The relationship between gender diversity and corporate profitability : the top 100 companies on the JSE Ltd
- Authors: Lehobo, Lineo
- Date: 2012-11-06
- Subjects: Corporate profits , Diversity in the workplace , Gender diversity , Women executives , Corporate culture
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:7364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8120
- Description: M.Comm. , Although there has been some improvement over the last decade, the representation of women on corporate boards in many countries, including South Africa, is still alarmingly low. In the quest for gender equality in top corporate ranks and for better corporate governance, legislators and institutional investors have both called for greater diversity on corporate boards. This study determines whether the desired increase in gender diversity on boards, measured as the proportion of women on the board, is linked to greater corporate profitability, in an attempt to establish if there is any justification for appointing women to the board on the grounds of firm financial profitability. The study uses the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE to examine the nature of the relationship between board gender diversity and corporate profitability, for the period 2004 to 2008. Findings from correlation and regression analyses both portray a positive association between gender diversity in the boardroom and corporate profitability, but a negative association for gender diversity in the executive suite. Industry comparative analysis also shows that, on average, companies with one or more female directors outperform other companies on all three measures of profitability: return on assets, return on equity, and return on sales, whereas companies with one or more female executives show lower average profitability. Therefore, the study can advocate the appointment and inclusion of women on corporate boards from a financial or company profitability perspective, but it cannot do the same for female executives. Key words Gender diversity, corporate profitability, gender equality, corporate governance, board of directors
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- Authors: Lehobo, Lineo
- Date: 2012-11-06
- Subjects: Corporate profits , Diversity in the workplace , Gender diversity , Women executives , Corporate culture
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: uj:7364 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/8120
- Description: M.Comm. , Although there has been some improvement over the last decade, the representation of women on corporate boards in many countries, including South Africa, is still alarmingly low. In the quest for gender equality in top corporate ranks and for better corporate governance, legislators and institutional investors have both called for greater diversity on corporate boards. This study determines whether the desired increase in gender diversity on boards, measured as the proportion of women on the board, is linked to greater corporate profitability, in an attempt to establish if there is any justification for appointing women to the board on the grounds of firm financial profitability. The study uses the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE to examine the nature of the relationship between board gender diversity and corporate profitability, for the period 2004 to 2008. Findings from correlation and regression analyses both portray a positive association between gender diversity in the boardroom and corporate profitability, but a negative association for gender diversity in the executive suite. Industry comparative analysis also shows that, on average, companies with one or more female directors outperform other companies on all three measures of profitability: return on assets, return on equity, and return on sales, whereas companies with one or more female executives show lower average profitability. Therefore, the study can advocate the appointment and inclusion of women on corporate boards from a financial or company profitability perspective, but it cannot do the same for female executives. Key words Gender diversity, corporate profitability, gender equality, corporate governance, board of directors
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Women managers as change agents : overcoming gender discrimination in transformation
- Mohapi-Setlhodi, Itumeleng Innocentia.
- Authors: Mohapi-Setlhodi, Itumeleng Innocentia.
- Date: 2012-08-16
- Subjects: Women executives , Management. , Sex discrimination against women. , Women in development. , Educational change - South Africa.
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/372293 , uj:2582 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6032
- Description: M.Ed. , One of the central themes that permeate studies on gender discrimination is the move towards eroding all forms of discrimination against women especially with regard to promotional posts in secondary schools (Ledwith & Colgan, 1996: 27). Hitherto, women remain a minority gender in terms of management positions in education generally and in secondary school management in particular. This has necessitated the implementation of policy documents to enforce the principle of gender equity, particularly in management positions. Measures have been taken, through the implementation of policy documents to enforce the principle of gender equity. However, certain subtle discriminatory practices remain a wedge between the present state of affairs and what has to be. This could be due to, inter alia, prejudice, tradition or even religious injunctions perpetuating women submissiveness. The increased awareness of gender politics combined with challenges about gender equity in organisations such as schools remains a thorny issue in education circles. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the important role they can play in transforming schools into viable learning institutions. This research has argued that although women may be discriminated against, they do possess requisite skills to transform their schools into highly performing institutions. In an attempt to interrogate the issue of gender discrimination, a qualitative research approach was employed to elicit the perceptions of educators with regard to women managers. Furthermore, this research explored the impact that women managers have. The research was conducted at a school in the Sedibeng West district (D8) of the Gauteng Province. Due to a small number of women managers in this district, namely, two including myself, one female principal was used as a sample in this research. Interviews with the principal as well as male and female educators in the school were conducted. The relevant research literature was used as a basis for data collection. The recommendations provided in this research are based on the categories which were identified from the interviews as well as observations. These categories are; sabotage, stereotype, positive strategies, barriers and weaknesses.
