Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Business intelligence Australia Case studies'

Asset securitization is one of the most important financial innovations recently. With an impressive growth in terms of volume of issuance, from almost zero to five trillion USD, in a period of 15-20 years, it is one of the most rapidly growing markets in the financial world. Yet, little is known about this, literally invisible market. Companies engage in asset securitization for a variety of reasons and numerous advantages and disadvantages of asset securitization can be found throughout the literature. Asset securitization has an impact on a number of stakeholder groups: shareholders, managers, employees, investors, the financial markets and ultimately the overall economy and society. Asset securitization is one of the reasons for the financial crisis that started in mid 2007. Since the recent financial turmoil, it became clear the asset securitization was the primary funding source for companies in the financial industry and it was the primary supplier of credit in developed economies. Because of its importance and impact, it is very important that we study the reasons, the motivations, the consequences and the effects from this so powerful financial innovation. And it is important to study it from as many different aspects as possible. Many questions surrounding asset securitization are unanswered and it is important to answer them sooner. This study investigates the wealth effects from asset securitization on the shareholders of the securitizing companies. We study whether the announcement about a pending securitization transaction has any impact on the stock price of the securitizing company. That way we can discover whether asset securitization creates wealth, destroys wealth or has no impact on wealth at all. Not many studies have been done on this topic so far. The existing seven studies are focused mainly on the US and the EU market and report contradicting results. In this study, for the first time, data from Australia is being used. The Australian securitization market is the second, single most active securitization market in the world, after the US market. We conduct quantitative analysis on a sample of 98 securitization transactions during the period 2000-2006. With this sample, we cover almost 29% of the number of securitization transactions during that period and almost 39% in terms of volume of issuance. To analyze the data we use standard event study methodology, common for this type of studies.    Our analysis reveals that investors in Australia do not perceive asset securitization favorably. Securitizing companies’ stock price decreases in the 10 days around the securitization announcement day, resulting in statistically significant wealth losses for the originating companies’ shareholders. Furthermore, the wealth losses are significant for less frequent securitizers, for securitizers that engage in small volume securitization transactions and for securitizing companies with low asset quality.    With this study we make theoretical and practical contribution. We lend empirical support to the previous theories and we help managers, shareholders and investors shape their forecasts.

Strategic alliances are generally perceived as cooperative relationships constrained within the parameters of bounded rationality, seeking to maximise their levels of control in a turbulent economic environment. They are also commonly conceptualised as a means of creating competitive advantage in business. In regional areas of Western Australia they are favoured by government instrumentalities as a means of making small to medium enterprises (SMEs) more competitive. With the dominant global emphasis in the literature on big business, relatively little is known still about strategic alliances in small to medium enterprises. Moreover, the research on strategic alliances within Australia s also limited, and since 92 %or businesses in Australia arc SMEs (ABS 1999), there are significant gaps in the literature about a significant contributor to economic health or the nation. For these reasons this thesis focuses attention on SMEs in Australia, in particular the South West of Western Australia. This thesis is concerned with strategic alliance propensity in selected small to medium enterprises with less than 500 employees but three or more employees including family members. Mixed methodology data collection was used; based on an extensively validated international survey instrument, and a series of in-depth interviews. The outcome of the study was a synthesised model of SME strategic alliance decision-making which addresses the impacts on attitudes of SME Key Decision-Leaders choosing either positive or negative behaviours relating to strategic alliance formation. The development of this model, the Strategic Alliance Participation Paradigm (SAPP) was achieved through an iterative approach to environmental exploration, literature scanning and analysis and the application of a mixed methodological approach to data collection. Chapters One to Three present the development of the research questions and the research process adopted to address important elements or the research. Chapter Four presents the major consolidated findings based on factor analysed outcomes. Variables were subjected to logistic regression statistical analysis determining support for hypothesised research outcomes. In depth interviews provide evidence of the SME domain, in the context initially of the regional area under review. Conclusions arc further reviewed in the context or a recent significant Norwegian culturally based survey. The Strategic Alliance Participation Paradigm reflects the work carried out by a small group of earlier researchers, and further, empirically tests the determinants of SME Key-Decision-Leader strategic alliance behaviour. Recommendations for future research developed from the research findings arc presented in Chapter Five supporting the conclusions und implications of this study for future SME strategic alliance research both regional and global. Benefits from this process will be seen in the enhanced ability to benchmark at source regional differences and similarities, and thereby to further enhance the value of the outcomes to scholars and practitioners. Researchers could do well to pursue understanding of identified gaps in knowledge and to cooperate with industry to enhance alliance behaviour, achieving benefits through philosophy of competitive tendering. Significant within the outcomes however, was the identified need to research ways to support and grow the large sector of Australian business, the small to medium enterprise.

