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1
Apelt, Christina L. "Organisational change in public organisations." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/73086/2/Christina_Apelt_Thesis.pdf.
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This research applies a multidimensional model of publicness to the analysis of organisational change and in so doing enriches understanding of the public nature of organisations and how public characteristics facilitate change. Much of the prior literature describes public organisations as bureaucratic, with characteristics that are resistant to change, hierarchical structures that impede information flow, goals that are imposed and scrutinised by political authority and red tape that constrains decision-making. This dissertation instead reports a more complex picture and explains how public characteristics can also work in ways that enable organisational change.
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Story, Thomas Martin, and n/a. "Technology and organisational design." University of Canberra. Management, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061109.103618.
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Messaris, Annette. "The role of leadership style and organisational structure in organisational effectiveness: a case study." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54452.
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This research explores the role leadership style and organisational structure play in organisational effectiveness. Organisational effectiveness is one of the more complex terms to define although essential to understand in order for an organisation to grow and develop. A small to medium wine sales and distribution organisation, its leadership style and organisational structure were chosen as a focus of this case study. Organisational effectiveness in this study is understood by the terms growth and development using the Greiner Theory of Evolution and Revolution (1983). The literature explores the role of leadership style in organisational effectiveness by exploring various theories and focusing on The Full Range Leadership Model by Bass and Avolio (1994). In order to analyse the role of organisational structure in organisational effectiveness, the different forms of organisational structure and the role they have on the organisation’s ability to grow and develop are explored. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the role leadership style and organisational structure play in organisational effectiveness. A qualitative content analysis paradigm was used with a Case Study method. The data was gathered using structured interviews conducted on all 39 permanent staff members, day to day observation and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). The MLQ is used as a supporting tool to verify the leadership findings in the interviews. The data was analysed using NVivo10 and STATISTICA to gain insight into the leadership style and organisational structure of the organisation. The findings reflected that certain themes were repeatedly mentioned in the interviews and the definition of organisational effectiveness: structured leadership, more active leadership, lack of communication, staff motivation, staff training and development and organisational culture. As regards organisational structure, the following themes arose: The need for regular meetings, increased team work and more structured job descriptions. Through the analysis of all the components, leadership style and organisational structure were identified as having a significant role in organisational effectiveness which will be further analysed in this study.
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Grobler, Schalk Willem. "Organisational structure and Elliot Jaques' stratified systems theory." Unisa, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/146.
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Conduct an exploratory study on operationally focussed managers within a South African company, using both quantitative and qualitative analysis, to determine the correlation between the required and actual levels of complexity and time-span of control at specific hierarchical levelsOrganisational design needs to be in line with capabilities of the individual-inrole. The structure of an organization directly impacts the overall effectiveness and ultimately the success of such an organization and the number of layers required in any given hierarchy is a product of the organization’s mission (Jaques, 1989). Stratified Systems Theory (Jaques, 1989) defines work in seven strata based on a basis of decision-making complexity. The research presented here identifies a specific organisation’s current level of work based on complexity and the time-span of decision-making. Research was done in one specific geographical region of a company operating in the Supply Chain and Logistics industry in South Africa. Qualitative data collection was done by means of interviews with a defined sample group that provided an adequate cross-section of the main functions of the business, however, the sampling technique used may not provide results representative of the entire population. ii The Brunel Institute for Organisation and Social Studies’ (BIOSS) Matrix of Working Relationships was used as main basis for reporting results. The research indicates that the organisation is presently, according to Jaques Stratified Systems Theory (Jaques, 1989), operating at one level below their intended level that will allow them to effectively meet their longterm strategic objectives. The report identifies shortcomings in terms of the current capabilities of the individual-in-role and the actual work requirements, setting a foundation for further analysis of individual capabilities for effective organisational design.
Graduate School of Business Leadership
MBL
5
Jonathan, Gideon Mekonnen. "Information Technology Alignment : The Role of Organisational Structure." Licentiate thesis, Stockholms universitet, Institutionen för data- och systemvetenskap, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-180803.
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Information technology (IT) alignment studies which focus on conceptual debates have left little room for studies investigating practical issues such as organisational structure. On the other hand, the attention paid to private and commercial organisations has resulted in findings that might not apply to public organisations. To address this gap in the literature, and respond to calls for further research, this study explored the influence of formal and informal organisational structures on IT alignment in a public organisation. This thesis is a compilation of three studies—a systematic literature review and two case studies. The literature review revealed the lack of IT alignment studies in public organisations focusing on organisational structure. The findings of the case studies, conducted in one Swedish municipality, indicate the simultaneous existence of a formal and informal organisational structure which influenced IT alignment. The result of the qualitative case study revealed a centralised formal organisational structure, and three forms of informal organisational structure—interpersonal relationships, cross-departmental relationships, and professional networks—were identified. The findings also seem to indicate that the identified organisational structure forms have influence on IT alignment. The second (i.e. quantitative) case study established the strength of these effects. Among the identified organisational structure forms, cross-departmental relationships were found to have the most substantial influence on IT alignment, particularly on communications, partnership and the dynamic IT scope. The influence of a centralised organisation structure on IT governance was also confirmed. While the influence of interpersonal relationships on the three dimensions of IT alignment—communications, IT governance and skills development—was established, the influence of professional networks on IT alignment could not be substantiated. This study makes several contributions to research and practice in IT alignment. Although prior studies have investigated the role of different organisational structures in IT alignment, the contribution of this research is that it looked into the influence of both formal and informal organisational structures on IT alignment, simultaneously. The research has also assessed the relative significance of various forms of organisational structure on IT alignment. Leaders and managers in the public sector can make use of the findings of this research to help them identify different organisational structure forms and make the necessary adjustments to improve IT alignment.Tidigare informationsteknologi (IT)-alignment-studier fokus legat på den konceptuella debatten och inte på studier som undersöker praktiska frågor. En sådan praktisk fråga är vilken påverkan som organisationens struktur har på IT-alignment. Forskningsfokus för IT-alignment-studier legat på privata och kommersiella organisationer och inte offentliga organisationer. För att ta itu med dessa luckor i forskningslitteraturen syftar denna studie till att undersöka formella och informella organisationsstrukturers inflytande på IT-alignment i offentliga organisationer. Avhandlingen är en sammanställning av tre studier - en systematisk litteraturöversikt och två fallstudier. Litteraturöversikten visar på bristen på IT-alignment-studier i offentliga organisationer med fokus på organisationsstruktur. Resultaten från de två fallstudierna i en svensk kommun, tyder på att det samtidigt både finns formella och informella organisationsstrukturer som påverkar IT alignment. Resultatet av den första (kvalitativa) fallstudien visade centraliserad formella organisationsstrukturen samt tre former av informella organisationsstrukturer, nämligen interpersonella relationer, tvärsavdelningsrelationer och professionella nätverk, vilka alla påverkade IT-alignment. Den andra (kvantitativa) fallstudien syftade till att fastställa styrkan i de olika organisationsstrukturformernas påverkan på IT-alignment. Bland de identifierade organisationsstrukturformerna hade den informella organisationsstrukturen tvärsavdelningsrelationer det mest betydande inflytandet på IT-alignment, mer precis kommunikation, partnerskap och den dynamiska IT-räckvidden. Även interpersonella relationer hade inflytande på kommunikation, IT-styrning och kompetensutveckling. Den centraliserade organisationsstrukturens inflytande på IT-styrning bekräftades också, däremot gick det inte att fastställa inflytandet av professionella nätverk. Denna studie ger flera bidrag till forskning och praktik. Även om tidigare studier har undersökt olika organisationsstrukturers inflytande på IT-alignment, så är – så vitt vi vet – detta den första studie som undersökt inverkan från både formella och informella organisationsstrukturer på IT-alignment. Studien ger också empiriskt stöd för den rollen organisationsstruktur spelar för IT-alignment i offentliga organisationer. Ledare inom den offentliga sektorn kan använda sig av resultaten för att identifiera olika organisationsstrukturformer och göra nödvändiga justeringar för att förbättra IT-alignment.
