Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Development Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritz... more Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Development Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The level of health services, particularly in rural areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and productivity of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. In light of the above, the department of health is faced with growing expectations from citizens to use resources efficiently and effectively and to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible to all. National Health Insurance (NHI) is intended to bring about reform that will improve service provision. The researcher undertook this study to explore healthcare challenges faced by South Africa and its people and how far progressive realisation of access to he...
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The performance of health services, particularly in more remote areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and effectiveness of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. The department of health is faced with growing expectations from citizens to use resources effi ciently and effectively so that healthcare can be afforded and accessed by all. National Health Insurance (NHI) aims to introduce reforms to improve the provision of healthcare. The health sector is reputed to be good at formulating policies, discussing ideas, making recommendations and spending resources, but poor on implementing policies. The government in...
Corporate Board: role, duties and composition, 2015
Any organisation operating in today’s uncertain economic climate needs to know how to manage chan... more Any organisation operating in today’s uncertain economic climate needs to know how to manage change in order to survive. For businesses to withstand today’s competitive environment, organisations must frequently examine its processes and performance strategies to better understand what changes need to be made. The pace of change has considerably increased. Change nowadays is a reality for businesses and organisations, those which resist change, risk losing their competitive edge. Change is one of the most significant aspects that affect organisations. The ability therefore to manage change effectively has become vital. It is crucial that organisations understand the implications that change may have on the employees’ culture, history, goals, aims, objectives and so on? Change is essential for business survival and growth. In today’s complex and competitive global business environment, organisations must adjust to changing environmental conditions by constantly introducing changes in...
This article reviews literature on governance in order to facilitate an analysis of the governanc... more This article reviews literature on governance in order to facilitate an analysis of the governance of the South African public healthcare sector. Some of the key theoretical perspectives have been presented on how best to organise the state and its bureaucracy. Theorists have long interrogated in what way public institutions foster or impede economic growth. Evans and Rauch point out for example, that the role of bureaucratic authority structures in facilitating economic growth has been a sociological concern since Max Weber’s classic contributions almost 100 years ago. These debates and others are explored in this article with specific reference to the provision of equitable public healthcare. Weber’s theory on rational bureaucracy as well as New Public Management will be reviewed as these theories offer two distinct approaches to governance
Risk Governance and Control: Financial Markets and Institutions, 2015
This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first dem... more This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first democratic elections and later developments. Such an analysis will inevitably overspill to the quality of service delivery and participation. As such there is a need for ethics to be re-examined and investigate how this may be used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the South African government service. Much has been written on ethics and their relevance to the public sector organisations. Indeed they are critical for service delivery for both sectors namely, private and public sectors. This paper will trace the origins and development of ethics and their relationship with other associated terms such as morals, codes of conduct and relate same to the guidelines emanating from the South African Constitution Act (Act 108 of 1996). Once this objective has been achieved the position of ethics to our daily lives from individual and citizenship perspective will be explored. By such invest...
For years it has been argued that implementation failure is one of the main reasons why policies ... more For years it has been argued that implementation failure is one of the main reasons why policies do not yield the results expected. In South Africa, a version of this argument, which often features, is that good policies are drawn up but then not implemented. Government failure is a reality. Just as corporations survive according to whether they make good decisions, so to governments fall or are re-elected on whether they make good decisions. General argument in governance literature is that a wide variety of developments have undermined the capacity of governments to control events within the nation state. As a consequence the state can no longer assume a monopoly of expertise or of the resources to govern.
The healthcare system that the African National Congress (ANC) government inherited in 1994 can h... more The healthcare system that the African National Congress (ANC) government inherited in 1994 can hardly be described as functional. Indeed the new government had inherited a combination of deliberate official policy, discriminatory legislation and at times blatant neglect. This paper presents an overview of the evolution of the healthcare system in South Africa. The structures set up under apartheid had implications for provision of public healthcare to South Africans and reveals how governance structures, systems and processes set up during apartheid had implications for the provision of public healthcare to South Africans.
Risk Governance and Control: Financial Markets & Institutions, 2015
This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development chall... more This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development challenges of the post-apartheid era and assesses the approaches employed to bring about economic growth and to address inherited inequalities.
Strategic human resource management addresses the need to create vertical linkages of human resou... more Strategic human resource management addresses the need to create vertical linkages of human resource management (HRM) attributes with corporate strategy as well as horizontal linkages that integrate practices among HRM functions. Most models commonly focus on either vertical or horizontal linkages. This paper utilizes three categories of person-environment fit to create both vertical and horizontal linkages. Based on a strategic contingency framework, it demonstrates how person-environment fit relates to organizational competencies that supports corporate strategy. Furthermore, it demonstrates how person-environment fit can be used to promote internal alignment of HRM practices. Implications of this approach to strategic human resource management are then discussed.
International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 2014
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The level of health services, particularly in rural areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and productivity of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. The health sector is reputed to be good at formulating policies, discussing ideas, making recommendations, and spending resources, but poor on implementing policies. The government insists that the policy framework is transparent and well-defined and that what is needed is effective implementation. Regrettably, the transition of policy into practice is more complex than the perceived judgement of government. Critical concerns regarding issues about how policy can b...
Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Development Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritz... more Doctor of Philosophy in Policy and Development Studies. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The level of health services, particularly in rural areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and productivity of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. In light of the above, the department of health is faced with growing expectations from citizens to use resources efficiently and effectively and to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible to all. National Health Insurance (NHI) is intended to bring about reform that will improve service provision. The researcher undertook this study to explore healthcare challenges faced by South Africa and its people and how far progressive realisation of access to he...