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- Authors: Mohapi-Setlhodi, Itumeleng Innocentia.
- Date: 2012-08-16
- Subjects: Women executives , Management. , Sex discrimination against women. , Women in development. , Educational change - South Africa.
- Type: Mini-Dissertation
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/372293 , uj:2582 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/6032
- Description: M.Ed. , One of the central themes that permeate studies on gender discrimination is the move towards eroding all forms of discrimination against women especially with regard to promotional posts in secondary schools (Ledwith & Colgan, 1996: 27). Hitherto, women remain a minority gender in terms of management positions in education generally and in secondary school management in particular. This has necessitated the implementation of policy documents to enforce the principle of gender equity, particularly in management positions. Measures have been taken, through the implementation of policy documents to enforce the principle of gender equity. However, certain subtle discriminatory practices remain a wedge between the present state of affairs and what has to be. This could be due to, inter alia, prejudice, tradition or even religious injunctions perpetuating women submissiveness. The increased awareness of gender politics combined with challenges about gender equity in organisations such as schools remains a thorny issue in education circles. Today, women are becoming increasingly aware of the important role they can play in transforming schools into viable learning institutions. This research has argued that although women may be discriminated against, they do possess requisite skills to transform their schools into highly performing institutions. In an attempt to interrogate the issue of gender discrimination, a qualitative research approach was employed to elicit the perceptions of educators with regard to women managers. Furthermore, this research explored the impact that women managers have. The research was conducted at a school in the Sedibeng West district (D8) of the Gauteng Province. Due to a small number of women managers in this district, namely, two including myself, one female principal was used as a sample in this research. Interviews with the principal as well as male and female educators in the school were conducted. The relevant research literature was used as a basis for data collection. The recommendations provided in this research are based on the categories which were identified from the interviews as well as observations. These categories are; sabotage, stereotype, positive strategies, barriers and weaknesses.
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Features that contribute to senior female representation at an organisation
- Authors: Palmer, Alison
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Women executives , Organizational change , Financial services industry - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/124612 , uj:20939
- Description: Abstract: The Business Women’s Association of South Africa’s Women in Leadership Census 2015 reported that only 34 of 273 JSE-listed companies and 20 state-owned enterprises had 25% or more female representation at executive manager- and board level (BWASA, 2015). Research for this minor-dissertation was carried out in one of these organisations. The gendered nature of organisations and an organisation’s influence on its employees’ gendered behaviour in the working environment, have not yet been examined in the South African financial services context. There is, therefore, a need to investigate organisations that appear to exhibit both traditional and non-traditional gendered behaviour, to better understand the underlying factors and organisational features that contribute to this behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify the organisational features that contributed to a high representation of women executives in an organisation operating within the male-dominated South African financial services industry. A case study strategy was utilised. The unit of analysis was senior and executive managers. A Glaserian grounded theory approach was employed, and the use of semi-structured interviews allowed for the emergence of themes that could be further interrogated, ultimately developing theory to explain the phenomenon being studied. Following Bhaskar’s (2008) critical realist stratified ontology, it was found that a key factor was the composition of the candidate pool from which executive positions had been filled. Through a process of retroduction, two features were identified as having had an impact on the candidate pool, the first being the organisation’s attractiveness as perceived by those outside the organisation. The second feature that influenced the number of women at executive level at FS Org was the role of gatekeeper played by the CEO. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding the gendered organisation, and identifies features that have promoted women’s advancement in this specific case. Recommendations are provided for further research to gain insight into organisational features across industries that contribute to the representation of women at executive management level. , M.Phil.
