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This study investigated the relationships between student burnout, intention to drop out, and satisfaction with studies, considering their self-reported social support from parents and significant ...

The focus of this study was to determine the best predictors of academic success of first-year MBA students. Selection criteria and variables are tested for the reliable prediction of successful completion of the first year of an MBA programme (MBAI). A longitudinal quantitative research design is followed using data of students from a South African business school, enrolled between the years 2006 and 2013. The study population consisted of a total of N =777 students enrolled on the MBA programme for this period. Numerical- and verbal cognitive ability assessments gathered as part of enrolment assessment were used and compared to MBAI examination results. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the significance of different variables to predict MBA first-year success, defined here as the successful completion of all first-year MBA modules within the first academic year. Results indicate that cognitive ability is related to MBA first-year success. The numerical was a better predictor than the verbal cognitive assessment. Type of undergraduate education was found to play a role in MBA first-year success. Language of delivery proved to have an influence on academic performance and Younger students performed better than their older counterparts did. Determining the best predictors MBA first-year success has practical implications on selection processes and throughput.

In this review article, we present an overview of the results of longitudinal studies on the consequences of job insecurity for health and well‐being. We discuss the evidence for normal causation (...

The objective of this paper was to investigate differences in male employee experiences in the light of employment equity law and a strong affirmative action drive within present-day South African organizations. This research is important as it can substantiate or invalidate perspectives and beliefs surrounding employment equity issues. A cross-sectional design was used which consisted of a stratified random sample from five corporate organizations (N = 1000). Latent variable modeling with Bayesian estimation was implemented. This paper also demonstrated the use of informative hypothesis testing and subsequent Bayes factors to directly compare the informative hypotheses, in order to show how much more likely one hypothesis is to be the correct hypothesis, compared to the other(s). The results revealed that non-designated (white male) employees experience more job insecurity than their designated (black male) counterparts, but this does not necessarily associate with more turnover intention. It was also found that when designated employees experience less career opportunities, they show more turnover intention. Furthermore, it was shown that designated employees perceive more discrimination, but that this does not associate with more turnover intention. The limitations and future research opportunities are discussed.

Organizational changes are becoming a common response to financial and operational needs. The changes may be systematic and gradual or dramatic and sudden in an attempt to face various business dem ...

Burnout, as a work-related phenomenon, has negative consequences on employee functioning and is well documented. What is deserving of further investigation is how effort-recovery processes may be affected, in this instance, sleep. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether significant sleep difficulties are reported when employees report experienced burnout, while also controlling for age, gender, exercise, smoking habits, and treatment for depression. A cross-sectional survey design was used in data collection. The sample consisted of 734 participants with white collar positions in the financial industry of South Africa. Structural equation modelling methods were implemented in order to investigate the hypotheses. The results of the structural model indicated that burnout was significantly related to sleep difficulties, even in the presence of reported treatment for depression, and the other control variables. The correlations between burnout, treatment for depression, as well as sleep difficulties were all positive and practically significant. The results, recommendations, limitations, and practical implications of the study are discussed.

The purpose of the study being reported here was to investigate the relationship of job burnout and work engagement with self-reported received treatment for health conditions (cardiovascular condition, high cholesterol, depression, diabetes, hypertension and irritable bowel syndrome), while controlling for age, gender, smoking and alcohol use. The sample comprised 7895 employees from a broad range of economic sectors in the South African working population. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. Structural equation modelling methods were implemented with a weighted least squares approach. The results showed that job burnout had a positive relationship with self-reported received treatment for depression, diabetes, hypertension and irritable bowel syndrome. Work engagement did not have any significant negative or positive relationships with the treatment for these health conditions. The results of this study make stakeholders aware of the relationship between job burnout, work engagement and self-reported treatment for health conditions. Evidence for increased reporting of treatment for ill-health conditions due to burnout was found. Therefore, attempts should be made to manage job burnout to prevent ill-health outcomes.