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The performance of health services, particularly in more remote areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and effectiveness of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. The department of health is faced with growing expectations from citizens to use resources effi ciently and effectively so that healthcare can be afforded and accessed by all. National Health Insurance (NHI) aims to introduce reforms to improve the provision of healthcare. The health sector is reputed to be good at formulating policies, discussing ideas, making recommendations and spending resources, but poor on implementing policies. The government in...
Corporate Board: role, duties and composition, 2015
Any organisation operating in today’s uncertain economic climate needs to know how to manage chan... more Any organisation operating in today’s uncertain economic climate needs to know how to manage change in order to survive. For businesses to withstand today’s competitive environment, organisations must frequently examine its processes and performance strategies to better understand what changes need to be made. The pace of change has considerably increased. Change nowadays is a reality for businesses and organisations, those which resist change, risk losing their competitive edge. Change is one of the most significant aspects that affect organisations. The ability therefore to manage change effectively has become vital. It is crucial that organisations understand the implications that change may have on the employees’ culture, history, goals, aims, objectives and so on? Change is essential for business survival and growth. In today’s complex and competitive global business environment, organisations must adjust to changing environmental conditions by constantly introducing changes in...
This article reviews literature on governance in order to facilitate an analysis of the governanc... more This article reviews literature on governance in order to facilitate an analysis of the governance of the South African public healthcare sector. Some of the key theoretical perspectives have been presented on how best to organise the state and its bureaucracy. Theorists have long interrogated in what way public institutions foster or impede economic growth. Evans and Rauch point out for example, that the role of bureaucratic authority structures in facilitating economic growth has been a sociological concern since Max Weber’s classic contributions almost 100 years ago. These debates and others are explored in this article with specific reference to the provision of equitable public healthcare. Weber’s theory on rational bureaucracy as well as New Public Management will be reviewed as these theories offer two distinct approaches to governance
Risk Governance and Control: Financial Markets and Institutions, 2015
This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first dem... more This paper endeavours to critically examine ethics in South Africa especially after the first democratic elections and later developments. Such an analysis will inevitably overspill to the quality of service delivery and participation. As such there is a need for ethics to be re-examined and investigate how this may be used to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the South African government service. Much has been written on ethics and their relevance to the public sector organisations. Indeed they are critical for service delivery for both sectors namely, private and public sectors. This paper will trace the origins and development of ethics and their relationship with other associated terms such as morals, codes of conduct and relate same to the guidelines emanating from the South African Constitution Act (Act 108 of 1996). Once this objective has been achieved the position of ethics to our daily lives from individual and citizenship perspective will be explored. By such invest...
For years it has been argued that implementation failure is one of the main reasons why policies ... more For years it has been argued that implementation failure is one of the main reasons why policies do not yield the results expected. In South Africa, a version of this argument, which often features, is that good policies are drawn up but then not implemented. Government failure is a reality. Just as corporations survive according to whether they make good decisions, so to governments fall or are re-elected on whether they make good decisions. General argument in governance literature is that a wide variety of developments have undermined the capacity of governments to control events within the nation state. As a consequence the state can no longer assume a monopoly of expertise or of the resources to govern.
The healthcare system that the African National Congress (ANC) government inherited in 1994 can h... more The healthcare system that the African National Congress (ANC) government inherited in 1994 can hardly be described as functional. Indeed the new government had inherited a combination of deliberate official policy, discriminatory legislation and at times blatant neglect. This paper presents an overview of the evolution of the healthcare system in South Africa. The structures set up under apartheid had implications for provision of public healthcare to South Africans and reveals how governance structures, systems and processes set up during apartheid had implications for the provision of public healthcare to South Africans.
Risk Governance and Control: Financial Markets & Institutions, 2015
This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development chall... more This article reviews the efforts of the South African government in recognising development challenges of the post-apartheid era and assesses the approaches employed to bring about economic growth and to address inherited inequalities.
Strategic human resource management addresses the need to create vertical linkages of human resou... more Strategic human resource management addresses the need to create vertical linkages of human resource management (HRM) attributes with corporate strategy as well as horizontal linkages that integrate practices among HRM functions. Most models commonly focus on either vertical or horizontal linkages. This paper utilizes three categories of person-environment fit to create both vertical and horizontal linkages. Based on a strategic contingency framework, it demonstrates how person-environment fit relates to organizational competencies that supports corporate strategy. Furthermore, it demonstrates how person-environment fit can be used to promote internal alignment of HRM practices. Implications of this approach to strategic human resource management are then discussed.
International Business & Economics Research Journal (IBER), 2014
The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt ... more The South African healthcare sector stands at the threshold of major restructuring in an attempt to address inadequacies as a result of fragmentation of health services in apartheid South Africa. The level of health services, particularly in rural areas, has decreased and has led to reduced quality and productivity of health services. For individuals residing in rural communities, access to health services can be arduous. Delivery of essential services has to meet the needs of marginalised people who live in remote areas. The health sector is reputed to be good at formulating policies, discussing ideas, making recommendations, and spending resources, but poor on implementing policies. The government insists that the policy framework is transparent and well-defined and that what is needed is effective implementation. Regrettably, the transition of policy into practice is more complex than the perceived judgement of government. Critical concerns regarding issues about how policy can b...
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Papers by Melody Brauns