This study reviews the literature in relation to virtual strategic alignment models and strategies. From this the researcher develops a framework to test two new strategic alignment instruments designed to measure the espoused preparedness of organisations to operate virtually and the readiness of an organisation to collaborate virtually. These instruments are designed to assist organisations in recognising and exploiting their degree of virtuality and can support organisations in developing new organisational forms that fully leverage the value of their ICT assests. Prior research has attempted to address strategic alignment issues either internally, externally or holistically. A new approach was necessary.

This was an investigation of factors that assisted Australian Aboriginal students complete or incomplete a business course at a University in Perth between 2000 and 2010. The concept of resilience and related factors of inclusion and exclusion from the participants’ past were assumed clues by the researcher. The investigation involved four inquiries. First, the researcher reviewed recent statistics of Aboriginal population, education and employment. A short history of Aboriginal education in Western Australian was also made. Both reviews indicated Aboriginal people endured relative exclusion and a lower status than the mainstream population in areas of education and employment. Second, the researcher assumed that a shared interdependency existed between distinct “ethnic groups” (Barth, 1969) in terms of “levels of engagement at the cultural boundaries”. The cultural boundaries consisted of four layers, namely observable behaviour and material artefacts, institutions, values and worldviews (Barney, 1973; P. D. Milnes & Grant, 1999b). At these “cultural boundaries” that the researcher explored, there were more than three “Rs” (i.e. reading, writing and arithmetic) concerns active in the classroom, namely the silent “R”, resilience. Third, the researcher built upon the theoretical work of Francis’ (1981) ‘teach to the difference’, Nakata’s (1997) idea of ‘cultural interface’ and Milnes’ (2008) concept of ‘meeting place’. The researcher then adapted a new research model called ‘engagement at the cultural boundaries’. Fourth, the researcher conducted a large case study on four samples. A short life-history interview was made of each sample: 1) a pilot study of a previous business graduate; 2) Aboriginal graduates (n=17); 3) Aboriginal non-graduates (n=13); 4) teaching and administrative staff (n=6). Then the pilot study and three groups of stakeholders were rated with a ‘resilience score’ in terms of their engagement at social and economic boundaries based on their personal, public, training and economic identities. The researcher concluded that overall ten factors of resilience had assisted the Aboriginal students complete or incomplete the tertiary business course. These ten factors were: a strong self-reference point, sense of community, structured living, strong support network, stakeholders identifying with struggles, significant role models, strong status and a single mindedness to complete the task at hand, skills in crisis management, and a previous history of successful engagement at the cultural boundaries. Besides the pilot study, the students who completed the tertiary business course had a high resilience score based on previously, strong inclusive engagements at the two key cultural boundaries, the social and economic boundaries. Those students who did not complete the tertiary business course still had a high resilience score, but showed less experiences and examples of inclusive engagement at the overall cultural boundaries prior to and for the duration of the tertiary business course. Teachers of Aboriginal students would do well to discern that Aboriginal students do have a high resilience score overall despite their publicly acknowledged low status and historic loss of economic power. Teachers and key stakeholders in Aboriginal tertiary education also would do well to recognise that some of the ten factors of resilience in Aboriginal tertiary students, especially those resilience factors linked to training and economic identity, require more focus and strengthening. The challenge for all stakeholders of tertiary education is to develop all factors of resilience so that Aboriginal students can experience more inclusion as the latter engage at the tertiary cultural boundary.

To cope with increasing demands and competition in the ever-growing global market, organizations have been increasing the use and formation of multicultural teams (MCTs). Though advantageous in numerous aspects, MCT literature lays significant focus on the struggles in managing communication and cohesion in these teams. Journalists and organizational psychologists propose an emergent generation of individuals who are eager and accustomed to working with people worldwide. This Generation Global is composed of individuals who possess a global mindset and cultural intelligence, allowing them to navigate multicultural environments successfully. This paper conducts a qualitative case study on an MCT in the global cybersecurity company, MobileIron, to observe whether the main challenges found in previous literature prevail in MCTs composed of Generation Global individuals. The results demonstrate that cross-cultural communication is a less significant issue and strains in team cohesion are nonexistent in these teams due to the collective cultural intelligence and global identity within the team.
For att hantera den alltmer vaxande globala marknaden har det blivit alltmer vanligt för organisationer att bilda mångkulturella teams, MCTs. Även om kulturell mångfald är till storsta del fördelaktig så påvisar MCT litteraturen att de mest förekommande utmaningarna är kommunikation och sammanhållning. Journalister och organisationspsykologer menar dock att det finns en ny framväxande generation av individer som är erfarna att samarbeta med människor ifrån hela världen. Den benämns den globala generationen, GG, och består av individer som har en global identitet och kulturell intelligens, vilket möjliggör dem att hantera mångkulturella miljöer. Denna uppsats utför en kvalitativ studie på ett MCT i det globala cybersäkerhetsföretaget, MobileIron. Syften är att undersöka om de utmaningar som hittats tidigare även uppkommer i MCTs som består av GG individer. Resultaten visar att tvärkulturell kommunikation är en mindre betydelsefull fråga och att spänningar i sammanhållning inte finns i dessa team. Detta på grund av den kollektiva kulturella intelligensen och globala identiteten i teamet.