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- Authors: Palmer, Alison
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Women executives , Organizational change , Financial services industry - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/124612 , uj:20939
- Description: Abstract: The Business Women’s Association of South Africa’s Women in Leadership Census 2015 reported that only 34 of 273 JSE-listed companies and 20 state-owned enterprises had 25% or more female representation at executive manager- and board level (BWASA, 2015). Research for this minor-dissertation was carried out in one of these organisations. The gendered nature of organisations and an organisation’s influence on its employees’ gendered behaviour in the working environment, have not yet been examined in the South African financial services context. There is, therefore, a need to investigate organisations that appear to exhibit both traditional and non-traditional gendered behaviour, to better understand the underlying factors and organisational features that contribute to this behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify the organisational features that contributed to a high representation of women executives in an organisation operating within the male-dominated South African financial services industry. A case study strategy was utilised. The unit of analysis was senior and executive managers. A Glaserian grounded theory approach was employed, and the use of semi-structured interviews allowed for the emergence of themes that could be further interrogated, ultimately developing theory to explain the phenomenon being studied. Following Bhaskar’s (2008) critical realist stratified ontology, it was found that a key factor was the composition of the candidate pool from which executive positions had been filled. Through a process of retroduction, two features were identified as having had an impact on the candidate pool, the first being the organisation’s attractiveness as perceived by those outside the organisation. The second feature that influenced the number of women at executive level at FS Org was the role of gatekeeper played by the CEO. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding the gendered organisation, and identifies features that have promoted women’s advancement in this specific case. Recommendations are provided for further research to gain insight into organisational features across industries that contribute to the representation of women at executive management level. , M.Phil.
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The career growth of female managers : experiences at a financial institution in South Africa
- Authors: Singh, Ruweshka
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Women executives , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/283349 , uj:30556
- Description: M.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Abstract: While there has been a significant change in the profile of organisations in the twentieth century with the inclusion of women into the workforce, the representation of women at senior and top management levels continues to be a challenge for organisations worldwide. Various studies have looked at the cause of this challenge and have positioned various reasons for why many women are unable to ascend into the senior ranks of organisations. Leadership style, diversity, culture and the “glass ceiling phenomenon” are some of the reasons provided for the under-representation of women in senior and top management levels. However, there has been no theory that has been developed to fully explain why women are unable to break through the “glass ceiling” into senior and top management. In South Africa specifically, the under-representation of women in senior and top management level has been referred to by the Department of Labour as “the missing women phenomenon”. Companies comply with the legislative measures that have been implemented to address this challenge, and fully commit to train and develop women however the advancement of women into senior and top management is not evident. The researcher intends with this study, to examine the experiences of women in senior and top management levels to determine if there is a deeper, underlying reason, or reasons, that is preventing the ascension of women into senior and top management positions. For this qualitative research study, the researcher adopted an interpretivistic epistemology. Grounded theory methodology was used by the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the workplace. The intention of the researcher was to create a framework from which theory may be developed that assisted to explain the challenges women experience in the workplace. In identifying and understanding these challenges, appropriate actions may be implemented to address them, thereby assisting in the advancement of women into senior and top management...
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- Authors: Singh, Ruweshka
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Women executives , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/283349 , uj:30556
- Description: M.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Abstract: While there has been a significant change in the profile of organisations in the twentieth century with the inclusion of women into the workforce, the representation of women at senior and top management levels continues to be a challenge for organisations worldwide. Various studies have looked at the cause of this challenge and have positioned various reasons for why many women are unable to ascend into the senior ranks of organisations. Leadership style, diversity, culture and the “glass ceiling phenomenon” are some of the reasons provided for the under-representation of women in senior and top management levels. However, there has been no theory that has been developed to fully explain why women are unable to break through the “glass ceiling” into senior and top management. In South Africa specifically, the under-representation of women in senior and top management level has been referred to by the Department of Labour as “the missing women phenomenon”. Companies comply with the legislative measures that have been implemented to address this challenge, and fully commit to train and develop women however the advancement of women into senior and top management is not evident. The researcher intends with this study, to examine the experiences of women in senior and top management levels to determine if there is a deeper, underlying reason, or reasons, that is preventing the ascension of women into senior and top management positions. For this qualitative research study, the researcher adopted an interpretivistic epistemology. Grounded theory methodology was used by the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the workplace. The intention of the researcher was to create a framework from which theory may be developed that assisted to explain the challenges women experience in the workplace. In identifying and understanding these challenges, appropriate actions may be implemented to address them, thereby assisting in the advancement of women into senior and top management...
