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The impact of leadership styles on employee engageent in large retail orgnisation in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Oliver, Wendy; Jano, Rukhsana
In today's ever-changing, globally-competitive and volatile market, leadership is probably one of the most significant contributors that determine the success or failure of an organisation. Fundamental to this, is the way in which leaders are able to engage their employees. Employee engagement has therefore emerged as a critical topic which can be defined as a positive and fulfilling work-related state of mind characterized by vigour, dedication and absorption (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004). Research indicates its significance to positive work outcomes such as high productivity levels, increased job satisfaction, low turnover and overall improved business results that all ultimately contributes toward bottom line (Harter, Schmidt & Hayes, 2002).
The impact of job satisfaction and organisational committment on intention to leave amongst non-academic staff at a tertiary instituion in the Western Cape
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Oliver, Rozario; Heslop, Karl
A critical feature of globalisation is to attract and retain intellectual capital to ensure that a cadre of highly skilled, independent, internationally marketable and mobile employees is achieved (Sutherland & Jordaan, 2004). Bagraim and Sader (2007) concur by stating that South African organisations in an increasingly dynamic globalised economy, strive to increase the organisation's competitiveness by ensuring they need to retain and motivate skilled employees. The plethora of literature available on organisational commitment and job satisfaction is testament to achieving the above (Aamodt, 1999; Mowday, Porter & Steers, 1982; Robbins; 2001; Robbins & Judge; 2007). Withdrawal behaviours such as tardiness, absenteeism and turnover have been found to be inversely related to both job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Bergh, 2011; Mowday et a/., 1982; Robbins, 2001). It is therefore believed that satisfied and committed employees are more likely to remain with an organisation and to perform at higher levels. The relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment has particularly important implications for service organisations. In a recent study, conducted in a service environment, it was demonstrated that highly committed employees exerted more effort towards satisfying the needs of customers. The effort was found, in tum, to raise the level of customer satisfaction (Malherbe & Pearse, 2003). Moreover, the latter study lent strong support to the notion that increased job satisfaction is likely to stimulate greater commitment. Since 1994 South Africa has undergone numerous changes not only in the country but also in the Higher Education sector, to rectify and redress the social injustices caused by apartheid in a move towards a democratic society (Cross, Mungadi & Rouhini cited in Rothman, 2005). In a hyper turbulent environment characterised by constant change, it has become important for Higher Education to change as well to ensure that tertiary institutions become internationally competitive. The importance of the current study therefore comes to the fore in terms of determining why individuals are leaving the institution. This is important because to remain competitive the institution needs highly competent, committed and experienced employees. The present study aspires to identify the variables which influence turnover intentions. The mediating effects of job satisfaction and organisational commitment were investigated in this particular study to explore the concept of turnover intentions amongst a sample of 118 non-academic (administrative) staff members at a tertiary institution in the Western Cape. A biographical questionnaire, the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) and the Turnover Intentions Questionnaire were administered to elicit responses from respondents to determine the impact of the variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment on turnover intentions. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods (the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Co-efficient and Multiple Regression Analysis) were utilised during the statistical analysis phase. Results indicate that a statistically significant inverse relationship exists between the independent variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment, respectively, and turnover intention. These findings are consistent with previous research findings (Appollis, 2010; Ben-Bakr, Al-Shammari, Jefri & Prasad, 1994; Pienaar, Sieberhagen & Mostert, 2007). Further to this a statistically significant relationship also exists between job satisfaction and organisational commitment which corroborates previous findings (Lok & Crawford, 1999; Mathieu & Zajac; 1999; McNeese-Smith, 2001; Price & Mueller, 1981; Williams & Hazer, 1986). The study concludes with recommendations and implications for future research endeavours in the area of job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intentions amongst non-academic employees from institutions of Higher Education
An assessment of section 198 of the labour relations act: problems and possible solutions
(University of the Western Cape, 2011) Lopez, Shehaam; Koornhof, P
