Masters Degrees (Information Science)

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Browsing Masters Degrees (Information Science) by Author "Bradshaw, Jennie (Sheila Jennie)"

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    Human-machine interface : a case study to investigate the effect of a newly introduced system on the work morale of the people who interact with it
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2003-03) Bradshaw, Jennie (Sheila Jennie); Muller, H. P.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science .
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate a work environment into which a new workflow system, that automates the work process, has recently been introduced. The study will focus on the level of work morale displayed by the people active in this new environment, as well as their perception of their work. The study takes the form of a case study carried out in the Nedcor Home Loans Application Processing Centre. This centre is the central area in which all home loan applications for the entire Gauteng, North West, Orange Free State, Mpumalanga and Limpopo regions are collated and processed. The applications from these regions translate into a total of between 9 and 13 thousand applications each month. The home loan application process is the most complex of the banking application processes as it involves a number of interfaces with external parties and systems. The workflow system was introduced in order to simplify, co-ordinate and accelerate this process. The study was conducted using D. A. De Vaus's Surveys in Social Research, Fourth Edition, a methodology for surveys in social research, as a guideline. A structured questionnaire was constructed in order to collect data regarding the opinions and behaviour of the sample members. A pilot study was conducted with 10 of the sample members in order to test and refine the survey instrument. Following this, the updated survey instrument was distributed to the sample group. The population of the case study environment consisted of less than 100 people all situated in one location. For this reason the entire survey population was selected as the sample population. The data collected described the sample members' attitudes towards work, their relationships with their colleagues, as well as their perceptions of their opportunities for personal growth, as a measure of their level of work morale. Information describing the employees perceived type of work was also collected. This was done by accumulating information regarding the level of thinking, responsibility and monotony that characterised their work, as well as the proportion of time that staff members spent interacting directly with the system. After the survey implementation, the data was collated and analysed. The reliability of the data was tested using Cronbach's alpha. Data that originated from concepts with Cronbach's alpha scores of below 0,6 were deemed to be unreliable and were removed from the dataset. A correlation analysis, using Spearman's rank correlation, was conducted on the remaining data. This analysis was aimed at establishing whether any correlations between the type of work carried out by an employee and his or her associated level of work morale exist. It was established that the level of work morale that characterised the case study environment was relatively low, as will be discussed in detail in Chapter 5. Furthermore, it was ascertained that the introduction of the system had a significant influence on the nature of the work carried out by the staff in the case study environment, and that a strong correlation existed between the type of work carried out by an employee and his or her associated level of work morale. From this it was concluded that the introduction of the system influenced the level of work morale found to characterise the case study environment.