Orientation: Boredom at work has been shown to be a concern for individuals and organisations. At the time of this research, no validated scale was available to measure and investigate workplace boredom within the South African context.Research purpose: To determine the psychometric properties of the Dutch Boredom Scale (DUBS) within the South African context. Motivation for the study: No reliable and valid scale for workplace boredom was available in South Africa at the time of the current research. Boredom at work has been found to affect organisations negatively in other countries. Insights are needed into workplace boredom and how it affects the outcomes of organisations in South Africa. Research design, approach and method: A cross-sectional research approach was utilised. A random convenience sample (N = 490) was obtained from organisations within the manufacturing and logistics sector. In order to validate the DUBS, the factor structure, construct validity (convergent and discriminant validity) and scale reliability were investigated. A mediation model was also tested with structural equation modelling to ascertain predictive validity.Main findings: The results showed that the one-factor structure of the DUBS could be confirmed and that this factor had acceptable reliability. In terms of convergent validity, all of the item indicators loaded significantly on the workplace boredom construct, and the relationship between workplace boredom and work underload revealed that they were positively correlated with medium effect size. Furthermore, work engagement and organisational commitment were correlated negatively in terms of practical significance with workplace boredom. A structural mediation model showed that work underload was significantly and positively associated with boredom, which in turn had significant negative relations to both work engagement and organisational commitment. No significant direct relations were found from work underload to either work engagement or organisational commitment. Instead, bootstrapping showed that there was an indirect-only relationship from work underload to work engagement and organisational commitment through workplace boredom – indicating full mediation.Practical/managerial implications: Management should not neglect workplace boredom, as results indicate that it may adversely impact work engagement and organisational commitment. Therefore, workplace boredom should be a concern not only for individuals, but also for the organisation at large.Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to the limited research available on workplace boredom in South Africa by providing evidence of acceptable psychometric properties for a workplace boredom scale.

A confirmatory investigation of a job demands-resources model was conducted with alternative methods, in a sample of 15, 633 working adults aggregated from various economic sectors. The proposed model is in line with job demands-resources theory and assumes two psychological processes at work which are collectively coined “the dual process.” The first process, the energetic, presents that job demands lead to ill-health outcomes due to burnout. The second process, the motivational, indicates that job resources lead to organizational commitment due to work engagement. Structural equation modelling analyses were implemented with a categorical estimator. Mediation analyses of each of the processes included bootstrapped indirect effects and kappa-squared values to apply qualitative labels to effect sizes. The relationship between job resources and organizational commitment was mediated by engagement with a large effect. The relationship between job demands and ill-health was mediated by burnout with a medium effect. The implications of the results for theory and practice were discussed.

The objective of this research was to investigate how Afrikaans and Setswana employees in the Northern Cape mining environment experience the interaction between their work and personal lives and to determine which major strategies employees use to deal with work-life interaction (WLI). A non-probability purposive voluntary sample of 25 mineworkers was taken in the Northern Cape Province. Male and female participants were stratified in terms of language (Afrikaans and Setswana) and interviews were conducted with them. Interview questions focused on the main interacting dimensions in the lives of mineworkers and major strategies that employees use to deal with WLI. Content analyses were used to analyse the data. Several preceding factors (like work pressure, heavy workload, stress, and family obligations) that led to definite consequences (e.g. lack of quality time for self and family, physical and emotional strains, and low levels of productivity), as well as coping strategies (e.g. prioritising, time management, communication, and planning) were explored during the interviews. Although there were similarities, it seemed that there were definite differences between gender and language groups regarding their experiences of WLI.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study reported here investigated the causal relationships in the health impairment process of employee well-being, and the mediating role of burnout in the relationship between work overload and psychological ill-health symptoms, over time. The research is deemed important due to the need for longitudinal evidence of the health impairment process of employee well-being over three waves of data. DESIGN: A quantitative survey design was followed. Participants constituted a longitudinal sample of 370 participants, at three time points, after attrition. METHODS: Descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling methods were implemented. RESULTS: Work overload at time one predicted burnout at time two, and burnout at time two predicted psychological ill-health symptoms at time three. Indirect effects were found between work overload time one and psychological ill-health symptoms time three via burnout time two, and also between burnout time one and psychological ill-health symptoms time three, via burnout time two. CONCLUSIONS: The results provided supportive evidence for an "indirect-only" mediation effect, for burnout's causal mediation mechanism in the health impairment process between work overload and psychological ill-health symptoms.

