Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Business management, employee productivity'

<p> Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in lowered productivity, a cost which has been compounded by the difficult economic situations in the country. The potential for increasing productivity through increased employee engagement was examined in this study. Using personal engagement theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of salaried aerospace employees affected productivity and the financial performance of an organization. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 aerospace employees whose responses were codified and analyzed to identify themes. The analysis indicated that (a) the lived experiences of employees influenced employee engagement, (b) employee engagement affects organizational commitment and performance, and (c) trust and respect and leadership are essential components to keep employees engaged. Eighty percent of the participants indicated that as employee engagement increases so too does organizational performance. The implications for positive social change include new insights for leaders seeking to increase productivity and financial performance, and to support employee engagement for maintaining sustainability, retaining talent, increasing profits, and improving the economy.</p>

Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies billions of dollars annually in lowered productivity, a cost which has been compounded by the difficult economic situations in the country. The potential for increasing productivity through increased employee engagement was examined in this study. Using personal engagement theory and the theory of planned behavior, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how the experiences of salaried aerospace employees affected productivity and the financial performance of an organization. Interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 20 aerospace employees whose responses were codified and analyzed to identify themes. The analysis indicated that (a) the lived experiences of employees influenced employee engagement, (b) employee engagement affects organizational commitment and performance, and (c) trust and respect and leadership are essential components to keep employees engaged. Eighty percent of the participants indicated that as employee engagement increases so too does organizational performance. The implications for positive social change include new insights for leaders seeking to increase productivity and financial performance, and to support employee engagement for maintaining sustainability, retaining talent, increasing profits, and improving the economy.

Senior executive leaders face ongoing challenges assessing whether their leadership teams have the competencies to respond to rapidly changing business conditions resulting from negative leader-employee interactions. The purpose of this qualitative single-unit case study was to explore strategies that team leaders at an online, for-profit high school education system located in Delaware, used to sustain positive leader-employee relationships to increase employee productivity. The population consisted of 5 current team leaders (faculty members and executives) at the study site who had experienced team member losses, yet had implemented effective strategies to sustain positive leader-employee relationships and increased employee productivity. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this doctoral study were path-goal and transformational leadership theories. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data collected through semistructured interviews, note taking, and company documents, with member checking implemented to validate the findings. Four themes emerged from the analysis: leadership styles and strategies, motivation, goal setting, and employee engagement and productivity. The implications for positive social change include the potential for top executives, stakeholders, and team leaders to increase the number of positive leader-employee relationships resulting in increased productivity, a favorable organizational reputation, and lower turnover rates, contributing to the financial stability and prosperity of not only employees but also communities and families.

Employee disengagement creates an unhealthy working environment. Disengagement rates among Las Vegas hospitality industry organizations led to dissatisfaction among employees and resulted in low productivity and profitability. This qualitative descriptive study involved exploring employee engagement strategies that hospitality industry supervisors and managers used to implement programs, thereby solving the employee engagement problems of their organizations. The conceptual framework for the study was leader-member exchange theory. Twenty participants with 5 or more years of Las Vegas hospitality experience who had already successfully implemented engagement programs answered open-ended questions in semistructured interviews. Company documents constituted an additional data source. Analyzing the data involved triangulation using multiple data sources in identifying themes such as interaction effects of employee engagement programs on employees, mutual respect between leaders and subordinates, and organizational benefits. Better engagement could lead to positive social change through increased job satisfaction and improved customer service, thereby engendering increased social interactions among members of the local community. The former could reduce stress and contribute to the quality of life of community members including the families of the workers.- The latter could lead to greater profits for the employers, thus potentially increasing the tax base in the community.

Retail industry leaders seek effective strategies to improve employee motivation to increase levels of workforce productivity. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies successful retail industry leaders used to motivate their employees to achieve higher levels of workforce productivity. The conceptual framework for the study was Vroom's expectancy theory of motivation. The research participants consisted of 2 retail store managers from the same retail store located in southeastern mid-Atlantic region of the United States who successfully motivated their employees. Data collection consisted of semistructured interviews, direct observation, and review of company documents. Data analysis included theme interpretation and data grouping, as well as transcript reviews, and verified the emerging themes from the interview data. The 3 main themes developed from data analysis were workplace motivation, leading by example, and performance. Retail industry leaders might use the findings of this study to provide managers with strategies to motivate their staff. The implication of this study for social change is that retail leaders might apply strategies that engage employees in their jobs while maximizing the sustainability of the organization.

Investing in employee engagement is beneficial to ensuring an organization's ability to sustain and improve productivity and performance. The purpose of this single case study was to explore effective leadership strategies leaders used to increase employee productivity. The population for this study were 6 bank leaders from Mississippi with a minimum of 5 years of experience implementing effective strategies to increase employee productivity. The conceptual framework for this study was Bass's transformational leadership theory. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, observations, and a review of company documents. The data analysis process involved Yin's 5-step approach, methodological triangulation, and member checking to identify common patterns, develop themes, and verify data for accuracy. The 4 emergent themes in the study were lead by example, encourage, promote teamwork, and implement rewards. The findings indicated that bank leaders improved employee productivity using transformational leadership by maintaining active employee engagement, communicating clear goals, and building positive leader-employee relationships. The implications of this study for positive social change include the potential for leaders in the banking industry to improve employee engagement, which may lead to a higher level of employee performance and commitment, reduced turnover, and enhanced organizational profitability. Organizations that are profitable can help stimulate the local economy by contributing earned profits to the community in areas such as schools, housing development, and community centers.