Many people in South Africa are employed by temporary employment services.' Unbeknown to them from the time of their employment, they are bound to a three party employment relationship. Like ordinary businesses, TES have a client base to which they provide their employees' skills to when they are needed. Consequently, the prospect of being employed by a TES depends on the availability of work offered by the client base indicated above who happens to be a client of the TES, even though the latter is considered the employer in terms of this relatlonship. It is only when there is availability of work that the TES and the client conclude an agreement to use a particular or group of employees. These employees would then perform the work at the client's workplace and according to its rules. Significantly enough, the Labour Relations Act'is premised on the traditional employment relationship involving two parties: the employer and employee. Throughout the LRA, there are various provisions that regulate the resolution of different issues that may arise in an employment relationship. Yet there are no provisions beside section 198 of the LRA that regulate the different issues that may arise in this unique tri-partite relationship. This then raises the question as to whether or not the LRA protect temporary employees as it protects employees in the traditional employment relationship. In order to answer this pertinent question, three things need to be done. The first is to identify if there are any problems that temporary employees' experience in enforcing the provisions of the LRA. If there are any problems, the issue as to whether or not section 198 of the passes constitutional scrutiny must be explored. Should the said section pass or not pass muster, various solutions would then be offered to ensure that temporary employees rights are enforceable since the use of TES are encouraged given the high unemployment and poverty rate in South Africa.
Change, restructuring and transformation of metro district health service
(University of the Western Cape, 2012) Manuel, Joslyn; Thomson, Elza; Bosman, Leon
The phenomenon of change has been the subject of debate for decades. Whether the change was planned or as the result of a catastrophic event, change affects nations, people, businesses, the economy and the environment. Typical changes in businesses are mergers, restructuring, transformations and retrenchments. Consequently, to this contentious phenomenon, change has been the subject of research by social scientists, behavioural theorists and analysts. Their collective endeavours have provided the world with a wealth of scientific knowledge. The Metro District Health Services in the Western Cape have undergone major restructuring and transformation. It is with this premise the question is posed, are change agents, leaders, and employees sufficiently empowered to mitigate the challenges and appease the expectations associated with restructuring, transformation and change? Supporting and contextualizing the study to the existing body of knowledge, previous research is reflected upon in an attempt to add value to future change initiatives. The reflections include different perspectives of change management, the multifaceted and evolutionary nature of change. The theoretical framework underpinnings of organisational development and transformation were also explored. One point of departure was to establish what is needed to ensure organisational success and describes activities, action plans and strategies, which modifies the organisational structures. The suggested methodologies, dimensions, variables influencing or enabling transformation formed the baseline for this study, with the emphasis placed on models of change, communication, theories of success formulae for organisational change, competencies of change agents, behaviour and attitudes of all stakeholders. Circumventing the purpose and contextualizing the baseline for this research, the survivor syndrome was explored and the dimensions of different change elements offered value to this study.
To be or not to be extraposed: an extraposition profile of paarl-kaaps
(Routledge, 2026) Smith, Lawren; Pretorius, Erin
This article examines extraposition in Paarl-Kaaps against the backdrop of research showing it to be a multifactorial, gradient phenomenon shaped by syntactic, prosodic, and processing factors. Using spontaneous speech data from the SEcoKa corpus, we conducted a series of binary univariate logistic regressions, followed by a multivariate analysis, to identify significant predictors of extraposition, and their interactions. The strongest overall predictor is grammatical category: extraposition occurs most frequently with relative clauses (RCs), followed by adpositional phrases (PPs), direct objects, and short adverbs. Further analysis reveals that PP-extraposition is robustly conditioned by constituent weight and argument status, while relative clause- extraposition shows an unexpected, inverted weight pattern, suggesting that structural constraints tied to head type or attachment site obscure weight effects. Despite category-based contrasts, light constituents (including adverbs) display non-negligible extraposition rates, suggesting that lightness is not, in itself, a strong inhibitor of extraposition. © 2026 The Author(s). Co-published by Unisa Press and Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.