Previous research has highlighted various antecedents of job insecurity, both in cross-sectional research and in a recent meta-analysis. A review of this literature indicates that work locus of control actually is the only personality antecedent that has received considerable attention, while sense of coherence may also be an important factor to consider. Data on biographical variables, cognitive and affective job insecurity, work locus of control and sense of coherence were gathered from employees across 3 organisations (N=718), presenting two different sectors (chemical industry and financial services), by means of anonymous surveys. Data were analysed by means of correlations and regression analyses. Results indicate that both work locus of control and sense of coherence play a role in predicting job insecurity, even after controlling for biographical variables. Considering their individual contributions, it is suggested here that sense of coherence may be even more important than work locus of control as a personality antecedent of job insecurity. ispartof: South African Journal of Business Management vol:47 issue:3 pages:35-43 status: published

Gold mining in South Africa has played a significant role in the economic development of the country. However, the current economic, personnel and rationalisation pressures could imply a loss of production in this industry. The focus of this research fell on investigating the role that social support may play in the translation of employees’ role overload and job satisfaction on their intentions to leave the organisation. A cross-sectional survey design with a random sample was used (n = 206). Results indicate that job satisfaction is the most significant predictor of turnover intention, but that collegial support plays an important role in moderating the effects of role overload on turnover intention.

The objective of this study was to determine the dimensions of occupational stress of employees of the Department of Correctional Services in a management area of the Freestate Province of South Africa. A further objective was to investigate the role of psychological strengths, namely, work locus of control and affect, in the experience of occupational stress. A cross-sectional design was used. A simple random sample (n = 157) was taken. The correctional officer stress inventory was developed by means of factor analysis, and the work locus of control scale and the affectometer 2 were administered. Results indicated that an external locus of control and negative affect contribute to the experience of occupational stress. The most severe stressors for correctional officials have to do with a lack of resources.

The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between coping and stress on the one hand and suicide ideation among police members on the other. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study population (N = 307) consisted of uniformed police members in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The COPE, Police Stress Inventory, Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire and a Biographical Questionnaire were used as measuring instruments. The results showed that passive coping strategies are related to suicide ideation. A discriminant analysis showed that suicide attempt, passive coping strategies, medical conditions, use of alcohol, problem-focused coping strategies and police-specific demands correctly classified 64.29 per cent of participants who scored high on suicide ideation.

The purpose of the study being reported here was to investigate the relationship of job burnout and work engagement with self-reported received treatment for health conditions (cardiovascular condition, high cholesterol, depression, diabetes, hypertension and irritable bowel syndrome), while controlling for age, gender, smoking and alcohol use. The sample comprised 7895 employees from a broad range of economic sectors in the South African working population. A cross-sectional survey design was used for the study. Structural equation modelling methods were implemented with a weighted least squares approach. The results showed that job burnout had a positive relationship with self-reported received treatment for depression, diabetes, hypertension and irritable bowel syndrome. Work engagement did not have any significant negative or positive relationships with the treatment for these health conditions. The results of this study make stakeholders aware of the relationship between job burnout, work engagement and self-reported treatment for health conditions. Evidence for increased reporting of treatment for ill-health conditions due to burnout was found. Therefore, attempts should be made to manage job burnout to prevent ill-health outcomes.

