https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/30864 2026-05-05T15:11:43Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32380 Relationship between employee engagement and employee performance at a NorthWest based manufacturing company Mecuur, Christelean Theolean This study examines the intricate relationship between employee engagement and performance within a manufacturing company in the Northwest region. In recent years, employee engagement has emerged as a crucial determinant of organisational success, significantly impacting job satisfaction, commitment to the company, and overall performance. To investigate this dynamic, a quantitative research methodology was employed, utilising validated survey instruments such as the Gallup Q12® Workplace Audit to measure employee engagement and the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) to evaluate performance levels. The research findings reveal a notable positive correlation between employee engagement and overall work performance. Employees who are actively engaged in their work exhibited enhanced task performance, completing their specific duties with greater efficiency and effectiveness, and improved contextual performance, encompassing their contributions to workplace culture and collaborative efforts. These results align with existing literature, which suggests that engaged employees tend to display higher levels of enthusiasm and commitment to their roles. Conversely, the study found no significant connection between employee engagement and counterproductive work behaviour, indicating that the factors influencing negative workplace behaviours may differ and require further exploration. The insights from this study highlight the critical need for organizations to foster employee engagement to enhance productivity and achieve favourable organizational outcomes. To this end, the research advocates implementing targeted engagement strategies, such as recognition and reward programs, leadership development opportunities, and supportive workplace initiatives, to drive performance improvements. Overall, these findings contribute valuable knowledge to the field of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (IOP) and offer practical recommendations to enhance employee engagement, particularly in the manufacturing sector. 2025-11-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32249 An investigation into the causes of failure and strategies for survival and growth of small medium and micro enterprises (SMMES) in South Africa: the case of Msunduzi Local Municipality Zondi, Sibonelo Motivated by the alarming rate of failure of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs), despite the significance accorded to them, in the economic growth and development of economies, this study sought to investigate factors contributing to SMME failures and identify effective survival and sustainable growth strategies for SMMEs in Msunduzi Local Municipality (MLM). The significance of this study lies in its potential to identify impediments to small business growth and propose strategies to enhance their performance in MLM. Contributing to the existing knowledge on SMMEs, the research informs small business policy development and benefits businesses through the implementation of identified strategies. Utilising a quantitative method approach, the results of the study highlight challenges faced by SMMEs as limited access to finance and skilled labour, inadequate marketing and promotional strategies, and complying with regulatory requirements. Survival strategies uncovered include adapting to changing market trends, engaging in research and development, and exploring new market segments; while sustainable growth was found to be enabled by fostering positive organisational cultures and encouraging innovation, continuous improvements of products/services, and effective risk management practices. In conclusion, the study emphasised challenges like inadequate access to finance for small business and underscores that survival strategies require adapting to market trends, while sustainable growth involve cultivating positive organisational cultures. The design of financial support with low interest, especially by financiers, is, therefore, recommended to address challenges like inadequate access to finance. The SMMEs in MLM are recommended to establish robust systems for continuous monitoring of internal and external environments for survival strategies like adapting to market trends; and provide leadership training for owners for sustainable growth like fostering positive organisational culture. 2023-12-23T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32131 The nexus of taxation and economic growth, income inequality and poverty : a macro and micro econometric approach for Zambia Mwale, Evaristo William David Sub-Saharan Africa faces a significant challenge in mobilising tax revenue to finance essential state functions, as many economies in the region fall below the minimum desirable tax-to-GDP ratio of 15%. Despite Zambia's relatively higher tax-to-GDP ratio compared to that of other regions, poverty and income inequality levels remain stubbornly high. This research study addresses this issue by examining the relationships between taxation, economic growth, poverty, and income inequality in Zambia. The study's objectives include investigating the short-term and long-term connections between taxation and economic growth, exploring the direction of causality, and analysing the influence of direct and indirect taxes on poverty and income inequality. Additionally, the study aims to construct a tax revenue forecasting model for Zambia and offer policy recommendations. To achieve these objectives, the researcher employed a combination of macroeconometric and microsimulation models, including vector error-correction models (VECMs), autoregressive distributed lag models (ARDLs), bunching techniques, and MicroZAMOD. This study makes several significant contributions to the literature by utilising a combination of macroeconometric and microsimulation models, incorporating mining sector revenues in the analysis, and providing revenue projections for Zambia. In addition, the study computes poverty and inequality multipliers for every additional 1 billion Kwacha in tax revenue. To unearth the effect of taxation and its redistributive effect on poverty and inequality, this study uses the MicroZAMOD. Furthermore, the study uses the Personal Income Tax (PIT) elasticities from bunching techniques to convert the MicroZAMOD from a static model to a dynamic model. The results reveal that there is evidence of bunching around the first bracket in the PIT. Key findings underscore PIT as a potent instrument for reducing inequality, while the value added tax (VAT) emerges as a significant revenue generator but is inefficient at reducing poverty. Excise taxes and the turnover tax (TOT) have marginal effects on poverty and inequality metrics. Notably, VAT is associated with a 0.45 percentage point increase in the national poverty rate for every billion Kwacha raised, while a 1 billion Kwacha of PIT revenue is associated with an average reduction of 0.68 percentage points in the Gini coefficient. Granger causality analysis suggests that PIT, the corporate income tax (CIT), VAT, changes in the copper price, and mining tax revenue have causal relationships with gross domestic product. (GDP), indicating that lagged values of these variables enhance the model's ability to predict GDP. Additionally, impulse response function and variance decomposition analysis reveal the impact of shocks in these variables on GDP, with VAT notably contributing to GDP growth over time, while negative shocks in mining tax revenue consistently result in GDP decline. In the short run, corporate income tax and personal income tax negatively impact GDP growth, while value-added tax (VAT) and trade openness have positive effects. Conversely, mining tax revenue and government consumption show no significant short-term impact on GDP growth. Long-term analysis reveals that VAT, mining tax revenue, trade openness, and the exchange rate positively influence GDP growth, whereas personal income tax and oil price changes exhibit negative impacts This will be the first study to use these two approaches to model policy impacts in a developing country. Furthermore, this study offers essential insights for policymakers in Zambia and other developing countries by emphasising the importance of balanced taxation policies and targeted investments in key sectors for sustainable development and poverty reduction through the recommendation of empirical policy reform scenarios. 2024-04-01T00:00:00Z https://ir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/32110 A system dynamics model to enhance on-time delivery of infrastructure projects within a power utility in South Africa Mashamba, Takalani Energy plays a fundamental role in sustainable development and poverty alleviation efforts. The energy sector is critical, looking at the economic growth perspective as it contributes about 3.2% of South Africa’s Gross Domestic Product. Due to economic growth in South Africa, the state-owned firm has witnessed increasing demand for power supply over the last 20 years. To alleviate the existing supply restriction, the electricity sector started implementing capital expansion build projects. The completion of capital expansion build projects has been delayed due to quality problems and cost overruns, which results in frequent power outages that limit overall economic activity and erode investor trust in the area. The primary motivation of this research was to develop a System Dynamics Model to enhance on-time delivery of infrastructure projects within the power utility in South Africa. The proposed study is aimed at developing a System Dynamics Model to inform policy and decision-makers in the energy sector in 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z