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Cutajar, Beverly. "The impact of organisational culture on the management of employees' talents : the case of Maltese ICT organisations." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/28229.
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Organisational culture is one key phenomenon that was investigated both in comparative ways as well as an influence on various management mechanisms and systems, in academic and practitioner literature. Talent management is one such mechanism that has attracted debate in practitioner domains, although academic research is lacking. This study investigates the effect of organisational culture on employee talent management, taking the case of Malta based ICT companies. It includes a review of literature about organisational culture and structure, agency and talent management, exploring gaps in literature that call for further research. In addressing one such gap, this study reports the findings established in research conducted among identified stakeholders who are related to the Maltese ICT sector. It presents the views discovered through qualitative interviews among senior and middle management in ICT firms. These views are compared and contrasted against the findings made from a quantitative investigation involving a self-completion survey, in which, 79 managers and 128 employees engaged in ICT firms in Malta participated. The main findings suggest that most organisations do not have a culture built around a clear set of values. Secondly, there is no talent structure based on HR practices that feeds into the business strategy. Thirdly, this research found no evidence of measurement of the return on investment of talent among the Maltese ICT firms participating in this study. These findings support some of the theoretical issues presented in the literature review that show the lack of guiding principles around talent and the impact of organisational culture on the management of talents. The recommendations presented in this study show how organisations can embrace a culture focusing on creating a talent “mindset” for effective talent optimisation that enhances performance and productivity.
7
Kemp, Linzi J. "Organisational team : modern and postmodern perspectives of primary health care." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.271244.
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Gunz, H. P. "The structure of managerial careers : Organisational and individual logics." Thesis, University of Manchester, 1986. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.371910.
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Lang, John William. "Strategic flexibility through modularization, technology partnering and organisational structure." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.624119.
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Newnam, Sharon. "Multilevel organisational structure in the management of fleet safety." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2006. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16316/1/Sharon_Newnam_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis presents a program of research exploring the multilevel organisational structure of fleet safety management. The aim of this research was to investigate three current fleet safety initiatives, and individual and contextual factors influencing safe driving behaviour in a work vehicle. Three studies were conducted to achieve this aim. This research utilised a sample of employees from a range of Queensland Government agencies.-----
Study one evaluated three current fleet safety initiatives within the Queensland Government. From a sample of fleet co-ordinators (N=24) and drivers (N=88), this study established the extent to which specific psychological processes underlying the fleet safety initiatives were adopted, and the attitude change associated with their use. This study found mixed support for the Hypotheses, with the influence of the fleet safety initiatives on fleet co-ordinators' and drivers' attitude change being consistent with processes associated with the persuasive communication framework, and behaviour management. However, the study found no support for the behavioural management processes hypothesised to underlie the incentive scheme (CPP). The findings of the study suggested that while fleet safety initiatives can have an influence on fleet co-ordinator and driver attitude change, their impact depends on the extent to which safety issues are viewed as relevant, and the extent to which there is reinforcement within the organisational environment to support these safety initiatives. Therefore, the findings from this study, combined with existing research into the impact of safety climate, suggest the workplace context needs to be taken into account. For this reason, study two investigated the role of perceptions of the safety climate, in addition to individual attributes, as predictors of self-reported crash involvement.-----
Study two applied a framework incorporating driver attributes, including attitudes towards traffic safety and self-efficacy, and drivers' perceptions of the safety climate, as predictors of self-reported crashes in a work vehicle. Within this framework, drivers' perception of the safety climate, and their individual attributes were conceptualised as antecedents of driving performance, and driver safety motivation and knowledge mediated the relationship between these factors and self-reported crashes. A total of 385 drivers participated in this study, which found motivation to drive safely mediated the relationship between driver attributes and self-reported crashes. The initial analysis did not find a significant relationship between safety climate and safety motivation. However, posthoc analyses exploring this non-significant relationship found managerial safety values could be distinguished from other facets of the safety climate construct. Subsequently, the results indicated managerial safety values predicted safety motivation, when drivers perceived a strong safety climate. This study provided a more thorough understanding of the variables predicting driver behaviour at an individual level of analysis. However, a shortcoming is the study did not consider the various influences impacting on drivers' safety perceptions, and individual attributes within the context of the work environment.-----
Study three extended on the framework established in study two, and investigated the contribution of leader attributes to the prediction of drivers' safety perceptions, and individual attributes. The leader attribute measures, specifically, perceptions of the safety climate, motivation, knowledge, and work overload were collected from a sample of fleet co-ordinators (N=52) and supervisors (N=88). Through multi-level analyses, both supervisors and fleet co-ordinators were shown to influence the safety perceptions and individual attributes of individuals who drive work vehicles. Support was found for positive relationships between supervisor safety knowledge, and the individual attributes. However, there was a large amount of variation due to group membership unaccounted for by supervisor safety knowledge and the safety performance factors investigated within the supervisor groups. These findings suggested supervisors may not be interacting with drivers in relation to fleet safety matters, but that other factors associated with work group membership are having an impact on drivers' safety perceptions. In comparison, there was a small amount of variation accounted for by fleet co-ordinator group membership. However, the results suggested the fleet co-ordinator leader attributes accounted for a high percentage of this variation in group membership. Support was found for a positive relationship between fleet co-ordinator safety perceptions, and driver safety perceptions. Other results found fleet co-ordinators were engaging in higher workloads to enhance the safety perceptions, and attitudes towards traffic safety of drivers within their groups.-----
Overall, these studies establish a multilevel organisational process of effect, whereby individual and leader attributes, and organisational initiatives all play a role in influencing the safety performance of work-related drivers. The results also indicated an unclear structure in the management of fleet safety, as perceived by drivers, and through the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and fleet co-ordinators. The implications of these results for the management of fleet safety are discussed.
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Newnam, Sharon. "Multilevel organisational structure in the management of fleet safety." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16316/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis presents a program of research exploring the multilevel organisational structure of fleet safety management. The aim of this research was to investigate three current fleet safety initiatives, and individual and contextual factors influencing safe driving behaviour in a work vehicle. Three studies were conducted to achieve this aim. This research utilised a sample of employees from a range of Queensland Government agencies.-----
Study one evaluated three current fleet safety initiatives within the Queensland Government. From a sample of fleet co-ordinators (N=24) and drivers (N=88), this study established the extent to which specific psychological processes underlying the fleet safety initiatives were adopted, and the attitude change associated with their use. This study found mixed support for the Hypotheses, with the influence of the fleet safety initiatives on fleet co-ordinators' and drivers' attitude change being consistent with processes associated with the persuasive communication framework, and behaviour management. However, the study found no support for the behavioural management processes hypothesised to underlie the incentive scheme (CPP). The findings of the study suggested that while fleet safety initiatives can have an influence on fleet co-ordinator and driver attitude change, their impact depends on the extent to which safety issues are viewed as relevant, and the extent to which there is reinforcement within the organisational environment to support these safety initiatives. Therefore, the findings from this study, combined with existing research into the impact of safety climate, suggest the workplace context needs to be taken into account. For this reason, study two investigated the role of perceptions of the safety climate, in addition to individual attributes, as predictors of self-reported crash involvement.-----
Study two applied a framework incorporating driver attributes, including attitudes towards traffic safety and self-efficacy, and drivers' perceptions of the safety climate, as predictors of self-reported crashes in a work vehicle. Within this framework, drivers' perception of the safety climate, and their individual attributes were conceptualised as antecedents of driving performance, and driver safety motivation and knowledge mediated the relationship between these factors and self-reported crashes. A total of 385 drivers participated in this study, which found motivation to drive safely mediated the relationship between driver attributes and self-reported crashes. The initial analysis did not find a significant relationship between safety climate and safety motivation. However, posthoc analyses exploring this non-significant relationship found managerial safety values could be distinguished from other facets of the safety climate construct. Subsequently, the results indicated managerial safety values predicted safety motivation, when drivers perceived a strong safety climate. This study provided a more thorough understanding of the variables predicting driver behaviour at an individual level of analysis. However, a shortcoming is the study did not consider the various influences impacting on drivers' safety perceptions, and individual attributes within the context of the work environment.-----
Study three extended on the framework established in study two, and investigated the contribution of leader attributes to the prediction of drivers' safety perceptions, and individual attributes. The leader attribute measures, specifically, perceptions of the safety climate, motivation, knowledge, and work overload were collected from a sample of fleet co-ordinators (N=52) and supervisors (N=88). Through multi-level analyses, both supervisors and fleet co-ordinators were shown to influence the safety perceptions and individual attributes of individuals who drive work vehicles. Support was found for positive relationships between supervisor safety knowledge, and the individual attributes. However, there was a large amount of variation due to group membership unaccounted for by supervisor safety knowledge and the safety performance factors investigated within the supervisor groups. These findings suggested supervisors may not be interacting with drivers in relation to fleet safety matters, but that other factors associated with work group membership are having an impact on drivers' safety perceptions. In comparison, there was a small amount of variation accounted for by fleet co-ordinator group membership. However, the results suggested the fleet co-ordinator leader attributes accounted for a high percentage of this variation in group membership. Support was found for a positive relationship between fleet co-ordinator safety perceptions, and driver safety perceptions. Other results found fleet co-ordinators were engaging in higher workloads to enhance the safety perceptions, and attitudes towards traffic safety of drivers within their groups.-----
Overall, these studies establish a multilevel organisational process of effect, whereby individual and leader attributes, and organisational initiatives all play a role in influencing the safety performance of work-related drivers. The results also indicated an unclear structure in the management of fleet safety, as perceived by drivers, and through the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and fleet co-ordinators. The implications of these results for the management of fleet safety are discussed.
