4. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - Faculties submissions

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End date: 2023Subject: search.filters.subject.SDG-8: Decent work and economic growth

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    The crisis of trade union representation in post-1973 unions and the role of the full-time shop steward (FTSS): A case study of NUMSA at BMW Rosslyn Plant Tshwane South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Malabela, Musawenkosi Hemelton; Mosoetsa, Sarah
    Full-time shop stewards (FTSSs) are elected trade union shop stewards paid by the employer to do full-time union work. This is a peculiar arrangement in the South African industrial landscape which draws from the German model of workers’ councils. These FTSSs were first negotiated in the early 1980s at Ford and Volkswagen (VW) in South Africa. The main reason for these FTSSs was, as noted by Gomomo (1985), to deal with production pressures and disruptions caused by ordinary shop stewards, who, from time to time, would be pulled from the production line to attend to trade union business. The employer offered these positions as a tool for addressing this dilemma. This benefitted the trade unions that were growing exponentially and did not have money to hire organisers to service every organised and non- organised workplace. The s served to augment the role of the organisers; they became a de facto organiser. This study, through in-depth interviews, document analysis, focus groups, ethnography and participant observation, explores the contradictory role of FTSSs through the case study method at BMW. The findings highlight the significance of the FTSSs in building the power of the trade union at the shopfloor level and the potential they have in building a strong, vibrant and militant trade union movement on the ground or branch level. The evidence shows that, if not properly managed, FTSSs’ positions can be used for upward social mobility by self-interested individuals. This is because of the benefits and resources attached to these positions, which accord incumbents some level of social status. Hence these positions are highly and fiercely contested. For these positions to yield positive outcomes, FTSSs ought to be accountable to the rank-and-file members through regular meetings for feedback and mandate takings, and regular 4 elections ought to be institutionalised. Notions of career pathing of FTSSs need not be entertained as they will open space for the institutionalisation of upward social mobility of FTSS. Although upward social mobility is one of the options for an FTSS, those who are not re-elected to office face social downgrading, which includes going back to the production line. This comes with a huge personal loss and has a psychological impact as they lose the benefits associated with these positions and the social status that comes with it. The thesis turns Michels’ (1958) notion of ‘iron law of oligarchy’ on its head as it shows that FTSSs should act as a countervailing force against the development of oligarchic tendencies in the workplace. Because accountable FTSSs suffocate the development of oligarchic tendencies in the trade union. The thesis argues that accountability is a pain of democracy—it should be embraced and promoted, and regular elections of FTSSs should be encouraged and institutionalised as a countervailing force to the development of oligarchic tendencies. This will promote the worker control principle, which is the cornerstone of these post-1973 trade unions. The thesis further argues that the FTSS falls into the trap of being a tool of management if not properly managed. They become a communication bridge of management or information brokers1 (see Malabela, 2012) by communicating production schedules. Borrowing from Tony Lane's (1974) thesis of shop stewards being the man with two masters, it argues that the FTSS is the man with three masters. The three masters are the workers who elected them, the second one is the employer who pays their salary, and finally, the trade union who they represent and on whose card they were elected. I posit that all these masters have different expectations: the 1 See Malabela, 2012 5 first is to represent them against the employer, the second is to maintain labour peace and avoid unnecessary strikes and stoppages, and the third is to build a strong workplace organisation. In the final analysis FTSSs are an important and integral part of South African industrial relations—and benefit both the employer and the trade union. The trade union needs to develop clear policies to manage FTSSs, so that the positions are not abused for upward social mobility and to hold them accountable. Accountability occurs through regular general meetings with workers to solicit mandates and report back, and FTSS elections should be institutionalised. Trade unions ought to benefit a great deal from FTSSs only if these positions serve the intentions of the trade unions and build a vibrant workplace organisation that serves the interest of the rank-and-file.