[Truncated abstract] The commercial developments of the late 20th and early 21st centuries have come to signify profound and far-reaching change in the way that goods and services are designed, produced, marketed and delivered to customers in the world's international and domestic markets. In order to respond to a more intensively competitive trading environment that demands ever-increasing levels of product quality, customer service, organisational efficiency and business performance, the management of business entities has undergone fundamental alteration in form and content. It is within this context that two traditionally disparate business disciplines have emerged to play an important role in the new economic commercial order, that of small business management and that of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM). Historically eclipsed by the large and powerful mass-producing corporations, the small business sector has been more recently viewed as playing an increasingly prominent part in the creation of national and regional prosperity within the developed countries. The unprecedented interest in smaller firms and the desire to see them fulfill their economic and social potential have resulted in legislative reform and widespread initiatives by governments and other institutions designed to support and protect the smaller operators in their commercial endeavours. Similarly, in the post-industrial knowledge economy people have risen in prominence over other organisational resources as a key source of competitive commercial advantage. The role of intellectual capital in securing business success has fuelled the development of management technology and methods designed to enhance the contribution of human resources to business performance. Heralded by many as the defining managerial approach for enterprises that wish to build sustainable competitive advantage in the markets of today and the future, SHRM has come to the fore as a means to re-evaluate the importance of human contribution to business outcomes and guide management practice in leveraging the latent potential of a company's human assets. ... In general, the management of business strategy was found to possess low levels of structure and formality, effectively merging into the collective activities associated with owning and operating a small business. Similarly, when compared with the key elements of a strategic human resource management framework constructed specifically for this study, the data indicated that the strategic management of people is prevalent in smaller firms but that this again represents only partial adoption of normative models as commonly promoted for the larger business management context. It was concluded that the theoretical principles and concepts of SHRM demonstrate relevance for small companies on account of the status of the contemporary external commercial environment in which they must compete as well as the range of managerial benefits associated with strategic methodology and practice. However, currently there exist no suitable models of practice with supporting guidelines that respond to the unique contextual and operational needs and experiences typical of smaller firm owner-managers.

Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) play an important part in all economies but particularly in developing economies. Growth 'SMMEs seek to grow either in size, revenue and/or asset value by reinvesting available resources; these enterprises tend to spend their available resources on operational when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT). But these systems, whilst necessary are not sufficient. They are geared toward capturing data but not producing information. Business intelligence (BI) can provide decision-makers, who in SMMEs are predominantly owner-managers, with access to information that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply limited resources. Because BI requires operational systems to be in place to gather the data it is the logical next step. Despite increasing discussion in the press and amongst BI practitioners, academic research with regard to BI in SMMEs remains sparse. Since the potential contribution of BI to SMMEs can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of use of BI to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. This research uses an interpretive approach to collect data using semi-structured interviews from the owner-managers of six knowledge-based growth SMMEs in South Africa selected through purposive sampling. The research results suggest that BI can play an important role in knowledge-based growth SMMEs but that support and guidance is needed to ensure that BI is used appropriately to fully exploit available data for decision-making in addition to expanding available data sources. Future research can adopt a more rigorous positivist approach to confirm the findings of this study, expand the population to other sectors in South Africa and/or SMMEs in other countries. An action research methodology can also be used to apply BI interventions in SMMEs to investigate specific BI solutions in-depth. The research may be of value to participating and other SMME owner-managers, policy makers, government agencies, business advisers, and academic researchers.
Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Information Science
unrestricted