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Rose or thorn? : a black South African woman's account of working in a male-dominated environment
- Tabudi, Sizile Aurelia Thulisile
- Authors: Tabudi, Sizile Aurelia Thulisile
- Date: 2010-10-26T07:19:52Z
- Subjects: Leadership in women , Black women , Sex role in the work environment , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6940 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3450
- Description: D.Phil. , The major part of what is known about women in leadership positions, and the challenges they are facing, is based on studies conducted in first-world countries. There clearly is a gap in the literature in terms of studies that focus on female leaders in Africa. Much has still to be said about the role that cultural practices and prejudices play in hampering the growth and progress of these women. This authentic study of a South African Zulu female manager provides a unique insight into the way she negotiated the challenges of climbing the corporate ladder in a male-dominated environment. Its postmodernist approach challenges the writer to use herself as a research subject while applying the principle of reflexivity in stepping back and analysing lived experiences from a researcher‟s perspective. In opening up her innermost feelings to the world, the researcher reveals who she really is, and how she, as a Zulu woman, wife, mother, and manager, negotiated her way between her own traditional culture and the Western corporate world. This creates real challenges to the researcher, as she has to keep sliding between being the subject and being the researcher at the same time. This narrative of "self" is recreated through interviewing people who had been part of the researcher‟s life during the period which was the focus of the study as well as the researcher recalling significant events. The research focuses on the challenges of being a minority leader in a South African workplace. The resistance to a black female as their superior by black males is highlighted, as is the manner in which these cultural prejudices result in discrimination against women by members of their own culture. The research also illuminates the impact of legislation aimed at transforming the local workplace and the leadership fraternity in a post-apartheid South Africa.
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- Authors: Tabudi, Sizile Aurelia Thulisile
- Date: 2010-10-26T07:19:52Z
- Subjects: Leadership in women , Black women , Sex role in the work environment , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:6940 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3450
- Description: D.Phil. , The major part of what is known about women in leadership positions, and the challenges they are facing, is based on studies conducted in first-world countries. There clearly is a gap in the literature in terms of studies that focus on female leaders in Africa. Much has still to be said about the role that cultural practices and prejudices play in hampering the growth and progress of these women. This authentic study of a South African Zulu female manager provides a unique insight into the way she negotiated the challenges of climbing the corporate ladder in a male-dominated environment. Its postmodernist approach challenges the writer to use herself as a research subject while applying the principle of reflexivity in stepping back and analysing lived experiences from a researcher‟s perspective. In opening up her innermost feelings to the world, the researcher reveals who she really is, and how she, as a Zulu woman, wife, mother, and manager, negotiated her way between her own traditional culture and the Western corporate world. This creates real challenges to the researcher, as she has to keep sliding between being the subject and being the researcher at the same time. This narrative of "self" is recreated through interviewing people who had been part of the researcher‟s life during the period which was the focus of the study as well as the researcher recalling significant events. The research focuses on the challenges of being a minority leader in a South African workplace. The resistance to a black female as their superior by black males is highlighted, as is the manner in which these cultural prejudices result in discrimination against women by members of their own culture. The research also illuminates the impact of legislation aimed at transforming the local workplace and the leadership fraternity in a post-apartheid South Africa.
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Towards understanding experiences of women aspiring to senior management positions within a business environment
- Authors: Usher, Jane Victoria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Businesswomen , Corporate culture , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment , Sex role in the work environment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4842
- Description: D.Phil. , Equality, status and remuneration of women in the workforce remain of on-going interest and concern. Although extensive research has been conducted into this field, intensely personal experiences of women in the work environment is an important area to be researched, as this may hold the key to assisting them in successfully reaching the higher echelons within the business world. Insight into women’s workplace experiences is a worldwide need in order to improve empowerment and equality in the workplace. Unfortunately this type of insight is lacking in the body of research that is currently available. The motivation for this study entitled: Towards Understanding Experiences of Women Aspiring to Senior Management Positions within a Business Environment was to examine the intensely personal experiences and emotions of women striving to achieve a senior place in the business hierarchy, especially when they encounter unexpected obstacles such as workplace bullying. The researcher has experienced many challenges that have influenced her career over her last ten years at work. Undertaking an auto-ethnographic study, an approach she wasn’t even aware of until 2006, provided her with the opportunity to study these events and experiences, and to learn from the knowledge gained, and thereby put forward suggestions to effect the social change that is required to improve a career woman’s quality of life. The aims of this research study were to understand the context of the research participants’ work situations and their resultant experiences, to propose actions to relieve the negative emotions and behaviours that may occur during such situations, as well as generate knowledge and add to existing theories. This research explores and describes the realities of two working women, and how they make sense of their worlds and experiences. The researcher has adopted elements of post-modernism as well as some positivistic and modernistic components which occur in varying degrees along the qualitative research continuum. While qualitative researchers hold different views regarding the incorporation and relevance of literature to their research topic, the researcher has incorporated both literature and theory in this thesis. Insights gained from the lived experiences of the research participants have been applied by means of analytical induction to relevant theory and contributeto the body of knowledge.
