Showing items 1 - 8 of 8

Your selections:

Factors contributing to operational excellence in a pharmaceutical manufacturer in East London, South Africa

  • Authors: Monakali, Xolani
  • Date: 2023-12
  • Subjects: Organizational effectiveness , Performance , Production management , Industrial management Pharmaceutical industry -- South Africa -- East London
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/65795 , vital:74268
  • Description: To ensure that high quality, secure and effective pharmaceutical goods are consistently produced and supplied to the appropriate end user, pharmaceutical manufacturing companies operate in a highly regulated environment. The idea that quality is not assessed is incorrect; rather, it is built, is at the heart of this production environment. Since fulfilling deadlines on time in full is the benchmark for good customer service, to achieve this results in numerous quality limits that have an impact on the quick delivery of medicines. Companies are often competing for the same clients; thus, there is increasing competition, which is mostly due to the availability of reasonable and inexpensive generics. The most profitable company will be the one which operates and produces at low cost, with great efficiency and economies of scale. Furthermore, the generic pharmaceutical firm is not immune from the fundamental purpose of business, which is to make money for the shareholders and add value for the clients. In order to maintain competitiveness in a pharmaceutical company which operates in East London, South Africa, this study aims to identify the factors that lead to perceived operational excellence. Respondents were given a standardised questionnaire; thus the study employed a quantitative research methodology. The sample size for the study was determined by randomly selecting 100 employees, composed of Operators, General Assistants, Production Team Leaders, Production Pharmacists, Pharmacist Assistants and Artisans from Pharmaceutical Company X. With the aid of a research assistant, the questionnaire was distributed to and answered by respondents. The gathered data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27 for Windows. The results of the study were then shown in cross tabulations, pie charts and bar graphs. The main outcomes of the study revealed that the majority of consumers believed pharmaceutical products were of a high calibre in terms of quality. Furthermore, the majority of participants agreed that operational excellence is important in companies that produce fast-moving consumer goods, like the pharmaceutical industry does. The survey also revealed the need for operational excellence in the pharmaceutical industry. Given that quality in the pharmaceutical industry has grown to be a crucial issue, the study suggests that the importance of pharmaceutical product quality needs to be more widely understood. Academics, pharmaceutical companies and legislators will all benefit from the study. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, Business School, 2023
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2023-12

Quantification of pre-competitive sleep/wake behaviour in a sample of South African cyclists