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Daunivalu, Sepesa. "Organisational structure for the Fiji Dental Service (A recommendation)." Thesis, Faculty of Dentistry, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/4221.
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Ridzuan, Kushairi Mohd Ramli. "An organisational approach to sustainable public procurement." Thesis, University of Bath, 2014. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.619246.
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Purpose – The study aim to investigate the adoption of social and environmental objectives in public procurement. Design/ methodology/ approach – This study undertook an exploratory case study research based on the theory of bureaucracy and the theory of organisational configuration. A semi structured interview and a survey was conducted among public procurement professionals at five Ministries in Malaysia. Findings – The public procurement system were found to contain two organisational structures – The Machine Organisation and the Innovative Organisation. These structures were based on the analysis that there were two approaches to public procurement – the Compliant Approach and the Sustainable Objective Adoption Approach that respectively contained organisational structures of its own in managing public procurement. Mutual adjustment with the stakeholders was seen as a key driver in implementing sustainable objectives successfully in public procurement. Research limitations/ implications – Case studies have been viewed as controversial for the generalizability of knowledge and philosophical approaches to academia due to the low number of respondents. An in-depth study was the key direction of this study in investigating the organisation structure and relationships with the public procurement system that contained the system of administration and governance, people of the organisation, and the hierarchy of the organisation. Practical Implications – This research adds volume to practitioners and policy makers in designing public procurement policies and regulations by identifying the key areas of sustainable adoption in public procurement. Originality/ Value – The in-depth nature of this study provides a perspective into the intricacies of the public procurement system where the procurement officers were found to consolidate working with the regulations, the components of the organisation, and the hierarchies to achieve organisational objectives.
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Goldsmith, Alistair Lindsay. "The development of the city of Glasgow police c.1800 - c.1939." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2002. http://oleg.lib.strath.ac.uk:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=21167.
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Danzfuss, Theodor Werner. "The impact of organisational structure on the performance of virtual teams." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/29515.
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Globalisation and advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are contributing to the increased virtualisation of work teams within organisations. Researchers are in agreement that most modern day work teams have some degree of virtualisation (Workman, 2007) and that it is critical for researchers and practitioners alike to understand the impact of virtualisation on the inputs, process and outputs of work teams. Benefits commonly associated with increased team virtualisation such as increased knowledge retention (Dietz-Uhler&Bishop-Clark, 2001), cost savings (Bergiel, Bergiel,&Balsmeier, 2008) and flexibility (Clemons&Kroth, 2011) are proven and well researched. However we know that no benefit can be obtained without incurring some sort of a cost (Colander, 2010) and research showed that virtual teams typically incur additional challenges in the areas of communication, culture, technology and leadership (Kayworth&Leidner, 2000).This research hypothesised that the three levers of organizational structure as defined by Satô (2010) namely the formalization, standardization and centralization of organisational elements can ease the negative effects caused by an increase in team virtualisation. We evaluated the impact that the organisational structure has on the performance of work teams throughout the team virtualisation continuum by conducting a set of interviews, a survey and performing descriptive quantitative analysis on the results. A total of three interviews were conducted which served as confirmation of our research questions and provided guidance to construct the questionnaire. A total of 87 respondents participated in our online survey of which 69 responses were included in the quantitative analysis phase. The responses received were equally distributed between four categories namely: Organic Face-to-face, Mechanistic Face-to-face, Organic Virtual and Mechanistic Virtual.The results revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between the organisational structure and the performance of virtual teams. We further noticed a higher variance in the performance scores of virtual teams which indicates that the performance of virtual teams are more inconsistent than that of Face-to-face teams. The key finding of the research is that virtual teams perform equally well in both organic and mechanistic organisational structures.Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
unrestricted
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Raisi, Varkani Hossein. "Inter-organisational transfer of knowledge in tourism." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2019. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2214.
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Knowledge is widely recognised as the primary source of competitive advantage. Efficient transfer of knowledge within a tourism destination can improve the innovative capabilities and competitiveness of the destination. However, tourism scholarly research and industry practice have both been slow to import and apply knowledge management (KM) concepts.
This research explored the transfer of knowledge between tourism organisations in Western Australia (WA). A conceptual framework was developed based on social capital theory and KM constructs. The developed research framework comprised four dimensions of ‘structural’, ‘relational’, ‘organisational’ and ‘knowledge’ properties, which encompass the major antecedents of knowledge transfer.
Two types of data were collected in two stages within WA, and network analysis (NA) was central in the methodology and analyses of the data. In the first stage of the study, hyperlink data were collected, and the online web network of the destination was analysed. Tourism websites were considered online sources of information whose connections could affect the online visibility of the destination and its performance. A network of 1515 WA tourism websites was analysed via NA techniques. Results showed that the hyperlink network of the WA destination had a sparse, centralised and hierarchical structure. In addition, the websites tended to form communities based on their geographical locations. Public tourism organisations and information services played a central and significant role in the destination network.
For the main stage of data collection, an online questionnaire was developed based on the research conceptual framework. A total of 166 valid questionnaires were returned, which resulted in a network of 510 nodes (organisations) and 1054 ties (transfer of knowledge). A rich variety of network measures were used to analyse the topological properties of the network. The results indicated that the WA network has low connectivity and is highly centralised around public bodies. The network also showed very few reciprocal relationships and limited boundary spanners that connect the network to external sources of knowledge. In addition, results confirmed the similarity of the network characteristics with the virtual hyperlink network of the destination.
Structural analyses of the knowledge network cannot sufficiently explain the complex process of knowledge transfer. Thus, the last stage of the study proposed and applied a weighted diffusion model that used the major antecedents of knowledge transfer, including trust, tie strength, proximity, absorptive capacity and knowledge ambiguity. The diffusion model provided a quantitative tool to measure the efficiency of the knowledge transfer in the destination network. The result of the model for WA tourism provided evidence of the very low efficiency of knowledge transfer in this destination.