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- Authors: Usher, Jane Victoria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Businesswomen , Corporate culture , Women executives , Sex discrimination in employment , Sex role in the work environment
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2388 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4842
- Description: D.Phil. , Equality, status and remuneration of women in the workforce remain of on-going interest and concern. Although extensive research has been conducted into this field, intensely personal experiences of women in the work environment is an important area to be researched, as this may hold the key to assisting them in successfully reaching the higher echelons within the business world. Insight into women’s workplace experiences is a worldwide need in order to improve empowerment and equality in the workplace. Unfortunately this type of insight is lacking in the body of research that is currently available. The motivation for this study entitled: Towards Understanding Experiences of Women Aspiring to Senior Management Positions within a Business Environment was to examine the intensely personal experiences and emotions of women striving to achieve a senior place in the business hierarchy, especially when they encounter unexpected obstacles such as workplace bullying. The researcher has experienced many challenges that have influenced her career over her last ten years at work. Undertaking an auto-ethnographic study, an approach she wasn’t even aware of until 2006, provided her with the opportunity to study these events and experiences, and to learn from the knowledge gained, and thereby put forward suggestions to effect the social change that is required to improve a career woman’s quality of life. The aims of this research study were to understand the context of the research participants’ work situations and their resultant experiences, to propose actions to relieve the negative emotions and behaviours that may occur during such situations, as well as generate knowledge and add to existing theories. This research explores and describes the realities of two working women, and how they make sense of their worlds and experiences. The researcher has adopted elements of post-modernism as well as some positivistic and modernistic components which occur in varying degrees along the qualitative research continuum. While qualitative researchers hold different views regarding the incorporation and relevance of literature to their research topic, the researcher has incorporated both literature and theory in this thesis. Insights gained from the lived experiences of the research participants have been applied by means of analytical induction to relevant theory and contributeto the body of knowledge.
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A qualitative portrayal of the experience of women in senior management positions in a knowledge organisation
- Authors: Venter, Cornelia Maria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Women executives , Knowledge workers , Sex discrimination against women
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2398 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4851
- Description: D.Phil. , The world of work of women has elicited much research locally and abroad. Underpinning the research is the societal norm that men are breadwinners and women are homemakers, which poses a dilemma in terms of gender roles in the professional and domestic life of women. Hence the aim of the research was to develop a substantive theory to explore and foreground how women in senior management positions in a knowledge organisation in the telecommunication domain experience their professional and domestic realities against the background of the materialisation of this societal norm. The study was done in the qualitative paradigm, guided by a modernist interpretive theoretical framework. Casing was employed as research design. Six women at senior management level were selected by means of purposive sampling (with the assistance of a gatekeeper). One-on-one semi-structured interviews and field notes were used as data collection methods. Grounded theory (as proposed by Strauss and Corbin) was used to analyse the data. Open coding was done with the aid of the ATLAS.ti computer software programme, whereas axial coding and selective coding were done manually.
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- Authors: Venter, Cornelia Maria
- Date: 2012-06-05
- Subjects: Women executives , Knowledge workers , Sex discrimination against women
- Type: Thesis
- Identifier: uj:2398 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/4851
- Description: D.Phil. , The world of work of women has elicited much research locally and abroad. Underpinning the research is the societal norm that men are breadwinners and women are homemakers, which poses a dilemma in terms of gender roles in the professional and domestic life of women. Hence the aim of the research was to develop a substantive theory to explore and foreground how women in senior management positions in a knowledge organisation in the telecommunication domain experience their professional and domestic realities against the background of the materialisation of this societal norm. The study was done in the qualitative paradigm, guided by a modernist interpretive theoretical framework. Casing was employed as research design. Six women at senior management level were selected by means of purposive sampling (with the assistance of a gatekeeper). One-on-one semi-structured interviews and field notes were used as data collection methods. Grounded theory (as proposed by Strauss and Corbin) was used to analyse the data. Open coding was done with the aid of the ATLAS.ti computer software programme, whereas axial coding and selective coding were done manually.
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