  • Authors: Steenekamp, Travis
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Sleep deprivation , Cyclists Health and hygiene South Africa , Sleep Physiological aspects , Performance , Performance anxiety
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59015 , vital:27408
  • Description: The quantification of athlete pre-competitive sleep behaviour is of interest owing to the possibility that sleep loss may have a negative effect on health and performance. The purpose of this study was to monitor and quantify the sleep/wake patterns of South African cyclists prior to competitive races. A total of 336 cyclists, male and female and of differing competition levels, cycling in either the 2015 Tsogo Sun Amashova or the 2016 Telkom 94.7 Cycle Challenge completed an altered version of the Competitive Sports and Sleep Questionnaire. The questionnaire asked cyclists to report on precompetitive sleep over the past year. A subset of 92 cyclists also recorded a Core Consensus Sleep Diary for the three nights leading up to the races. The questionnaire showed that 67% of the cyclists reported worsened sleep at least once prior to competition within the past 12 months. The sleep diary found that the cyclists’ average sleep duration the night before the races was 6h19min (±1h38min), which was significantly less than two and three nights prior to the races. Sleep quality was also shown to deteriorate significantly the night before the races. The contributing factors leading to worsened pre-competitive sleep were the time the cyclists had to wake-up as well as perceived increases in sleep latency and awakenings after sleep onset. Anxiety was found to be the major cause of sleep disturbances. While females were found to be significantly more likely to report having experienced poorer sleep before competition in the past year, the sleep diary showed no difference in sleep the night before the races between the sexes. Females were significantly more likely to report instances of unpleasant dreams and waking up during the night. Again, the sleep diary data did not corroborate these findings. Females were also found to report significantly more accounts of nervousness or thoughts about competition as being the cause of sleep problems. There was no difference in sleep loss the night before competition when comparing competition-level groups. The only significant difference was that recreational cyclists were more likely to report sleeping in foreign environments as a cause of sleep disturbances. Despite a large percentage of cyclists experiencing pre-competitive sleep loss, over half (55%) perceived sleep loss to have no impact on their performance. Analysis of pre-sleep behaviour also revealed that the cyclists engaged in several practices that may have a negative effect on subsequent sleep. The vast majority of the cyclists (61%) indicated having no specific strategy to help them sleep the night before competition. Fifteen percent of cyclists reporting using media devices to help them fall asleep, a practice that has been shown to disrupt sleep. In conclusion, most cyclists, regardless of sex and level of competition experience precompetitive sleep loss attributed largely to anxiety but with the perception that this loss in sleep does not negatively impact their performance.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Influence of leadership styles on the business performance of family businesses in the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: De Witt, Andrea
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Leadership -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Performance
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:9306 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018510
  • Description: Given the importance of family businesses with regard to the economic growth of South Africa, and the fact that their high failure rates have a negative influence on the country’s economy, this study focused on ineffective leadership among family businesses and the influence thereof on business performance. People’s perceptions of leadership are changing, and an ethical, people-centred, character-orientated approach to leadership may be what businesses require. In addition, innovation and employee well-being are being given high priority, and leadership that is ethical and caring is of great importance. The primary objective of this study was twofold, firstly to establish the levels of Ethical, Authentic, Participative and Servant leadership displayed by family business owners and employees in the Eastern Cape, and secondly to establish the influence on the Perceived business performance of the family business of displaying these styles. Poor leadership was identified as a major challenge that family businesses are faced with, and a challenge that contributes to their high failure rate. The literature dealt with the nature and importance of leadership, and both traditional and contemporary leadership styles were elaborated on. The traditional leadership styles identified were autocratic, laissez-faire, transactional, transformational and participative leadership, while the contemporary styles identified and discussed were ethical, authentic and servant leadership. From the literature it was evident that a more ethical, people-centred, character-orientated approach to leadership may be what businesses require to be successful today. The literature highlighted Ethical, Authentic, Participative, and Servant leadership as the more character-orientated leadership styles that positively influence the performance of any business, including family businesses. These leadership styles formed the main focus of this study. In this study a quantitative research design was adopted and a descriptive study of a cross-sectional nature was undertaken. A convenience sampling technique was used owing to the inaccessibility of a family business database. The sample size in this study consisted of 250 small family businesses. A survey was undertaken and a structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to gather the necessary data. The measuring instrument was developed by sourcing items from several existing studies. Family business owners and employees working in the family business were approached by fieldworkers and asked to participate in the study. In total, 266 questionnaires were usable, 133 from family business owners and 133 from family business employees. An effective response rate of 53.20 percent was achieved. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument were confirmed by means of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and by the calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics were calculated in order to summarise the sample data, while t-tests were used to determine whether the differences in mean scores returned by the family business owner and employee sample groups for the leadership styles under investigation, were significantly different from each other. Pearson’s product moment correlations were used to assess the associations between the variables under investigation. A multiple regression analysis (MRA) was used to assess the relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variable Perceived business performance. Lastly, the relationships between selected demographic variables and leadership styles displayed by family business owners were tested by means of an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Five factors were extracted from the EFA, four of which were considered for further analysis. The four usable factors extracted could be identified as the theoretical dimensions of Ethical leadership, Participative leadership, Perceived business performance and Servant leadership. The items measuring Ethical and Authentic leadership did not load as expected, as several items measuring the two factors loaded onto one factor. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients returned for the four usable factors extracted from the EFA were greater than 0.7, and thus the scales measuring the independent and dependent variables provided satisfactory evidence of validity and reliability. The findings of this study show that for both the family business owner and employee sample group, Ethical leadership returned the highest mean score, followed by Servant and Participative leadership. The great majority of the family business owners therefore agreed that they adopted these leadership styles. In addition the majority of family business employees agreed that the family business owner, for whom they worked, adopted these leadership styles. T-tests were conducted to assess whether the differences in mean scores returned by the two sample groups were statistically significant. Significant differences were found between the means scores returned by both sample groups with regard to the level of Ethical and Servant leadership displayed by the family business owner. No significant difference was found between the mean scores returned by both sample groups for Participative leadership. This finding was not surprising, given that socially desirable bias occurs when individuals describe or rate themselves in a manner that is untruthful or in a way that they feel may be viewed favourably by others. From the MRA, no relationships were reported between the independent variables (Ethical, Participative and Servant leadership) and the dependent variable Perceived business performance. The results of ANOVA revealed that there was no relationship between the Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Tenure, Generation, Number of employees and the Nature of the family business and the Ethical, Participative, and Servant leadership styles. However, the results show that family business owners with a tertiary qualification are more likely to adopt a Participative leadership style. Despite no significant relationship found in this study, it is well supported in the literature that the leadership styles investigated have a positive influence on business performance. Family business owners should take cognisance of this, and measures should be taken to ensure that the leadership style implemented in their businesses is ethical, participative and servant-orientated. This study has attempted to enlarge the body of knowledge available on leadership, especially concerning the servant, ethical, people-centred and character-orientated leadership styles. The results of the study differ somewhat from existing literature, and therefore add to the body of knowledge on leadership. Furthermore, this study has addressed a gap in the current literature regarding the influence of leadership on business performance among family businesses in a developing economy such as South Africa.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2015

