Kulula.com, South Africa – a case study

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Chux Gervase Iwu
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
The South ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World

Subject area Human resource management; primarily employment law impacting on employment relations. Study level/applicability Second year (or 200 level) students up to post graduate programmes in Business Management, Human Resources Management and Law. Case overview The world is still fascinated by South Africas transition to democracy; what with stories of massacre (Sharpeville, etc.) of those who dared challenge white supremacy and the battle for prominence between the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party. Since gaining independence, South Africa has attracted investors from far and wide. Now and again, one hears news stories that report about forms of disgruntlement from whites and blacks, respectively. In some quarters, you may hear stories suggesting the white community has not completely gotten over their resentment of black leadership. In some other quarters, you are likely to hear the blacks insist that the South African land space belongs to them and as a result they should be in charge of the distribution of wealth, one must understand that much of the wealth of the South African land still resides with the Whites. In what is considered as a fair attempt to integrate all the citizens of the republic, the new government of Nelson Mandela came up with a constitution that is hailed as perhaps the best in the world. Carved out of the United Nations Human Rights Charter, it proposes a free society that recognizes all its inhabitants regardless of colour. Within the world of work, the constitution identifies seven very important statutes that not only give effect to and sustain the republics membership of the International Labour Organisation, but also help to realize and regulate the fundamental rights of workers and employers. Main learning objective Test students understanding of the legal statutes that pertain to employment relations and human resource management in South Africa. Expected learning outcomes Understand the legislation affecting management and staff. Understand and apply the principles of recruitment and selection of staff. Identify and apply the options open to managers in staff training and development. Identify and apply the appropriate performance management systems. Understand and apply the strategic human resource planning process. Supplementary materials Teaching note.

scholarly journals Two decades of qualitative research in Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology and Human Resource Management within South Africa: A critical review

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sumari O'Neil ◽  
Eileen Koekemoer
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Qualitative Studies ◽  
South African Journal ◽  
The South ◽  
African Journal

Orientation: Qualitative research is marked by phenomenal growth and development over the years.Research purpose: This article aims to offer insight into the emerging qualitative methodologies used in the fields of Psychology, Industrial and Organisational Psychology and Human Resource Management.Motivation for the study: The value of qualitative organisational research has been recognised since the 1970s. Regardless of its perceived value, national and international trends show a greater tendency for quantitative research.Research design, approach and method: This article investigates qualitative articles (n = 242) published over two decades in the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology (SAJIP), South African Journal of Psychology (SAJP), and the South African Journal of Human Resource Management (SAJHRM). More specifically, a content analysis was conducted to highlight the trends of paradigms, designs and analysis methods employed in the studies.Main findings: Although there seems to be a slight increase in qualitative publications over the years, qualitative studies show a lower volume than its counterparts. The SAJIP published the least qualitative articles when compared to the SAJP and SAJHRM. There is a pattern of preference for specific paradigms and methods in all the journals. Overall, all the journals carry a large number of articles that do not specifically state their paradigmatic alignment or the designs they used, while some articles omits the methodology used in the studies altogether.Practical/managerial implications: The results indicate a clear need for increased exposure to qualitative methodology, both by publishing more qualitative studies in local journals and by providing formal training opportunities. A publication does not solely rely on authorship, but also on a review process. Therefore certain adjustments in this process may lead to more and better qualitative publications in future.Contribution/value-add: This article provides a critical analysis of the current trends and developments in qualitative research conducted in Industrial and Organisational Psychology(IOP) research in South Africa. The study identifies dominant methodologies in use, and thereby identifies possible opportunities to expand the ‘methodological menu’ of IOP research.

scholarly journals Exploring the current application of professional competencies in human resource management in the South African context

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Schutte ◽  
Nicolene Barkhuizen ◽  
Lidewey Van der Sluis
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Research Management ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Current Application ◽  
Human Research ◽  
Hr Competencies