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    An Exploration of Life and Career Narratives of Black Senior Managers: The Storied Habitus of Career Navigation
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Ramodibe, Refiloe; Canham, Hugo
    This research located black senior managers within a temporal frame that links them with their families, communities, childhoods, socio-political and economic histories. This location shed new light since it illuminated their lives and careers in new ways that are grounded in history and context. It enabled an understanding of black senior managers as bearing histories that they bring along with them into the workplace. To explore the stories of these senior managers, I conducted in-depth narrative interviews with twenty black men and black women who occupy senior positions within the financial services sector. Accessing these histories through the genre of narrative assisted in showcasing what is enabled by storying one’s life, therefore creating circuits of meaning-making that connect seemingly disparate sites of the personal, historical, social and workplace. At its core then, this project was about storying the early lives of black senior managers by locating them as mostly working class, caught up in the struggles against apartheid for democratisation, as benefiting from the opportunities enabled by the transition to democracy, as entering the white and masculine corporate workplace of the financial services sector, and as reaching and navigating seniority in their organisations. The participant’s narratives were read through the lenses of narrative theory, habitus, the black feminist theory of intersectionality, and critical race theory. The basic assumption of habitus is that the way one acts and behaves is influenced by where one comes from and one’s dispositions, including contextually salient identity categories, such as race, class, and gender. The basis of these theories is the assumption that there might be a difference in how people of varying class backgrounds and black men and women narrate their stories of mobility. The stories told by participants highlighted the role of the senior managers’ habitus in shaping their identities and trajectories. Childhood experiences and parental influences were found to have shaped their later behaviours in navigating their career journeys. Access to mentors and sponsors early on in their careers was found to have provided the senior managers with the capital that allowed them to progress to more senior roles. Refuting the existing narrative that black people move between organisations excessively, senior managers’ tenure illustrated that they stayed in their organisations for longer periods than industry norms. Notwithstanding their tenure, their stories suggest that unaccommodating cultures and unconscious bias remain prevalent in the financial services sector. Organisations that had more black people in senior roles were found to drive the transformation agenda iv more intentionally. The black senior managers understood their role as that of influencing the cultures of their organisations while also paying it forward by driving the transformation agenda. In the process of sharing their life and career stories, the black senior managers articulated their experiences and understanding of themselves, others, and the world. Therefore, not only did the personal narratives enlighten us about the participants’ personal and working lives, but they illuminated how their identities as black senior managers working within the financial services sector were shaped over time. A prominent finding from the study was that while the black senior managers shared similar experiences related to race, their experiences differed in terms of their family backgrounds and schooling experiences in their childhood. Black people’s experiences may be common in certain aspects and different in others. This necessitates the importance of exploring heterogeneity in organisational studies. This study contributes to organisational studies, gender and critical race studies, history and social theory.
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    Financial inclusion in South Africa: An analysis of the financial sector regulatory framework and proposals for reform
    (2018-09) Duma, Amanda; Kawadza, Herbert
    Abstract Not Available.
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    Unpacking the Wardrobe: Discourses around Sustainability in the Local South African Fashion Industry
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Chocho, Lesedi M.S.; White,Hylton
    The fashion business is a major economic force with far-reaching consequences for individuals, societies, and the environment. Traditional fashion techniques, on the other hand, have been linked to worker exploitation, waste generation, and environmental deterioration, among other issues. This study is interested in understanding how sustainability and sustainable fashion is practised and discussed within the local, South African fashion industry. The findings resulted in the proposal of sustainable fashion as a new field within the larger field of fashion. A new field that is able to challenge the standards, norms, and values of the traditional fashion industry, while creating new opportunities for agents to establish themselves as legitimate players in the fashion industry and gain access to new forms of capital that emerge from environmentally and socially responsible practices. The research data was collected through in-depth phenomenological interviews with eight participants all employed by VIVIERS Studio. In addition, participant-observation was applied to provide rich ethnographic detail and data on the inner workings and practice of sustainability within the sustainable luxury studio. This resulted in the identification of numerous sustainability-centred garment production practices. These include practices such as sourcing deadstock fabrics, instilling a circular approach to waste sorting and disposal during garment production by recycling waste and reusing fabric cut-offs in new collections. In addition, the research identifies individuals such as the influential eco-kin who form part of the new field as established and newcomer agents and practices such as lifestyle change that display the relations and values within the field of sustainable fashion. Ultimately, the research’s suggestion of a new field of sustainable fashion provides future researchers with the opportunity to investigate the implications of migration, class, and gender exploitation in areas such as pay, sustainable garment affordability and career advancement within the field.