Some Nigerian manufacturing organizations suffer significant losses yearly due to a lack of employee commitment and engagement. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain understanding of the strategies that leaders in the manufacturing industries in Lagos need to know in order to change employee behavior to achieve increased organizational productivity levels. The conceptual framework that grounded the study was the path-goal theory of leadership. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with a purposeful sample consisting of 24 managerial and non-managerial staff members of 2 manufacturing organizations in Nigeria who have had experience in, and training, and education on how to change employee behavior to achieve increased productivity. The interview consisted of open-ended questions. Using Yin's 5 step data analysis process, member checking, and triangulation, 13 themes emerged: motivated employees, productivity, motivation, enabling work environment, transformational leadership style, continuous improvement, unprofitable organization, low capacity utilization, demotivation, dwindling capacity, diversification, capability development, and innovation. Leaders of Nigerian manufacturing organizations may be able to use these emergent themes to develop strategies to increase the productivity of their employees. The potential implications for positive social change stem from Nigerian manufacturing organizational leaders' development of more effective leadership skills, which may contribute to the growth of the Nigerian manufacturing sector and be a viable source of employment creation.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: One of the objectives of corporate reporting is the communication of information on a company's performance to all stakeholders. The traditional financial statements (balance sheet, income statement and the cash flow statement) do not sufficiently meet all of the above requirements. In view of this, the study project acknowledges the need for corporate reporting beyond the traditional conventional financial reports. This therefore necessitated the use of a Value-Added Statement (VAS) as one of the financial statements that is regarded to have the ability to enhance corporate reporting. A VAS is based on an economic concept and, therefore, a contribution of a specific company towards the Gross Domestic Product (GOP) can be directly measured. Although a VAS does not solely disclose all of the information pertaining to the economic performance of business enterprise, it is believed that the statement can assist interested parties in making well-informed economic decisions. However, the publication of a VAS is still not a statutory regulation in South Africa. The findings indicate some limitations in the manner in which a VAS is published. The format is not statutory and is not audited, but there are opportunities for further research and improvement. This aspect has unfortunately led some users to mistrust the statement. For example, it almost always indicates that the labour component takes most of the value added (Hird, 1983). Statistical tests (e.g. Shapiro-Wilk's W Spearman R Test, histograms) have been conducted. These tests show a weak negative relationship between change in number of employees and change in value added by each employee. This suggests that value added per employee is not the only factor that contributes to productivity. There is therefore not enough evidence to conclude that companies that reduce the number of employees improve productivity.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Een van die doelwitte van korporatiewe verslaggewing is om inligting oor die prestasie van 'n maatskappy aan alle belangegroepe te kommunikeer. Die tradisionele finansiële state (balansstaat, inkomstestaat en kontantvloeistaat) voldoen nie heeltemal aan bogenoemde vereistes nie. In die lig hiervan erken die studieprojek die behoefte aan korporatiewe verslaggewing bo en behalwe die tradisionele finansiële verslae. Dit het dus die gebruik van die toegevoegdewaardestaat (TWS) genoodsaak as een van die finansiële state wat daartoe kan bydra om korporatiewe verslaggewing te verbeter. 'n TWS is gebaseer op 'n ekonomiese konsep. Daarom kan 'n bydrae van 'n spesifieke maatskappy tot die Bruto Binnelandse Produk (BBP) direk gemeet word. Hoewel 'n toegevoegdewaardestaat nie op sy eie al die inligting oor die ekonomiese prestasie van 'n besigheidsonderneming blootlê nie, kan dit belangstellende partye help om ingeligte ekonomiese besluite te neem. Die publikasie van 'n toegevoegdewaardestaat is egter nog nie 'n statutêre regulasie in Suid-Afrika nie. Die bevindinge dui op 'n aantal beperkinge in die wyse waarop 'n TWS gepubliseer word. Die formaat is nie statutêr nie en word nie geouditeer nie, maar daar is geleenthede vir verdere navorsing en verbetering. Hierdie aspek het ongelukkig daartoe gelei dat sommige gebruikers die staat wantrou. Byvoorbeeld: Die VAS dui feitlik altyd aan dat die arbeidskomponent die meeste van die toegevoegde waarde opneem (Hird, 1983). Statistiese toetse (bv. Shapiro-Wilk se W Spearman R Toets, histogramme) is uitgevoer. Hierdie toetse dui op 'n swak negatiewe verhouding tussen verandering in die aantal werknemers en verandering in die waarde wat deur elke werknemer toegevoeg word. Dit dui daarop dat die waarde wat per werknemer toegevoeg word nie die enigste faktor is wat bydra tot produktiwiteit nie. Daarom lewer dit nie genoegsaam bewys om tot die gevolgtrekking te kom dat maatskappye wat hul aantal werknemers verminder terselfdertyd produktiwiteit verhoog nie.

In 2013, 35% of the workforce was not engaged, which results in lack of productivity and loss of profitability for small business enterprises (SBEs). The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore successful strategies that frontline leaders in a 4 generation, family-owned excavating business used to engage their frontline employees. The excavating business was started in 1947 by the father of the current business owners. William Kahn's employee engagement theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through a focus group and direct observations of engagement during meetings and frontline areas from a population of 8 frontline leaders from construction work at an excavating business in Stephens City, Virginia. Data from the focus group and direct observations were thematically analyzed and then triangulated to ensure the trustworthiness of the interpretations. The 5 themes that emerged included: investing in sustainability, leading by example, providing clear and open communication, implementing a system of measurement, and developing a professional image. These themes could provide the basis for the area frontline leaders to improve the employee engagement level of their frontline employees. These findings could prompt what has been a missing dialogue of communication that could bridge the employee engagement gap between the area employees and employers. Social change implications of these findings could lead to productivity improvement that could contribute to the survival of SBEs and to the employment status of the community.

Disengaged employees adversely affect organizational strategies to promote higher standards of care and quality of life for long-term residential patients. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies healthcare leaders use to engage employees. The targeted population for this study was the senior leaders of a long-term residential care agency located in South Carolina who had initiated strategies and practices to engage employees. Kahn's theory of personal engagement and disengagement was the conceptual framework for this study. Data collection included semistructured face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions, and the long-term residential agency's employee handbook, training agenda, and incentive program. Data were transcribed, coded, and then validated through member checking and triangulation, resulting in the development of 6 themes: leadership attentiveness to promote workplace meaningfulness, incorporation of robust communication policies and procedures, organizational support for engagement, fostering interpersonal relationships for increased employee value, meaningful rewards and recognition, and training and development for personal and professional growth. Leaders have a significant role in the development of conditions within the work environment that foster employee engagement. The implications for positive social change include the improvement of physical and social qualities of life for long-term residential patients and their families, the ease of financial burdens for healthcare professionals, and a reduction in the amount of tax revenue needed to support the needs of aging U.S. citizens.

Behaviors that may waste time in the workplace, like surfing the Internet for personal purposes (cyberloafing) or smoking breaks, may be the root antecedent for poor productivity. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether there was a relationship between the independent variables: time spent cyberloafing and time in uncontrolled smoking breaks, and the dependent variable: employee productivity. Procedural justice theory was used to frame the study. The population consisted of 34 employees working in a multinational engineering company in Jordan who have official smoking policies, but not cyberloafing policies. Correlations and multiple regression were computed using a Cyberloafing Scale and time spent smoking (independent variables) and The Endicott Work Productivity Scale (dependent variable). The results of the correlations indicated no significant relationship between Internet surfing and employee productivity. Smoking breaks were not a significant source of wasted time during the workday (the subsample and frequency of engaging in smoking were low); therefore, smoking did not have an effect on productivity. The findings of this study support the theory that using the Internet at work does not affect employee productivity. These findings have implications for positive social change that are also supported by existing research. Employees who engage in personal Internet activities at work tend to meet private demands and obligations. This connectivity may help to facilitate work-life balance.

Employee absenteeism results in annual productivity losses of approximately $74 billion and reduced profits for some retail stores. The purpose of this single case study was to explore the strategies used to minimize absenteeism and increase productivity outcomes for organizational effectiveness at a retail store in northwest Florida. The targeted population included managers who had success with minimizing absenteeism and enhancing productivity in the retail store. Herzberg's 2-factor theory was the conceptual framework, and semistructured interviews with 5 participants were the primary data collection technique. The secondary data sources included employee absence data and gross profit reports for 3 years (2014 through 2016), publicly displayed goal charts, and the absence policy that employees sign to document receipt and understanding of the policy. Methodological triangulation was established by analyzing and comparing data from the semistructured interviews with the company documents. Based on the NVivo coding tool used to identify word frequencies and thematic analysis, 3 primary themes emerged: leadership support and comradery, effective communication, and competitive compensation. The implications for social change included the potential to provide retail managers with the tools needed to decrease absenteeism, enhance productivity, increase organizational effectiveness, increase profitability in retail stores, and develop quality customer service to improve living conditions.

An employee's contributions toward the success of organizational results and objectives are essential to how virtual sales leaders implement strategies to improve productivity. In 2014, 21% of virtual leaders received formal training to manage remote employees, and 17% of remote employees received formal training on how to work productively. The purpose of this single qualitative case study was to explore strategies virtual sales leaders used to improve remote sales employees' productivity. The population included 6 virtual sales leaders in 1 staffing organization located in Michigan. The conceptual framework for this study included the job demands-resources model. Data were collected through semistructured interviews, direct observation, organizational document review, and reflective journaling using thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the data analyzed in this research study: high level of communication, including virtual meetings for improved relationship development; adapting to change and work environment, including introduction of change before implementing; and measurement of employee performance, which could include monitoring activity reports and metric tracking tools. Findings included developing consistent team and individual meetings to communicate metrics and goals, implementing varied communication tools to encourage self-management, involving employees in decision making before changes were executed, and developing attainable employee goals to promote a productive work environment. Contributions to social change include the opportunity to develop an employable and specialized workforce who contribute to the local economy as well as expand community development and higher income for families.

