HMEMS80 2013 ASSIGNMENT 01 FOR SEMESTER 1 (Unique number 697716) DUE DATE 11 MARCH 2013 SURNAME AND INITIALS:

KNOPP L (Indicate your name and initials above) STUDENT NUMBER: 32521723
Note that there Assignment. are two documents for this

1) An INSTRUCTION document that provides the task and the information that you need to correctly complete the assignment. 2) This TEMPLATE FILE (that you must RENAME to indicate your own details) and on which you will complete your answers. This is the ONLY file that you will submit for this assignment via the MyUnisa Assignment Submission system.

Please make sure that you have correctly named the file and that you have indicated all your answers on this file BEFORE submitting it as your assignment by the due date. It needs to be completed in Word format and then

submitted online as a PDF document. Only assignments in PDF format may be submitted. [If you need more guidance on how to create a PDF document review the FAQs on your HMEMS80 myUnisa site].

SECTION A:

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

See the INSTRUCTION document for the material that you need to work through and the multiple choice questions to complete this section. Correct answer: Indicate ONLY the letter for the correct answer below for each of the 10 questions. A C D A D B A A D C

Question number

Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 5 Question 6 Question 7 Question 8 Question 9 Question 10

SECTION B:

LITERATURE REVIEW

Include your literature review below:

DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

HPBUS80(The Research Proposal in Business Management)

How will the knowledge-based economy drive employability opportunities for new graduates?

LAWRENCE KNOPP Student no: 32521723

Telephone number: +27813505436 E-mail:LAWRENCEKNOPP@HOTMAIL.COM Date of submission: 11-03-2013

CONTENTS

PAGE

1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 6

1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5

The statement of the problem and its setting ....... 6 The statement of the Sub Problems ...................... 6 The purpose of the study ....................................... 6 The objectives of the study .................................... 7 The research questions .......................................... 7

2 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................... 8

LIST OF REFERENCES .................................................... 15

INTRODUCTION

As Individuals and a society we strive for the highest realisation of our true inherent nature. Maslow in his explanation of the need for self-actualisation, a term coined by Kurt Goldstein (1939) described self-actualisation as the desire to become more and more what one is and to become everything that one is capable of becoming (Maslow, 1943). This could be said to be expressed by societys trend towards a Knowledge-Based Economy. The way governments, corporations and individuals are developing employability in this regard plays a vital role in our self-actualisation and the future of our economy.

Knowledge is now recognised as the driver of productivity and economic growth, leading to a new focus on the role of information, technology and learning in economic performance (OECD, 1996). A countries greatest asset in a knowledge based economy would then be highly developed individuals with the pertinent knowledge, skills, character traits and abilities to drive the economy. This would put graduates into a very valuable category for the future development of our society and economy.

We see developing nations eagerly perusing the goal of a knowledge-based economy. For example, South Africa has developed a Ten-Year Innovation Plan to help drive transformation towards a knowledge-based economy, in which the production and dissemination of knowledge leads to economic benefits and enriches all fields of human endeavour. (Department of Science and Technology, Knowledge-Based Economy: Ten-year Plan for South Africa 2008 2018 (2007, p.iv))

As a country develops into a modern technologically advanced society with a developed economy, it requires a higher standard skill set than a simple workforce. A major factor to be considered is how to impart the required skills necessary for advanced work force of a technologically developed economy. The configuration of national innovation systems, which consist of the flows and relationships among industry, government and academia in the development of science and technology, is an important economic determinant (OECD, 1996). Employment in the knowledge-based economy is characterised by increasing demand for more highly-skilled workers (OECD, 1996). This is especially pertinent due to the fact that the reduction of unemployment is not economically viable with menial labour jobs. As we see the outsourcing of manufacturing and service work to lower labour cost economies has become a global trend (McQuade and Maguire, 2010). This highlights the role that both public and private sectors involvement should be in cultivating graduates and ensuring their ability to thrive in the work place. 1.1 The statement of the problem and its setting The approach to enhance employability of graduates in a knowledge based economy is vital and has to be analyzed in order to find the most pragmatic approach to their advancement of society.

1.2 The statement of the Sub Problems There is a lack of allocation of roles that the government, educational institute and private sector play in enhancing employability of the graduates. Graduates have a non

realistic perception of the demands of the work place and the skills required for success in their chosen career paths. 1.3 The purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to review work to date done on employability and highlight the most pragmatic approach to enhance employability of graduates in a knowledge based economy.

1.4 The objectives of the study The objective of this study is to explore the relationship between government, educational institutions and industry in regard to their roles of improving the employability of graduates. An analysis of the perceived roles of governments and institutions has been playing to date and the lessons learnt. To demonstrated that with clear role parameters that a symbiotic relationship between the three will bring out the most optimal result.

1.5 The research questions What are the role parameters of government, educational institutions and private industry for the optimization of employability of graduates in the knowledge based economy? Does the responsibility fall solely on a graduate or is this goal and endeavour for government, educational institutions and the private sector alike?

