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MCom (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2016. Success in organisations is highly dependent upon people. To this end a significant amount of research has gone into how to motivate employees both with monetary and non-monetary incentives. In recent years organisations have realised that employees do not live in isolation and that aspects beyond their workplace can affect the motivation and performance. In light of this, a more positive approach is becoming popular which goes beyond work-related factors in an attempt to enhance employee well-being. The question is being asked, if satisfied workers are more productive, how can satisfaction be increased? Specifically, what effect does money have on satisfaction and how can this be leveraged? The general objective of this study was to examine the complex relationships that exist between gross wage, wage satisfaction, job satisfaction and life satisfaction. A cross sectional survey design was used. Access was gained to the South African data of the international Wage Indicator (WI) dataset. After data cleaning, a final sample of (n = 763) remained. Frequency tables were used to provide a summary of the data. Thereafter, cross tabulation was used to test the assumptions for hierarchical log linear analysis. As the assumptions were met, hierarchical log linear analysis was carried out to determine what relationships exist between gross wage, wage satisfaction, job satisfaction and life satisfaction. The results indicated that there is no direct link between gross wages and life satisfaction or between gross wages and job satisfaction. A direct relationship was found between gross wage and wage satisfaction (z = 6.00; Sig. = 0.70). Analysis revealed that relationships exist between job satisfaction and life satisfaction (z = 7.49; Sig. = 0.04), wage satisfaction and life satisfaction (z = 7.36; Sig. = 0.05), as well as between wage satisfaction and job satisfaction (z = 8.31; Sig. = 0.06). The knowledge gained for the interactions that exist between life, job and wage satisfaction and gross wage will assist organisations and individuals to better understand the importance of wages in the satisfaction relationship, without overestimating its effect. From the strength of effect between satisfaction variables, it is clear that focusing on satisfaction-enhancing variables beyond remuneration is also important. Recommendations are made which can be applied in practice and in future research. Masters

PhD (Industrial Psychology)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2016. The performance of state-owned enterprises in Namibia has been in the spotlight for many years, resulting in the Government of the Republic of Namibia to introduce interventions and strategies to address and improve this performance. The poor performance of state-owned enterprises has been studied in terms of financial aspects with less attention, however, on human resources as a key success factor in contributing to performance. Studying performance in terms of the human resources is an important area for research and intervention. The Government introduced several measures to ensure the efficient governance and monitoring of state-owned enterprises and to ensure that they are performing to the satisfaction and expectations of the stakeholder. These measures included the introduction of the State-Owned Enterprises Act (Act 2 of 2006) of Namibia, as well as governance structures to ensure that the performance of state-owned enterprises is properly maximised. Despite these efforts by the Government to regulate state-owned enterprises with the intention to improve performance, to date the poor performance of state-owned enterprises is still a topical issue in Namibia. Almost a decade after the promulgation of the State-Owned Enterprises Act, in 2006, the government is still financially bailing out a number of the state-owned enterprises. State-owned enterprises need to take a positive approach that recognise and leverage human resources for contribution to sustainable growth, competitive advantage and performance. Positively oriented high-performance work practices are conceptualised within the context of positive organisational behaviour. Positive organisational behaviour as characterised in the form of psychological capital, with antecedents such as authentic leadership and supportive organisational climate and employee outcomes such as job satisfaction, intention to leave, engagement in the Namibian state-owned enterprises context are the main focus of this study. The study aimed to assess the relationship between psychological capital, authentic leadership, supportive organisational climate, job satisfaction, intention to leave, employee engagement and performance for employees in state-owned enterprises in Namibia. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding all these constructs as experienced by employees. A convenience sample (N = 452) of employees from 20 state-owned enterprises participated in the study. The measuring instruments used were the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, Performance-related Attitudinal Questionnaire, Job Satisfaction Scale, Turnover Intention Scale, Engagement Scale, Authentic Leadership Questionnaire, Supportive Organisational Climate Questionnaire and a biographical questionnaire. The results of study 1 showed that authentic leadership was positively associated with psychological capital (i.e. experiences of hope, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience) and job satisfaction. Authentic leadership affected job satisfaction indirectly via psychological capital. Psychological capital had a medium to large indirect effect on employees’ intentions to leave. The findings suggest that authentic leadership and