The ability to improve employee engagement in small businesses is critical, not only to workers but also to midlevel managers who want to retain productive employees in the workplace. Supervisors who lack efficient managerial practices also risk decreases in productivity, profitability, and sustainability. The conceptual framework for this qualitative, exploratory single-case study was Kahn's theory of personal engagement and disengagement. The population consisted of 2 midlevel managers from a single, small, franchise company in metropolitan Alabama, both of whom used engagement practices, and managed at least 5 subordinates in the company. Data collected, analyzed, and triangulated were from semistructured interviews, direct observations, and a review of company documents. Coded interview responses aligned with the research question, conceptual framework, and emergent themes resulted in identifying successful engagement strategies that midlevel leaders to use. Two critical themes that emerged were management and communication. Supportive management behaviors and leader-member exchange yielded positive employee engagement and increased job performance and productivity. These results could be used to help midlevel managers develop strategies that improve employee enagagement and job performance. Social change implications included leaders developing new strategies that encourage positive relationships among top-level and midlevel leaders, lower level employees, and customers.

Employee retention of an organization's most talented and skilled employees is vital to success. A lack of managerial strategies for motivating teams and a lack of understanding employees' needs adds to an increased rate of employee turnover in banking organizations. Some bank managers do not possess the abilities and strategies required to reduce employee turnover. Grounded by the motivation-hygiene theory; the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore successful strategies some bank managers used to reduce employee turnover. The population consisted of 5 banking managers in 3 banking organizations located in Toronto GTA, Ontario Canada in which successful retention strategies have been implemented in the last 5 years. Data were collected from semistructured face-to-face interviews and employee handbooks. Member checking aided to assure the credibility of the analysis and interpretations. Data were analyzed by using coding techniques to identify keywords, phrases, and concepts. The process led to the following 4 themes: (a) the motivational effect to retain bank employees, (b) management traits to retain bank employees, (c) effective strategies to retain bank employees, and (d) trends shaping future retention of bank employees. The implications for social change include the potential to reduce turnover by improving the employee work experience and retaining talent by building a positive work environment and a positive customer experience.

This study focuses attention on the multinational organization, an emerging phenomenon, in which people from different cultural backgrounds work together to produce a product or render a service. The purpose of this study is to enhance the available information about the potential for increasing productivity through the use of participatory programs, such as Quality Control Circles, in multinational organizations, especially those operating in Saudi Arabia.

In today's workplace there are many reasons why businesses are encouraging their workforce to dress in a more casual manner. Personnel within the workforce who dress casually report improvements ranging from morale to customer relations after the implementation of more relaxed dress codes. It will also be necessary to consider whether or not business casual dress facilitates the tearing down of social and communication barriers.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008.<br>The aim of this study is to develop an understanding of and to identify those people management practices used by global South African companies to improve competitive advantage, and which enables them to compete effectively internationally. People management practices refer to any human resource management initiative or process designed to improve the effectiveness of a company's human capital. Such practices typically flow from the organisation's overall business strategy. and are interpreted and developed into HR policies, processes and systems by HR professionals. However it is the manner in which such policies and processes are applied by management, which transforms them into people management practices. A detailed literature review was used to develop an understanding of the current influences impacting on the human resource management field and also to identify those people management practices considered to be 'best practice'. The people management practices of five companies, listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange or with their origins in South Africa, were then studied and compared. These companies represent a wide variety of sectors and industries, including mining, financial services, telecommunications, manufacturing and industrial services. The final results were then compared against and used to verify the 'best practice' template identified earlier during the literature review. Finally, the study also provides a brief summary and understanding of how the HR function in particular, facilitates and supports the implementation of these people practices within the companies surveyed.

Flexibility in the workplace is no longer perceived as a benefit to employees but as a requirement for organizations to remain competitive. Financial compensation alone may be insufficient to encourage employee retention. The purpose of this qualitative, single case study was to explore the strategies that corporate accounting and finance leaders implement to promote workplace flexibility for increasing accountants' retention. The conceptual framework for this study was Karasek's demand control support framework. The research sample consisted of 6 corporate accounting and finance leaders who had a history of successfully implementing a workplace flexibility program. Data analysis consisted of compiling the data, coding for emergent and a priori codes, disassembling the data into common codes, reassembling the data into themes, interpreting the meaning, and reporting the themes. The major themes from the findings of this study were leadership support and commitment, organization-wide tailored flexibility, clear communication of expectations, trust and cooperation, employee evaluation based on results and deliverables, and the use of technological advances to enhance team collaboration. Organizations and business leaders can use the findings from this study to create competitive advantage by enhancing their existing flexibility policies or to implement formal workplace flexibility policies that may help to reduce the stress and strain that employees experience in attempting to balance their personal and professional life. The implications for social change include creating a balance between employees' jobs and other responsibilities that allows employees to contribute positively to their family and the local community.

Organisations can create a competitive advantage through the way they design their human resource systems. High involvement work systems are considered to be a way to increase organisational performance and decrease employee turnover. However, the components involved are difficult and complex to define, and the synergy amongst the different components hard to evaluate. The literature suggests that the research is not uniform in its approach, and most research does not clearly define the variables involved or agree on the expected results of such systems. This research looks at high involvement work systems in the New Zealand organisational context, and relating these systems to employee turnover and organisational performance. The results of the study suggest that there does not appear to be a relationship between high involvement work systems, and employee turnover and organisational performance; but high involvement systems may contribute to increased labour productivity in New Zealand organisations.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.<br>Blue-collar workers should be seen as the most valuable asset of any organization, as they normally constitute the majority of employees within South African companies. Therefor cognisance should be taken to enhance the performance and productivity levels of these employees through coaching. In the past, it seemed, as if the emphasis was more on coaching the higher echelons of employees than on the coaching of blue-collar workers. The current South African crisis within the mining industry has highlighted the need for organisations to adopt a new vision in dealing with blue-collar workers. The integration of coaching into the existing employee assistance frameworks can create the necessary impetus for building sustainable changes within these ranks. An extensive literature review investigated the possibility of coaching blue-collar workers as well as the inclusion of coaching into existing employee assistance programs. It was evident that little research was done on coaching of blue-collar workers. By using a qualitative approach and through exploratory research, coaching sessions were done with the aim of improved performance for these workers. This research outlines a framework for blue-collar coaching that enhances performance and effectiveness of these workers. These improvements in performance could be seen as a catalyst for improved production for mining houses and other corporate businesses. The participants in this research either referred themselves to the employee assistance program (EAP) or they were referred by their manager for a performance or work related problem. This could be an indication that EAPs will have to look at a more integrated approach to incorporate a wider range of services, such as coaching. This research could therefore be a uniquely useful tool for organisations endeavouring to purchase EAPs in future. This research further explored the coachability of blue-collar workers with relation to their level on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as well as exploring their ability to transfer this learning back to their respective places of work. Furthermore recommendations were made in this study for future research, for blue-collar coaches as well as for existing EAP service providers.

Absenteeism has a negative impact on organizational output in the form of lost productivity and profit reduction for software engineering companies. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive case study was to explore the strategies that software engineering managers utilize for reducing absenteeism. The theory of planned behavior formed the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews from a purposeful sample of 11 managers at an international custom software engineering company. Data collection also included organizational data on employee absences for the past 5 years (2011-2015), e-mail memos, newsletters, employee handbook, and employee performance reviews. Based on methodological triangulation of the data sources and inductive analysis of the data, 4 themes emerged. Emergent themes from the analysis revealed that communication was key to reducing absenteeism, flexible work hours and working from home reduced absence, comradery and employee support positively impacted absenteeism, and that there was a lack of a clear and formal processes for addressing employee absenteeism. These findings suggest that, at this company, an absenteeism reduction strategy could help reduce employee absenteeism to lessen the negative impact on organizational productivity and profitability. These findings may contribute to social change by providing a template for effective absenteeism reduction strategies that managers can use to promote a decreased incidence of absenteeism, organizational profitability, reduction of the unemployment rate, employee stress, and mental health problems.