Overall, this study analysed the network of knowledge flow in WA and showed the destination network is not efficient enough and needs improvement. Network analysis provided a detailed map of knowledge flow, which destination management organisations can benefit from to improve their understanding of the network, its weaknesses and strengths, and to determine what actions will improve it. This study is among the very few to take a comprehensive approach to measure and quantify the efficiency of knowledge transfer within a tourism destination. In addition, this research provided a model for future research of how to explore and analyse the interorganisational transfer of knowledge within a tourism destination.
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Butcher, Catherine. "Heterodox forms of university ownership/control, governance, financing and organisational structure." Thesis, University of Roehampton, 2018. https://pure.roehampton.ac.uk/portal/en/studentthesis/heterodox-forms-of-university-ownershipcontrol-governance-financing-and-organisational-structure(4faff030-ffa8-4e1c-8a19-c4ace8f7a22e).html.
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This study explores heterodox forms of higher education institutions in the context of the intensification of neoliberal forms in the UK and Australia. It aims to understand how heterodox forms might enhance students' educational experiences, in which under-privileged students will be recipients of higher education at no cost to them. Students have been recast as customers who must pay for their education and a debt crisis is being created among young people who are made to carry, what I refer to as, an 'educational mortgage' throughout their adult life. The situation is even more burdensome for students from under-privileged backgrounds whose debts will continue to accumulate with interest as they take a longer time to repay the debt than their more affluent fellow students. An interpretivist approach to data collection was adopted. Interviews were conducted with eight senior executives and government officials in contemporary public higher education institutions in the UK and Australia to gain insight into the market model that is being adopted and its impact on students' experiences. Case-studies were also undertaken of four alternative higher education institutions in the US, Europe and Asia, to gain an in-depth understanding of their forms of ownership, governance, financing and organisational structure and the ways in which students' experiences in these alternative models differed from the mainstream. The findings revealed that students democratically participated in governance and operations of two institutions as beneficial owners, while students took ownership of curriculum design in one institution. Two institutions provided students with a free tuition education while students participated in a labour/work programme in all institutions. The study concludes with a conceptual framework of a heterodox higher education institution model and proposes a hybrid of a cooperative and trust, as provided in Chapter 7, that will be owned and operated by students, academics and other stakeholders in a democratic process, and in which students will be integrally involved in the process of their education and in curriculum development. This research therefore, contributes to the body of knowledge on alternative forms of higher education institutions and on-going efforts aimed at addressing issues of access to higher education for students from under-privileged backgrounds. It also has practical significance for education policy.
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Kristofersson, Ann, Johanna Falk, and Christofer Jonson. "Organisational structure influences on the controller roles in Sweden : A cross case study between six organisations in the clothing industry." Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Business Administration, 2008. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-8.
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Background: Increasing competition has led to a large interest for management control and leadership in Sweden. The controller’s role has changed from just including number crunching tasks to become more market and customer oriented. Therefore the use of controllers today is increasing within Swedish organisations. The role incorporates involvement in management decision making process. Organisational structure affects the work role as well as the location of the employee within an organisation.
Purpose: Our objective is to explore how and why the controller roles in Sweden differ from one organisation to another. To make it more interesting a second dimension, organisational structure, is included. We aim to develop guidelines that can provide useful insights to already existing theory. A mix between the inductive and the deductive approach is used.
Method: A qualitative cross case study has been performed where controllers from six different organisations present in the Swedish market have been interviewed. The organisations are operating in the clothing industry. Generalisation is not emphasised rather the uniqueness of each case is highlighted. A cross case analysis was performed to reveal differences and similarities between the cases.
Conclusion: We have found that a divisionalised structure where the subsidiary is relatively large results in decentralised decision making. The controller belongs to an own function located straight below the CEO and is titled business controller. This controller is recognised to be an involved controller. The involved controller was also found in organisations where some influences of the machine bureaucracy were apparent. If the controller belongs to the finance function it is likely that he/she performs accounting related tasks and the controller role is recognised to be the independent controller. If the controller belongs to the purchase function and the adhocracy is found the split controller role is evident. To prevent confusion we suggest that more controller titles should be added and the title should also communicate what tasks and responsibilities that correspond to the role. If you belong to the finance function an appropriate title would be accounting controller. By looking at the organisational structure it is possible to get guidance for what the role incorporates and what tasks and responsibilities that can be expected. Variance will always apply since there are no rules and regulations for financial control.
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Riegler, Robert. "Fragmentation and integration : new evidence on the organisational structure of UK firms." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2012. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12770/.
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This thesis will discuss how fragmented UK firms are and how they have changed between 1997-2008. We examine possible explanations for fragmentation and try to capture the effects of fragmentation on employment and labour productivity. We consider an organisational and a spatial dimension of fragmentation for the manufacturing and the tradable service sector. The data used comes from the Business Structure Database - a firm and plant level database which captures 99 percent of UK economic activity.
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Jordan, Ernest. "Information strategy: a model for integratingcompetitive strategy, organisational structure and information systems." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1993. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31233582.
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Valentine, Vincent Francis. "Measuring efficiency of container ports : an analysis by organisational and ownership structure." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/1146.
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Fundamental to any business is the concept of performance. This can be compared by using the competition as a benchmark for achievement or by comparing performance with previously defined goals and objectives. Stakeholders constantly demand to know whether their investmerit in a company is obtaining an adequate return and whilst there are established accounting techniques to calculate return on investment or capital employed, calculating efficiency can be rather a grey area in some industries. Ports are no exception and it is only by comparison that performance can be evaluated. Ports are, however, a complex business with many different sources of inputs and outputs which make direct comparison among apparently homogeneous ports seem difficult. The subject is further complicated by the various types of port ownership and organisational structures that exist throughout the world. This thesis seeks to determine whether there is a particular type of ownership and organisational structure that leads to a more efficient port. This aim is achieved by examining the efficiency of differently owned container ports, comparing privately owned ports against those remaining in the public sector, and those that have elements of both public and private ownership patterns. In addition, the organisational structure of those ports examined is analysed and classified with the results placed into a singular conceptual model for a clear comparison. The conceptual model can be then applied to any type of business enabling the performance of ownership and organisational structures to be compared with ease. The results of this thesis show that there is a strong relationship between the relative efficiency of ports examined and organisational structure and a weaker relationship between port ownership patterns. These results should assist governments, port administrators and port owners in determining the different ways they can structure their ports.
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Milliken, J. "The organisational structure, dynamics and strategy of integrated education in Northern Ireland." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.273390.
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Kotze, F. E. (Francina Elizabeth). "An investigation into the internal structure underlying the organisational diagnostic questionnaire (ODQ)." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/20903.
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Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study investigates the internal structure that underlies the ODQ. A structural model that explicates the nature of the causal linkages between the six main constructs comprising the ODQ was developed and tested. Data obtained from 273 employees in a chrome manufacturing plant was used. This research found that the proposed model offers a plausible account of the influences that exist between the six main constructs. The benefit of this structural model will be in the enhanced interpretation of the diagnostic results derived from the ODQ.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie stel ondersoek in na die interne struktuur wat onderliggend is aan die Organisasie Diagnostiese Vraelys (ODV). ‘n Strukturele model wat die onderliggende kousale verhoudings van die ses hoofkonstrukte van die ODV blootlê, is ontwikkel en getoets. Data van 273 werknemers, verbonde aan ‘n chroom vervaardigingsaanleg, is gebruik. Die navorsing toon dat die voorgestelde model ‘n aanneemlike weergawe is van die onderliggende verhoudings wat tussen die ses hoofkonstrukte bestaan. Die voordeel van die voorgestelde model lê daarin dat dit die interpretasie van resultate, wat uit die diagnose verkry is, kan verbeter.
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Shapely, Peter. "Voluntary charities in nineteenth century Manchester : organisational structure, social status and leadership." Thesis, Manchester Metropolitan University, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.241554.