psychological capital explain job satisfaction and retention of employees in state-owned enterprises. Study 2 showed that authentic leadership and psychological capital predicted employee engagement. A supportive organisational climate was related to employee engagement on individual level, but only if authentic leadership and psychological capital were not included in the model. Psychological capital mediated the relation between authentic leadership and employee engagement on an individual level in state owned enterprises. The results of study 3 showed that authentic leadership and a supportive organisational climate had a positive impact on psychological capital. Psychological capital predicted job performance on an individual level. Psychological capital was not associated with organisational performance. Recommendations for interventions to promote psychological capital, its antecedents and outcomes were made. Doctoral

PhD, Labour relations management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012 Organisations worldwide are experiencing an explosion of knowledge in the current technological information age as well as a serious skills shortage. The fast-paced aggressive and highly cyclical nature of the profession which often does not provide employees with the necessary resources and support causes employees in the information technology (IT) industry to show high turnover intent which is extremely costly and detrimental to organisational success. IT specialists are becoming a scarce commodity in a highly competitive environment where financial gain is very important and employee well-being is not necessarily a prerogative. Employers are faced with additional obligations than just paying equitable salaries, such as creating an environment that is conducive towards well-being. Efforts to promote flourishing and optimal functioning of employees will affect individual and organisational outcomes. Flourishing and languishing are opposite end points on a continuum of mental health indicating the emotional, psychological and social well-being of individuals. An individual who feels well (emotional well-being) is more likely to function well (psychological and social well-being) which means meeting the criteria for positive mental health as flourishing. Investments in the well-being of employees lay the basis for positive employment relations. The aim of this study was to investigate the flourishing of employees in the information technology industry and to determine the antecedents and outcomes thereof. A cross-sectional survey design was used to gather data regarding the flourishing of IT professionals and its outcomes. A convenience sample (N = 205) was taken of employees in information technology organisations in South Africa. The measuring instruments used were the Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Job Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Role Fit Scale, Psychological Contract Inventory, Violations of PC Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Scale, Turnover Intention Scale and Counterproductive Work Behaviour measures. The results of study 1 showed that 58.5% of the IT professionals were neither languishing nor flourishing, while 3.9% were languishing. Flourishing strongly impacted job satisfaction and had minor to moderate direct and indirect effects on organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment. Job satisfaction impacted directly and positively on organisational commitment and negatively on turnover intention; and moderately negatively on counterproductive behaviour. Flourishing had both a direct and positive effect, and an indirect and negative effect (via organisational commitment) on turnover intention. Study 2 showed that psychological contract breach and violation strongly and negatively impacted flourishing at work and in life. The results provided support for a model in which psychological contract breach and violation had both direct and indirect effects via satisfaction of psychological needs on job satisfaction, work engagement, turnover intention and flourishing of IT professionals. Study 3 showed that work role fit and the availability of resources were strong predictors of flourishing at work and in life. Work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted job satisfaction and social well-being indirectly through autonomy satisfaction. The availability of resources impacted work engagement and psychological well-being indirectly via competence satisfaction. Furthermore, work role fit, the availability of resources, and supervisor relations impacted psychological well-being indirectly through relatedness. Recommendations for future research were made. Doctoral

MCom, Labour Relations Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012 Every society has jobs that need to be done in order to survive and to improve its members’ subjective well-being. Work is an important source of individuals’ subjective well-being. Employees within higher education institutions face a complex environment and play an important role in the reconstruction and development in South Africa. Employees are experiencing more challenges in the workplace than ever before. They spend more time at work and because they have less leisure time, they have fewer opportunities of seeking meaning in their lives. These factors have an impact on the well-being and happiness of employees in higher education institutions. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between employees’ work experience, type of contract and work outcomes of employees at a higher education institution. A cross-sectional survey design was used with 483 employees at a higher education institution and a response rate of 62% (N = 300) was obtained. The measuring instruments used in this study included the Psychological Contract Across Nations (PSYCONES), Employment Contract Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Mental Health Continuum - Short Form and Intention to Quit Scale. Exploratory factor analyses and Cronbach alpha coefficients were computed to determine the construct validity and reliability of the measures. Pearson correlation coefficients, multivariate analysis of variance, one-way analysis of variance and hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between the constructs in this study. Bootstrap-estimated confidence intervals were used to assess the significance of indirect effects. The results of study 1 confirmed the validity and reliability of measures (except for the social contract). Age, tenure and gender had statistically significant effects on the fulfilment of one dimension of the psychological contract, namely work conditions. Younger people with less tenure experienced more fulfilment of the psychological contract (regarding work conditions). Tenure also impacted psychological contract violation. Type of contract (permanent versus temporary) impacted the fulfilment of the psychological contract (specifically work conditions). Males (compared to females) experienced more fulfilment of the psychological contract (regarding work conditions) and less violation of the psychological contract. Tenure and type of contract were also related to experiences of the employment contract. The results of study 2 showed that psychological contract violation, job dissatisfaction and lack of flourishing directly impacted turnover intention. Lack of psychological contract fulfilment indirectly impacted job dissatisfaction and languishing via psychological contract violation. The employment contract did not have a statistically significant effect on job satisfaction, flourishing and turnover intention of employees in a higher education institution. Psychological contract violation indirectly impacted turnover intention via job dissatisfaction and languishing of employees. The results of this study confirmed the important role of fulfilment of the psychological contract and non-violation of the psychological contract regarding job satisfaction, flourishing and retention of employees in a higher education institution. Recommendations were made for future research. Masters

PhD, Industrial Psychology, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2012 The happiness of managers is an important research theme for several reasons. Managers spend most of their working day with people, are constantly interacting with various social systems and are role models for happiness in organisations. Furthermore, happiness (in terms of feeling and functioning well) is associated with mental health and positive organisational outcomes. The prevalence of positive mental health is relatively low, with less than a third of the population experiencing high mental health. Research about happiness is necessary given that gains in mental health predict declines in mental illness. Two conceptualisations of happiness, namely authentic happiness (Seligman, 2002), and flourishing (Keyes, 2005) include dimensions of feeling and functioning well. No studies have been conducted regarding the happiness of managers in South Africa. Therefore, research is necessary to investigate the factors associated with happiness, as well as the pathways to managers’ happiness. Psychological need satisfaction is an important pathway through which social-contextual variables impact happiness of people. The aim of this research was to investigate the state of, antecedents and outcomes of happiness of managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa. A cross-sectional design with managers in the South African agricultural sector (N = 507) was used. The Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale, Organisational Commitment Scale, Antecedents Scale, Work-related Basic Need Satisfaction Scale, Work Engagement Scale, Mental Health Continuum Short Form, Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Well-being, Work-role Fit Scale, Work-Life Questionnaire and Turnover Intention Scale were utilised. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlations, multiple regression analysis, descriptive statistics and mediational analysis (Omnibus procedure) were applied. Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of orientations to happiness and its relation to various organisational outcomes. The results of study 1 showed that orientations to happiness (i.e. pleasure, meaning and engagement) had strong direct effects on subjective well-being, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour. Orientations to happiness impacted job satisfaction indirectly through subjective well-being. Subjective well-being had a strong direct and positive effect on job satisfaction. Orientations to happiness and subjective well-being affected organisational commitment indirectly through their effects on job satisfaction. Concerning happiness as flourishing at work, the results of study 2 showed that 3% of the managers were languishing, 48.5% were moderately flourishing, while 48.5% were flourishing. Task characteristics, supervisor relations, availability of resources impacted job satisfaction, emotional and psychological well-being of managers. Remuneration was associated with job satisfaction, emotional and social well-being. Task characteristics, supervisor relations, personal resources and remuneration satisfied the psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness, which impacted job satisfaction, work engagement and flourishing of managers positively. The results of study 3 showed that factors contributing to meaningful work (work role fit, good co-worker relations, meaningful tasks and work beliefs) had direct effects on psychological need satisfaction, purpose and meaning in life, organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intention. Work role fit, co-worker relations, task characteristics and career orientation (as a work belief) impacted meaning and purpose in life indirectly through competence satisfaction. Purpose in life impacted turnover intention negatively via psychological need satisfaction, while meaning in life impacted organisational citizenship behaviour and turnover intention via competence and relatedness satisfaction. Recommendations for future research were made. Doctoral