Productivity loss occurs in organizations that experience high levels of personal Internet use by employees on company time, which includes employees using smartphones to surf without needing the firm's Internet connection. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore reliable ways for organizational leaders to monitor or limit their employees' use of smartphone technology for personal use (cyberloafing) while on the job to minimize wasted work time. Social cognitive theory, which includes an emphasis on human behavioral changes based upon the environment, people, and behavior, served as the conceptual framework. The general research question was as follows: How can managers minimize wasted work time by limiting the personal Internet activity of employees who use personal mobile devices while on the job. Data collection involved gathering information from interviews with 20 frontline supervisors, human resource managers, and information technology managers and specialists in 2 U.S. industries: education and telecommunications. Data analysis included examining word frequencies, keyword coding, and identifying themes. Four management themes emerged: create mobile device usage policy, enforce monitoring technology, create a deterrence strategy, and customize monitoring and tracking technology. This study may be important because the analysis revealed effective ways to prevent or minimize employees from Internet surfing and wasting time at work. The findings could lead to positive social change through increased employee productivity and responsibility by providing managers with information to control or limit cyberloafing activities and by fostering an increased commitment to comply with an organization's Internet use policy.

The performance of public agency employees and their management teams have long been subject to critical comments and public doubt. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of police leaders and staff with regard to skillful recognition of excellent performance within the profession. Twenty law enforcement employees, including leaders, sworn officers, and nonuniformed civilian employees in southwestern North Carolina, consented to in-depth, semistructured interviews concerning their lived experiences. Leader-member exchange (LMX) theory was the conceptual framework for this study. A modified van Kaam analysis resulted in the identification of 5 significant, but broad, themes. The themes were: motivation, leadership, leader-employee communication, recognition, and leader-employee relationship. The responses of the participants that clustered within the themes provided unique insight based on the participants' experiences concerning the environment of an effective recognition program in law enforcement and the skills leaders use to encourage excellent performance. The emergent themes align with expectations in LMX theory and most of existing literature and current thought concerning employee recognition and the skills leaders need to master to be effective encouragers of excellent performance. Thus the findings support much of the existing body of research while adding insight into the unique environment of law enforcement. This study has the potential of contributing to positive social change because researchers and law enforcement leaders could gain valuable insights about how to encourage and recognize excellent performance. This in turn could contribute to more effective and courteous policing and, thus, better service to the community and the general public. Other types of public agency researchers and management teams could also learn from these insights, resulting in potentially broad benefits to society.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Value added links a company’s financial statements to the national income and performs a useful function in macro-economic measurement. At the national level, productivity is a major determinant of economic growth and progress and of vital importance to the survival and wellbeing of all South Africans. The presentation of information in added value terms can provide an effective communication tool that enables all personnel at all levels to understand where the business stands, what their roles in it are and what can be done to improve certain ratios. The concept of value added does not only act as a communication medium in showing how a company is performing, but also demonstrates the need for increased wealth to ensure higher distribution to all the stakeholders. This research report aims to establish, amongst other matters, the future use of value added as a proxy for productivity as a basis (a new mindset) for determining salary increases at tertiary institutions. Because this could be regarded as a leap into the unknown, this study used the results of the industrial sector for benchmarking. As tertiary institutions never previously published a value added statement it was decided to follow the practice of the Value Added Scoreboard since 2002; that is, to compile a value added statement for tertiary institutions using the audited annual reports and, specifically, the income statement. The handling of part-time, casual or seasonal employees can cause measurement problems in the value added per employee ratio. The matter is also further complicated by the fact that there is a lack of full description of employee data in the financial statements as to whether or not the published employee numbers refer to either full-time equivalent, average number of employees over the period or number of employees at year end. If one is to use employee numbers to do an analysis of certain ratios there needs to be clarity in future on how these numbers must be reported. In conclusion it was found that the low increase or decrease in salaries, together with the increase in employee numbers resulted in a negative growth rate in salaries per employee. The conclusion can thus be made that the tertiary institutions did not take productivity into account when granting salary increases. Finally, though this research report was only exploratory, the recommendation can be made that the concept of value added should be implemented at tertiary institutions, preferably by firstly taking the research staff of the entire institution and from there the distribution per department into account, and lastly to reflect the value added for the institution as a whole.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Toegevoegde waarde verbind ’n maatskappy se finansiële state met die nasionale inkomste en vervul ’n nuttige rol as makro-ekonomiese maatstaf. Op nasionale vlak is produktiwiteit ’n vername bepaler van ekonomiese groei en vordering en is dit van kardinale belang tot die oorlewing en welstand van alle Suid-Afrikaners. Die aanbied van inligting in terme van toegevoegde waarde kan ’n doeltreffende kommunikasie-instrument wees wat alle personeel op alle vlakke in staat stel om te verstaan wat die stand van sake is, wat hulle rolle binne die besigheid is en wat gedoen kan word om sekere ratio’s te verbeter. Die toegevoegdewaarde-konsep dien nie slegs as kommunikasiemiddel om die maatskappy se prestasie aan te dui nie, maar toon ook aan dat daar ’n behoefte is aan groter rykdom om hoër verspreiding aan alle belanghebbendes te verseker. Hierdie navorsingsverslag het ten doel om onder meer die toekomstige gebruik van toegevoegde waarde te vestig as ’n aanduider vir produktiwiteit as ’n grondslag (’n nuwe geestesingesteldheid) vir die vasstel van salarisverhogings by tersiêre instellings. Aangesien dit beskou kan word as ’n sprong in die duister, het hierdie studie die resultate van die nywerheidsektor as normstelling gebruik. Omdat tersiêre instellings nog nooit vantevore ’n toegevoegde waarde-staat gepubliseer het nie, is daar besluit om die praktyk van die Toegevoegdewaarde-telbord sedert 2002 te volg. Dit beteken dat ’n toegevoegde waarde-staat vir tersiêre instellings saamgestel is deur die geouditeerde jaarverslae en, spesifiek, die inkomstestaat te gebruik. Die hantering van deeltydse, los of seisoenwerkers kan metingsprobleme in die toegevoegde waarde per werknemer-ratio tot gevolg hê. Die saak word ook verder bemoeilik deur die feit dat daar ’n gebrek aan volledige werknemerinligting in die finansiële state is wat betref of die gepubliseerde werknemergetalle verwys na die voltydse ekwivalent, die gemiddelde getal werknemers oor die tydperk, of die werknemers met jaareinde. Indien die werknemergetalle gebruik word om ’n ontleding van sekere ratio’s te doen, is dit duidelik dat daar in die toekoms meer klaarheid moet wees oor die wyse waarop hierdie getalle gerapporteer moet word. Daar is gevolglik bevind dat die lae styging of daling in salarisse, tesame met die styging in werknemergetalle, tot ’n negatiewe groeikoers in salarisse per werknemer lei. Die gevolgtrekking kan dus gemaak word dat die tersiêre instellings nie produktiwiteit in ag geneem het toe salarisverhogings toegestaan is nie. Laastens, alhoewel hierdie navorsingsverslag slegs verkennend van aard was, kan die aanbeveling gemaak word dat die konsep van toegevoegde waarde by tersiêre instellings geïmplementeer word. Verkieslik deur eerstens die navorsingspersoneel van die instelling te neem, daarna die verdeling per departement en dan laastens om toegevoegde waarde vir die instelling as geheel weer te gee.