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Folkerd, Christopher. "Issues in public information systems development : the impact of regionalised organisational structure." Thesis, Brunel University, 2011. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/8715.
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This thesis highlights the critical impact the effects of regionalised organisational structure and external political pressures have on the development of public sector information systems. Through the extension of a socio-technical systems (STS) model which encompasses these effects, a tool is provided for their investigation and evaluation in past and present information system (IS) developments. The foundations for this model were derived through an in-depth study of a large scale, national public IS development. Despite a large volume of research into the development and implementation of information systems, a high incidence of failure of such projects is still observed. With information systems now commonly integrated into many facets of an organisation’s business processes the costs and consequences of such failures can be far reaching. Given the additional scope and scale of many national public sector projects such consequences can be profound. While public sector IS failure has been studied in the literature, its focus is observed to be primarily that of an examination of e-government systems, neglecting the back-end (non-public facing) support systems. The focus of such studies is predominantly on the public’s interface and interaction with these systems together with their adoption and acceptance by the public. This view is a valid contribution but it does not inform the literature on the full range of unique problems that can be encountered across a complete IS development lifecycle within the public sector. Seeking to investigate these matters further, a collaboration was formed with a UK public body to facilitate the examination of the issues affecting the development and implementation of a national IS project. Onsite observations, interviews and document sampling were used across the development cycle to gather information from the perspectives of the stakeholders involved. The analysis of the data collected from this exercise highlighted a number of factors that were observed to have a significant effect on the project’s ultimate failure. Examination of this analysis from an STS perspective allowed for the extension of an existing STS model. It was extended to encompass the significant adverse effects that an organisational regionalised structure and external political pressure placed on the development of public information systems.
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Wallin, Hageving Andreas. "IFPI : A Postcolonial Critique of the Trade Body’s Organisational Structure and Ideology." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för musik och bild (MB), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-94723.
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The purpose of this thesis is to present a postcolonial critique that may empower non-Western music industries globally. As per Nigerian music executive Tunde Ogundipe’s reasoning, its analysis isn’t prescriptive – it presents a critical analysis of IFPI’s organisation and ideology, which non-Western stakeholders may use as free strategic business intelligence if/as they please. Using a sociological methodology, IFPI’s organisational structure and operations are analysed with reference to three postcolonial axes: ideology, history and political geography. The analysis uncovers colonial path dependencies and present-day policies that reproduce the ‘civilising mission’.Syftet med detta examensarbete är att presentera en postkolonial kritik som kan stärka icke-västerländska musikindustrier globalt. Enligt den nigerianska musikföretagsledaren Tunde Ogundipes resonemang är analysen inte föreskriftsmässig – den presenterar en kritisk analys av IFPIs organisation och ideologi, vilken icke-västerländska intressenter kan använda som gratis strategisk affärsintelligens om/som de vill. Med hjälp av en sociologisk metodik analyseras IFPI:s organisationsstruktur och verksamhet med hänvisning till tre postkoloniala axlar: ideologi, historia och politisk geografi. Analysen påvisar kolonialt stigberoende och samtida policys som reproducerar den “civiliserande missionen”.
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Zbirenko, Alena, and Johanna Andersson. "Effect of organizational structure, leadership and communication on efficiency and productivity : A qualitative study of a public health-care organization." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Företagsekonomi, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-91357.
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This thesis has been written on commission by Laboratoriemedicin VLL, which is a part of region’s hospital. The organization did not work as efficiently as it could, and senior managers have encountered various problems. We have been asked to estimate the situation, analyze it, and come up with solutions which could increase efficiency and productivity; in other words, increase organizational performance. After preliminary interview with the senior manager, we have identified our areas of the interest: organizational structure, leadership, and communication. This preliminary interview made us very interested at the situation at Laboratoriemedicin, and helped us to formulate our research question: “How do organizational structure, leadership, and communication affect productivity and efficiency of the public health-care organization?” Moreover, it made our research have two purposes, one of academic character, and one of practical character. The academic purpose is in investigating relationship between organizational structure, leadership, and communication and organizational performance, i.e. efficiency and productivity. The practical purpose is in giving analysis-based recommendations about possible ways to increase productivity and efficiency to Laboratoriemedicin VLL. In order to find out the answer to the research question and to fulfill both purposes of the research, we have conducted a qualitative research. This has been done by interviewing ten people working at Laboratoriemedicin. We have tried to talk to representatives of different layers of the organization to make our research more diversificated and complete. These semi-structured interviews resulted in qualitative data, which had been processed and analyzed using coding technique. The findings of our research revealed that structure, leadership, and communication affect efficiency and productivity. Structure defines how productive the operational processes are; leadership affects the whole personnel and the way they strive for achieving their goal; communication affects how fast things are getting done and how happy and willing personnel are. Additionally, we have spotted two areas affecting the relationship between structure, communication, leadership, and organizational performance: development issues and personal issues. Moreover, we have found that leadership and organization are the most problematic spots in Laboratoriemedicin. After careful analysis of the situation we have come up with the list of suggestions that can help the organization to achieve increased efficiency and productivity.
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Almosa, Saad A. "The use of overhead cost allocation methods within universities in England." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267256.
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Rognes, Jon. "Telecommuting : organisational impact of home-based telecommuting." Doctoral thesis, Stockholm : Economic Research Institute, Stockholm School of Economics (EFI), 1999. http://www.hhs.se/efi/summary/509.htm.
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Van, Niekerk Hennie. "An investigation of senior leadership and organisational structure in a Malagasy congregational setting." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10302007-084511/.
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Dumas, Angela Mary Piers. "The effect of management structure and organisational process on decisions in industrial design." Thesis, London Business School (University of London), 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.388816.
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Tabassum, Naeem. "Board structure and organisational performance : an empirical study in the country of Pakistan." Thesis, Brunel University, 2017. http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/16096.
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Corporate governance (CG) is the set of rules and regulations through which organisations account to their stakeholders. An effective CG system promoting the efficient use of organisational resources is instrumental in the economic growth of a country. Based on the existing literature, this research identifies board structural features i.e., 'Board Independence', 'CEO Duality', 'Board Diversity', 'Number of Board Committees' and 'Audit Committee Independence' as key variables of an effective CG system. Previous studies have largely examined the direct relationship between CG systems and firm performance. This research develops a multi-theoretical model that links the Board structural characteristics with firm performance measured in Tobin's Q, Return on Assets and Return on Equity, via two crucial mediating variables, 'Board Size' and the 'Frequency of Board Meetings', and two additional moderating variables, 'Code of Corporate Governance' and 'Ownership Concentration'. The conceptual model that is developed is tested with the help of an econometric study based on a comprehensive set of balanced panel data of 265 companies listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange for a period of six years. The first panel (2009-2011) represents the time-period before the implementation of the revised Code, and the second panel (2013-2015) covers the time-period following the implementation of the revised Code. The results show that the Number of Board Committees (discussing strategic issues) is significantly related to performance and the 'Size of Board' significantly mediates the relationship between the number of board committees and performance. The relationship is also moderated by the Code of Corporate Governance and ownership concentration held by the largest shareholder. The results also show that the links between additional Board structural variables (board independence, CEO duality, board diversity and audit committee independence) and the financial performance are positive but not significant to draw conclusive result. Comparison between pre-and post-implementation of the revised Code of CG suggests that the intervening relationship between the board variables and the performance is stronger after the implementation of the revised Code. This research is a significant milestone in the country context of Pakistan that reflects the socio-economic set of several emerging economies. A key implication of this research is that the corporate sector in Pakistan needs to move away from the tick-box culture of CG. The sector needs to implement CG as a tool to mitigate business risks, appoint and empower non-executive directors to achieve an effective monitoring of management. The companies also need to establish their own ethical and governance principles applicable to the Board of Directors in order to deal with factors that are likely to reduce Directors' efficiency. The research offers new insights and conceptual framework for further research in this area.