Electronic marketplaces (e-marketplaces) have been researched over many years from the study of electronic data interchange (EDI) systems to the current internet based trading platforms. Early e-marketplaces connected a buyer and supplier using proprietary systems that established a market hierarchy. The buyer was responsible for the system, established the terms of trade and the electronically enabled supplier could connect to the system. These systems were costly to build, which limited their use, and only organisations with an integrated system could use them. The web based e-marketplaces opened up the possibility of connecting many buyers and suppliers and enabling electronic transactions. The e-marketplace offers opportunities for establishing trade relationships with many organisations across the world. Business to business (B2B) e-commerce is a significant part of the Australian economy and there are opportunities to take advantage of e-marketplace trading. One of the advantages of electronic trading is the ability of the technology to deliver transaction benefits; these can have a significant impact on organisations regardless of organisational size. However, despite the potential of the e-marketplace to deliver organisational benefits there have been limited studies which consider the strategic implementation of e-marketplace trading. Organisational strategy and the implementation of strategic initiatives involve interactions between organisational structures and agents. The analytical dualism this represents complicates uncovering the fundamental causes of e-marketplace participation. Not only does the adoption of e-marketplace trading impact on the buyer and supplier organisations, it introduces the e-marketplace vendor organisation and the e-marketplace technology into the participation decision. The complexity of the interactions across organisational structures and between organisational agents and technology adoption can produce a diversity of outcomes. The philosophical underpinning of critical realism for the study is supported by the lack of understanding as to why, and in what circumstances, organisations successfully participate in e-marketplace trading. The critical realist philosophy provides the opportunity to understand the interrelationships between context, organisational structures and agents and identify the causal mechanisms involved in producing various outcomes. It allows for the development of middle level theory as existing theories are examined to explain the perceived phenomena. Large organisations operating in Western Australia are used as case studies to uncover the causal relationships between context, structures and agents that can produce successful, strategic implementation of e-marketplace participation. Existing literature in relation to e-marketplaces and IT adoption is used to develop the research questions and formulate the interview questions. The structured case methodology is used to analyse each case and relate the findings to possible explanatory theories. Context, mechanism and outcome patterns, identified in each case, are presented. Building on economic market, institutional and network theories the research identifies organising vision theory and community discourse as explanations for organisational legitimation that can circumscribe the use of e-marketplace trading. Six types of community group that influence organisational adoption of e-marketplace technology are identified. The research suggests that the influence of these groups within the organisation, the fit with organisational culture and strategic objectives can prevent or instigate change. Further, the decision making process supported by the group (or group member) is more influential in the strategic adoption of the e-marketplace than the ability of the technology to deliver efficiency or transaction processing gains. This implies that technology adoption studies should include contextual and environmental issues and practitioners should examine how much their decision making is influenced by organisational and environmental features. The thesis contributes to the discussion on organising vision theory, e-marketplace trading and business value creation. It demonstrates the application of the structured case study methodology to research that is underpinned by critical realism.

This research project is predominantly aimed at improving our understanding of interest group behaviour. Assessments about 'group interest' and decisions about group engagement in the Australian greenhouse policy network provide a useful opportunity to pursue this research aim. As an empirical contribution to the study of interest groups and policy networks, this research is atypical in a few ways. First, while most of the literature concentrates on the role of interest groups and policy networks in explaining policy outcomes, this study focuses on understanding group behaviour. Second, while the literature concerns itself heavily with group-government relationships, the focus here is on group decision-making about network engagementrelationships with government are addressed only to the extent that they impact on these decisions. Third, while most interest group research assumes that groups know and pursue their interests, or that behaviour reveals group preferences, this research does neither. Instead there is a strong emphasis on what forces shape and change perceptions of group interest and no assumption that groups necessarily pursue those perceived interests. These differences necessarily mean that this work does not deal heavily with some of the main preoccupations in the literature-like why groups mobilise and whether they are good for society. Instead, light is shone on aspects of interest groups and policy networks which are acknowledged as important but receive relatively little attention. Alongside the primary objective--to make the empirical contribution to the literature-the aim here is also to contribute to a greater understanding of the history of greenhouse policy development in Australia. This is seen as being valuable in its own right and it addresses widespread curiosity about why business groups with an apparent interest in climate change policy have responded so differently in the Australian context The result is seven case studies which examine the greenhouse responses of a diverse range of business interest groups that have been active in, or judged relevant to the Australian greenhouse policy network. The case studies rely heavily on analysis of interviews conducted with 56 people drawn both from the case groups and from a broad cross-section of other important players in the greenhouse policy network. As a study of the wider policy network, this work is arguably unprecedented in scope. Those interviewed include party leaders, cabinet ministers, advisors and departmental secretaries spanning the Hawke, Keating and Howard federal governments. Past and present leaders of industry associations, think tanks, environmental organisations, along with academics, and journalists were also interviewed with all sides of the debate represented. The results presented here aim to make an commensurate contribution to our knowledge of both interest group behaviour and greenhouse policy development in Australia.