LITERATURE REVIEW

The challenge of bridging the gap between academic students and becoming productive individuals in the workplace is a question facing many developed and developing nations. Some might argue the onus falls on the employee to gain the knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics valued by current and prospective employers (Fugate, 2004).

Many have tried to define employability with a variety of results. Lee Harvey (2001) in defining and measuring employability examines three possible outlooks. The definitions he uses are as follows. 1) Employability is the ability to gain and retain fulfilling employment (Hillage & Pollard, 1998). 2) Employability is the propensity of the graduate to exhibit attributes that employers anticipate will be necessary for the future effective functioning of their organisation (Harvey, 1999). 3) Employability is the ability of the graduate to get a satisfying job. He goes on to reject the concept of relying on employment rates as an indication of graduates preparedness for the workplace and would prefer to see the relative improvement of the graduates skill set as the correct measure of how educational institutions are succeeding.

Graduates perception of their own required skills for employability may be a valid benchmark for educational institutions to consider. Robinson and Garton (2008) analyzed the agricultural education graduates perspective of employability by surveying 141 graduates and assessing how they perceived employability skills and their competence in those skills. In conclusion they found the most pertinent need was that graduates lacked employability skills that deal with defining and solving problems and analyzing information in making decisions and so, curriculum enhancement was needed in those areas. This approach although helpful does not integrate graduates into real life work environment.

10

Michael Tomlinson (2007) studied the perception of the labour market for graduates and their understanding of their future careers, drawing on interviews of 53 final year students in a UK university, from the responses he categorised them into three groups; careerist, ritualist and the retreatist. In the study he points out that most of the respondents were concerned about how hard it would be to enter the work force as a graduate even amongst the careerist who were characterised as optimistic.

In order to apply these concepts to educational institutional setting it is vital to properly understand the concept of employability as seen from the graduates perspective as well as the companys perspective.

The central goal is for the cultivation of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics by 'investment in human capital and strategies for lifelong learning.' (McQuaid & Lindsay, 2005). As has been suggested by the UNs Youth Employment Network All countries need to review, re-think and re-orient their education, vocational training and labour market policies to facilitate the school to work to transition and to give young people . . . a head start in working life (UN, 2001, p. 4). Although pragmatic, policy-driven approaches to measuring `employability, such as using statistics on employment rates, subverts the operationalisation process at the heart of any good quantitative research (Harvey 2001 p.99). As expressed by McQuaid and Lindsay (2005, p.205) The employability skills or individual assets possessed by workers and job seekers, and the extent to which these tie in with the immediate needs of employers, have come to define many policy-makers' identification of skills gaps and understanding of the concept of employability.

It has to be recognised by governments that the concept of improving employability is not just one of social welfare for the disabled and the unemployed but is vital for a countries development and competiveness in general. We also see that industry also recognise the great benefits that can be achieved by enhancing employability of graduates. We find companies

10

11

struggling to find suitable candidates for skilled positions and as such, spend additional funds on employee training.

In Ireland a positive relationship has been established between government, private sector and educational institution as seen from The Programme for University-Industry Interface (PUII). They found that university training needs are likely to be very closely aligned to the strategic needs of the company and that there is an urgent need to work with industry in developing incompany training programmes (McQuade & Maguire, 2005). We also see positive relationships in research and development where roles of higher education and science councils were found to be particularly important as collaboration partners with the business sector (Gastrow M, 2008).

This type of partnership could be an ideal platform for further enhancement of employability skills in graduates. Government should further invest in partnerships between educational institutions and industry as a tool in enhancing the employability of graduates.

LIST OF REFERENCES Department of Science and Technology (2007). Innovation towards a knowledge-based economy: Ten-year plan for South Africa (2008 2018) Department of Science and Technology 2007 Nr 114538
Fugate, M. (2004). Employability: a psycho-social construct, its dimensions and applications. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 65, 14-38.

Goldstein, K. The organism. New York: American Book Co., 1939 Harvey, L., (1999). Employability audit toolkit, Birmingham, Centre for Research into Quality Harvey, L. (2001). Defining and measuring employability. Quality in Higher Education, 7(2) 97109. McQuade, E. (2005). Individuals and their employability. Journal of European Industrial Training, 29(6), 447-456. 11

12

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370396 Gastrow M, (2008). Great expectations: The state of biotechnology research and development in South Africa, African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 7 (4), pp. 342-348 Michael Tomlinson (2007). Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labour market, Journal of Education and Work, 20:4, 285-304 OECD (1996). The Knowledge-Based Economy, Paris. Tomlinson, M. T. (2007). Graduate employability and student attitudes and orientations to the labor market. Journal of Education and Work, 20(4), 285-304 Robinson, J. S. and Garton B.L. (2008). An assessment of the employability skills needed by graduates in the collage of agriculture, food and natural resources at the University of Missouri. Journal of Agricultural Education 49 (4) UNITED NATIONS (2001). Recommendations of the High Level Panel of the Youth Employment Network. New York: United Nations.

12