Validation of an assessment tool for mental fatigue applied to rotational shift work

  • Authors: Huysamen, Kirsten Christina
  • Date: 2014
  • Subjects: Mental fatigue , Shift systems , Performance , Motor ability , Memory
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5154 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013551
  • Description: Mental fatigue has been proven to be highly prominent during shift work, due to long, irregular working hours and disruption of the circadian rhythm. Measuring mental fatigue has been a challenge for many years, where commonly cognitive test tasks are used to assess mental fatigue. Moreover, these test tasks do not isolate where fatigue is occurring during human information processing. The human information processing system consists of four core stages, each of which requires numerous cognitive functions in order to process information. The Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department at Rhodes University has developed six cognitive test tasks where each isolates a cognitive function: an accommodation test task, a visual detection test task, a reading test task, a memory test task, a tapping test task and a neural control test task. The cognitive functions include: eye accommodation, visual discrimination, visual pattern recognition, memory duration, motor programming and peripheral neural control. General task-related effect can also be examined for each of these cognitive test tasks which include choice reaction time, visual detection, reading performance, short-term memory, motor control and tracking performance. Additionally, a simple reaction time test task has been developed to analyse simple reaction time. This test task does not isolate a cognitive function. One or more parameters can be examined for each cognitive function and task-related effect. The first aim of this study was to validate numerous cognitive test tasks for mental fatigue in a simulated shift work laboratory setting. The second aim was to assess the validated cognitive test tasks in Phase 1 in a field-based rotational shift work setting. Parameters revealing sensitivity to mental fatigue would be validated for mental fatigue applied to rotational shift work and would be inserted into an assessment tool. In the laboratory setting, the seven cognitive test tasks were examined on four different types of shift work regimes. The first regime was a standard eight-hour shift work system, and the other three were non-conventional shift work regimes. Participants (n = 12 per regime) were required to complete one day shift followed by four night shifts, where testing occurred before and after each shift and four times within each shift. The cognitive test tasks revealing sensitivity to fatigue included: visual detection test task, reading test task, memory test task, tapping test task, neural control test task and simple reaction time test task. The testing of Phase 2 was conducted in three different companies, where each performed a different type of rotational shift work. The six cognitive test tasks validated for mental fatigue in Phase 1 were tested before and after work for each shift type within the rotational shift work system adopted by each company. Company A (n = 18) and Company B (n = 24) performed two-shift rotational shift work systems, where the shift length of Company A was 12-hours and the shift length of Company B was irregular hours. Company C (n = 21) performed an eight-hour three-shift rotational shift work system. Nine parameters revealed fatiguing effects and were inserted into the assessment tool, five of which provided information on a specific cognitive function: error rate for visual discrimination, processing time for visual pattern recognition, error rate for visual pattern recognition, impact of rehearsal time on memory recall rate for memory duration and the high-precision condition for motor programming time. The remaining four parameters provided information on general task-related effects: reading speed for reading performance, recall rate for short-term memory, reaction time for motor control and simple reaction time. Therefore, an assessment tool comprising nine parameters was validated for mental fatigue applied to rotational shift work, where five of the parameters were able to isolate exactly where fatigue was occurring during human information processing and the other four parameters were able to assess fatigue occurring throughout the human information processing chain.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2014