Today companies are competing on the basis of what they know, how fast they learn it, and how well they use what they learn. At the heart of this knowledge-based competition lie knowledge and even more important intelligence. Competitive Intelligence, as a discipline, is increasingly being viewed as a critical enabler to reach competitive advantage. Previous research, however, suggest that South African com¬panies showed a general lack of appropriate pro¬cesses or structures for competitive intelligence compared to their international counterparts. The research aims to demonstrate, through a case study, how the theoretical concepts associated with competitive intelligence can be translated into practice so as to ensure efficient and cost effective competitive intelligence practices and thus contribute to the future success of competitive intelligence programmes in South Africa.
Information Science
M. Inf.

碩士
國立中央大學
資訊管理學系在職專班
105
Today, the smartphone market has reached 90 percent penetration in the mature markets of North America, Western Europe, Japan and Mature Asia/Pacific, slowing future growth. Furthermore, users in these regions are not replacing or upgrading their smartphone as often as in previous years. So, both of Android phone manufactures and Apple need to read the message from global markets carefully and make the decisions as more exactly as they can. Business intelligence (BI) system is the most recommended solution of information management systems to support the companies to survive in such competitive market. The implementation of BI is a complex undertaking requiring considerable resources. Yet there is a limited authoritative set of critical success factors (CSFs) for management reference because the BI market has been driven mainly by the IT industry and vendors. This study explores the factors that influence the process of introducing business intelligence into the company and hopes that it will be fully described by the complexity of the two cases introduced into the project, and what factors will affect the case company's "why" Success or failure on mobile industry. Although there are many literature and case analysis, the factors that affect the success of implementing business intelligence and the consultants also advised enterprises to avoid those mistakes. However, enterprise still failed the project because of some internal factors. After this study, we can see that by introducing the process of business intelligence assessment, planning, to find the core of the real problem in the enterprise, and find the appropriate solution, the process of transformation, improve the company's operating processes, enhance the company in the industry Competitive advantage, to create greater corporate value. More significantly, the research further reveals that those organisations which address the CSFs from a business orientation approach will be more likely to achieve better results.

The stakeholder management framework of the 1980s and the triple bottom line framework of the 1990s strengthened corporate social responsibility but these frameworks could not bring about fundamental change in the role of businesses in society in relation to value creation. Hence, by the beginning of the present century, drawing on the ‘Sustainable Value’ and ‘Shared Value’ business models, the selected Australian banking and property organisations are striving to leverage on business strategies for generation of social and economic values. However, the Australian academic literature and industry reports demonstrate limited contributions to the sustainable and shared value literature, and hence, failing to support and deliver a comprehensive business model. To fill this conceptual and practical gap in the Australian industrial context, this study is undertaken with a view to recommend an alternative business model to integrate socioenvironmental issues and opportunities into core business strategy. Research objectives of the underlying study are to: a) explore the adoption of components of the applied sustainable value and shared value business models by Australian banking and property organisations for social and economic value creation; and b) empirically develop an alternative business model for the Australian banking and property industries based on emerging thematic components from industry-wide interview responses. Based on the interpretive paradigm, this study has adopted a qualitative multiple case study design to conduct semi-structured open-ended face-to-face interviews. The cases (n=8) in the banking and property industries have been selected through a purposive critical sampling approach. A thematic NVivo analysis was conducted based on four thematic components derived from the applied sustainable and shared value business models, namely clean technology, sustainability vision at the bottom of the pyramid, reconceiving of products/services and redefining of the value chain. This study explores how the selected Australian banking and property organisations are utilising various thematic components for social and economic value creation in addition to other components (i.e. customer/stakeholder engagement, community resilience) not otherwise categorically mentioned within both the above-mentioned models. The major findings show a number of industry-wide differences, which include a) banking organisations predominantly leverage sustainability based on product/service innovation at the bottom of the pyramid level, and b) property organisations predominantly leverage environmental sustainability based on the application of clean technology through redefining the value chain. The primary interview data findings suggest that the selected Australian sustainable and shared value organisations also emphasise the co-creation of value based on their engagement with customers, stakeholders, and communities. The secondary data findings suggest that the selected Australian property organisations have ensured a higher increase in net profit after tax and return on equity compared to the banking organisations. The secondary data further suggest that organisations (i.e. Suncorp, Charter Hall, Company X, Stockland) which used the combination of the elements of sustainable and shared value business models performed better in terms of profitability (i.e. economic value) than the organisations which only used either the sustainable value (ANZ, Lendlease) or the shared value (Bendigo, NAB) model. The only exception being Stockland, which experienced a slight decrease in the return on equity during the 2014- 18 period inspite of almost triple digit increase in net profit during the above-mentioned period. In terms of social value, the secondary data further suggest that the selected banking and property organisations have undertaken quite considerable social and community investments while leveraging on the components of various business models. The main recommendation of this study is an empirically developed alternative business model for value co-creation based on two new thematic components, which are customer/stakeholder engagement and community resilience that emerged from the industry case interviews. The significance of the study lies in the fact that all future academic researchers and practice managers should be able to implement the recommended business model for value co-creation to enhance social and economic value. One of the other major implications of the study lies in its application of a stakeholder-centric (i.e. customers, communities) value creation model by Australian banking organisations which have recently gone through the Financial Services Royal Commission investigation. The future theoretical implications of this study on value cocreation can be considered in terms of a better understanding of stakeholder theory (encompassing customers and communities) and agency theory (encompassing valueseeking organisational agents) with respect to the banking and property industry in Australian context.

