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Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university
Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | en_ZA |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2017
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| _version_ | 1867613895053541376 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon |
| author2 | Van Wyk, B. |
| author_browse | Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon Van Wyk, B. |
| author_facet | Van Wyk, B. Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon |
| author_sort | Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/102600 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | en_ZA |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:24.214Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publishDateRange | 2017 |
| publishDateSort | 2017 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/102600 Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon Van Wyk, B. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Education Policy Studies. Hermeneutics Education, Higher -- South Africa Institutional culture Universities and colleges -- Social aspects -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Mergers -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2017. ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This dissertation is based on a critical hermeneutic study of institutional culture of a merged institution of higher education in South Africa. Concepts, documents and interviews were analysed in order to establish how they were contributing to the articulation of institutional culture as enunciated in government policies. The University of South Africa (Unisa) is the unit of analysis and three open distance learning (ODL) institutions: Vista University Distance Education (VUDEC) and Technikon South Africa (TSA) and the “old Unisa” merged to form what is known today as Unisa. Not many studies have been conducted on the institutional culture in an ODL context, especially through document analysis and people’s perceptions. Most studies centre on the process of the merger and its effects on the organisation generally, paying less attention to what people and documents say about the institutional culture after the merger. Analysis of how the merger led to perceptions of institutional culture was done by construction of six meanings (shared values and beliefs, language, symbols, university leadership, staff and student development and curriculum). These meanings are recurring themes in most literature. After I examined these meanings for their congruity and rationale for undertaking the study, I responded to the question whether they could provide answers to my research questions. My study found that most of the meanings of my theoretical framework were addressed in documents and interviews at Unisa. This somehow confirmed my theoretical framework; however, the interpretations of the policy documents and people’s perceptions on the other hand were completely different. Unisa has wonderful policies in terms of strategies for 2020, vision and mission for 2006, striving towards being “the University towards service of Humanity in Africa”. The focus was on whether institutional culture after the merger, contributes to Unisa’s vision of living up to being an African university producing knowledge that would solve African challenges. The policies are focusing on improvement of the business model, being advanced in the latest IT for ODL purposes, so that Unisa becomes a first choice for studying. There is a challenge of whether people perceive the culture of the institution, as currently paving a way towards that goal, but the vision seems to concretise the sense of creation of an institutional culture that sets Unisa as a leading open distance learning institution. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Hierdie verhandeling is op ’n kritiese hermeneutiese studie van institusionele kultuur in ’n saamgesmelte hoëronderwysinstelling in Suid-Afrika gegrond. Konsepte, dokumente en onderhoude is ontleed om te bepaal hoe dit tot die artikulasie van institusionele kultuur, soos in regeringsbeleide uiteengesit, bydra. Die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika (Unisa) is die ontledingseenheid, en drie oop afstandsonderrig (OAO)-instellings: Vista Universiteit se afdeling vir afstandsonderrig (VUDEC), die Technikon Suidelike Afrika (TSA) en die “ou Unisa” het saamgesmelt om Unisa, soos dit vandag bekend staan, te vorm. Min studies is oor die institusionele kultuur in ’n OAO-konteks uitgevoer, veral wat dokumentontledings en mense se persepsies betref. Die meeste studies fokus op die samesmeltingsproses en die uitwerking wat dit op die organisasie in die algemeen het en kyk nie soseer na wat mense en dokumente oor die institusionele kultuur ná die samesmelting te sê het nie. ’n Ontleding van hoe die samesmelting tot persepsies oor institusionele kultuur gelei het, is deur middel van die konstruksie van ses betekenisse (gedeelde waardes en beskouings, taal, simbole, universiteitsleierskap, personeel- en studente-ontwikkeling, en kurrikulum) gedoen. Hierdie betekenisse is herhalende temas in die meeste literatuur. Nadat ek die betekenisse vir kongruensie en as rasionaal vir die uitvoer van die studie ondersoek het, het ek aandag gegee aan die vraag of dit antwoorde op my navorsingsvraag bied. My studie het bevind dat die meeste konstitutiewe betekenisse in my teoretiese raamwerk in dokumente en onderhoude by Unisa aangeroer word. Dit het my teoretiese raamwerk gedeeltelik bevestig; aan die ander kant het interpretasies van die beleidsdokumente en mense se persepsies grootliks verskil. Unisa beskik oor merkwaardige beleide sover dit strategieë vir 2020 betref, en die visie en missie vir 2006 bevestig die strewe om “dié Afrika-universiteit in diens van die mensdom te word”. Die fokus is daarop om ’n Afrika-universiteit te wees wat die kennis oplewer om Afrika se uitdagings te kan aanpak. Die beleide beklemtoon die verbetering van die sakemodel deur gevorderde IT vir die doeleindes van oop afstandsonderrig (OAO) te gebruik en Unisa bo aan die voorkeurlys as studie-instelling te plaas. Mense se persepsies van die institusionele kultuur as ’n wegwyser om die oogmerke te bereik bied ’n uitdaging in die huidige klimaat, ofskoon die gevoel dat die institusionele kultuur wat Unisa as ’n leidende instelling voorhou, in die visie gekonkretiseer word. Doctoral 2017-11-09T08:52:15Z 2017-12-11T10:30:21Z 2018-12-01T03:00:11Z 2017-12 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/102600 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xviii, 283 pages application/pdf application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Hermeneutics Education, Higher -- South Africa Institutional culture Universities and colleges -- Social aspects -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Mergers -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa Luvalo, Loyiso Mennon Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title | Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title_full | Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title_fullStr | Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title_full_unstemmed | Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title_short | Institutional culture of a post-merger institution: A case study of a South African university |
| title_sort | institutional culture of a post merger institution a case study of a south african university |
| topic | Hermeneutics Education, Higher -- South Africa Institutional culture Universities and colleges -- Social aspects -- South Africa Universities and colleges -- Mergers -- South Africa Distance education -- South Africa |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/102600 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT luvaloloyisomennon institutionalcultureofapostmergerinstitutionacasestudyofasouthafricanuniversity |