The nonparticipation of U.S. Army Reserve soldiers throughout the Army Reserve Command is a critical problem for it results in millions of dollars in lost revenue. Retaining nonparticipant soldiers is a strategic, operational, and tactical priority for Army Reserve leadership. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to determine key themes concerning the potential root causes of nonparticipation in the Army Reserve. Using Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, research was conducted to analyze the themes that contributed to nonparticipation, particularly lack of attendance at monthly battle assembly and extended combat training. Data were collected from telephone interviews that were conducted with 20 participants and then transcribed and analyzed using auto coding and query-based coding features. Ten themes emerged from analysis of responses to the 14 interview questions. A key result was that the participants believed that family, work, and school conflicts were barriers for soldiers not attending battle assembly or extended combat training. Further exploration of the participants' experiences and perceptions resulted in the finding that communication was not effective between the leadership, staff, and first-line leaders and nonparticipant soldiers. Six participants agreed and 11 participants strongly agreed that new policy should be written to retain and recover nonparticipant soldiers. Study findings may enlighten the chain of command in the U.S. Army Reserve about the barriers leading to nonparticipation among soldiers and about how they may improve the participation rate. Such changes may foster more teamwork while contributing to productivity in the organization and safeguarding millions of dollars withheld from Army Reserve accounts.

Low productivity among employees represents a threat to the sustainability of organizational profits. Retail organizations have experienced a loss of over $300 billion annually because of low productivity. A consequence of technostress is low self-efficacy, which promotes low productivity and high employee absenteeism and burnout. Guided by the theory of technological self-efficacy, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether a relationship existed between employee technostress and employee productivity and the extent that technological self-efficacy mediated that relationship. A random sample of 112 retail employees from central Florida contributed to this study. Data were analyzed using Pearson bivariate correlations and multiple linear regression. The overall predictor variables of technostress and technological self-efficacy accounted for approximately 12% of variance in employee productivity. The results in this study indicated the overall linear regression model was significant. Bivariate findings indicated that technostress was not significantly associated with employee productivity. Technological self-efficacy was significantly associated with employee productivity. As employees’ technological self-efficacy increased, so did their productivity. The results of this study supported the conclusion that business professionals may benefit from implementing newer IT systems to improve profits and creating mentorships to train employees. The implications of this study for positive social change included the potential to break the cycle of stress-related issues and provide a quality work life for employees.

Organizations in the age of modern technology have a diverse workforce, who are spread around the globe, and the business leaders of the 21st century need to understand how best to manage, overcome new challenges, and know the various skills of team members to capitalize on their differences and unique skills. To allow those geographically dispersed workers to reach their full potential and facilitate team success. Global virtual teams (GVTs) operate in complex environments characterized by diverse cultural and organizational elements. The primary purpose of this correlational and nonexperimental quantitative research was to examine the impact of transformational leadership on GVTs, their productivity, and job satisfaction with leadership effectiveness. Using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), data analyzes were completed through SurveyMonkey.com and SPSS software. The study measured transformational leadership, the independent variable, by the leader's ability to motivate workers to be satisfied and productive, and by the leader's effectiveness in the organization. Data were assessed by frequency analysis, moderation analyzes, and multiple regression analysis on the dependent variables of job satisfaction, leadership effectiveness, and productivity. The findings from this study reinforced the positive relationships found between transformational leadership, employee productivity, and leadership effectiveness in GVTs. Results also showed that motivated employees increase productivity and help in the organization's growth. Implications for positive social change included improvements in GVT interactions to increase the exchange of diverse ideas that lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

In a workplace marked by increasing change and competing commitments, business leaders require an increased understanding of alternative work programs. Utilizing spillover theory, motivator-hygiene theory, and adaptive structuration theory, this single case study was an exploration of the strategies that business leaders use for flexible work schedules and virtual work programs. The population consisted of 3 managerial business executives and 6 employees within a midwestern United States division of a global blood management solutions firm. The data collection process included a series of semistructured interviews, a focus group, and the assessment of company documentation. Methodological triangulation identified 5 emerging themes: program assessment and monitoring, standard set of virtual working hours, remote office setup, increased virtual communication, and promotion of quality of life. The transferability of this single case study remains with the reader and future researchers to determine. Future researchers may discover that the findings contribute to social change by better preparing organizations for success while simultaneously positioning individuals to attain optimum balance across life and work responsibilities.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:‘n Kwalitatiewe evaluasie van die faktore wat werknemer verbintenis in die uitvoering van ‘n werksbestuur besigheidsproses beinvloed, word aangebied. Die nodigheid van werknemer verbintenis en besigheidsprosesse in organisasies word beskryf. ‘n Vergelyk tussen die beginsels van werknemer verbintenis en die werksbestuur proses word gedoen. Deur middel van statistiese evaluasie tegnieke (frekwensie evaluasie) dra hierdie navorsing by tot die bestaande kennis in hierdie domein deur die identifisering van faktore wat bydra tot die onttrekking van werknemers van die werksbestuur proses en gevolglik die organisasie verlaat. Resultate bevestig dat die werksbestuur proses die verbintenis van werknemers tot die werksbestuur proses fasiliteer, veral vir werknemers wat onlangs die arbeidsmark betree. Persoonlike groei en loopbaan ontwikkeling word egter nie ten volle ondersteun in die uitvoering van die werksbestuur proses nie. Aanbevelings word gemaak ter ondersteuning van die implementering van ‘n volhoubare werksbestuur proses.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Presents a qualitative evaluation of the factors that influence employee engagement from the perspective of implementing and sustaining a work management business process. Describes the intent of employee engagement and business processes in organizations. Compare the principles of employee engagement and the work management business process. By applying statistical evaluation methods (frequency analyses) this research adds to the existing body of knowledge in this field by identifying factors that lead to disengagement of employees in the execution of work management business processes and subsequent loss of skills. Analysis indicates that the business process facilitates engagement of employees in work management at the start of their careers, however career development and personal growth for experienced employees are lacking in the execution of work management. Concludes with recommendation for sustaining employee engagement in work management.