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2007. South Africa, like the rest of the world, is undergoing major changes in the social, political, economic, technological and organisational environments. The ability of any organisation to compete internationally will depend to a large extent on the quality of its people. The biggest challenge that organisations are facing is to find, develop and retain talent. More than ever the ability of organisations to grow and develop will he determined by the level of competence and energy of their people. Challenging and meaningful work, development opportunities, leadership and empowerment are some of the most important reasons why talented people will stay on in a company. To increase speed, efficiency and to reduce costs, organisations have flattened their structures. From this it can be concluded that if companies want to be successful and retain talented people they have to create an environment where people feel empowered. The leader or manager plays an import role in the empowerment of people. The consequences of empowerment can include higher levels of job satisfaction, organisational commitment and work engagement. The objectives of the study were to determine the reliability and validity of the instruments, as well as the relationship between psychological empowerment, leader empowering behaviour, job insecurity, job satisfaction, organisational commitment and work engagement. Employees from selected organisation were targeted. The study population included employees from managerial and non-managerial categories. A cross-sectional survey design was used to obtain the research objectives. Six standardised questionnaires were used in the empirical study, namely Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Job Insecurity Inventory, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, Job satisfaction, Organisational commitment and Work engagement. Descriptive statistics, factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficien@ correlations, MANOVAS and regression analyses were used to analyse the data. Doctoral

MA (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Vanderbijlpark Campus, 2019 The work environment is an environment that influences an individual’s mental health. There is a growing awareness of the role of work in promoting or hindering mental health and well-being. Well-being at work places the emphasis on the probability of what an employee could achieve if he or she were supported by the organisation. Therefore, organisations must focus on creating a positive work environment that will allow an employee to flourish and function optimally for the benefit of the employee and the organisation. Constructs such as job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and intention to leave could be related to mental health and have an impact on managers’ work environment. Mental health can be defined as a state of health such as illness, possibly indicated by a series of symptoms that are present at a specific time. Mental health consists of emotional, social, and psychological well-being. Keyes describes mental health according to three distinctive profiles, namely, languishing, moderate mental health, and flourishing. Managers in the agricultural sector may experience individual and organisational outcomes differently. The purpose of this study was to identify mental health profiles for managers in the agricultural sector and to determine how profiles differed with respect to job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and intention to leave. A cross-sectional research method was used to collect the data. A convenience sample (n = 507) of managers in the agricultural sector was used. A biographical questionnaire, the Mental Health Continuum – Short Form, the Job Satisfaction Scale, the Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale, and the Turnover Intention Scale were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis and latent profile analysis were used to analyse the data. The results indicated that four mental health profiles for managers in the agricultural sector could be extracted: languishing, moderately languishing, moderately flourishing, and flourishing. The results showed significant differences between the mental health profiles of managers and job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and intention to leave. Managers in the agricultural sector with different mental health profiles might experience job satisfaction, organisational citizenship behaviour, and intention to leave differently. Furthermore, the results indicated that this study challenged Keyes’s dual-continuum model and suggested a four-factor model for mental health. Recommendations for future research were made. Masters

