MANAGEMENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT

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THE CURRENT IMPORTANCE OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION IN THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

One of the most alarming affirmative action labour developments in the South African economy is the vast gap between the demand and the supply of skilled designated managers in the labour market. Designated managers (DSGN) are previously disadvantaged employees (i.e. black men, all women and disables). Swanepoel, Erasmus, Van Wyk & Heinz (2003) warn that if South Africa wants to succeed in real skills transformation and wishes to balance economic and social growth, it has to pay real attention to key designated management career development (MCD) challenges.
South African organisations tend to try quick-fix affirmative action programmes and hence often find that their efforts fail. The main obstacles to success are a lack of responsibility and accountability for designated MCD programmes and a failure to foster two-way human resources development (HRD) communication (Swanepoel et al., 2003).
At the start of the 21st century, automotive business continues to globalise. The way people work together is undergoing a metamorphosis, subject to the impact of massive technical skills shortages (NPI, 2002; Avolio, 2001). At the same time, conventional workplace methods have also changed what one would call “our organisation” and how people work together across time, distance and cultures (business to business /customers and people). The business association between organisation and management development structures that can make adjustments before the old business model (such as workshop job costing, grinding, spot and seam welding activities) is all “dried up”.
According to data supplied by the South African Chamber of Business (Department of Trade and Industry, 2004), South African exports of vehicle and parts accessories to the United States of America surged by 86.2% in October 2002, an increase of 54 million dollars. Minister Alec Erwin (Department of Trade and Industry, 2004) has indicated that so far South Africa’s strategy to become an internationally competitive economy University of Pretoria etd – Naidoo, A (2005) has focused mainly on lowering tariffs and becoming an export-oriented economy. In the global market, this is clearly not enough.
The status of the implementation of affirmative action programmes does not yet offer black managers enough career paths or succession plans or even give them many responsibilities or power over resources. Consequently, many black managers are not committed to their work, but rather focus on job-hopping in order to stay out of frustrating positions (Firer & Saunders, 2003). South African managers face unique challenges and therefore, one cannot merely transplant even the best international practices into local automotive organisations uncritically (Pretorius & Swanepoel 2002).

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND PROBLEM STATEMENT 
1.1 The current importance of affirmative action in the automotive industry
1.2 Background to the automotive industry
1.3 Focus of the study
1.4 Scope of the investigation and objectives of this study
1.5 Techniques used and aspects considered
1.6 Summary
CHAPTER 2: MANAGEMENT CAREER DEVELOPMENT: LITERATURE REVIEW 
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Managing an employee’s career
2.3 The definition of a “career”, “career management” and “career motivation”
2.4 Career management as an ongoing process
2.4.1 The scope of career-pathing and MCD
2.5 The importance of career development
2.5.1 Career as life
2.5.2 Equality through careers
2.5.3 Career mobility
2.6 Understanding how managerial career advancement occurs
2.6.1 MCD theory models
2.7 A road map for planning and developing management career-pathing
2.8 Formulating an integrated systems framework
2.8.1 MCD visibility and value-adding
2.9 Examples of strategic MCD approaches
2.10 SomeMCD techniques
2.11 Career-pathing and some new perspectives on development models
2.12 Policies and processes that affect organisational MCD
2.13 MCD processes and responsibilities in organisations
2.14 A theoretical approach to MCD programmes
2.15 Strategic guidelines for designing a proper internal MCD programme and
theirbenefits
2.16 Human resources management planning
2.17 The questionnaire theory of career-dimension systems
2.18 Summary
CHAPTER 3: THE FORMULATION OF A SYSTEMIC MODEL OF AN INTEGRATED MCD STRATEGY 
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The organisational HRM strategic model and its impact on MCD
3.3 The futuristic dimension of the strategic MCD model
3.4 Building an effective method to link an organisation’s strategic agenda and MCD processes
3.5 A proposed foundation for building a systemic model within an MCD framework
3.6 A new systemic model for an integrated designated MCD strategy
3.7 Conclusion
CHAPTER 4: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY 
4.1 Introduction 1
4.2 Research problem
4.3 Objectives of the study
4.4 Research design
4.5 Pilot study
4.6 Target group and demographics
4.7 Conclusion
CHAPTER 5: RESULTS AND FINDINGS 
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Descriptive statistics – Sample profile (Respondents’ Biographical Data)
5.2.1 Introduction: A summary of statistics and general findings
5.3 Statistical results of questionnaire data
5.4 Factor analysis results of Career Dimension Survey
5.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
References
Appendix A: Research questionnaire: survey
Appendix B: Questionnaire pre-coding procedure and detailed
statistical data by objectives

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