South Africa’s mohair value chain: institutional framework, governance and the perceptions of management and labour
- Authors: Heald, Arisa Oka
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Management -- Employee participation , Management -- Employee participation -- South Africa , Agriculture -- South Africa -- History , Mohair industry -- South Africa , Mohair industry -- South Africa -- Employees
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164669 , vital:41153
- Description: The primary objective of this research is to understand the ways in which the (working and living) conditions confronting employers and employees on mohair farms are the complex outcome of their position in the global mohair value chain, the nature of the labour process, and the ‘contours of voice’ (i.e., how and why employees voice). These three bodies of literature represent different levels of analysis: at the broadest level, the political economy of the mohair value chain is explained by drawing on the chain literature. This literature has been supplemented, at the level of the production process, by deploying the concepts of labour process theory (LPT), which focus on the control of work processes by management as well as workers’responses to this control. These responses were analysed by incorporating insights from the burgeoning research on employee voice (EV) in an effort to understand the practical ways in which workers on mohair farms articulate their needs and interests. The cross-collination of these three bodies of literature is, to my knowledge, a novel feature of this research on the mohair industry in South Africa, which, in turn, has itself been woefully under-researched. The research design consisted of a qualitative approach in which I used in-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions as the primary sources of data collection. The secondary source of data was available publications and documents from the agriculture industry and mohair sector. A qualitative approach acknowledges and gives great insight and meaning into the research topic. Twenty participants were interviewed for my research: six from key organisations within the mohair industry, ten farmers, two mohair farm workers and two mohair shearers. The main findings of the research include the following: first, institutions in South Africa’s mohair industry not only determine (in part) the structure of the mohair value chain but also play a vital role in governing the chain. Each institution and actor plays a significant role in adding value to the mohair product that leads to economic upgrading. Second, understanding the actions of farmers (as employers) by drawing on LPT allows me to show how the systemic pressures of capitalist accumulation compel employers to continuously enhance their control over production – and, by extension, over workers – who, in turn, resist and/or accommodate to these impositions by management. Lastly, the research shows that employee voice at the farm level is complex and contested – not surprisingly, given South Africa’s troubled history – yet, it is increasingly exercised by farm workers and accepted by mohair farmers as a necessary and inescapable means of resolving issues that arise in the employment relationship at the workplace and remaining competitive in a global market.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Heald, Arisa Oka
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Management -- Employee participation , Management -- Employee participation -- South Africa , Agriculture -- South Africa -- History , Mohair industry -- South Africa , Mohair industry -- South Africa -- Employees
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSocSci
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164669 , vital:41153
- Description: The primary objective of this research is to understand the ways in which the (working and living) conditions confronting employers and employees on mohair farms are the complex outcome of their position in the global mohair value chain, the nature of the labour process, and the ‘contours of voice’ (i.e., how and why employees voice). These three bodies of literature represent different levels of analysis: at the broadest level, the political economy of the mohair value chain is explained by drawing on the chain literature. This literature has been supplemented, at the level of the production process, by deploying the concepts of labour process theory (LPT), which focus on the control of work processes by management as well as workers’responses to this control. These responses were analysed by incorporating insights from the burgeoning research on employee voice (EV) in an effort to understand the practical ways in which workers on mohair farms articulate their needs and interests. The cross-collination of these three bodies of literature is, to my knowledge, a novel feature of this research on the mohair industry in South Africa, which, in turn, has itself been woefully under-researched. The research design consisted of a qualitative approach in which I used in-depth, semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions as the primary sources of data collection. The secondary source of data was available publications and documents from the agriculture industry and mohair sector. A qualitative approach acknowledges and gives great insight and meaning into the research topic. Twenty participants were interviewed for my research: six from key organisations within the mohair industry, ten farmers, two mohair farm workers and two mohair shearers. The main findings of the research include the following: first, institutions in South Africa’s mohair industry not only determine (in part) the structure of the mohair value chain but also play a vital role in governing the chain. Each institution and actor plays a significant role in adding value to the mohair product that leads to economic upgrading. Second, understanding the actions of farmers (as employers) by drawing on LPT allows me to show how the systemic pressures of capitalist accumulation compel employers to continuously enhance their control over production – and, by extension, over workers – who, in turn, resist and/or accommodate to these impositions by management. Lastly, the research shows that employee voice at the farm level is complex and contested – not surprisingly, given South Africa’s troubled history – yet, it is increasingly exercised by farm workers and accepted by mohair farmers as a necessary and inescapable means of resolving issues that arise in the employment relationship at the workplace and remaining competitive in a global market.
