Defensive reactions as potential reasons for IT project management failures

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to establish how much empirical research is conducted on defensive reasoning or defensive reactions as possible reasons for IT project failure. In order to address this objective a systematic literature review was conducted. Only a few articles were identified that made specific reference to barriers in organisational social structures that prevent organisational learning from taking place. It is argued that defensive mechanisms on an individual level and defensive reasoning on a team or organisational level play a major role in IT project failures mainly because it prevents people from learning from their or other’s mistakes. In order for learning to take place, organisational defense routines should be minimised so that real reasons for project failure can be identified and addressed in an innovative and constructive manner

The moderating role of antecedents when using entrepreneurial orientation to predict firm performance

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to present how the following antecedents: external contextual knowledge; internal environment; the founder or owner and biographical factors impacted on entrepreneurial orientation and therefore predicted firm performance. The paper further supports that a firm’s knowledge of its external contextual environment, which is mediated by its internal organization, independently or interactively predicts entrepreneurial orientation and if entrepreneurial orientation is strategically adopted it will lead to an increase in firm performance. Data from 500 small businesses in the Gauteng Province, South Africa were used. Exploratory Factor analysis was used to test factor structures. A process of model modification using General Linear Modeling was followed and a final predictive model is presented

Measuring human capital disclosure

Abstract: Disclosure of human capital in annual reports enable HR Professionals with information to improve their investment decisions on a broad range of people-related issues. When contrasted against the other dimensions of intellectual capital, namely, structural and customer capital, disclosed human capital information provides useful insights on how people contribute towards organisational performance. This study applied a self-constructed disclosure index with four constructs to assess the extent of human capital disclosure in the 2015 annual reports of the Top 40 Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) listed companies in South Africa. A Cronbach’s alpha of 0.872 was attained confirming the internal consistency of this instrument. Overall, 26% of human capital information was disclosed qualitatively, quantitatively and in monetary value compared to 33% for both structural and customer capital

The joint impact of work engagement and burnout on ill-being and turnover intention

Abstract: In the South African business process services (BPS) industry, a number of variables impact employee’s wellbeing [1]. This study examined the joint impact of work engagement and burnout on ill-being and turnover intention. A quantitative survey yielded a sample of n = 498 from 16 BPS organizations. Polynomial regression and response surface analysis were utilized to analyze the data. Work engagement and burnout can be experienced jointly with ill-being increasing as engagement levels increase toward burnout levels; inversely ill-being decreases when work engagement levels increase as burnout levels decrease. Lower levels of engagement congruent with lower levels of burnout have no statistical significant effect on turnover intention. The findings can be applied to improve BPS human capital and management decisions. The BPS industry leans itself strongly towards Innovation for Value Creation and Beyond through the business benefits it yields – the understanding of employee wellbeing is therefore critical in explaining BPS architecture

The relationship between managers' goal-setting styles and subordinates' goal commitment

CITATOIN: Van Lill, X., Roodt, G. & De Bruin, G. P. 2020. The relationship between managers' goal-setting styles and subordinates' goal commitment. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 23(1):a3601, doi:10.4102/sajems.v23i1.3601.The original publication is available at https://sajems.orgBackground: Convincing employees to set aside their self-interests and commit to collective goals is essential for the effective functioning of organisations. It is critical that the impact of different managerial goal-setting styles, and the associated impressions of fair interpersonal treatment in the workplace, is understood from subordinates’ perspective. This might clarify the psychological mechanisms involved in motivating subordinates to commit to organisational goals. Aim: The primary aim of this article is to determine the relationship between managers’ goal-setting styles and subordinates’ goal commitment. The secondary aim is to determine whether this relationship is mediated by interactional justice. Setting: A total of 451 working adults completed an online or paper-and-pen survey. Methods: A mediator model was conducted in structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation and Bollen-Stine bootstrapping, with 5000 bootstrap resamples, to test the hypotheses. Results: The perception that managers are deliberative had the greatest positive direct relationship with subordinates’ goal commitment, followed by the directive style. Subordinates’ perception of managers as complaisant, in turn, were unrelated to goal commitment (amotivational), whereas the perception of managers as hostile had a negative relationship with goal commitment. Informational justice, not interpersonal justice, emerged as the only mediating variable. Conclusion: Managers should be encouraged to actively seek feedback from subordinates on their goal-setting styles. Managers can accordingly adapt their behaviour to effectively motivate subordinates to commit to organisational goals.https://sajems.org/index.php/sajems/article/view/3601Publisher's versio

Predictive performance models in the South African Business Process Services industry

Abstract: Orientation: An earlier systematic literature review study (Jacobs & Roodt, 2011) conducted on research in Business Process Services (BPS) industry sector companies identified a number of variables that could be empirically linked to turnover intention and individual performance. The literature pointed to a potential health promotion process, as well as an individual performance process in the BPS environment. Research purpose: The purpose of this study is to test two different predictive models that may explain two distal outcomes, namely turnover intention and individual employee performance, in the South African (SA) BPS industry

Crystal engineering of N,N’-dinitroethylene diamine to improve chemical stability and energetic properties

M.Sc. (Chemistry)Abstract: This study describes the synthesis of N,N’-dinitroethylene diamine (EDNA) co-crystals, coordination polymers and organic salts to determine the feasibility and potential use as energetic materials by exploiting intermolecular motifs and functional groups. A variety of co-crystals of EDNA using the aromatic diamine co-formers; 4,4’-bipyridyl (CC-1), 1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene (CC-2) and 4,4’-azopyridine (CC-3) were synthesized using literature methods exploiting the moderate N—H⋯N(py) type hydrogen bond. Four coordination polymers of EDNA were synthesized by established literature methods requiring the deprotonation of EDNA and the consequent addition of the divalent metals; Co(II) [MS-1], Ni(II) [MS-2], Cu(II) [MS-3] and Sr(II) [MS-4]. Finally, two organic salts of EDNA were synthesized using the basic, short chained alkyl diamines; propane-1,3-diamine (OS-1) and butane-1,4-diamine (OS-2). All compounds were then characterized by IR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffractometry, thermal analyses such as differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis. The use of the N—H⋯N(py) hydrogen bond has been successfully exploited in the formation of co-crystals. The importance of ππ, anionπ, lpπ interactions in the driving of packing arrangement have been observed. An overall decrease in energetic and thermal properties was reported when non-energetic co-formers, due to a higher carbon content, are used in the synthesized co-crystals. The synthesized coordination polymers all resulted in increased crystallographic densities, oxygen balance values and thermal decomposition values, apart from MS-3, which had a lower decomposition value (162 °C). The resulting organic salts all displayed increased thermal decomposition temperatures along with slightly lowered energetic properties due to increased carbon content. Flame tests were carried out, classifying the newly formed products as either explosives, propellants or pyrotechnics, with results being that all compounds could potentially be used as propellants and MS-4 as a potential pyrotechnic