Thesis (M. Ed. (Didatics))
Assessment methods in Business Studies in the FET phase have had to change as a result of the implementation of OBE and the NSC in South Africa. In order to analyse how this has affected the education of learners, a case study, based on the IEB was analysed. Under the supervision of Umalusi, the IEB has developed new moderation systems in order to quality assure SBA (School Based Assessment), represented by learners’ portfolios which constitute 25% of the final promotion mark for the NSC. The guidelines and documentation for these moderation requirements are contained in the IEB Business Studies SAG (Subject Assessment Guidelines). This document forms the basis of the case study.The IEB, however, does not work in isolation and through their partnership with the DoE the experience gained through implementing new assessment methods in Business Studies as described in this study can be adapted for other subjects or schools in the public sector.

Total Quality Management is a set of time tested norms and practices being used in the management of organizations. The thesis aims at understanding Total Quality practices in the Australian Public Service and evaluating the extent to which Total Quality Management practices have been successful in Public Sector organizations.

Organizations typically have a reason for deciding to implement a particular business application, for example an Enterprise Resources Planning or a Human Resources management system. The reasons run the entire gamut from wanting to be the first (thus gaining a competitive edge) to playing catch-up (herd mentality perhaps) if everyone is deploying the solution. In between these extremes, there are organizations which take a technology agnostic view and thus set out to garner a good understanding of business challenges, opportunities, threats and risks to mitigate before seeking to deploy a particular solution. The objective of this study was to understand the business drivers and thought processes that the University of KwaZulu-Natal followed in selecting Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 technology. It was also the objective of the study to understand the deployment model chosen as well as understanding the attendant corporate governance put in place as well as the usage patterns once operational. The study followed a qualitative research format primarily using case study as the research design. Qualitative research was chosen because it is amenable to the collection, analysis and interpretation of data that cannot be easily or meaningfully quantified and summarized in the form of numbers. The case study research design was chosen because it allows the researcher to focus on one instance of a ‘thing’ to be investigated which then becomes the subject of an in-depth study using interviews and observation as a primary tool for data generation. A major finding of the study was that the University of KwaZulu-Natal followed an organic bottom-up approach which typically starts by providing collaborative sites and, as users find values in these sites, the implementation grows organically over a period of time. Another major finding was the absence of a formal documented corporate governance model that would include a SharePoint Delivery Plan for the organization. Consequently, of the four colleges within the university, only one college uses SharePoint technology. The adoption rate at the cluster or support services level is also markedly low.
Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

The level of sports sponsorship in Australia since 1990 has been equally remarkable. According to Sydney-based research organisation Sponsorship Market Group, total sponsorship was about $160 million in 1990. The figure for 1994 was expected to reach $510 million, with $650 million forecast for 1995. Broadcast sponsorship and back-up promotions will push the figure over $1 billion in 1995 (Richardson, 1994). With continued growth expected in sponsorship and sports marketing well into the next century, the search for the most effective sponsorship investment could almost be classified as an Olympic event itself. The increasing role sponsorship plays in the marketing mix of many companies, from multinationals to small businesses, makes it necessary to research the factors which make up an effective sponsorship and how those factors can be put into effect for the benefit of both the business and the sport or event being sponsored. This report analysed the literature on sports sponsorship to provide a theoretical approach to the most effective sponsorship process. From why companies sponsor sporting events, how they select which events to sponsor, how the sponsorship is managed, sponsorship evaluation to why some sponsorships fail, the report provides an overall review of the sports sponsorship business. The sponsorship roles and procedures of nineteen companies are discussed and compared with a theoretical framework of sports sponsorship. Nine of these companies are involved in sponsorship of sporting events and teams. Five companies are among properties which attract such sponsorship, while the other five companies are involved in sponsorship research, evaluation and development. The report identifies the most effective method of sponsorship in theory, and discusses how it relates in practice to the real world.

