic content analysis to update the FCM. Factors verified against the theoretical model yield a set of results that comply with and which confirm the observations expressed in the literature, interviews and the source data. Some of the elements that may influence the socio-economic impact of financial inclusion programmes have been identified as business enablement; the legal, political and regulatory framework; product/programme features; accessibility; social capital and standing; and affective, cognitive and conative factors. Key words: access to finance or financial services, demand-side factors, demographics, financial inclusion, fuzzy cognitive mapping, psychographic factors, socio-economic, transformation and supply-side factors.
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    Performance determinants of small, medium and micro-enterprises in Gauteng.
    (2015) Kwapeng, Leslie
    Small Businesses contribute considerably to employment figures in most economies, including developing economies. There is a similar expectation that SMMEs should increase their contribution to employment creation in South Africa. Statistics show that the formal non-agricultural sector contributes more than 72% of the employment. This figure excludes employment created by SMMEs. The figure contributed by SMMEs is more than 50% in most developing economies, it is therefore necessary to understand the factors that lead to the performance and growth of small businesses so that they are able to create employment in line with global trends. The purpose of this research is to therefore identify the factors that influence the performance of Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises in Gauteng so that those with the responsibility to assist and promote small businesses and those who are responsible for policy and strategy formulation that affects this sector may use the understanding provided by this study in carrying this out. Performance in this context, refers to the sustainability of a small business, the growth in turnover, the growth in assets held and the growth in the number of people employed by very small and micro-enterprises. The study is qualitative by nature and as such, relied on interviews conducted on 15 small business owners drawn from the database of the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller, an SMME development agency of the Gauteng Provincial Government. The study has shown that the two most important determinants of Micro and Very Small Enterprises performance in Gauteng are the aspects of Human Capital, which includes the level of education, skills and knowledge possessed by the entrepreneur as well as the aspect of Access to Markets. This study has demonstrated that contrary to perception, the access to finance is not such a significant factor affecting the performance of Micro and Very Small Enterprises in Gauteng, this message needs to be driven through so that aspirant entrepreneurs are not discouraged by this seemingly major barrier.
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    Perceived work-life balance for air traffic control shift workers in South African aviation.
    (2015) Msibi, Nokwando
    This study investigates what work-life balance means in South Africa among shift workers in the aviation industry. The work environment of Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) presents specific challenges that affect work-life balance. These include shift work, mental demands and the stressful nature of the job. The study examines the relationship between shift work and work-life balance. Additionally, it reveals how shift work affects satisfaction, work conflict and impacts on stress. Qualitative research method was used to understand work-life balance for shift working ATCs. A case study method was used and semi structured interviews were conducted with ATCs from Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) at OR Tambo Airport. The collected data was analysed using common themes among participants. The results indicate that ATCs had challenges in adapting to a sequence of an afternoon shift followed by a morning shift or a night shift causing poor sleep. ATCs reported experiencing better work-life balance during the week due to flexibility of time. Shift work hours enabled them to engage in activities such as running errands, studying and hobbies. However, during weekends and holidays work conflict occurred. ATCs have to work when they would rather spend time on family activities such as attending funerals and other family gatherings. Shift work interrupts routine that prevents ATCs from living healthier lifestyles as well as contributing to illness and stress. Those participants who utilised support from live-in helpers experienced better worklife balance. Mothers with limited support experienced work-life conflict and increased stress resulting from family responsibilities. Participants experienced satisfaction, although the nature of the job is stressful and challenging. Organisations need to manage work-life balance by eliminating challenges in shift schedules and supporting healthy lifestyles of employees. Women’s needs should be accommodated by employers through support from their managers, policies and programs. Employees and employers need to support practices that improve work-life balance and reduce work-life conflict.
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    The effect of brand image, brand trust, and brand experience on consumers' intention to purchase hedonic products in South Africa
    (2015) Durand, Kyle
    Whilst there are extensive prior studies on the drivers of consumers’ intention to purchase a product, such prior studies have tended to look at developed markets (Cobb-Walgren, Ruble, & Donthu, 1995; O'brien, 1971; Philiastides & Ratcliff, 2013) In South Africa, there is limited researches on hedonic products and consumers decision making when purchasing these products. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect that brand image, trust and experience has on consumers’ intention to purchase hedonic products in South Africa. The hypothesised relationship between these predictor variables (brand image, brand trust and brand experience) against the outcome variable of a consumer’s intention to purchase was postulated. The method of analysis used was quantitative. This tactic is a convenience sampling tactic which is utilised frequently within social research (Bickman & Rog, 1998) The initial pool of contacts was that ere utilised as part of the snowballing technique was 162. Path analysis was utilised to assess the relationship between the manifest variable and the outcome variable. Brand image and Brand experience of hedonic products has a significant and positive effect on consumer’s intention to purchase. Brand experience was shown to have a higher effect than brand trust on the consumer’s intention to purchase. The Brand image constructed was rejected. These constructs are important for markers to understand within emerging markets as Sharma (2011) noted the growing materialism in emerging economies as opposed to the slowing down of materialism in the developed world. Shukla (2012) furthermore highlighted the importance of understanding this market as emerging markets size and growth provides large opportunities for firms.