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An investigation of participative management in a museum in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Madinda, Nozipho
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Museums -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , Management -- Employee participation , Albany Museum (Grahamstown, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2068 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020847
- Description: The purpose of my research was to investigate participative management at the Albany Museum with a view to generating knowledge and insights that can be used to support senior management’s engagement with participative management at mid-management level. My interest was to investigate participative management with regards to five HODs of the Albany Museum with a view to generating knowledge and insights that can be used to support senior management’s engagement with participative management at mid-management level. The research was informed by the interpretive paradigm. The interpretive paradigm does not concern itself with the search for broadly applicable laws and rules but rather seeks to produce descriptive analyses that emphasise deep interpretation and understanding of social phenomena through the meaning that the people assign to them. This study is mostly descriptive and presents the reality of participants from their own experience. Semi-structured interviews and observation capture ‘insider’ knowledge that is part of an interpretive methodology. The study found that participative management was both understood and generally accepted as a good way to manage an organisation, and even members who were critical of it could see its benefits. However, the fractured and diversified structure of the organisation calls for a particularly skillful application of this management approach, one which would also demand leadership and a greater sense of working towards what are called collegial models of management. Whether this is in fact desirable for a museum is debatable.
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- Authors: Madinda, Nozipho
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Museums -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , Management -- Employee participation , Albany Museum (Grahamstown, South Africa)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2068 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020847
- Description: The purpose of my research was to investigate participative management at the Albany Museum with a view to generating knowledge and insights that can be used to support senior management’s engagement with participative management at mid-management level. My interest was to investigate participative management with regards to five HODs of the Albany Museum with a view to generating knowledge and insights that can be used to support senior management’s engagement with participative management at mid-management level. The research was informed by the interpretive paradigm. The interpretive paradigm does not concern itself with the search for broadly applicable laws and rules but rather seeks to produce descriptive analyses that emphasise deep interpretation and understanding of social phenomena through the meaning that the people assign to them. This study is mostly descriptive and presents the reality of participants from their own experience. Semi-structured interviews and observation capture ‘insider’ knowledge that is part of an interpretive methodology. The study found that participative management was both understood and generally accepted as a good way to manage an organisation, and even members who were critical of it could see its benefits. However, the fractured and diversified structure of the organisation calls for a particularly skillful application of this management approach, one which would also demand leadership and a greater sense of working towards what are called collegial models of management. Whether this is in fact desirable for a museum is debatable.
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Occupational health and safety and industrial relations in the South African construction industry : case studies of selected construction firms in Grahamstown
- Nene, Sinenhlanhla Sindisiwe
- Authors: Nene, Sinenhlanhla Sindisiwe
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Industrial safety -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Management -- Employee participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3401 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018663
- Description: The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the world, with many workplace fatalities every day. The existence of legislation that governs Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an intervention to ensure that all governments, employers and employees play their part in establishing and implementing policies that will help secure healthy and safe working environments. The study is qualitative and with the help of an interview guide, semistructured interviews were used to collect the data. The respondents were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Ten managers from ten (five small, five large) construction firms, two employees from each firm, and the OHS inspector from the Department of Labour in Grahamstown were interviewed. Having explored management’s practices, communication methods, training and distribution of information, employee representation and participation, and industrial relations, several conclusions were reached. During the study it was found that there are a number of obstacles that are hampering effective OHS in the construction industry. Some of these include; management’s lack of commitment to a participatory approach in OHS decision-making, limited resources to invest adequately in OHS, and the lack of sufficient trade union involvement. In addition, we know very little about OHS in the construction industry, and the mere existence of OHS legislation does not help reduce the risks associated with construction work, especially when there is a shortage of skilled personnel to enforce the legislation and regulations.