Orientation: Human research (HR) practitioners have an important role to play in the sustainability and competitiveness of organisations. Yet their strategic contribution and the value they add remain unrecognised.Research purpose: The main objective of this research was to explore the extent to which HR practitioners are currently allowed to display HR competencies in the workplace, and whether any significant differences exist between perceived HR competencies, based on the respondents’ demographic characteristics.Motivation for the study: Limited empirical research exists on the extent to which HR practitioners are allowed to display key competencies in the South African workplace.Research approach, design, and method: A quantitative research approach was followed. A Human Resource Management Professional Competence Questionnaire was administered to HR practitioners and managers (N = 481).Main findings: The results showed that HR competencies are poorly applied in selected South African workplaces. The competencies that were indicated as having the poorest application were talent management, HR metrics, HR business knowledge, and innovation. The white ethic group experienced a poorer application of all human research management (HRM) competencies compared to the black African ethnic group.Practical/managerial implications: The findings of the research highlighted the need for management to evaluate the current application of HR practices in the workplace and also the extent to which HR professionals are involved as strategic business partners.Contribution/value-add: This research highlights the need for the current application of HR competencies in South African workplaces to be improved.

scholarly journals The validation of a human resource management professional competence model for the South African context

2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nico Schutte ◽  
Nicolene Barkhuizen ◽  
Lidewey Van der Sluis
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
South African Context ◽  
Competence Model ◽  
The South ◽  
African Context ◽  
Value Add

Orientation: The last two decades have seen a great interest in the development of human resource management (HRM) professional competence models to advance the value-add of HR practitioners in organisations. However, empirical research on competency requirements for HR practitioners in the South African context has not been forthcoming.Research purpose: The main objective of the present research was to validate a HRM competence measure for the assessment of professional HRM competencies in the workplace. Motivation for the study: Competency models can assist HR professionals in supporting their organisations to achieve success and sustainability.Research approach, design and method: A cross-sectional research approach was followed. The proposed HRM Professional Competence Model was administered to a diverse population of HR managers and practitioners (N = 483). Data were analysed using SPSS 22.0 for Windows. Main findings: Exploratory factor analysis resulted in three distinguishable competency dimensions for HR professionals: Professional behaviour and leadership (consisting of the factors Leadership and personal credibility, Solution creation, Interpersonal communication and Innovation), Service orientation and execution (consisting of the factors Talent management, HR risk, HR metrics and HR service delivery) and Business intelligence (consisting of the factors Strategic contribution, HR business knowledge, HR business acumen and HR technology). All factors showed acceptable construct equivalence for the English and indigenous language groups. Practical/managerial implications: Managers can utilise the validated competence measure to measure the performance of HR practitioners in the organisation. Contribution/value-add: This research adds to the limited HR professional competence measures that currently exist.

scholarly journals Research trends in the South African Journal of Human Resource Management

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Pietersen
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
White Male ◽  
Research Trends ◽  
South African Journal ◽  
Knowledge Type ◽  
African Journal

Orientation: A comprehensive framework for research in human resource management (HRM) in terms of fundamental knowledge orientations was found lacking.Research purpose: The aim was to perform a typological review of research trends in the field of HRM, specifically of publications in the South African Journal of Human Resource Management (SAJHRM).Motivation for the study: No previous research in the field of HRM in South Africa adopted a fundamental theory of knowledge.Research design, approach and method: A qualitative design was followed, consisting of a documentary analysis of articles that were published in the SAJHRM for the period from 2003 to 2015. A detailed content analysis of published articles was performed in terms of a number of criteria, namely knowledge type, race, gender, authorship, author contribution and representation according to author institution and country of origin.Main findings: An analysis of a final selection of 289 articles indicated that research in the SAJHRM was mostly on the following lines: research was mostly of the hypothesis-testing (Type II) knowledge type; involved multiple authorship; and was conducted by mostly white, male researchers, based at a relatively few South African academic institutions.Practical and managerial implications: The SAJHRM should, in partnership with the HRM profession, promote and publish research that more prominently addresses the gap between academic HRM and HRM practice, especially in terms of the participatory or action research (Type IV) mode of knowledge generation.Contribution: The present analysis of research trends in the SAJHRM provides a broader and more nuanced perspective on forms of research required for the HRM field in South Africa.

scholarly journals Human Resource Management As A Profession In South Africa: Practitioners’ Perspectives

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantel Van Der Westhuizen ◽  
LJ Van Vuuren ◽  
Deléne Visser
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Professional Status ◽  
Early Stages