Research into customer service in the manufacturing industry has lagged behind that in service industries, where superior service quality is the most important strategic priority and companies that focus on their customers will build a loyalty that will preclude competitors. In the service industry, customer service needs to be designed for the particular product and process, with measurable outcomes that deliver the results of consumer research. In the manufacture of consumer goods, the product needs to be augmented by customer service factors which fall into the areas of design activities to enhance physical quality, as well as non physical or service activities such as response times, delivery, installation and after-sales repairs. However it is dangerous for a company to try to compete by offering superior service on all dimensions simultaneously and trade offs must be made based on appropriate consumer research. The overall objective of this research was to provide strategic direction for improving quality and customer service in the paper converting industry. The research achieved that aim by determining the requirements of quality and service for different customers, different products and market segments, through a newly extended process which obtained feedback from corporate customers and two groups of end users, those purchasing premium products and those purchasing low cost products. In the business being considered, surveys had already been conducted by semantic network analysis and gap analysis by market research consultants. This research carried out additional surveys and compared them with those already available. The present research employed a cross-sectional causal field experiment using two questionnaires. Because responses were obtained from both national intermediary and representative napkin end users, each survey had a common core, applicable to all respondents and individual sections for corporate customer and end users. As a result of the surveys, it was concluded that considerable differences existed between intermediary users and end users in: - their ranking of elements of quality and customer service, - their ranking of the technical aspects of quality and, - their evaluation of the suitability of a napkin for their use. A series of specific differences were found, of which the most important are: - all the customers expect quality and there are no significant differences in their views, but low series napkin users have lower quality expectations. - premium product users require a wider range of napkins than corporate users, who have their own specific narrow range, and low cost users who expected a limited choice. - corporate customers want better stock availability and full quantity deliveries at the exact time and day specified. It was concluded that the detailed surveys, in the present research, had greater validity than previous ones because they covered a wider range of customer requirements, not limited to those already being offered. The research made a series of recommendations about, for example, softness and embossing standards in manufacturing, which it is hoped will be adopted. The aim, to obtain feedback across the whole range of customer requirements for future strategic direction, had been achieved.

Non standard working hours such as those experienced by rotational shift workers have a wide ranging impact upon job and roster satisfaction, performance, behaviour, sleep, quality of work and family life. The shift roster plays an important role in moderating the influence of non standard working hours on the individual and the group though it is well documented that shift work does affect everyone differently. Aspects of shift work that appear to be disadvantageous for many individuals can be considered to be beneficial by others depending upon the work circumstances and the needs of the individual and family. This study is concerned with shift work within a section of the Australian Defence environment - the Defence Integrated Secure Communications Network (DISCON) - Royal Australian Army Corps of Signals component, an area previously untouched by academic or other research. The significance of this study is that whilst it has focussed on a unique work environment the findings are not at variance to other shift working research. The Australian Army, through units of the Royal Australian Corps of Signals, has the responsibility of managing and operating the Switching and Communications Centres throughout the states of Victoria and Queensland, and within the cities of Canberra and Sydney. Shift workers and the shift working rosters operating within these units are the focus of this study. The purpose of this study is to compare the four shift working rosters operating within the four different Army units with DISCON and determine which one is most appropriate in terms of current roster design guidelines and shift worker preference. DISCON was established to support the operations of the Australian Defence Force and Department of Defence for the rest of this century and beyond. DISCON is Defence's first secure, integrated communications system, and will be used for command and control of the Australian Defence Force as well as management and administration of the Defence Organisation. DISCON operates by means of interconnected switching centres which direct all incoming message traffic to its destination and link Defence establishments Australia-wide. DISCON Switching Centres serve a particular region through Communications Centres and decentralised communications terminals. DISCON has brought with it new technology, new equipment and a range of new services to its subscribers. DISCON provides facilities for the passage of voice (secure and insecure telephone), facsimile, telegraph and electronic data and is expected to support the current range of tactical (field) external networks and individual tactical radio communication. There has also been a major change to the communications doctrine of providing pre-determined facilities, and subscribers no longer have to rely purely upon area or regional communications centres to service their communications needs of formal message traffic, facsimile and data transmission. Communications terminals have been decentralised to a large extent bringing them closer to the user - in some cases directly to them. Switching centres have also taken on the additional responsibility of providing advice to subscribers whilst communication centres are assisting with user education.