Organizations increasingly empower their employees to conduct local experimentation and generate innovation ideas. The aim of this dissertation is to understand the role of management control mechanisms in motivating and managing employee-driven innovation. Specifically, I provide empirical evidence – both quantitative and qualitative – on the specific channels and mechanisms through which employee-driven innovation is facilitated within real-world settings. In the first chapter of my dissertation, I conduct a field study in a gaming company to examine how innovation ideas are generated and selected. I provide details on the various channels through which employee-driven innovation occurs, as well as the management control mechanisms used to manage employee-driven innovation. The rich descriptive evidence enabled me to uncover important themes in the management control mechanisms that balance innovation and execution. The second chapter is based on my job market paper (“Boss, Cut Me Some Slack: Control and Innovation in a Multitasking Environment”) which examines the problem of motivating innovation in the presence of existing execution tasks. Using employee- and project-level data from a software company, I examine the relationship between reduced time pressure on execution tasks and employee-level innovation by exploiting variations in the extent to which predetermined time constraints on execution tasks were loosely enforced by managers in decentralized teams. I find that reduced time pressure on execution tasks is significantly associated with a greater probability of self-initiated innovation. Consistent with theories on employee selection and relational contract, the above effect is more pronounced (1) for employees without significantly negative outcomes on past execution tasks, (2) for employees with a greater preexisting propensity to innovate, or (3) when the supervisor has a history of working with innovating employees. Conditional on submitting innovation prototypes, reduced time pressure on execution tasks is also significantly associated with higher-quality innovation. Despite the formal permission to innovate, many employees in established organizations seem unable to fully and effectively use the granted discretion to experiment. In the third chapter of my dissertation, I turn my attention to whether certain informal control mechanisms (such as social norms) affect the extent of local experimentation. Using detailed loan- and employee-level data from a financial institution that removed its rule-based formal control system, I analyze changes in decision-making patterns and find that employees who are exposed to two different initial control environments (i.e. before and after removing the rule-based control system) have both increased local experimentation over time after being given the right to make their own decisions. But employees from the initial control environment with zero-experimentation rely much more on managers’ or peers’ degree of experimentation to guide their own experimentation.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.<br>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the past two decades company performance has become the mantra of corporate theory. It follows that marketers have recently become understandably preoccupied with measuring the performance of marketing activity. In fact, the pressure for financial accountability has led to widespread concern over the role of the marketing function within a company. Some go as far as contemplating the demise of marketing professionals unless marketers develop an understanding of the marketing-finance interface and are able to enter into a dialogue with top management regarding the value that marketing adds to the company. Modern financial theory prescribes that the primary financial objective of any company should be shareholder value maximisation. Value based management (VBM) involves the appropriate allocation of scarce resources using prioritisation and cost-benefit analyses of different strategies to ensure that managers remain focused on shareholder value creation. The VBM philosophy embraces four fundamental driving forces impacting on the creation of value, the first of which is the profitable growth of sales. Since marketers are the custodians of brand sales the recognition of sales as a value driver places marketing at the centre of the value culture. The role of the marketing function is to create customer value that will translate into marketing assets (brand equity) and by doing so serves to add value to a company. The brand value chain summarises the process through which marketers can create value by carefully investing in various marketing tactics (or expenditures). These expenditures are encapsulated by the marketing mix. Simply, the marketing mix can be described as the sum of all expenditures intended to build brand equity and can be classified into four components known as the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion). Concern has been raised that marketers focus too much attention on the stages in the brand value chain where marketing strategy is formulated and too little attention on the latter stages where the strategy is linked back to the value created through the implementation thereof. Despite the plethora of marketing metrics available the key to measuring the impact of marketing activity lies in maintaining a balance between non-financial, efficiency metrics and financial effectiveness metrics. To this end, there is a need for the development of aggregate-level models that link marketing tactics (expenditures) to to financial impact (e.g. sales) in order to communicate the value created by marketing. As a first step toward the objective of developing such models, it is important to understand the nature of the relationship between marketing expenditures (in terms of the 4Ps) and sales). Therefore, the primary objective in this study was to establish whether there is a relationship between the expenditures of different marketing components (4Ps) and sales. To this end, the proposition formulated elucidated that the variance in sales of a product is attributable to fluctuations in marketing expenditures. A meta analysis study was undertaken and two South African fast moving consumer goods brands’ financial data were investigated for the period of July 2001 to the end of June 2005. The marketing expenditures incurred for each of the respective brands were dissected and allocated according to the 4Ps of marketing. The metohod applied to investigate the relationship between marketing expenditures and sales originated through the adoption of multiple regression analysis between the indepent variables (marketing expenditures) and the dependent variable (sales). However, due to the fact that the data were collected over time it was anticipated that the time-related characteristics in the data might have offended inherent assumptions on which multiple regression analysis is based. Therefore, a time series regression analysis was subsequently adopted to account for time-related characteristics such as trend or seasonality. Counteracting dummy variables were included in the regression analysis to better understand the effect of trend and seasonality. In the case of Brand A, it was necessary to include dummy variables to counteract the effect of trend in the regression analysis., the results revealed that there is a statistically significant relationship between the expenditures of different marketing components (4Ps) and sales. Only distribution expenditures and price (along with trend) explained unique variance in sales. In the case of Brand B, it was necessary to include dummy variables for both trend and seasonality before the model was suitable for analysis. Once again, the results revealed a statistically significant relationship between the expenditures of different marketing components (4Ps) and sales. However for Brand B, only production expenditures (along with trend and seasonality) explained unique variance in sales. Therefore, in conclusion of the results found there were important findings to note. Firstly, when investigating data colllected over time it is imperative to understand the impact of time-related characteristics in the data and subsequently adopt the appropriate model to investigate relationships in the data. Secondly, despite a statistically significant relationship detected between marketing expenditures and sales the different components of the 4Ps have varying prominence for different brands and the appropriate allocation of resource will depend on the nature of the product and the strategy in mind.<br>AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die prestasie van ’n maatskappy het oor die afgelope twee dekades die mantra van korporatiewe teorie geword. Dit volg dus dat bemarkers onlangs afgetrokke is met die meet van die prestasie van mark aktiwiteit. Die druk vir finansiële verantwoordbaarheid het in wye kommer oor die rol van die bemarkingsfunksie binne ’n maatskappy, uitgeloop. Daar word bespiegel oor die ondergang van professionele bemarkers tensy bemarkers ’n begrip van die bemarking-finansie skeidingsvlak ontwikkel en in staat is om ’n dialoog met topbestuur aan die gang te sit rakende die waarde wat bemarking tot ’n maatskappy voeg. Moderne finansiële teorie stel voor dat die primêre finansiële doelwit van enige maatskappy die verhoging van belanghebbende waarde moet wees. Waarde-gebaseerde bestuur (WGB) sluit die gepaste toewysing van skaars hulpbronne, deur die gebruik van vooropstelling en koste-voordeel analise van verskeie strategieë, in, om te verseker dat bestuurders op die belanghebbende waarde skepping gefokus bly. Die WGB filosofie omarm vier grondliggende dryfsmagte wat op die skep van waarde, waarvan eerstens die winsgewende groei van verkope is, ’n impak het. Aangesien bemarkers die bewaarders van die handelsnaam verkope is, plaas die erkenning van verkope as ’n waarde drywer, bemarking in die middelpunt van die waarde kultuur. Die rol van die bemarkingsfunksie is om kliënt waarde te skep wat omgesit sal word in bemarkingsbates (handelsmerk billikheid) en dien so om waarde tot ’n maatskappy by te dra. Die handelsmerk waarde ketting som die proses op waardeur bemarkers waarde kan skep deur versigtig in verskeie bemarkingstaktieke (of uitgawes) te belê. Hierdie uitgawes word saamgevat deur die bemarkingsmengsel. Die bemarkingsmengsel kan kortliks beskryf word as die som van alle uitgawes wat bedoel is om handelsmerk billikheid te bou en kan in vier komponente, wat as die 4Ps (produk, prys, plek en promosie) bekend staan, geklassifiseer word. Daar is reeds kommer uitgespreek dat bemarkers te veel aandag aan die stadiums in die handelsmerk waarde ketting bestee waar bemarkings strategie geformuleer word en te min aandag word aan die latere stadiums geskenk waar die strategie teruggeskakel word aan die waarde wat deur die implementering daarvan geskep word. Ten spyte van die menigte beskikbare bemarkings metrieke lê die sleutel tot die meet van die impak van bemarkingsaktiwiteite in die onderhou van ’n balans tussen nie-finansiële, doeltreffende metrieke en finansiële effektiwiteit metrieke. Daar is dus ’n behoefte aan die ontwikkeling van gemiddelde-vlak modelle wat bemarkings taktieke (uitgawes) aan finansiële impak (bv. verkope) skakel om sodoende die waarde wat deur bemarking geskep word, te kommunikeer. Dit is belangrik om, as ’n eerste treë na die doelwit om sulke modelle te ontwikkel, die aard van die verhouding tussen bemarkingsuitgawes (in terme van die 4Ps) en verkope te verstaan. Die hoofdoel in hierdie studie was dus om vas te stel of daar ’n verhouding tussen die uitgawes van verskillende bemarkingskomponente (4Ps) en verkope bestaan. Die voorstel wat geformuleer is, het verklaar dat die verskeidenheid in verkope ’n produk is wat toegeskryf kan word aan fluktuering in bemarkings uitgawes. ’n Meta analise studie is onderneem en twee Suid-Afrikaanse vinnig-bewegende gebruikers goedere handelsmerke se finansiële data vir die typerk van Julie 2001 tot einde van Junie 2005 is ondersoek. Die bemarkings uitgawes wat vir elk van die handelsmerke aangegaan is, is ontleed en toegeken volgens die 4Ps van bemarking. Die metode wat toegepas is om die verhouding tussen bemarkings uitgawes en verkope te ondersoek het ontstaan deur die aanneem van meervoudige agteruitgang analise tussen die onafhanklike veranderlikes (bemarkings uitgawes) en die afhanklike veranderlikes (verkope). Daar is egter verwag, as gevolg van die feit dat die data oor tyd versamel is, dat die tyd-verwante kenmerke in die data inherente aannames mag beledig het, waarop meervoudige agteruitgang analise gebaseer is. ’n Tydsreek agteruitgang analise is gevolglik aangeneem om verantwoordbaar te wees vir tydsverwante kenmerke soos neiging of seisoenaliteit. Teenwerkende fop veranderlikes is by die agteruitgang analise ingesluit om die effek van neiging of seisoenaliteit beter te verstaan. In die geval van Handelsmerk A, was dit nodig om fop veranderlikes in te sluit om die effek van neiging in die agteruitgang analise teen te werk. Die uitslae het gewys dat daar ’n statisties noemenswaardige verhouding tussen die uitgawes van verskillende bemarkingskomponente (4Ps) en verkope is. Slegs verspreiding uitgawes en prys (tesame met neiging) het unieke verskille in verkope verduidelik. In die geval van Handelsmerk B was dit nodig om die fop veranderlikes in te sluit vir beide neiging en seisoenaliteit voordat die model gepas was vir analise. Die uitslae het weereens gewys dat daar ’n duidende verhouding tussen die uitgawes van verskillende bemarkingskomponente (4Ps) en verkope is. Slegs produksie uitgawes (tesame met neiging en seisonaliteit) het egter unieke verskille in verkope vir Handelsmerk B verduidelik. Daar was dus, in gevolgtrekking tot die uitslae wat gevind is, belangrike bevindings om van kennis te neem. Dit is eerstens van uiterste belang om die impak van tyd-verwante kenmerke in die data te verstaan en om vervolgens die gepaste model aan te neem om verhoudings in die data te ondersoek. Tweedens, ten spyte van ’n statistiese noemenswaardige verhouding wat bespeur is tussen bemarkings uitgawes en verkope, het die verskeie komponente van die 4Ps verskillende vernaamheid vir verskillende handelsmerke en die gepaste toekenning van bronne sal afhang van die aard van die produk en die strategie wat beoog word.