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008. Organisations are becoming increasingly aware of issues of employee well-being. The ever increasing demands of the competitive and stressful workplace environment, personal relationships, time constraints and lack of a work-life balance are slowly but surely taking their toll on people's physical, emotional, spiritual and mental wellness. Corporate well-being is defined in terms of healthier employees who produce more and cost less, which emphasises that the chemical industry needs to give focused attention to wellness interventions. The first step in enhancing work wellness is the successful diagnosis of burnout and work engagement, as well as investigating the components that wellness consists of to ensure that the correct issues receive attention. It is important though that reliable and valid instruments be used to measure the constructs. Furthermore, little information exists regarding the wellness, burnout, engagement and job demands and job resources of employees in the chemical industry. The general aim of this study was to assess and investigate correlations of components that will influence well-being for employees, to measure combined values using the Values Scale and Career Orientation Inventory, and to assess the effects of job demands on job resources, burnout and engagement. A cross-sectional survey design was used with random samples (N = 490) of employees in the chemical industry. A biographical questionnaire, Affectometer 2 (AFM), the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Values Scale (VS), the Career Orientation Inventory (COI), the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS), the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), and the Utrecth Work Engagement Scale (UWES) were administered. Cronbach alpha coefficients, exploratory factor analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis were used to analyse the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test a structural model of work wellness. A principal factor analysis with a varimax rotation indicated a three-factor model of well-being. The first factor was labelled general well-being expectations, consisting of satisfaction with life, positive and negative affect, optimism, pessimism, and professional efficacy. The second factor was labelled motivation, and included intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction, as well as affective commitment. The third factor was labelled energy, and included cynicism, exhaustion, and general health. A rotated factor matrix indicated eight factors that can be extracted from the Values Scale and be regarded as life values (Improvement of the Self and Others, Physical Activity and Risk, Autonomy, Social Relations, Prestige, Economic Rewards and Security, Aesthetics, and Cultural Connectedness). The career anchors were also sorted into six factors as based on the rotated factor matrix, being: Challenge, Influence, Security, Service, Autonomy, and Management, and can be described as work values. A second-order factor analysis indicated that job demands consist of overload, and job resources of organisational support, growth opportunities, job insecurity, social support, and advancement. A lack of job resoureces and high job demands lead to unwellness, while the presence of job resources lead to well-being. The contributions made to Industrial Psychology as a science were discussed and recommendations for future research were made. Doctoral

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007 By developing strong, self-sustaining individuals in organisations, employees will need to withstand the forces of stressors and be able to cope with continuous changes within their working environment. To move the equilibrium level from the current to the desired condition, the field of forces must be altered - by adding driving forces and by removing restraining forces. An individual's sense of coherence may either alleviate or aggravate reactions to a stressor and moderate the impact of occupational stressors on the individual's affective outcomes. The objectives of this study were to validate the 13-item version of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire (OLQ) (Antonovsky, 1987) and to determine the experience of employees with high levels of sense of coherence regarding helping and restraining factors within the workplace (compared to that of those with a low sense of coherence). A cross-sectional s w e y design was used. The total population (N = 2 678) of employees in a financial institution in Gauteng was used in this study. Random samples of groups with a strong (n = 300) and low (n = 300) sense of coherence were taken for purposes of the qualitative study. The OLQ (Antonovsky, 1987) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. The scale showed acceptable reliability and construct validity. The study set out to determine the applicability of the theoretical model of sense of coherence to employees in a financial institution. Reliability analysis revealed that the three subscales of sense of coherence were sufficiently internally consistent. The reliability of the measuring instrument were assessed with the use of Cronbach alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics (e.g. mean and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. By using the structural equation modelling approach, a one-dimensional factor structure for sense of coherence amongst employees in a financial institution emerged. The reliability analysis revealed that the alpha scores were acceptable. It can therefore be concluded that the 13-item version of the OLQ is a reliable and valid measuring instrument. The results showed that although employee groups with high and low levels of sense of coherence are experiencing similar helping and restraining factors within their working environment, helping factors are being experienced with a higher frequency by groups with high levels of sense of coherence and restraining factors with a higher frequency by groups with low levels of sense of coherence. Recommendations were made for future research. Masters