Orientation: Reversed causality is an area that has not commanded major attention within the South African context, specifically pertaining to engagement, burnout and job demandsresources. Therefore, this necessitated an investigation to elucidate the potential effects. Research purpose: To investigate the reversed causal hypotheses of burnout and engagement in job demands-resources theory over time. Motivation for the study: Organisations and researchers should be made aware of the effects that burnout and engagement could have over time on resources and demands. Research design, approach and method: A longitudinal design was employed. The availability sample (n = 593) included participants from different demographic backgrounds. A survey was used to measure all constructs at both points in time. Structural equation modelling techniques were implemented with a categorical estimator to investigate the proposed hypotheses. Main findings: Burnout was found to have a significant negative longitudinal relationship with colleague support and supervisor support, whilst the negative relationship with supervisor support over time was more prominent. Engagement showed only one significant but small, negative relationship with supervisor support over time. All other relationships were statistically non-significant. Practical/managerial implications: This study makes organisations aware of the relationship between burnout and relationships at work over time. Proactive measures to promote relationships at work, specifically supervisor support, should be considered in addition to combatting burnout itself and promoting engagement. Contribution/value-add: This study provides insights and information on reversed causality, namely, the effects that engagement and burnout can have over time http://www.sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip http://www.sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1055/1300 http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v39i1.1055

Human brucellosis in South Africa (SA) is under-diagnosed and under-reported. This is because many clinicians have little or no experience in managing affected patients, and in part because of the nonspecific and insidious nature of the disease. A case of human brucellosis caused by Brucella melitensis in a patient from the Western Cape Province of SA is described, and the resulting exposure of staff members at two medical microbiology laboratories, as well as the public health investigation that was conducted, are discussed. The objective of this article is to highlight the need for strengthening integration between public health, medical and veterinary services and exposing deficiencies in public health, veterinary and laboratory practices.

Background. Healthcare has become a major expense. Burnout and its connection with psychological and physical health is well researched, yet little research has been done on the connection between burnout and financial outcomes, specifically as indicated by the costs incurred by medical aid providers as a result of members’ claims. Objective. To investigate the connection between employee burnout and medical aid claims and expenditure data in a sample from the private sector. Method. A cross-sectional design was used. The sample comprised 3 182 participants. The available objective medical aid expenditure data connected with each participant were: total insured benefits, general practitioner visits, specialist visits, general practitioner insured benefits, and claims for medicine. A low and a high burnout group were extracted, based on comorbidity of the two core components of burnout. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was then applied to investigate the differences in estimated marginal means of the expenditures on the low and the high burnout contrast groups, while controlling for age and gender. Results. The high burnout group frequented a general practitioner more often, and the medical aid provider expenditure was nearly double that of the low burnout group, on all the variables. Specialist visits did not show a significant result. Conclusion. High burnout is associated with a higher expenditure by a medical aid provider, compared with low burnout, per member. Stakeholders should therefore address burnout to reduce expenditure and promote health http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/6060 DOI:10.7196/SAMJ.6060

Orientation: This article focuses on how South African organisations manage their employees’ wellness through their Employee Wellness Programmes (EWPs). Research purpose: The objective of this research is to describe employee wellness in South Africa by investigating the types, foci and perceived success of EWPs. Motivation for the study: Despite the growing awareness of the importance of EWPs in South Africa, the nature, content, context, participants, role-players and anticipated benefits as well as the possible drawbacks of these programmes in the South African context are unclear. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a cross-sectional design. The first author developed the Employee Wellness Survey, consisting of quantitative and qualitative questions, to collect data from 16 organisations, four service providers and seven labour unions in South Africa. Main findings: The results showed that organisations, service providers and labour unions define employee wellness differently and that these role players give different reasons for introducing EWPs. Almost half of the participating organisations have no baseline measurement with which to compare the effectiveness of their EWPs. Generally, all the organisations present the results of their programmes reasonably. However, the programmes involve little overall expenditure to the organisations. Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should monitor the state of their employees’ wellness in order to manage it effectively. This will only become possible when information about employee wellness improves. Contribution/value-add: This study provides new information about the nature, content, context, participants, role-players, anticipated benefits and possible drawbacks of EWPs in the South-African context. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v9i1.305 http://www.sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/viewFile/305/313