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Jordan, Ernest. "Information strategy : a model for integrating competitive strategy, organisational structure and information systems /." [Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong], 1993. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B13645997.
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Nannoolal, Shanitha. "Impact of organisational structure on evidence-based decision making : the matrix versus hierarchical." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/52274.
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Leaders of organisations are faced with a challenging, rapidly changing business
environment that results in increasing complexities. To deal with these complex
environments the matrix structure, even though problematic, is often cited as the preferred
structure to leverage from the efficient information flow. Organisational structure should
facilitate strategy implementation and is often referred to as strategy-structure paradigm.
The concept of organisational structure has been extensively researched. However there
exists a gap in determining and relating the factors that influence the flow of information
through organisational structure. Therefore further research into organisational structure is
needed. This study contributed to the field of organisational structure by comparing matrix
structure with hierarchical structure in an effort to determine the impact on evidence-based
decision making.
The research method adopted for this study was a quantitative cross-sectional study. Data
was collected through a self-administered questionnaire that was adapted from constructs
presented in the literature review. The questionnaire was distributed employing
convenience and snowballing sampling which resulted in 189 responses from 16 diverse
industry sectors.
The pertinent findings of the study were that organisational structure has no impact on
evidence-based decision making when comparing matrix organisations to hierarchical
organisations. The comparison revealed that there is no significant relationship regarding
information flow and evidence-based cultures. The study found that organisational culture
is the main driver of evidence-based decision making.Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2015.
vn2016
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted
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Amoah, Armstrong. "Assessing the Impact of Organisational Capacity, Organizational Structure and Leadership on Project Management Success for Project Oriented Organisations in Developing Countries – A Study of Ghana." Doctoral thesis, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/673718.
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Most developmental projects in developing countries have been found to be of necessity to human life, whiles their effective management by project oriented organizations have also been recognised as a crucial force for economic growth and poverty reduction for these countries. However, studies show that the management of projects in most developing countries tend to experience high levels of failure. Most developmental projects when started are not completed as projected in many developing countries. A review of the extant relevant literature on project management provided organizational capacity, organizational structure and leadership as some of the major factors that significantly impact on PMS, but these factors have not studied in the context of DCs.
This thesis therefore intends to fill this gap by investigating how the major factors commonly signalled in the project management literature (and their combination) actually affect project management success in developing countries; with the empirical application considering the case of Ghana. The thesis also investigates competencies/skills and best practice principles for an effective project management in developing countries.
Using three dimensions (namely, organizational capacity, organizational structure and leadership) with a total of 16 items, a survey was prepared and filled out by 215 certified project management practitioners. Data obtained were validated using exploratory factor analyses. New dimensions were obtained and using structural equation modelling, this thesis analysed how the different latent factors predict project management success in developing countries. To complement the findings already obtained, a qualitative comparative analysis was also carried out to help discover the configurational effects of the antecedent conditions on the outcome. Qualitative information obtained from the survey was also refined to obtain meaningful interpretations.
Findings from the analysis show that leadership is the most significant factor affecting project management success in developing countries. The capacity and the structure of project oriented organizations (in terms of span of control) were also found to be significant predictors of project management success. Different combination of the antecedent conditions were also found to impact on project management success, although in all configurations, the presence of leadership was paramount.
The findings obtained implied that citizens of developing countries need to vote competent political leaders who are system thinkers, negotiators and have a general business perspective, to lay the foundation for achieving project management success in their countries. Elected political leaders of various developing countries need to provide the kind of leadership that will propel project management success. To guarantee successful management of projects in developing countries, project oriented organizations need to employ only qualified project managers to lead their projects. Likewise, they need to further polish the leadership skills of their project managers by offering them periodic training and refresher courses and track their performance using information systems for enforce corrective actions.
The thesis concludes recommending a set of competencies/skills and best practice principles for effective project management in developing countries.
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Segon, Michael John. "Institutionalising ethical cultures: an investigation of formal organisational approaches." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16179/.
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This thesis examined the institutionalisation of ethics within Australian organisations. A particular focus is the role of the strategic apex, or executive level of the organisation, in establishing the environment in which an ethical culture can develop. The literature review examined both organisational theory and existing approaches to developing organisational ethical culture using formal mechanisms such as written policies, procedures, training and development and reinforcement strategies. This revealed the polarisation of ethics literature between compliance and integrity based approaches. This is seen to be consistent with only two forms of organizations, the mechanistic and organic structures. This was identified as a major flaw in ethics literature as it does not inform organisations about appropriate ethical design for organisations that fall in between this continuum. The review of organisational theory concluded that components of organisational structure are used to discuss organisational moral responsibility and are also the components of the compliance and integrity approaches to organisational ethics. A tentative hypothesis was established that organisational ethics systems would be more effective if they are in fit with an organisation's structure. The study utilised a qualitative case based research method, argued as appropriate given the focus being strategic alignment of organisational structure and ethics frameworks. Thus was also recognised as having limitations, specifically not addressing the behavioural impact of such strategies in a significant way. The study examined the ethical frameworks of three large organisations. This included: an analysis of background to the ethics strategy, the design process, who was given responsibility for design and implementation of the framework. The major characteristics of the program was considered, how it was encultured throughout the organisation and consideration of any evaluation mechanism. This was contrasted against the organization's structural characteristics to establish whether the ethical framework was in fit with the structure of the organization. The analysis and discussion identified that senior management support was evident in all three case studies and crucial to the development of an ethical culture. Extensive written policies (codes of ethics and conduct) were identified in all three cases; however, the extent of appropriate support systems determined the degree to which these policies were effective. There was a general lack of understanding of ethical systems within the organisation with little expertise evident by those responsible for the programs in terms of appropriate strategies for enculturation. Ineffective strategies were mainly due to lack of appropriate support mechanisms (communication, training, reinforcement and reward and review) or inconsistency between support mechanisms and other organisational policies A major conclusion of the thesis is that the strategies used for enculturation of ethics, are basic organisational design variables. As such ethical frameworks need to be informed by organisational theory so as to design systems that achieve fit which leads to greater effectiveness.
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Segon, Michael John. "Institutionalising ethical cultures: an investigation of formal organisational approaches." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2006. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16179/1/Michael_Segon_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examined the institutionalisation of ethics within Australian organisations. A particular focus is the role of the strategic apex, or executive level of the organisation, in establishing the environment in which an ethical culture can develop.
The literature review examined both organisational theory and existing approaches to developing organisational ethical culture using formal mechanisms such as written policies, procedures, training and development and reinforcement strategies. This revealed the polarisation of ethics literature between compliance and integrity based approaches. This is seen to be consistent with only two forms of organizations, the mechanistic and organic structures. This was identified as a major flaw in ethics literature as it does not inform organisations about appropriate ethical design for organisations that fall in between this continuum. The review of organisational theory concluded that components of organisational structure are used to discuss organisational moral responsibility and are also the components of the compliance and integrity approaches to organisational ethics. A tentative hypothesis was established that organisational ethics systems would be more effective if they are in fit with an organisation's structure.
The study utilised a qualitative case based research method, argued as appropriate given the focus being strategic alignment of organisational structure and ethics frameworks. Thus was also recognised as having limitations, specifically not addressing the behavioural impact of such strategies in a significant way. The study examined the ethical frameworks of three large organisations. This included: an analysis of background to the ethics strategy, the design process, who was given responsibility for design and implementation of the framework. The major characteristics of the program was considered, how it was encultured throughout the organisation and consideration of any evaluation mechanism. This was contrasted against the organization's structural characteristics to establish whether the ethical framework was in fit with the structure of the organization.