Many organisations are downsizing their Human Resource (HR) operations due to the perceived lack of credibility of the function as a whole. This study investigates possible reasons for this perceived lack of credibility, and suggests ways in which the Human Resource Management (HRM) function can overcome this challenge. One of these suggestions implies the need to advance the professional status of HRM. The current professional status of HRM, as perceived by South African HR practitioners (N = 398) was evaluated by means of the trait approach to assessing the professional status of an occupation. The results reveal that practitioners do consider HRM to be a profession. However, HRM is still very much in the early stages of achieving true professional status. Other findings and their implications are also discussed. OpsommingDie Menslike hulpbronbestuursfunksie (MHB-funksie) word deur verskeie organisasies gerasionaliseer as gevolg van ’n oënskynlike gebrek aan geloofwaardigheid van die funksie as ’n geheel. In hierdie studie is moontlike redes vir die geloofwaardigheidsprobleem ondersoek en aanbevelings gemaak ten opsigte van wyses waarop die MHB-funksie hierdie uitdaging kan oorkom. Een voorstel impliseer die behoefte om die professionele status van die MHB-funksie te bevorder. Die huidige professionele status van MHB soos gesien vanuit die perspektief van Suid-Afrikaanse MHBpraktisyns (N = 398) is aan die hand van die eienskapgebaseerde metode om die professionele status van ’n beroep te bepaal, geëvalueer. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat ofskoon praktisyns MHB as ’n professie beskou, die MHBfunksie steeds in die vroeë fase van die strewe na ware professionele status is. Ander bevindinge en implikasies word ook bespreek.

The workforce adjustment strategies used by workplaces in Britain during the Great Recession

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-126
Author(s):  
John Sutherland
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Great Recession ◽  
Employment Relations ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
Management Perspective ◽  
Adjustment Strategies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a human resource management perspective of the workforce adjustment strategies implemented at workplaces in Britain in response to the Great Recession. Design/methodology/approach The analysis uses an ordered probit and a series of binomial probits to examine a micro data set from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study. Findings Not all workplaces were affected equally by the recession. Not all workplaces chose to implement workforce adjustment strategies consequential of the recession, although the probability of a workplace taking no action decreased the greater the adverse effect of the recession on the workplace. Most workplaces used a combination of workforce adjustment strategies. Workplaces implemented strategies more compatible with labour hoarding than labour shedding, i.e., cutting/freezing wages and halting recruitment to fill vacant posts rather than making employees redundant. Research limitations/implications What was examined was the incidence of the workforce adjustment strategies, not the number of employees affected by the implementation of a strategy. Further, what was examined were outcomes. What is not known are the processes by which these outcomes were arrived at. Originality/value This paper concurs with the findings of previous economic studies that workplaces hoarded labour, cut hours and lowered pay. In so doing, however, it provides a more detailed and more informed human resource management perspective of these adjustment strategies.

scholarly journals Human resource management practices in Chinese organisations

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Lin ◽  
David Lamond
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Theory Construction ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World ◽  
Comparative Hrm ◽  
Organisational Behaviour

Purpose – The aim of this special issue of Chinese Management Studies (CMS) focuses attention on a central activity of Chinese organisations – managing people. The aim is to support efforts to move beyond human resource management (HRM) research in China as a subset of international or comparative HRM research and promote indigenous approaches to research in China. Design/methodology/approach – Review and reflection. Findings – The research presented in the eight articles that constitute this special issue not only use sample data from China but also explore the mechanisms of different variables in the special Chinese condition, situation and context, resulting in meaningful results on a practical level. As such, they provide valuable contributions to theory construction in HRM and organisational behaviour, not just for China but for organisations around the world. Research limitations/implications – Developing an indigenous understanding of Chinese HRM has a long way to go. The findings here provide a contribution to the growing foundation on which to base further efforts. They will not only help build knowledge about complex organisation dynamics in Chinese businesses but also enrich the overall management knowledge base, not just Chinese organisations. Originality/value – Provides valuable contributions to theory construction in HRM and organisational behaviour, not just for China but for organisations around the world.

scholarly journals The future and the role of human resource management in South Africa during the Fourth Industrial Revolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia M. Schultz
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Fourth Industrial Revolution ◽  
The Future