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007. The world of work is changing at a whirlwind speed with mergers, acquisitions, new markets, products, growth as well as many similar business activities being at the order of the day, all aimed at improving income and profits. Fierce competition, and optimisation of resources by businesses, has led to corporations realising that economic and social sustainability cannot be achieved through technology alone and attention has to be given to human needs. Peoples' capacities we progressively being optimised as a strategic important business element and when this resource is neglected, it can have detrimental effects for businesses. This confirms a growing interest and call for wellness and well-being efforts by employers to find out just how happy people are, and what can be done to improve employees' satisfaction. Since employee satisfaction is recognised as important to the success in the workplace, efforts to improve and maintain high levels of job satisfaction will contribute to the overall success of a business. Limited research that can guide interventions in the chemical factory environment to improve general satisfaction in the workplace exists about the relationship between satisfaction in the workplace and subordinate structures influencing job satisfaction and the effect job satisfaction has on general satisfaction in the workplace. This study aimed at investigating satisfaction or wellness in the workplace by focussing on the different layers of satisfaction and how the satisfaction on a level is affected by the level of satisfaction on subordinate levels. To enhance the results of the study, the two primary questionnaires were also validated for use in the chemical factory environment, and sense of coherence and job satisfaction in the chemical factory were analysed at the same time. The research approach followed in this study focussed on a literature study, followed by an empirical analysis of data collected that was related to the specific area of study. A survey design was used to collect the data, using a questionnaire booklet that was distributed to a crosscut sample of employees working in the chemical factory environment. The sample represented all the demographic groups in the organisation ( N = 583). The questionnaires used were the Orientation to Life Questionnaire, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Health Questionnaire, Work Locus of Control Scale, and Satisfaction with Life Scale, Affectometer, and a biographical questionnaire. In Article 1 and Article 2, two questionnaires considered primary to the study were tested for use in the chemical factory environment. The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire's structural equivalence for use in a multilingual population, and the construct validity of the Orientation to Life Questionnaire in an abbreviated 11-item format, were confirmed. The different levels of job satisfaction and sense of coherence for different demographic subgroups were also determined. Job satisfaction was found to differ significantly between the different language groups, certain age groups, as well as for different job levels. Moreover, while intrinsic job satisfaction increased with age and job level, extrinsic job satisfaction decreased with the level of education. Sense of coherence differed also significantly between some demographic groups, namely language, qualification and job level. In Article 3 the relationship between job satisfaction, sense of coherence, affect and locus of control were tested as an indication of the hierarchical structure of subjective well-being. The hierarchical structure of subjective well-being was confirmed, deducted from the correlation between different variables and the percentage of variance in successive levels of satisfaction explained by the level of satisfaction in subordinate levels. Recommendations were made to the host organisation and for future research. Doctoral

Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005. Several factors have contributed to employment relations gradually becoming more uncertain in the last decades. In South Africa, as well as in other industrialised economies all over the world, organisations had to adjust to the pressures imposed by an intensified global competition. The transformation of working life has brought the topic of insecure working conditions to the forefront. Job insecurity are of vital importance in modern working life. A growing number of employees face the risk of losing their jobs as a consequence of organisational restructuring and layoffs. Job insecurity affects the well-being of individuals. In this sense, job insecurity is a significant stressor with consequences for the individual. However, the consequences are not limited to just the individual. The situation is often such that individuals experiencing job insecurity also tend to react to the dissatisfying circumstances in ways that affect the organisation as well. Several studies have found a negative association between job insecurity and job satisfaction. Job insecurity s also associated with lower levels of organisational commitment. The empirical objectives of this thesis were firstly to validate the Job Insecurity Questionnaire (JIQ) and Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) for employees in selected organisations in South Africa; secondly to determine its construct equivalence for different cultural groups; thirdly, to determine differences between the job insecurity and job satisfaction levels of various demographic groups, fourthly to assess the relationship between job insecurity, job satisfaction and organisational commitment, and lastly to determine whether job insecurity can predict job satisfaction and organisational commitment. A cross-sectional survey design with a random sample (N = 834) of employees in selected organisations in South Africa was used. The Job Insecurity Questionnaire, the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the measuring instruments