Some credit union leaders experience a reduction in productivity when employee stress is significant in the workplace. Credit union leaders noted employee stress increases costs and decreaseproductivity. This study might be important for business leaders seeking to reduce employee stress to enhance productivity. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies credit union leaders use to reduce employee stress to enhance productivity. The population comprised of 11 credit union leaders in western and midwestern states in the United States who have implemented successful strategies to reduce employee stress to enhance productivity. Job demands-resources theory was the conceptual framework. Data collection included face-to-face semistructured interviews, teleconferencing semistructured interviews, and company documents, while thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. The themes identified include a feedback-friendly work environment, a holistic approach to wellbeing, and a positive company culture. The implications for positive social change include credit union leaders' awareness to reduce employee stress to improve overall employee wellbeing that might lead to healthier relationships with coworkers, credit union members, family members, and friends.

The research focused on the counselling service provided by a major national N-1 organisation. The main aim was identification of managerial mechanisms that might be instituted to facilitate the development of workplace counsellors.It comprised of three main studies which utilised both quantitative and qualitative methods. Over a period of eight months,corresponding quantitative data were collected after each new counselling session from six hundred and ninety-four clients and forty-six counsellors.In addition, qualitative data in the form of case notes were obtained from the counsellors, forty-three of whom also completed Levenson's (1981) Locus of Control questionnaire. In the first study,quantitative questionnaire data from both clients and counsellors were analysed in order to investigate discrepancies between the two groups that might identify a means of focus for managing the service. Statistical exploration of sociodemographic features that might be implicated as potentially confounding variables in the assessment of counselling effectiveness and client satisfaction was also undertaken, and the proposition that non-respondents perceive less benefit from the service was indirectly explored. A dditionally,the relationship between some of the Rogerian core qualities and client perceptions of benefit was investigated. In the second study,qualitative data from counsellor notes were examined in order to establish the type of notes produced and to consider ways in which counsellors might be encouraged to focus on counselling process rather than content. As a result an instrument was developed which provides a tool to facilitate counsellor development within a professional supervisory re lationship, inside or outside of the organisational context. The third study was designed to investigate counsellors' own locus of control and their perceptions of their clients' primary loci. Objectives of the study included comparison of the two measures and exploration of relationships between locus of control and other issues of interest to the research such as client perception of benefit from counselling, perceived use of Rogerian core variables and results on the process measure. The findings of the studies and their implications for counsellor development are fully discussed and suggestions for future research are provided.

Employee turnover continues to be an issue in federal organizations, including the Social Security Administration (SSA). While issues such as retiring baby boomers and budget constraints are beyond the control of any agency, retaining employees is critical to maintain essential services. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore SSA employee's lived experiences of job satisfaction and employee turnover to uncover motivators and satisfaction strategies. The conceptual framework for the study was based on Maslow's human needs and Herzberg's two-factor theory. Data were collected from 20 SSA frontline employees using 6 open-ended interview questions. The data were analyzed using a modification of van Kaam's method of analysis of phenomenological data and NVivo 11 Pro. Study results revealed that time, stress, pay and benefits, public service, and interoffice relationships were the prime intrinsic and extrinsic factors participants perceived as directly related to their job satisfaction. They highly valued job enrichment programs, cohesive teams, and pay and benefits, which override daily stressors inherent to the public demands strategies for the agency. Conducting the study in depressed socioeconomic areas might also provide significant insights, particularly since stress and workload were essential dissatisfiers. SSA provides critical services to many vulnerable groups. Strategies that employees perceive as motivating enhance the quality of services and benefits to eligible American citizens, many of whom rely on these services for quality of life, thereby reducing the burden of local communities to support these individuals if SSA services fail.

Health-related absenteeism could significantly affect organizational productivity because of the additional resources needed to compensate for the missing worker's absence. Work productivity is critical for business sustainability as companies continue to create a lean workforce and decrease operating cost. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that organizational leaders at a university in the southeastern United States used to successfully decrease occurrences of health-related employee absenteeism. The conceptual framework for this study was the theory of planned behavior. A purposive sample of 10 management, 5 faculty, and 5 staff members participated in structured interviews. Secondary data sources included field observations of the university's health and wellness facilities and a review of the university's healthcare plan and wellness program offerings used to reduce absenteeism. Thematic analysis, coding, and member checking led to the identification of 2 major themes. First, a need existed at this university for specific policy and procedures regarding health-related absenteeism. Second, emphasis was needed on the role of workplace health programs in decreasing health related absenteeism. The findings indicated that by integrating supportive management practices, effective absenteeism policies, and health management programs into their organizational culture, leaders at this university could develop specific strategies to decrease health-related absenteeism. Social change implications include changing perceptions of health related absenteeism to help leaders and employees at this and other similar environments become more aware of their current health status, reduce health risks, maintain a healthy lifestyle, and perform better at work.