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    Perceptions of Employee Assistance Practitioners of South Africa on the factors that influence professional ethics in Employee Assistance Programmes
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Ncube, Likwa; Dlamini, Busisiwe
    The workplace faces various challenges that impact employee functioning and the general mood of the work environment. Employment Assistance Programmes (EAPs), as a workplace response to the human and environmental challenges, have played an important contribution in the South African workplace since 1980. Benefits of using EAPs in the workplace include improved productivity, staff retention, reduced absenteeism and many other economic and social benefits. Professional ethics of EAP vendors in South Africa lack standardisation. Working from a person-in environment (P-I-E) perspective, this qualitative study explored factors that influence professional ethics with sixteen (16) EAP practitioners identified through a non-probability purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were administered. EAP practitioners were drawn from different work backgrounds and qualifications in Gauteng province, in South Africa. Data was analysed using a thematic analysis approach. The results showed that EAP is making a significant contribution to the South African corporate and government workforce and the workplace. There are several socio-economic benefits linked to having an EAP in the workplace. However, an unlegislated EAP practice, unaccredited EAP programmes and unlicensed EAP practitioners threaten the credibility of the EAP professional ethics and the effectiveness of the interventions. This study recommends that to standardise EAP practice and intervention outcomes, EAP practitioners must be licensed by one professional body. Employee Assistance Professionals Association of South Africa (EAPA- SA) is suggested as a viable option with credible standards and ethics documents that meet international EAP best practice guidelines.
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    External Factors Influencing the Sustainability of Social Entrepreneurial Ventures in South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2020) Govender, Ramona; Murimbika, McEdward
    Social entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a solution in addressing some of the social ills in the world. However, in order for the social enterprises to be more effective there is a need for them to be sustainable, particularly in terms of financial sustainability. Social enterprises that are financially sustainable are usually better able to create social value. The study sought to investigate the contributing factors towards social enterprise (SE) venture sustainability in South Africa using Cape Town as a case study. In doing so, quantitative research was conducted, with data being collected from the sampled social enterprises using an online survey. In this research it was found that, while government assistance was important, it was not significant in determining a social enterprise’s performance. The research also found that high social innovation improves a social enterprise’s access to philanthropic venture capital. In this regard, high social innovation was also seen to have a positive effect on social enterprise performance. The research thus concludes that social innovation is an important contributor to the sustainability of a social enterprise. The study offers updated information and adds to the theory on social enterprises in South Africa which is useful to prospective social entrepreneurs seeking to structure such organizations. In addition to this, the new knowledge and new insights will help government and civil society policy makers to formulate policies that can encourage social entrepreneurship in the country, especially with regards to funding. The study also offers useful insights on social innovation and emphasises its importance within the social enterprise context.
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    Sustainability Financing and Investment in Integrated Waste Management: Implications for the Circular Economy in Ghana
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Agyapong, Daniel; Tweneboah,George
    The transition to a circular economy has been a major global developmental agenda, as reflected in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030). In line with this, Ghana has adopted the practice of integrating circularity into its development objectives to promote sustainability, particularly in the waste management sector, which has gained attention for its potential in efficient resource mobilization and access to secondary raw materials. However, despite policymakers integrating sustainability into the development framework, financing and investments in circular economy activities remain underexplored. Adequate financing and investments can transform waste streams into profitable projects and useful goods, such as recycling waste into secondary raw resources for further processing, recovering valuable resources like energy and precious metals, or converting waste into fuel or electricity through biological or thermal treatment. The study examined sustainability financing and investment and implications for sustainable development in Ghana. The overarching aim of the thesis is to investigate the factors influencing circular economy financing and investment, the impact of such financing on circular economy practices, and the broader implications for the waste management sector in Ghana. The study is structured into three self-contained empirical chapters, each addressing specific objectives through distinct analyses. Chapter Three examined the determinants of circular economy financing and investment supply, emphasizing the moderating role of the financial environment. Chapter Four assessed the effect of circular economy finance and investment supply on the adoption of circular economy practices in the waste management sector. Chapter Five examined the implications of circular economy practices on the performance of firms in the integrated waste sector.
