Lean application in student finance department within a learning institution can lead to high academic throughput: a case study.
- Authors: Kholopane, Pule , Vandayar, Candice
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Lean manufacturing , Time management , Universities and colleges - Administration
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5034 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13554
- Description: The knowledge of lean principles is just as applicable to offices and other work environments as it is to manufacturing plants. Lean is a theory that can help organizations to simplify and organize their working environment so that waste can be reduced, avoid high employee turnover and proper equipment and workspace is used. Although services can be consumed and perceived, they cannot be measured easily and objectively, like manufacturing products. An objective measurement is a critical aspect of lean, which requires data-driven decisions to eliminate defects and reduce variation. Waste and the misuse of time could cost the company and the clients’ money and time, and in an academic environment, this is known to be extremely valuable. The study focuses on the finance department supporting students in one of the leading South African institution. There has been a number of incidents of wastage and non-professionalism identified in that department, which led to some students not getting their tuition and study material on time and some unable to register for the current year. The research attempts to highlight these problems and provides a solution as to how they can be resolved in order to assist the university to reach its expected throughput.
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The application of theory of constrain (TOC) in an organisation to resolve problems and to boost productivity
- Authors: Kholopane, Pule
- Date: 2015-07-07
- Subjects: Theory of constraints (Management)
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:5249 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/14855
- Description: The theory of constraints (TOC) identifies constraints which are otherwise labelled as waste by lean. It isolates these constraints and provide resources in order to buffer and/or eliminate them completely. Its underlying premise is that organisations can be measured and controlled by variation on three measures which are throughput, operational expense and inventory. TOC challenges managers to rethink some of their fundamental assumptions about how to achieve the goals of their organizations, what they consider productive actions, and about the real purpose of cost management in order to maximize throughput through sales. It is about understanding bottlenecks to a process and better managing these bottlenecks to create an efficient process. The paper identifies inputs that are causing constraints. It explains the methodology to isolates them and how and when to apply TOC in minimising their impact. In order to prove this, a research was carried out in the Bakwena mine in South Africa where TOC was used to resolve recurring problems. The end results has shown that when problem area are isolated, conditions observed, resources allocated at the problem area and action taken to address problems immediately, positive results can be achieved.
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The effects of flattening hierarchies on employee performance in organizations : a study of a South African retail group
- Authors: Kubheka, Innocent , Kholopane, Pule , Mbohwa, Charles
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Employee empowerment , Hierarchies , Organizational structures
- Type: Article
- Identifier: uj:6166 , ISSN 978-93-82242-26-0 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/13770
- Description: For the last couple of years organizations have been urged to flatten their hierarchical structures in order to increase flexibility of employees and to empower employees with the decision making discretion. Flattening or delayering of organizational structures refers to the elimination of layers in a firm’s organizational hierarchy and the broadening of manager’s span of control. The decision to push down decision making to the lower levels of the organization presents employees with the freedom to be responsible for everything they do and also to be held accountable. Though it may have been suggested that flattened organizations are flexible and proactive, this paper will identify that through the flattened organizations managers still take the major decision regarding the organizations success and that the goal of flattening hierarchies isn’t always achieved after implementation.
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