in terms of mean, standard deviation, skewness and kurtosis. Cronbach alpha coefficients were used to describe the reliability of the measuring instruments. Construct (structural) equivalence was computed to compare the factor structure for the different culture groups included in this study. Exploratory factor analysis with a Procrustean target rotation was used to determine the construct equivalence of the JIQ and MSQ for the different culture groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationship between the measuring instruments. Regression analyses were used to determine whether organisational commitment can be predicted by the independent variables namely, affective job insecurity; cognitive job insecurity; extrinsic job satisfaction; intrinsic job satisfaction; age; gender, and qualification. The results confirmed a two-factor model of job insecurity, consisting of affective and cognitive job insecurity. The scales showed acceptable internal consistencies. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of scales for white and black participants. Practically significant differences were found between the levels of job insecurity of employees in terms of age groups and qualification levels. Furthermore, the results confirmed a two-factor model of job satisfaction, consisting of extrinsic job satisfaction and intrinsic job satisfaction. Exploratory factor analysis with target rotations confirmed the construct equivalence of scales for the black and white groups. The results obtained from comparing job satisfaction levels of various demographic groups showed that practically significant differences existed between the job satisfaction of different age and race groups. Results revealed significant relationships between job insecurity and job satisfaction. The multiple regression analysis indicated that 24% of the variance in organisational commitment was explained by affective job insecurity, cognitive job insecurity; extrinsic job satisfaction; intrinsic job satisfaction; age; gender and qualification. Limitations of the research are discussed, followed by recommendations for the selected organisations and for future research Doctoral

Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003. One of the most dominant features of South Africa's transformation over the past years has been and continues to be crime and violence. The effects of violence on a large proportion of the population as well as on the police service are significant and continue to have implications for the quality of life of South Africans. In recent years, community policing has been presented as a tool to enable police officers to control crime and to improve police citizen relations. To help with the successful implementation of community policing, it is necessary to determine the opinions of the community, for negative attitudes towards the police result in ill feelings, lack of respect, disorder and inefficient police functioning. Moreover, it is important for the police to know how satisfied or dissatisfied their clients are with their service delivery. Several studies suggest that how police feel about their job and their department can greatly affect their relations with the community and the quality of law enforcement service they provide. Some obstacles that may influence the above-mentioned aspects are the perceptions of the community, job stress, job satisfaction, burnout, and work engagement. The objective of this research was to determine the community's expectations and satisfaction with the SAPS in the Potchefstroom area, to compare the expectations of police members with those of the community and to determine the relationships among the job satisfaction, stress, burnout and work engagement of police members. A cross-sectional design was used to achieve the research objectives. The study population consisted of police members (N = 79) and community members (N = 505) in the Potchefstroom area. The measuring instruments included the Public Attitude Survey, the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Police Stress Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients and factor analysis were used to determine the internal consistency. T-tests and analysis of variance were used to determine differences between the sub-groups in the sample. Effect sizes were computed to indicate the practical significance of the results. The results of the study show that although the community and police's expectations correlate, some of the community's expectations are unrealistically high. Both the total group of community members and the police reported an average level of satisfaction with the service provided by the SAPS. The following significant relationships exist among the obstacles that influence the quality of service delivery of the SAPS. Satisfaction can be associated with work engagement, stressors, and burnout and stressors can be associated with burnout and work engagement. Burnout and work engagement can be considered as the antithesis of each other, and it may cause a slight relationship between these two concepts. Recommendations for future research have been made. Masters