The Telecommunications industry has undergone significant changes during the 1990's. In Australia, deregulation has strongly impacted upon organisations competing within the industry. Telstra, Australia's largest telecommunication company has been challenged to improve its organisational performance, increase its competitiveness and improve organisational effectiveness in order to manage change effectively. In response to global competition, political and economic changes Telstra has downsized to ensure that it survives and achieves value for all stakeholders. This study investigated: • what interventions Telstra used at the time of and following downsizing • whether these interventions were designed to ensure employee commitment and loyalty and staff satisfaction • current levels of commitment and loyalty at two Telstra Call Centres This study takes the form of both qualitative and quantitative research in the form of a comparative study between two Call Centres and analyses its impact upon call centre staff. A questionnaire was designed and distributed to employees in city and regional call centres. The results were discussed and analysed in reference to the current literature and extend upon the work done by Brockner (1992) and Cameron (1994) for example. This study will provide a valuable guide to all organisations planning large scale change and in particular will help Telstra to better plan their downsizing and change management programmes.

Information Technology (IT) is a key component of an organisation's business strategy. By leveraging from it, organisations are able to create a sustainable competitive advantage and ultimately enable overall business success. IT has the power to transform an organisation and as a result comes accompanied with a set of issues that challenge the status quo. These issues need to be addressed because good implementation alone will not suffice. By adopting a project management view to the implementation of IT, the structured approach provides a forum within which the transformation can be managed. A number of studies conducted on IT projects indicate that they are prone to failure due to poor management. This research paper seeks to determine the necessary factors that prevail to ensure IT project success. A field study on Controlled Sprinkler Supplies Pty Ltd is the basis for this research. The IT project at Controlled Sprinkler Supplies encompasses the changeover of its Unix based accounting system to a more progressive enterprise business management solution, Navision Software. Both quantitative and qualitative data is collected by means of administering questionnaires, conducting interviews with the project manager and the chief executive officer of the company, and by observations made by the researcher. An analysis of the data highlights some interesting points. Without a doubt, training plays a major role in the success of a project. In addition, while management support is of paramount importance, clear communication of the vision is not enough. Participation by organisational members should not be overlooked as it enhances ownership and develops champions of the change and the technology. Furthermore, despite the fact that the literature associates organisational change with resistance, this study demonstrates the contrary. This is due to the change agent's hands-on approach and commitment to the project.

This research investigated the potential benefits, risks and challenges, innovation properties and viability of cloud computing for records management on an Australian organisation within the mining software development sector. This research involved the use of a case study results analysis as well as a literature analysis. The literature analysis identified the ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. It further identified aspects, which needed to be addressed when adopting cloud computing in order to promote innovation within an organisation. The case study analysis was compared against a literature review of ten potential benefits of cloud computing, as well as the ten risks and challenges associated with cloud computing. This was done in order to determine cloud computing’s viability for records management for Company X (The company in the case study). Cloud computing was found to be viable for Company X. However, there were certain aspects, which need to be discussed and clarified with the cloud service provider beforehand in order to mitigate possible risks and compliance issues. It is also recommended that a cloud service provider who complies with international standards, such as ISO 15489, be selected. The viability of cloud computing for organisations similar to Company X (mining software development) followed a related path. These organisations need to ensure that the service provider is compliant with laws in their local jurisdiction, such as Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Australia, 2011:14-15), as well as laws where their data (in the cloud) may be hosted. The benefits, risks and challenges of records management and cloud computing are applicable to these similar organisations. However, mitigation of these risks needs to be discussed with a cloud service provider beforehand. From an innovation perspective, cloud computing is able to promote innovation within an organisation, if certain antecedents are dealt with. Furthermore, if cloud computing is successfully adopted then it should promote innovation within organisations.
Information Science
M. Inf.

In this study an assessment of the factors that influence the degree to which a city or community would undertake wastewater treatment and use the output for various purposes is investigated. In assessing these issues two contrasting case studies of wastewater treatment and recycling are studied namely Hyderabad, India (representing a developing country context) and Melbourne, Australia (representing a developed country context). An improved understanding of both these wastewater systems, across different economic and social contexts was found and placed within a single decision making framework.