Employee turnover is a concern for the highway maintenance leaders in the construction industry because employees with turnover intentions may exhibit decreased commitment and increased cynicism towards the organization, which may affect business profits. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between employee development, employee burnout, and employee turnover intentions in highway maintenance organizations in the United States. Hobfoll's conservation of resources theory was the framework for this study. A convenience sampling of participants, which included a target audience who accessed the paper-based surveys from 6 field offices and the central office building within the northwestern region of Pennsylvania, returned 68 useable surveys for a response rate of approximately 33%. The data from the 68 participants were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The population for the study consisted of supervisors, foremen, executive staff, and full-time management personnel. Results of the multiple linear regression analysis indicated a statistically significant relationship between employee development and employee turnover intentions (p < 0.05, β = 0.360) and between employee burnout and employee turnover intentions (p < 0.05, β = 0.512). The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by reducing employee turnover in the construction industry, keeping skilled employees within local communities, and helping employees accomplish career goals while increasing economic value. Highway maintenance leaders could use the money saved from turnover to invest in employee development and employee wellness programs.

There is an increased use of downsizing across telecommunications in the northeast United States, and organizational leaders are challenged to motivate the productivity of the retained employees. Guided by systems theory, the purpose of this single case study was to explore successful downsizing strategies of a small group of organizational leaders and managers in the operations of telecommunications in the northeast United States. The study participants, chosen for their motivation success in motivation after downsizing, consisted of 2 purposefully selected business leaders who completed individual, face-to-face interviews and a focus group of 5 managers. The coding of data and word clusters from data obtained from the interviews and focus group led to 4 emergent themes of organizational communication, leadership, employee motivation, and work-life balance. The participant responses showed through topic saturation that communication and work-life balance were the most important major themes. The findings from this study suggest that communication during all phases of downsizing can add to the employees' motivation and employees understanding of what leadership expects from them. When organizational leaders communicate a message of a better work-life balance, positive social change may occur, creating a more productive and loyal employee. When employees have a healthy work-life balance, there are significant benefits to their work organizations, families, and home lives.

Employee engagement is the main topic of discussion among researchers and managers for over 24 years. Managing employee engagement is critical to the success of an organization, but 85% of manager's struggle with engaging employees. The purpose of this single case study was to explore employee engagement strategies that credit union managers use to increase productivity and organizational effectiveness. Expectancy theory was used to explore employee engagement, performance, and motivation of people in the workplace. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and observations with 6 credit union managers and company documents using thematic coding. Analysis of the data revealed that, among these credit union managers, effective communication, training and coaching, and rewards and recognition are management strategies required to improve employee engagement, productivity and organizational effectiveness. These findings may provide credit union managers with guidelines to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of engagement strategies to fit the culture of the credit union. The results of this study may provide credit union managers with guidelines on the causes of disengagement and how employee engagement could be improved within the organization. Researchers may consider conducting a multiple case study that include other credit unions within Louisiana to understand the similarities and differences between strategies used to engage employees. The results of this study may impact positive social change by improving the competitive environment of the credit union industry through engagement within community and society.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that millennials will soon represent 46% of the workforce. The anticipated changes in the workforce are of great concern to business leaders who may manage individuals from different generations. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that administrative leaders in an advisory group of community-based organizations and educational institutions used to improve the productivity of a multigenerational workforce. The conceptual frameworks that grounded this study were the social constructivist perspective and generational theory. Data were collected from semistructured interviews to elicit narratives from 6 administrative leaders from 6 different nonprofit organizations selected via purposive sampling throughout the northeast region of the United States with experience improving the productivity of a multigenerational workforce. Data also came from a review of company documents and a reflexive journal. Data analysis entailed coding, identifying relevant themes, using Yin's 5 step analytic strategy approach, and member checking to strengthen the validity of the interpretations of participants' responses. Two principal themes emerged from the data: effective leadership strategies and essential retention strategies to improve productivity. The overall analysis of the 2 principal themes revealed the importance of communication, teamwork, training, work-life programs, recognition, knowledge sharing, and feedback in improving the productivity of a multigenerational workforce. Findings from this study may contribute to social change because chief executive officers (CEO) may use the strategies to implement corrective measures to positively influence the productivity of a multigenerational workforce.

Thirty-four percent of people in the United States of America work for businesses that employ fewer than 100 people. However, many small business owners lack the strategies necessary to retain their valuable employees. Businesses that fail to retain valuable employees are as much as 28% less efficient. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore strategies small construction business owners use to retain their valuable employees. Contingency theory provided the conceptual framework. The participants were three owners of three small businesses in the construction industry located in Mississippi which implemented successful policies and procedures to retain their employees. The data sources for this study were semistructured interviews, financial statements, newspaper articles, websites, and social media. A thematic analysis was used to analyze the data. Three themes morphed to include challenging employees and reward them accordingly, mitigating unplanned turnover, and treating employees and others fairly. Potential implications for positive social change are that increased profits among small business owners may enable them to provide better benefits and pay and incentive increases to their employees. Small business owners with increased profits may also be better equipped to participate in community-based charitable organizations.

Thesis (MTech (Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.<br>This research was carried out to assess the extent to which supervisory motivational strategies can transform construction workers to perform higher levels of productivity. While worker motivation has been proven to improve productivity globally, motivation was rarely implemented in South African conditions. This study gauges the construction workers’ viewpoint on how supervisory motivational strategies can improve worker productivity. A pilot study was conducted in the initial stage of the study to gain more insight into the study. A qualitative research approach was employed using a semi-structured questionnaire to interview construction workers including bricklayers, plumbers, concrete workers, electricians and earthworks workers. The interviews were done in Bellville in the Western Cape at two conveniently selected construction companies. The data was analysed using content data analysis. Most prevalent in the findings of this study is the fact that the workers agreed that a lack of supervisory motivational techniques negatively impact their productivity. This information was helpful in setting up the questionnaires for the main study.

<p> This study examined the status of field employee turnover at a national afterschool program provider in relation to its turnover improvement goal and assessed the knowledge, skills, motivation, and organizational influences of those with the greatest impact on retention and turnover&mdash;frontline Area Managers (AMs) who directly supervise afterschool staff. Clark and Estes&rsquo; (2008) gap analysis served as the general conceptual and methodological framework for the study. A mixed methods convergent parallel study was conducted using document analysis, surveys, interviews, and observations. Document analysis revealed high employee turnover in the school year of study (62%), far surpassing industry norms and prior year performance. However, analysis also found high employee retention (74%), which can coexist with high turnover when most staff are retained, but a smaller segment repeatedly churns over the same period. Specifically, recurring turnover among 37% of the organization&rsquo;s field employee roles was found to be the source of its high turnover rate, while 63% of roles remained filled and therefore stable across the school year. Gap analysis of quantitative and qualitative survey results triangulated with interview and observation data illuminated barriers to AM success with retention and turnover. Barriers included limited knowledge of factors related to turnover, perception of minimal organizational focus on and resources for retention, significant external locus of control over turnover, and lack of ownership and accountability for turnover. The implications of these findings signal the risk of continued high turnover, where AMs could remain disempowered due to lack of critical knowledge, skills, motivation, and organizational resources for retention. The study concludes with recommendations for context-specific solutions grounded in literature and in the New World Kirkpatrick Model (Kirkpatrick &amp; Kirkpatrick, 2016), as well as an integrated implementation and evaluation plan, strengths and weaknesses of the study, limitations and delimitations, and recommendations for future study.</p><p>