The analysis and discussion identified that senior management support was evident in all three case studies and crucial to the development of an ethical culture. Extensive written policies (codes of ethics and conduct) were identified in all three cases; however, the extent of appropriate support systems determined the degree to which these policies were effective. There was a general lack of understanding of ethical systems within the organisation with little expertise evident by those responsible for the programs in terms of appropriate strategies for enculturation. Ineffective strategies were mainly due to lack of appropriate support mechanisms (communication, training, reinforcement and reward and review) or inconsistency between support mechanisms and other organisational policies
A major conclusion of the thesis is that the strategies used for enculturation of ethics, are basic organisational design variables. As such ethical frameworks need to be informed by organisational theory so as to design systems that achieve fit which leads to greater effectiveness.
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Cakkol, Mehmet. "How does servitization impact inter-organisational structure and relationships of a truck manufacturer's network?" Thesis, Cranfield University, 2013. http://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/8285.
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© Cranfield University 2013. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the
copyright owner.Network relationships play a significant role in the provision of servitized offerings. To date, little empirical research has been conducted to investigate the link between servitization and inter-organisational relationships. The objective of this doctoral thesis is to explore the implications of servitization on a manufacturer’s network. Particular emphasis is placed on the impact on the network structure and relationship attributes. An exploratory in-depth case study was conducted within the truck manufacturing industry using a multi-organisational perspective. An abductive research approach was adopted which was underlined by pragmatism. As part of this approach, 43 interviews were conducted in a total of 11 companies. The findings of the study suggest that managers need to be aware of the different customer needs, related offerings and resultant implications on the network structure and relationships. To this end, the findings show that as the offerings move towards advanced servitized offerings the network becomes more complex in terms of its structure and relationships. The research contributes to the literature by providing a more nuanced description of what actually occurs in a network when a manufacturer provides servitized offerings in conjunction with other product-based offerings. In particular, it identifies the relationship attributes that need to be managed in order to drive the right behaviour for the provision of each of these offerings. Moreover, it is the first known study to uncover triadic as well as tetradic network structures in a servitization context. Equally important, it provides a framework that captures the interplay between the different offerings and the resultant network structure and relationship attributes. In all of these capacities, this research is one of the first known studies to uncover some of the complexities surrounding the way in which inter-organisational relationships are enacted in a servitization context.
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Bortey, Emmanuel Borlabi. "Organisational restructuring and change management : a case study of the restructuring of the Christian Council of Ghana." Thesis, Oxford Brookes University, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324094.
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Martinez, Felipe. "Possibilities of Object-Oriented Programming in the Organisational Architecture of Firms." Doctoral thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2009. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-162493.
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The procedures to establish organisational structure are the focal subject of this study. The review of literature and research components of this dissertation identify that there is lack of procedures, processes, and working guidelines to facilitate this managerial task. The creation of any of these procedures is inherently complex as is the intended organisational structure to create. Organisational theories present several models. They identify and discuss primary organisational elements but fail to propose adequate methods for structuration. The doctoral candidate confronts this void to both practitioners and academicians by means of two approaches. Firstly, it proposes a procedure to institute organisational structure founded on the Object-Oriented paradigm. Secondly, it compares and contrasts this procedure with existing processes deployed by managers, entrepreneurs, and expert-consultants. The presentation of this procedure includes a fundamental analogy for its creation; the paradigm selection and explanation (Object-Oriented); a detailled 'step by step' guide for successful implementation and concrete applications of the procedure. The review in this area is extensive and promotes analyses that are both practical as well as theoretical. This assessment promotes and develops a research based on organisational structuring experiences. It uses quantitative and qualitative tools to collect the data. The data are discrete. Various techniques are employed to illustrate findings. Bar graphs with distributions curves represent the data. The graphical and statistical analyses argue the existence of a general procedure to set up the organisational structure. In addition, the research compares the general and proposed procedures. It uses descriptive and graphical tools for the comparison. The findings corroborate the proposed procedure as a valid method to implement organisational structure. The resulting hypotheses derived from the research problem and formulated research questions are validated. This unlocks the opportunity to formally use the procedure as appropriate guidelines for structuring. It equally demonstrates the use of paradigms borrowed from other disciplines within organisational design. Additionally, the procedural knowledge is formally transferable through university course material and lectures. The benefit of the dissertation is the inclusion of the Object-Oriented paradigm within the discipline of organisational design. In doing so, it eliminates the void in this domain and offers both academicians and managers further areas of research.
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Strandli, Portfelt I. "The University; A Learning Organization? : An Illuminative Review Based on System Theory." Doctoral thesis, Karlstad University, Faculty of Arts and Education, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kau:diva-780.
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There are voices in the research field suggesting that universities should become learning organisations in order to be more competitive and efficient. However, the proposal is mainly based on theoretical and normative discussions rather than on empirical research. Therefore, this study has explored and reviewed in what way a university organisation has organised its inner life and illuminate in what way its local organisation matches the characteristics of a constructed theoretical model of a learning organisation. The study has furthermore explored in what way the organisational characteristics interact with one another in order to find out whether they support or hinder organisational learning.
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Smith, Kevin P. D. "Measuring the effects of organisational factors on research productivity and creativity in selected Canadian cardiovascular research institutions." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.324156.
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ca, rebecca schiff@mail mcgill, and Rebecca Schiff. "Food Policy Councils: An Examination of Organisational Structure, Process, and Contribution to Alternative Food Movements." Murdoch University, 2007. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20070906.103640.
Full textAbstract:
The contemporary global food system is plagued by a myriad of problems. In recognition of the problematic nature of the conventional food system, practitioners and researchers have sought, throughout the past century, alternative, sustainable food production, consumption, and exchange systems. Some of the solutions proposed for these problems suggest the establishment of new institutional forms such as that of the food policy council, an organisation which, through the embodiment of a food systems perspective, proposes innovative local and regional level solutions to food systems problems.
Over the past two decades numerous food policy councils (FPCs) have been created in North America and Australia. Research on FPCs still remains minimal, leaving many gaps in knowledge as to the role of these organisations concerning the ways that they can and do contribute to the sustainable development of food systems and alternative food movements. Research to date on the organisational structure of FPCs lacks consideration of organisation theory and the relatively substantial body of literature dealing with evaluation of collaborative, interagency organisations, an organisational type closely related to FPCs. There is a lack of consideration as to definition of the role of FPCs within the broader context of sustainable food systems movements and the procedures and protocol for effectiveness in achieving outcomes and fulfilling these roles.
Considering the significant gaps in knowledge, this research focusses on identifying a clear definition of the mission or roles of FPCs and investigates some of the previously unexplored organisational characteristics of FPCs as a foundation for identifying what may lead to best-practice organisational structure and process in fulfilling these roles. Since there is limited information and research to date specifically on FPCs, a qualitative and more specifically grounded theory approach was taken to provide an exploratory and reflexive research design framework. This design incorporated a continuous, interactive layering of data collection, classification, and analysis. Following a preliminary literature review, the inquiry focussed primarily on the gathering of information directly from FPCs involving several different types and sources of data.
Research findings revealed several aspects of food policy council objectives that can be considered together as defining the organisational role of FPCs. This provides a basis for determining the most effective administrative structure and operations management for fulfilling this role. Findings and analysis also indicated certain components of structure and process that can lead to effectiveness in terms of capacity building and fulfilling organisational roles. A model of FPC structure is developed and presented to summarise these findings, considering those components revealed through the research as contributing most to effective FPC operation. The development of this model from a broad and diverse representative sample, indicates that such modelling of structure and process may be applicable to transferring the concept of and creating FPCs in new locations.
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Schiff, Rebecca. "Food policy councils: an examination of organisational structure, process, and contribution to alternative food movements." Thesis, Schiff, Rebecca (2007) Food policy councils: an examination of organisational structure, process, and contribution to alternative food movements. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2007. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/293/.
Full textAbstract:
The contemporary global food system is plagued by a myriad of problems. In recognition of the problematic nature of the conventional food system, practitioners and researchers have sought, throughout the past century, alternative, sustainable food production, consumption, and exchange systems. Some of the solutions proposed for these problems suggest the establishment of new institutional forms such as that of the food policy council, an organisation which, through the embodiment of a food systems perspective, proposes innovative local and regional level solutions to food systems problems.