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- Authors: Nene, Sinenhlanhla Sindisiwe
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Industrial safety -- South Africa , Industrial relations -- South Africa , Construction industry -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Management -- Employee participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3401 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018663
- Description: The construction industry is one of the most dangerous industries in the world, with many workplace fatalities every day. The existence of legislation that governs Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) is an intervention to ensure that all governments, employers and employees play their part in establishing and implementing policies that will help secure healthy and safe working environments. The study is qualitative and with the help of an interview guide, semistructured interviews were used to collect the data. The respondents were selected using purposive and snowball sampling methods. Ten managers from ten (five small, five large) construction firms, two employees from each firm, and the OHS inspector from the Department of Labour in Grahamstown were interviewed. Having explored management’s practices, communication methods, training and distribution of information, employee representation and participation, and industrial relations, several conclusions were reached. During the study it was found that there are a number of obstacles that are hampering effective OHS in the construction industry. Some of these include; management’s lack of commitment to a participatory approach in OHS decision-making, limited resources to invest adequately in OHS, and the lack of sufficient trade union involvement. In addition, we know very little about OHS in the construction industry, and the mere existence of OHS legislation does not help reduce the risks associated with construction work, especially when there is a shortage of skilled personnel to enforce the legislation and regulations.
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An examination of employee participation as provided for in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995
- Authors: Khoza, Francisco Jabulani
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Decision making , Management -- Employee participation , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Labour Relations Act, 1995
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3676 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003191 , Decision making , Management -- Employee participation , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Labour Relations Act, 1995
- Description: The thesis covers the field of labour law known as employee participation in decision-making. It deals with the examination of the extent to which the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (the Act) promotes employee participation in decision-making. Firstly, the analysis shows that employee participation in decision-making is an aspect of democracy, which is translated into industrial democracy in industrial relations. In South Africa the philosophical foundation of employee participation is supported by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 which embodies democratic values permeating all areas of the law including labour law. Secondly, the study elucidates the jurisprudential background of employee participation in South Africa. There is evidence of the development of some principles of participation like consultation; information disclosure; and the existence of participatory forums like works councils under the LRA 28 of 1956. Thirdly, in evaluating the extent to which the LRA 66 of 1995 promotes employee participation, the following aspects are covered: the relevance and contribution of information disclosure; the effect of consultation prior to dismissal for operational requirements; the role of collective bargaining; and the contribution of workplace forums. The conclusion is reached that all the foregoing aspects of the LRA 66 of 1995 will contribute to the promotion of employee participation in decision-making. The Labour Court and the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration can also ensure that in interpreting the Act employee participation is promoted where appropriate. Finally, employers and employees will have to accept this necessary partnership for the entrenchment of employee participation in decision-making.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Khoza, Francisco Jabulani
- Date: 1999
- Subjects: Decision making , Management -- Employee participation , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Labour Relations Act, 1995
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3676 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003191 , Decision making , Management -- Employee participation , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa , South Africa. Labour Relations Act, 1995
- Description: The thesis covers the field of labour law known as employee participation in decision-making. It deals with the examination of the extent to which the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (the Act) promotes employee participation in decision-making. Firstly, the analysis shows that employee participation in decision-making is an aspect of democracy, which is translated into industrial democracy in industrial relations. In South Africa the philosophical foundation of employee participation is supported by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 which embodies democratic values permeating all areas of the law including labour law. Secondly, the study elucidates the jurisprudential background of employee participation in South Africa. There is evidence of the development of some principles of participation like consultation; information disclosure; and the existence of participatory forums like works councils under the LRA 28 of 1956. Thirdly, in evaluating the extent to which the LRA 66 of 1995 promotes employee participation, the following aspects are covered: the relevance and contribution of information disclosure; the effect of consultation prior to dismissal for operational requirements; the role of collective bargaining; and the contribution of workplace forums. The conclusion is reached that all the foregoing aspects of the LRA 66 of 1995 will contribute to the promotion of employee participation in decision-making. The Labour Court and the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration can also ensure that in interpreting the Act employee participation is promoted where appropriate. Finally, employers and employees will have to accept this necessary partnership for the entrenchment of employee participation in decision-making.
- Full Text:
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