In a recent article, Dr Solveig Beyza Evenstad $(2022)$ argued that the COVID$-19$ pandemic resulted not only in increased

morbidity and mortality due to the virus but also in significant health, lifestyle, economic and societal changes because of

lockdown, home confinement, and social distancing. After the first two years of the pandemic, there was a consensus that

the mental health of populations has been adversely affected. It is no secret that after the COVID$-19$ pandemic, a range of

phenomena are disrupting the labour market the world over. This tightening of the labour market has been brought on by a

sustained period of economic growth, a mismatch of skills required by the new economy, and an unexpected labour

shortage created by the COVID$-19$ pandemic. At the same time, employees are reporting increasing work$/$life conflict

emanating from increased pressure at work, rising work hours and greater work induced stress.

First, there was the $$Great Resignation$,$ which was followed by $$Quiet Quitting$$ and now, $$Quiet Promotion$.$ The $$Great

Resignation$$ was coined by Anthony Klotz, a professor at University College London, who predicted a large wave of

resignation following the COVID$-19$ pandemic. Many academics and commentators seized on this catchy phrase to make

claims about employees $$taking back$$ their lives citing high burnout rates, a desire for better work$/$life balance and toxic

work environments $($Needelman$,2022$ Smith, $2022$ Sull et al$.,2022).$ The great resignation led to the other catch phrases

such as $$quiet quitting$$ and $$quiet firing$$ reflecting employees withdrawing their extra role behaviours and employers piling

on unpleasant and unrewarding work $($Harter$,2022$ Miller, $2022).$ The great resignation and recent layoffs across industries

has left many teams short$-$staffed and the remaining employees have been horizontally and vertically loaded with additional

tasks, hence $$quiet promotion$.$ In this regard, $$quiet promotion$$ represents a de novo manifestation of the paradigm shift at

the nexus of business and the labour market.

As stated in the article above, $$some diligent staff are being tasked with greater responsibility on the sly$.$ The term $$quiet

promotion$,$ according to Van Beek, can also be used to describe a situation where high$-$performing employees are

$$punished$$ for their success by being given more work and responsibilities instead of being recognised and rewarded for

their contributions. Whichever way the $$quiet promotion$$ takes place, the end result is the same: it can lead to burnout and

decreased job satisfaction, and ultimately, higher turnover of staff. While its disruption to organisational functioning may be

less visible than that of the great resignation, quiet promotion can in fact be even more damaging. What happens to the

remaining employees who get stuck picking up the leftover, often more demanding, workAs a business researcher with a research interest in organisational behavior and employee well$-$being, you suspect that the

Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and Quiet Promotion phenomena are all symptomatic of an unfolding paradigm shift in

the organisational environment. You believe that a deeper understanding of the novo$-$contemporary phenomenon of $$quiet

promotion$$ and its concomitant effect on employee performance will enable management to develop effective mitigating

strategies to reduce employee burnout and improve organisational outcomes.

Accordingly, you are proposing a qualitative study with the aim of exploring the effect of perceived quiet promotion practices

on employee performance at selected JSE$-$listed technology companies.

You have formulated the following research objectives for the proposed study:

$$ To explore the discourse surrounding the great resignation, quiet quitting, and quiet promotion phenomena across the

selected JSE$-$listed technology companies.

$$ To understand how best to craft resilient organisational cultures that are responsive to the unfolding paradigm shift

characterized by the great resignation, quiet quitting, and quiet promotion phenomena across the selected JSE$-$listed

technology companies.

$$ To examine the nexus of perceived quiet promotion practices and employee burnout across the selected JSE$-$listed

technology companies.

$$ To proffer practical recommendations to the management of the selected JSE$-$listed technology companies on how best

to mitigate quiet promotion for improved employee performance.Based on the outcome of $5$W analysis in $1\mathrm{.}1,$ formulate a suitable title for the proposed study. $(3$ Marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}3$ Formulate FOUR $(4)$ research questions that the proposed study will attempt to answer. $(4$ Marks$)$

$1\mathrm{.}4$ Based on yr nderstandinof research philosophy, critically discuss the ontological and epistemological

perspectives of the proposed study

$1\mathrm{.}5$ Briefly discuss the concept of research design and specify, with detailed elaboration on$,$ an appropriate research design that you would use to answer the four research questions formulated in$1\mathrm{.}3$