An analysis of regulatory mechanisms during sustained task execution in cognitive, motor and sensory tasks

  • Authors: Tau, Sethunya Harriet Hlobisa
  • Date: 2013 , 2013-10-11
  • Subjects: Work -- Physiological aspects , Work -- Psychological aspects , Fatigue , Attention , Mental fatigue , Human information processing , Decision making , Labor productivity , Employees -- Workload , Performance
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5140 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006806 , Work -- Physiological aspects , Work -- Psychological aspects , Fatigue , Attention , Mental fatigue , Human information processing , Decision making , Labor productivity , Employees -- Workload , Performance
  • Description: Fatigue is a state that, although researched for many years, is still not completely understood. Alongside this lack of a general understanding of fatigue is a lack of knowledge on the processes involved in the regulation of fatigue. The existing theories relating to regulation are focussed on mental effort regulation, suggesting that performance outcomes are co-ordinated by effort regulation that functions by making alterations to physiological processes and strategic adjustments at a cognitive level in response to cognitive demands and goals. Since fatigue is a multi-dimensional construct with psychological, physiological, and behavioural effects that respond to endogenous and exogenous variables, it follows then that fatigue assessment techniques ought to include multi-dimensional measures to acquire a holistic depiction of the fatigue symptom. This study aimed to assess whether or not a mechanism that regulated fatigue during sustained task execution could be identified and whether this mechanism resulted in regulation patterns that were distinct to a specific task. An additional aim of the study was on assessing whether the manner in which performance, psychophysical and subjective variables were modified over time followed a similar regulation pattern. The research design was aimed at inducing task-related fatigue twice on two different occasions in the same participants and evaluating the resultant changes in fatigue manifestation. This was done to assess the ability of participants to cope with fatigue as a result of previous experience. The research protocol included three tasks executed for an hour aimed at targeting and taxing the sensory, cognitive, motor resources, each task performed twice. 60 participants were recruited to participate in the current study, with 20 participants – 10 males and 10 females – randomly assigned to each of the three tasks. The cognitive resource task consisted of a memory recall task relying on working memory intended to evaluate the extent of reductions in memory and attention. The sensory resource task consisted of a reading task measuring visual scanning and perception designed to evaluate the extent of reduced vigilance. The motor resource task consisted of a modified Fitts’ stimulus response task targeted at monitoring the extent of movement timing disruption. Performance measures comprised of: response delay and the number of correctly identified digits during the cognitive resource task, the amount of correctly identified errors and reading speed during the sensory resource task, response time during the motor resource task, and responses to simple auditory reaction time tests (RTT) initiated at intervals during the task and then again at the end of each task. Physiological measures included ear temperature, eye blink frequency and duration, heart rate (HR), and heart rate variability (HRV). Subjective measures included the use of the Ratings of Perceived Exertion Category Ratio 10 scale (RPE CR 10) to measure cognitive exertion and the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX) to index mental workload. Eye blink frequency and duration, HR and HRV were sensitive to the type of task executed, showing differing response patterns both over the different tasks and over the two test sessions. The subjective measures indicated increasing RPE ratings over time in all tasks while the NASA-TLX indicated that each task elicited different workloads. Differing task performance responses were measured between the 1st test session and the 2nd test session during all tasks; while performance was found to improve during the 2nd test session for the motor and sensory tasks, it declined during the cognitive task. The findings of this research indicate that there was a regulatory mechanism for fatigue that altered the manner in which performance, psychophysical and subjective variables were modified over time, initiating a unique fatigue regulation pattern for each variable and each task. This regulation mechanism is understood to be a proactive and protective mechanism that functions through reducing a person’s ability to be vigilant, attentive, to exercise discernment, and to direct their level of responsiveness, essentially impacting how the body adapts to and copes with fatigue. The noted overall findings have industry implications; industries should consider accounting for the effects of this regulatory mechanism in their fatigue management interventions, specifically when designing job rotation and work/rest schedules because each cognitive task, having elicited a unique fatigue regulation pattern, ought to also have a different management program. , Microsoft� Office Word 2007 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2013