Purpose - Little empirical research has been conducted on competitive intelligence (CI). This paper aims to contribute to the quantitative strand of the CI literature by exploring and validating the theoretical constructs of the CI process. Design/methodology/approach - Data from 601 questionnaires filled out by South African and Flemish exporters were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and construct equivalence analysis between the sub-samples. Findings - The results showed that the CI process consists of three constructs, while the context in which CI takes place consists of four constructs. This agrees to some extent with the literature. When verifying the constructs for both cultures it was found that all but one CI context construct can be viewed as equivalent in both groups. Bias analysis identified one item in the questionnaire that was biased. Via regression analysis it was also indicated that the context in which CI takes place influences the CI process to a large extent. The research identified size as an important influencing factor in a business' CI process. Practical implications - Businesses involved in CI should take note that an improvement in their formal infrastructure, employee involvement and internal information processes could enhance their CI capability. Originality/value - This paper contributes towards the formalising of the constructs of competitive intelligence. Purpose - Little empirical research has been conducted on competitive intelligence (CI). This paper aims to contribute to the quantitative strand of the CI literature by exploring and validating the theoretical constructs of the CI process. Design/methodology/approach - Data from 601 questionnaires filled out by South African and Flemish exporters were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and construct equivalence analysis between the sub-samples. Findings - The results showed that the CI process consists of three constructs, while the context in which CI takes place consists of four constructs. This agrees to some extent with the literature. When verifying the constructs for both cultures it was found that all but one CI context construct can be viewed as equivalent in both groups. Bias analysis identified one item in the questionnaire that was biased. Via regression analysis it was also indicated that the context in which CI takes place influences the CI process to a large extent. The research identified size as an important influencing factor in a business' CI process. Practical implications - Businesses involved in CI should take note that an improvement in their formal infrastructure, employee involvement and internal information processes could enhance their CI capability. Originality/value - This paper contributes towards the formalising of the constructs of competitive intelligence. Purpose - Little empirical research has been conducted on competitive intelligence (CI). This paper aims to contribute to the quantitative strand of the CI literature by exploring and validating the theoretical constructs of the CI process. Design/methodology/approach - Data from 601 questionnaires filled out by South African and Flemish exporters were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and construct equivalence analysis between the sub-samples. Findings - The results showed that the CI process consists of three constructs, while the context in which CI takes place consists of four constructs. This agrees to some extent with the literature. When verifying the constructs for both cultures it was found that all but one CI context construct can be viewed as equivalent in both groups. Bias analysis identified one item in the questionnaire that was biased. Via regression analysis it was also indicated that the context in which CI takes place influences the CI process to a large extent. The research identified size as an important influencing factor in a business' CI process. Practical implications - Businesses involved in CI should take note that an improvement in their formal infrastructure, employee involvement and internal information processes could enhance their CI capability. Originality/value - This paper contributes towards the formalising of the constructs of competitive intelligence.

The objectives of this study were firstly to investigate the construct validity, construct equivalence and reliability of adapted versions of the Maslach Burnout Inventory- Student Survey (MBI-SS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWESS), secondly to determine the relationship between burnout and engagement, and thirdly to determine whether differences in burnout and engagement exist for different demographical groups. A cross-sectional survey design was used with an availability sample of Afrikaans- and Setswana-speaking students at a tertiary institution (n = 353). The MBI-SS and UWES-S as well as a biographical questionnaire were administered. Structural equation modelling confirmed a two- factor structure (as opposed to a one-factor structure) for each instrument. The two-factor structure for burnout and engagement was also largely equivalent for the two language groups. All four scales were found to be reliable. The burnout and engagement scales were moderately negatively related to each other, with stronger relationships between exhaustion and vigour and between cynicism and dedication. Demographic variables that appear to be predictive of differences in student burnout include home language, while engagement was related to home language and academic year of study.