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    Enablers and barriers to effective strategy implementation in a South African financial institution
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Zikalala, Zanele
    Strategy implementation forms part of the broader concept and critical aspect of strategic management which is practiced across many organisations in South Africa. However, it has been found through the abundance of literature that most organisations put more emphasis, focus on strategy formulation, and neglect strategy implementation. The number of existing strategy formulation frameworks supports this view, while scholars have not reached a consensus on the most effective frameworks for strategy implementation. Based on the high failure rate on strategy implementation, ranging between 60% and 90%, this exploratory study will seek to understand factors impacting effective strategy implementation in a South African context for a financial institution. Qualitative research was undertaken to further explore this study, wherein data was collected through an electronic survey from employees within the financial institution who specifically work in the Strategy Enablement Office. The data analysis yielded findings that identified five key factors impacting strategy implementation: leadership and culture, strategy implementation, employee understanding, regular feedback, and organisational performance. Out of these factors, the findings indicated that regular feedback and employee understanding were considered significantly important to strategy implementation. Leadership and culture and organisational performance had a positive impact but were not significant, according to the data collected for a specific financial institution. The study confirmed the importance of strategy implementation and the key factors that lie under it; however, the study also revealed that the organisation will need to put more effort into senior leadership involvement and provide regular feedback to employees during strategy implementation. Therefore, some recommendations put forward are to ensure senior leadership’s greater involvement during strategy implementation and to be provided with training interventions in this regard to mitigate the risk of nonchalant behaviour by senior management during the implementation phase. The study contributes to helping teams working in strategy enablement across the organisation, to gain insights on which factors to focus on and which ones are potential blind spots during strategy implementation to improve organisational performance.
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    Digital transformation strategies in the South African banking sector
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2023) Sibeko, Simphiwe Annita; Godspower-Akpomiemie, Euphemia
    The emergence of digital solutions has created unexpected players in the banking sector as the market slowly grows to defy boundaries. New entrants in the market are challenging the traditional players who have dominated the South African banking sector by introducing digital solutions and low-cost operating models. To compete in this rapidly changing and evolving market, traditional banks should prioritise digital transformation. To drive innovation and long-term solutions, organisations should seek change and transformation. The concept of digitally transforming corporate, operational, and functional strategies of an organisation underpins the focus of this research article. The fundamental objective of this research is to enhance comprehension of the current advancements in the discipline of digital transformation strategies. This study aimed to contribute to not only the assessment of strategy maturity and effectiveness, but to provide context to the South African banking sector. The objectives were achieved through qualitative comparative analysis of audited integrated annual reports and surveys on customer experience to calculate Net Promoter Scores in the industry. Analysis was conducted by applying a conceptual framework constructed by leveraging existing theories in literature, to identify and scrutinise the relationship between digital transformation strategy designs, learning and growth initiatives, and customer experience on the overall performance and market leadership. The framework provided structured analysis and standardised data to test strategy effectiveness between the four sample banks. Overall, the study argues the need of standardised attributes pertaining to digital transformation strategy design and initiatives, which will drive accurate reporting on strategy maturity. Data reported is decentralised as there are not governing frameworks to align reporting. Aligning key attributes will provide decision makers with better insights and equip incumbents to respond less tactically to the evolving world of banking.
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    The Impact of Enterprise and Supplier Development Programmes on the Growth of SMMEs in Gauteng, South Africa
    (University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Ramokgopa, Lebogang; Mlothswa, Samukele
    While various studies have investigated the challenges that Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) face and many of them outline the support that is required by SMMEs, there have been limited studies that look into the effectiveness of government support interventions that are implemented through the public and private sectors. The effectiveness of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Commission (B-BBEE) and Enterprise and Supply Development (ESD) support programmes and their impact on SMME growth have not been extensively interrogated through research. This knowledge is particularly important to investigate because SMMEs play a significant role in improving economic growth and reducing unemployment and equality levels. As such, this study sought to assess the impact of B-BBEE ESD programme support on the growth of SMMEs. The study employed qualitative methods and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The sample size included 10 beneficiaries of B-BBEE ESD in Gauteng province, obtaining their views on participation experience. The findings suggest that ESD initiatives assist SMMEs in both financial and nonfinancial ways. However, participants usually believed that the benefits were limited and that partnerships may provide more value. Further, findings from the study highlighted the presence of constraints that impede ESD's capacity to provide an optimal service offering to SMMEs, resulting in restricted visibility for small enterprises. Some internal and external difficulties in delivering services to SMMEs were outlined based on the experience of beneficiaries. As such, it was recommended that enterprise and supplier development programs should avoid attempting to be all things to all people. The emphasis should be on an area in which they excel and on providing that service to SMMEs. This allows them to impart their specialized knowledge to small enterprises. To be effective, this focus should be sector or industry specific