The effects of booster breaks during a sedentary night shift on physiological, psychomotor, psycho-physiological, and cognitive performance over a 3 night shift habituation phase

  • Authors: Lombard, Wesley Ross
  • Date: 2010
  • Subjects: Night work , Shift systems , Performance , Exercise , Exercise -- Physiological aspects , Exercise -- Psychological aspects , Cognition -- Effect of exercise on , Motor ability
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5116 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005194 , Night work , Shift systems , Performance , Exercise , Exercise -- Physiological aspects , Exercise -- Psychological aspects , Cognition -- Effect of exercise on , Motor ability
  • Description: Despite extensive research into shift work, workers working under rotating shift conditions are still plagued by the effects of the desynchronisation resulting from working against their natural circadian rhythms. Additionally, modern industries are shifting towards tasks requiring greater cognitive demand with less manual labour incorporated into the tasks. Research into operator based tasks, and hence those of a sedentary cognitive base both during day and night shifts, has been focusing on the effectiveness of the standard rest/break schedule. Research indicating that the standard rest break schedule is often ineffective in eliminating operator discomfort and performance deterioration, with these affects argued to be more pronounced during a night shift schedule. Therefore current research set out to investigate alternative rest break schedules, incorporating a short bout of physical activity and stretching exercises which are proposed to enhance performance and subjective mood, while eliminating operator discomfort for sedentary based cognitive tasks. Three conditions were tested during a three day habituation shift cycle within a laboratory, incorporating two night shift groups (control and experimental) and a control day shift group. Twelve subjects made up each group, with the two night shift groups completing the shift schedule together. The control groups followed a typical 8 hour shift schedule while the experimental group performed a booster break (exercise and stretches) activity for 7.5 minutes every hour during the night shift schedule. Over the course of the shift, subjects completed a battery of six tests providing data on physiological measurements (heart rate and temperature), performance criteria (reaction time responses, memory and neurobiological) and subjective measures. Responses obtained for all the different parameters measured indicated a strong circadian influence for the majority of the variables, indicating the course of natural down regulation within physiological and performance criteria over the night shift. The booster break significantly improved reaction time performance, subjective ratings and resulted in a high sustainable activity level. Day shift comparisons indicating that within subjective measures and reaction time performance, the booster break resulted in similar responses to those of the day shift workers, while the control night shift groups reported significantly lowers results. Additionally, the booster break had positive influences during the circadian nadir, significantly improving parameters of performance and subjective ratings of sleepiness. The results of this study indicating which variables are strong predictors and indicators of the oscillations in performance and subjective ratings due to the circadian changes. The booster break interventions had positive effects on subjective ratings and reaction time performance, while also being argued to decrease the burden placed on the cardiac system as a result of increased sympathetic tone during the night shift, while additionally resulting in similar responses to those of day shift workers. Further studies are required, however, to provide conclusive evidence particularly within a working situation over a longer shift schedule.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2010

The effects of night work and task diversification on efficiency of performance

  • Authors: Munton, Lynne Kerry
  • Date: 1998
  • Subjects: Night work -- Evaluation , Shift systems , Performance
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:5175 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018253
  • Description: This study investigated the effects of night work on performance efficiency. Night work is generally acknowledged to impair performance, yet much research has contradicted this assertion. The feasibility of including brief periods of physical activity to stimulate arousal within mentally demanding work shifts was also evaluated. Thirty six postgraduate volunteers were assigned to either the cognitive tasks (CT) or cognitive and motor tasks (CMT) group. All subjects performed three psycho-motor tests, using the Vienna Test System, at midday and midnight. The CMT group performed a short cycling activity before each test. Heart rate responses served as physiological measures, the Perceived Strain Scale was used to quantify individual perceptions of strain and performance efficiency was assessed in terms of speed and accuracy. Although several trends were apparent, no significant differences (p < 0.05) were revealed with respect to the three performance variables between the midday and midnight test sessions, or between the CT and CMT subjects, other than the higher heart rates recorded in the CMT group. In summary, neither time of day nor physical activity were found to affect performance within the controlled environment of this study.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 1998

African Stories from Gutu Reserve

  • 1
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Contact