Policing has been described as a stressful occupation. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a measure that could be used by the South African Police Service (SAPS) to identify the frequency and intensity of occupational stressors and to assess the differences between the stressors for race, rank and gender groups. A cross sectional survey design was used. Stratified random samples (N = 2145) were taken of police members of nine provinces in South Africa. The Police Stress Inventory was developed as a measuring instrument. Three internally consistent factors were extracted through principal component analysis with a direct oblimin rotation. These factors were labelled Job Demands, Lack of Support and Crime-related Stressors. The most important stressors identified were other officers not doing their job, inadequate or poor quality equipment, inadequate salaries, and seeing criminals go free. Analysis of variance showed differences in stressors for rank, race and gender groups.

The general objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between coping, stress and suicide ideation within the South African Police Service. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A random, stratified sample was taken of police officials in the Free State (N = 333). The Suicide Ideation Questionnaire, Police Stress Inventory and COPE Questionnaire were administered. The results of this study indicated that the following factors were related to suicide ideation: passive coping, problem-focused coping, former suicide attempts, medical condition, alcohol consumption and police stressors. The discriminant analysis furthermore indicated that these variables correctly classified 77,55% of the respondents with a high score in respect of suicide ideation. Opsomming Die algemene doelstelling van hierdie navorsing was om die verband tussen coping-strategieë, stres en selfmoord- denkbeeldvorming binne die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens in die Vrystaat te ondersoek. ’n Dwarsdeursneeopnameontwerp is gebruik. ’n Ewekansige, gestratifiseerde steekproef (N = 333) is van polisiebeamptes in die Vrystaat geneem. Die Selfmoord denkbeeldvormingsvraelys, Polisiestres-inventaris en COPE-vraelys is aangewend. Die resultate van die studie het aangetoon dat die volgende faktore met selfmoord denkbeeldvorming verband hou: passiewe coping, probleemgerigte coping, vorige selfmoordpogings, mediese toestand, gebruik van alkohol en polisiespesifieke stressors. Die diskriminantontleding het verder aangedui dat bogenoemde veranderlikes 77,55% van die deelnemers met ’n hoë telling ten opsigte van selfmoord denkbeeldvorming korrek geklassifiseer het.

The objective of this study was to determine the internal consistency, construct validity, structural equivalence and item bias of the COPE, and to determine the differences between coping strategies of various demographic groups in the South African Police Service. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A random, stratified sample (N = 1431) was taken of police members in eight South African provinces. The COPE and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Four internally consistent factors were extracted, namely Approach Coping, Avoidance, Seeking Emotional Support and Turning to Religion. These factors showed structural equivalence for police members of all race groups and no items were biased. Differences in coping strategies were found for different ranks and races.Opsomming Die doelstelling van hierdie studie was om die interne konsekwentheid, konstrukgeldigheid, strukturele ekwivalensie en itemsydigheid van die COPE-vraelys te bepaal en om verskille tussen die coping-strategieë van verskillende demografiese groepe in die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens te bepaal. ’n Dwarssnee opname-ontwerp is gebruik. ’n Ewekansige gestratifiseerde steekproef (N = 1431) is van polisielede in agt provinsies van Suid-Afrika geneem. Die COPE en ’n biografiese vraelys is afgeneem. Vier intern konsekwente faktore, naamlik Benaderings-coping, Vermyding, Soeke na Emosionele Ondersteuning en Keer-na-Religie is onttrek. Hierdie faktore het strukturele ekwivalensie vir alle rassegroepe getoon en geen items was sydig nie. Verskille rakende coping-strategieë is vir verskillende rang en rasse gevind.