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    Factors impacting negatively on the implementation of the Integrated Health Policy in Gauteng
    (2015) SHILUBANE, Nhlanhla Engetelo
    The School Health Policy in South Africa has evolved over the years in which the Department of Heath was the sole custodian; The Integrated School Health Policy (ISHP) emerged in 2012 as result of the evolvement. The ISHP is now in the responsibility of the Department of Heath, the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Social Department. This integration came as a result of a realisation that the heath of a child is not just physical but it is all encompassing and it requires the involvement of many actors and processes. This study explored the implementation management of the ISHP in Gauteng. The research involved the investigation into internal and external factors that interfere with the implementation of the ISHP in Gauteng. A qualitative case study research was conducted. In-depth semi-structured interviews of key informants were used as primary data collection tools. This approach uncovered intricate relationships as well as complex and interrelated factors that have an influence on the implementation of the ISHP. Results reflected an improvement from the previous school health policy. There are also factors that have been revealed that interfere with and are a hindrance to the implementation of the ISHP; the results revealed challenges that are related to the environment, technical and management capacity that are hindrances to implementation of the ISHP. These have led to loopholes that include inadequate participation of stakeholder in the implementation of the policy. This research provides the responsible Gauteng departments with recommendations for improving the implementation process of the ISHP in the immediate future. The conclusion of the study is that that there is no ‘one way’ of implementing policy but ways to remove some of the hindrances to implementation can be found.
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    Preferred attributes of sales people in the engineering industry of South Africa.
    (2015) Claassen, David
    This research aimed to identify the preferred attributes by technical buyers of sales people in the engineering industry of South Africa. Suppliers of technical products and services to the engineering industry of South Africa are facing increased pressure with regard to foreign competition as well as a general price squeeze from the industry due to the decline in global commodity prices. Given the complex nature of the industry, both technically and commercially, sales people in this sector have been identified as key differentiators between success and failure. A substantial amount of research is available that indicates the importance of understanding customer preference and it follows that a solid understanding of customer preferences and the role of the relationship between seller and buyer is vital for sales people to increase success and overall performance within the context in which they operate. A thematic content analysis was conducted on the responses and information gathered from semi-structured interviews involving 12 organisational buyers active in the engineering industry of South Africa. The themes and common attributes identified across all respondents led to a deep understanding of the issues, resulting in a prioritised list of attributes that these buyers prefer in the sales people that they deal with. The research found that ‘technical and product knowledge’ is the most important attribute of sales people, preferred by organisational buyers in the engineering industry of South Africa. ‘Ability and willingness to solve problems’ and ‘thoroughness and follow through’ were found to be second and third most preferred attributes respectively. These, as well as another ten attributes, are discussed in detail in the study. The key finding from this research was that suppliers of technical products and services need to equip their sales teams with the preferred attributes identified by these buyers to further differentiate their approach and be in a position to meet customers preferences with regard to sales person attributes, if they wish to increase sales.
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    Project management of the Thomo Heritage Park in the Greater Giyani Municipalty.
    (2015) Mashatja, Manoti Innocent
    Community base project has been used over a long time and is still used as a means to address issues such as unemployment and poverty alleviation especially in rural communities such as Thomo Village in Limpopo Province, South Africa, where the majority of people are unemployed. The objective of this study was to investigate the trends in the management of the Thomo Heritage Park and also to establish the extent to which project processes and activities are integrated in aiming for its success. One of the main findings of the research is that the majority of the respondents do not understand the importance of project integration management which is the key to a successful project. Thus there is no proper planning and execution of tasks, which are done haphazardly. The study also revealed the shortage of funds, poor project management, low level of education and lack of training and lack of government involvement in addressing projects challenges as contributing factors to project failure. Although the project team and management are responsible and accountable for the success of the project, there is a common view that there is also a need to strengthen relationships with government, local businesses as well as other non-governmental organizations for funding and support purposes.
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    Assessment of skills training in the Community Work Programme of Erasmus.
    (2015) Mogakane, Kgothatso Selby
    Skills training is one of the key pillars of development that was identified during the new democratic dispensation, post 1994. It was affirmed that political freedom would not be meaningful without active participation by people in the economy through job opportunities. Government has since 1994 introduced various economic programmes to address the triple challenges of inequality, poverty and unemployment. Skills training and development was the key driver in those programmes. In 2009 government introduced the Community Work Programme (CWP) in a bid to address unemployment. Central to its objectives, was skills training and development for participants of the programme. This was crucial to ensure a skilled and empowered workforce that would be able to contribute towards the development of the economy when trainees exit the programme, either because of better job opportunities or through self-employment. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of the programme as far as skills training and development is concerned by assessing one of the CWP major sites in Gauteng, namely, City of Tshwane in Erasmus and two other sites in the City of Joburg in Region F and Region G. The assessment period is between 2009 and 2014. The study employed qualitative research methodology using a case study approach and focus groups to interview and engage participants in all the 3 sites. Questionnaires were developed and distributed to all participants in the study. The architects of the programme, namely leadership of the custodian department (COGTA) and other sector departments, were engaged through interviews, and their contributions were taken into consideration with a view to making recommendations on possible improvements in the programme given the history and lessons learnt. The managers of the programmes at the site level were also engaged, the CWP site project management and the Local Reference Committee (LRC) members. Findings indicates that the programme has contributed significantly towards skills development of participants and that most of the participants who exited the programme were able to find better opportunities in the labour market and a few managed to start self-employment job initiatives. The findings reveal that support for the programme should go beyond just provision of skills training opportunities but also support programmes after exiting the programme (CWP Post Programme Support). This should be infused in the exit strategy of the programme. The findings also reveals that the quality of the skills training courses provided should be improved upon and more focus and bias should perhaps be on accredited training focusing on the youth.