Orientation: The world of work is evolving at an alarming rate, and human resource (HR) practitioners need to familiarise themselves with the future of human resource management (HRM) in order to add value to their organisations.Research purpose: This article presents South African HR practitioners’ views about the future and the role of HRM in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) from a qualitative perspective.Motivation for the study: Human resource practitioners play a central role in the 4IR, but theories on how their role is enacted remain insufficient.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative survey design was used to study the views of 105 HR practitioners affiliated with the South African Board of People Practices. Three open-ended questions were sent to participants by means of a SurveyMonkey link. Deductive and inductive coding were used to thematically analyse the data.Main findings: The following themes were identified: technology-driven, data-driven, ethically driven, change driven, business-driven, human–machine collaboration and presilience.Practical/managerial implications: South African HR practitioners should be prepared for the future world of work. If these HR practitioners are not technology-driven, data-driven, ethically driven, change driven, business-driven, human–machine collaboration and presilient, they may have difficulty to add value to the organisation in the 4IR.Contribution/value-add: This study extends the body of knowledge about the future world of work and the role of HRM in South Africa by founding that HR practitioners must have presilience and respect ubuntu. The study also extends contemporary scholarship by using an open-ended qualitative review design to investigate the future of HRM in South Africa during the 4IR.

Sustainable electronic human resource management systems and firm performance: an empirical study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Surajit Bag ◽  
Pavitra Dhamija ◽  
Jan Harm Christiaan Pretorius ◽  
Abdul Hannan Chowdhury ◽  
Mihalis Giannakis
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hrm Practices ◽  
And Performance

PurposeThe authors aim to investigate whether ability electronic human resource management (e-HRM) practices, opportunity enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM can possibly lead to development of sustainable e-HRM systems. Finally, the authors also examined if sustainable e-HRM systems can enhance firm performance.Design/methodology/approachThe model was developed using dynamic capability view perspective. The study tests theoretical model and presents findings by analysing data (partial least squares structural equation modelling method) gathered from 151 South African firms.FindingsThe findings indicate that ability enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM practices can result in development of sustainable e-HRM systems, and findings also indicate that sustainable e-HRM systems can improve firm performance.Practical implicationsEmphasis is required on ability enhancing e-HRM practices and motivation enhancing e-HRM practices to develop sustainable e-HRM systems. Once workforce understand the complete benefits of e-HRM, they will start using this system on a regular basis for activities including goal setting, and performance measurement. The development of sustainable e-HRM systems will improve firm performance especially from cost control and customer satisfaction perspective.Originality/valueThis study advances the conceptual debate in the e-HRM domain through the development and testing of theoretical model.

scholarly journals Impact of municipal employees’ perceptions of fairness in human resources management practices on motivation: evidence from a South African Province

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-149
Author(s):  
Lineo W. Dzansi ◽  
Crispen Chipunza ◽  
Denis Y. Dzansi
Keyword(s):  
Resource Management ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
South African ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Employee Motivation ◽  
Perceived Fairness ◽  
The South ◽  
Hrm Practices

In South Africa, the problem of service delivery cuts across all municipalities as manifested by citizen protests across the country on almost daily basis. To mitigate the costs associated with the protests, the South African government has placed emphasis on the role played by human resources management through instituting legislative frameworks, such as the the White Paper on Human Resource Management in the Public Service (1997). Despite this effort, the human resource management practices of municipalities continue to be criticized, by both municipal internal staff and citizenry. Service delivery in the South African context is regarded as one of the cornerstone indicators of how the government affords its citizens access to quality life as enshrined in its constitution. This paper is one of the studies based on the South African context attempting to explain the problem of service delivery by looking at perceived fairness in human resource management (HRM) practices by employees of municipalities and how such perceptions affect their motivation to work. Using the tenets of the organizational justice theory, the authors hypothesize that perceived HRM practices of municipalities can be predictors of employee motivation. Quantitative data collected from employees of nine randomly selected municipalities in the Free State Province are used to create indices for the different HRM practices as well as employee motivation. Significant correlation tests are performed. Results show a positive correlation between perceived fairness in the HRM practices of municipalities and employees’ motivation at .05 and .01 levels of significance. This means that fair HRM practices of municipalities promote employee motivation

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document