Transformation of managerial skills of engineers.
- Authors: Visser, Hercules
- Date: 2007-11-15T08:56:02Z
- Subjects: organizational change , Eskom (firm) , executive ability , leadership
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:11972 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/116
- Description: Every year, more and more management positions are being filled by engineers and other technical personnel in spite of dual or parallel path systems for promotions in many companies. In spite of the centrality of engineers and management in industrial organizations and modern society, engineers are generally viewed to be unsuccessful in management roles due to the following shortcoming of skills: inadequate managerial education during engineering studies, administrative skills, interpersonal skills, personality and career orientation, management knowledge. This research argues that there is a difference in leadership style between experienced and inexperienced engineers in South Africa. It was found that experienced engineers in Eskom are more transformational and more transactional compared to inexperienced post-graduated engineering students at the Rand Afrikaans University. To demonstrate this in the study, the researcher used the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire to identify leadership style. The argument is substantiated by the results of a statistical analysis of leadership style for experienced and inexperienced engineers. The findings of this research indicate the theory that successful managers tend to grow into their jobs over an extended period (Bennett, 1996 and Sedge, 1985). The findings also support the arguments of O’Connor (1994) and Badaway (1995) that engineers have no typical career path to prepare them for the management role. It is therefore imperative that inexperienced engineers prepares themselves for management and obtain knowledge about management and development management skills during their formal studies. , Dr. L. Naude
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Some cost implications of electric power factor correction and load management
- Authors: Visser, Hercules
- Date: 2012-08-13
- Subjects: Electric utilities - Costs , Electric power systems - Load dispatching , Electric power-plants - Load , Eskom (Firm)
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:8989 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5458
- Description: M. Phil. , Presently, ESKOM is rated as the fifth largest utility in the world that generates and distributes electricity power to their consumers at the lowest price per kilowatt-hour (kW.h). As a utility, ESKOM is the largest supplier of electrical energy in South Africa and is currently generating and distributing on demand to approximately 3000 consumers. This represents 92% of the South African market. ESKOM was selected as the utility supplying electrical energy for the purpose of this study. ESKOM's objective is to provide the means and systems by which the consumer can be satisfied with electricity at the most cost-effective manner. In order to integrate the consumers into these objectives, ESKOM took a decision in 1994 to change the supply tariff from active power (kW) to apparent power (kVA) for a number of reasons: To establish a structure whereby the utility and the consumer can control the utilisation of electrical power supply to the consumer. To utilise demand and control through power factor correction and implementation of load management systems. To identify some cost implications of electrical power factor correction and load management. Consumers with kW maximum demand tariff options had little or no financial incentives to improve their low power factor (PF) by reducing their reactive current supply. Switching to (kVA) maximum demand will involve steps to be taken to ensure that the reactive component is kept to a minimum with maximum power factor. ESKOM has structured various tariff rates and charges with unique features that would accommodate the consumers in their demand side management and load cost requirements, which, when applied, will result in an efficient and cost effective load profile. These tariffs are designed to guide consumers automatically into an efficient way of using electrical power, as it is designed to recover both the capital investment and the operating cost within two to three years after installation of power factor correction equipment. ESKOM's concept of Time-of-use (TOU) periods for peak, standard and off-peak times during week, Saturday and Sunday periods is discussed as load management. Interruptible loads can be scheduled or shed to suit lower tariff rates and to avoid maximum demand charge. The concept of load management will change the operation pattern of the consumer's electricity demand whereby the consumer will have immediate technical and financial benefits. In the last chapter of this dissertation, a hypothetical case study addresses and concludes on some of the technical and cost implications of electrical power factor correction and load management as a successful and profitable solution to optimize electrical power supply to the consumer. By implementing the above, ESKOM ensures that the consumer utilizes the electrical power supply to its optimum level at the lowest cost per kilowatthour (kW.h) generated.
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