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004. There is relatively little research based on the Big Five personality dimensions and job satisfaction and the relationship thereof. Job satisfaction of employees is a good indication of organisational effectiveness and is influenced by organisational and dispositional factors. The fundamental nature of the dispositional approach is that individuals have stable traits that significantly influence their affective and behavioural reactions to organisational settings. Job satisfaction can be considered a general feeling of well-being experienced by any employee about the work he or she does or as a related collection of attitudes about various aspects of the job. Employees, who perform at higher levels, will most likely make a greater contribution in the organisation. These individual's are more likely to achieve greater status; thus the importance of having satisfied employees in any organisation. The general objective of this study was to determine the relationship between personality dimensions and job satisfaction of engineers in a petro-chemical organisation. A cross-sectional survey design was used in the empirical study. The sample consisted of 89 junior to middle level engineers within a petro-chemical organisation. The Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Personality Characteristics Inventory (PCI) were administered. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data. Cronbach alpha coefficients, inter-item correlation coefficients and confirmatory factor analysis were used to assess the reliability and validity of the measuring instruments. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to specify the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine which personality dimensions were the best predictors of job satisfaction. The current research found that employees who are more stable and introverted tend to be more satisfied with achievement, independence as well as human and technical supervision at the work place. It was also established that extraverted and sociable individuals in the organization are less satisfied with human supervision. The findings of this research showed that some personality dimensions are related to aspects of job satisfaction However, overall personality dimensions explained relatively small percentages in the variance of job satisfaction. Because of this, the situational frame of reference, which is most common at present within the workplace, as well as the frame of reference that most supports this research, job satisfaction/dissatisfaction, is alleged to result from the nature of the job or h m the conditions at work. This basically epitomizes the effects of situational forces on workers' job attitudes. The results showed that subscales predicted job satisfaction to a greater extent than personality dimensions. Recommendations for future research were made. Masters

MA (Industrial Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus Modern organisations everywhere are faced with many challenges in terms of economic viability and the way in which they manage their workforce. Amidst many societal and economic pressures, South African organisations are forced to restructure and reform in order to survive. In this context, uncertainties prevail which influence the South African workforce to a great extent. Organisations, therefore, would benefit from methods that ensure that favourable work-related outcomes can be created despite the environmental pressures. One such a work-related outcome is job satisfaction. In recent years, renewed interest in the role of dispositional characteristics (psychological strengths) in predicting work-related outcomes, resulted in many studies focusing on the predictive value of psychological strengths on job satisfaction. In the present study, the psychological strengths of sense of coherence, self-efficacy and locus of control are investigated in terms of their ability to predict the job satisfaction of agricultural representatives in the fertiliser industry. A correlational design was used to determine the relationship between the constructs of sense of coherence, self-efficacy, locus of control and job satisfaction. Data from the total population of agricultural representatives (55) was gathered and explained in terms of descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, skewness and curtosis). Cronbach alpha coefficients were determined for the measuring instruments and Pearson's correlation, . canonical correlations and multiple correlations were computed. T-tests were used to compare the job satisfaction of the contrast groups. Finally, a regression analysis was carried out to determine the extent to which the psychological strengths of sense of coherence, self-efficacy and locus of control predict job satisfaction. The findings suggested that a relationship exist between the consecutive psychological strengths of sense of coherence, self-efficacy and locus of control, suggesting that the psychological strengths form part of the same construct (dispositional characteristics). Concerning the relationship between the psychological strengths and job satisfaction, the results indicated that individuals with a high sense of coherence experience significantly more job satisfaction than those with a low sense of coherence. Pertaining to the relationship between locus of control and job satisfaction, it was found that individuals with a high internal locus of control experience significantly more job satisfaction in terms of ability, achievement, authority, co-workers, independence, responsibility and supervision in terms of the technical side of the job. The findings also indicated that individuals with a low external locus of control and high autonomy experience significantly more job satisfaction than those with high external locus of control and low autonomy. Although significant relationships between self-efficacy and job satisfaction were expected, no such differences were found between the contrast groups in terms of their job satisfaction, which implies that self-efficacy was not related to job satisfaction in the present study. Concerning the predictive value of the psychological strengths in relation to job ·satisfaction, the findings indicated that the psychological strengths predicted 20, 7% of the variance of total job satisfaction, which is practically significant. Especially external locus of control and autonomy were found to be good predictors of job satisfaction. Masters