Over the past two decades numerous food policy councils (FPCs) have been created in North America and Australia. Research on FPCs still remains minimal, leaving many gaps in knowledge as to the role of these organisations concerning the ways that they can and do contribute to the sustainable development of food systems and 'alternative food movements'. Research to date on the organisational structure of FPCs lacks consideration of organisation theory and the relatively substantial body of literature dealing with evaluation of collaborative, interagency organisations, an organisational type closely related to FPCs. There is a lack of consideration as to definition of the role of FPCs within the broader context of sustainable food systems movements and the procedures and protocol for effectiveness in achieving outcomes and fulfilling these roles.
Considering the significant gaps in knowledge, this research focusses on identifying a clear definition of the mission or roles of FPCs and investigates some of the previously unexplored organisational characteristics of FPCs as a foundation for identifying what may lead to 'best-practice' organisational structure and process in fulfilling these roles. Since there is limited information and research to date specifically on FPCs, a qualitative and more specifically grounded theory approach was taken to provide an exploratory and reflexive research design framework. This design incorporated a continuous, interactive layering of data collection, classification, and analysis. Following a preliminary literature review, the inquiry focussed primarily on the gathering of information directly from FPCs involving several different types and sources of data.
Research findings revealed several aspects of food policy council objectives that can be considered together as defining the organisational role of FPCs. This provides a basis for determining the most effective administrative structure and operations management for fulfilling this role. Findings and analysis also indicated certain components of structure and process that can lead to effectiveness in terms of capacity building and fulfilling organisational roles. A model of FPC structure is developed and presented to summarise these findings, considering those components revealed through the research as contributing most to effective FPC operation. The development of this model from a broad and diverse representative sample, indicates that such modelling of structure and process may be applicable to transferring the concept of and creating FPCs in new locations.
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Schiff, Rebecca. "Food policy councils: an examination of organisational structure, process, and contribution to alternative food movements." Schiff, Rebecca (2007) Food policy councils: an examination of organisational structure, process, and contribution to alternative food movements. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2007. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/293/.
Full textAbstract:
The contemporary global food system is plagued by a myriad of problems. In recognition of the problematic nature of the conventional food system, practitioners and researchers have sought, throughout the past century, alternative, sustainable food production, consumption, and exchange systems. Some of the solutions proposed for these problems suggest the establishment of new institutional forms such as that of the food policy council, an organisation which, through the embodiment of a food systems perspective, proposes innovative local and regional level solutions to food systems problems.
Over the past two decades numerous food policy councils (FPCs) have been created in North America and Australia. Research on FPCs still remains minimal, leaving many gaps in knowledge as to the role of these organisations concerning the ways that they can and do contribute to the sustainable development of food systems and 'alternative food movements'. Research to date on the organisational structure of FPCs lacks consideration of organisation theory and the relatively substantial body of literature dealing with evaluation of collaborative, interagency organisations, an organisational type closely related to FPCs. There is a lack of consideration as to definition of the role of FPCs within the broader context of sustainable food systems movements and the procedures and protocol for effectiveness in achieving outcomes and fulfilling these roles.
Considering the significant gaps in knowledge, this research focusses on identifying a clear definition of the mission or roles of FPCs and investigates some of the previously unexplored organisational characteristics of FPCs as a foundation for identifying what may lead to 'best-practice' organisational structure and process in fulfilling these roles. Since there is limited information and research to date specifically on FPCs, a qualitative and more specifically grounded theory approach was taken to provide an exploratory and reflexive research design framework. This design incorporated a continuous, interactive layering of data collection, classification, and analysis. Following a preliminary literature review, the inquiry focussed primarily on the gathering of information directly from FPCs involving several different types and sources of data.
Research findings revealed several aspects of food policy council objectives that can be considered together as defining the organisational role of FPCs. This provides a basis for determining the most effective administrative structure and operations management for fulfilling this role. Findings and analysis also indicated certain components of structure and process that can lead to effectiveness in terms of capacity building and fulfilling organisational roles. A model of FPC structure is developed and presented to summarise these findings, considering those components revealed through the research as contributing most to effective FPC operation. The development of this model from a broad and diverse representative sample, indicates that such modelling of structure and process may be applicable to transferring the concept of and creating FPCs in new locations.
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Kannegieter, Timothy Hans. "Boundary weaving : the social structure and processes of organizational boundaries." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2010. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/46613/1/Timothy_Kannegieter_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Boundaries are an important field of study because they mediate almost every aspect of organizational life. They are becoming increasingly more important as organizations change more frequently and yet, despite the endemic use of the boundary metaphor in common organizational parlance, they are poorly understood. Organizational boundaries are under-theorized and researchers in related fields often simply assume their existence, without defining them. The literature on organizational boundaries is fragmented with no unifying theoretical basis. As a result, when it is recognized that an organizational boundary is "dysfunctional". there is little recourse to models on which to base remediating action. This research sets out to develop just such a theoretical model and is guided by the general question: "What is the nature of organizational boundaries?" It is argued that organizational boundaries can be conceptualised through elements of both social structure and of social process. Elements of structure include objects, coupling, properties and identity. Social processes include objectification, identification, interaction and emergence. All of these elements are integrated by a core category, or basic social process, called boundary weaving. An organizational boundary is a complex system of objects and emergent properties that are woven together by people as they interact together, objectifying the world around them, identifying with these objects and creating couplings of varying strength and polarity as well as their own fragmented identity. Organizational boundaries are characterised by the multiplicity of interconnections, a particular domain of objects, varying levels of embodiment and patterns of interaction. The theory developed in this research emerged from an exploratory, qualitative research design employing grounded theory methodology. The field data was collected from the training headquarters of the New Zealand Army using semi-structured interviews and follow up observations. The unit of analysis is an organizational boundary. Only one research context was used because of the richness and multiplicity of organizational boundaries that were present. The model arose, grounded in the data collected, through a process of theoretical memoing and constant comparative analysis. Academic literature was used as a source of data to aid theory development and the saturation of some central categories. The final theory is classified as middle range, being substantive rather than formal, and is generalizable across medium to large organizations in low-context societies. The main limitation of the research arose from the breadth of the research with multiple lines of inquiry spanning several academic disciplines, with some relevant areas such as the role of identity and complexity being addressed at a necessarily high level. The organizational boundary theory developed by this research replaces the typology approaches, typical of previous theory on organizational boundaries and reconceptualises the nature of groups in organizations as well as the role of "boundary spanners". It also has implications for any theory that relies on the concept of boundaries, such as general systems theory. The main contribution of this research is the development of a holistic model of organizational boundaries including an explanation of the multiplicity of boundaries . no organization has a single definable boundary. A significant aspect of this contribution is the integration of aspects of complexity theory and identity theory to explain the emergence of higher-order properties of organizational boundaries and of organizational identity. The core category of "boundary weaving". is a powerful new metaphor that significantly reconceptualises the way organizational boundaries may be understood in organizations. It invokes secondary metaphors such as the weaving of an organization's "boundary fabric". and provides managers with other metaphorical perspectives, such as the management of boundary friction, boundary tension, boundary permeability and boundary stability. Opportunities for future research reside in formalising and testing the theory as well as developing analytical tools that would enable managers in organizations to apply the theory in practice.
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Mbele, Zuko. "Organisational culture and structure as mechanisms for the reduction of human behavioural variability at the Merged Faculty of Education of the University of Kwazulu Natal (UKZN)." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/2009.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MPhil (Philosophy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2008.The merger of organisations has been extensively utilised in many industries. This has occurred globally and locally. Some mergers have become successful while others have failed to achieve their goals. The failure of mergers could be attributed to insufficient attention to certain organisational elements. When institutions merged, they become vulnerable to diversity and conflict. They also experience human variability. Organisational mergers present challenges that could be associated with humanity. This could be precipitated by various beliefs, values and norms. Conflict and diversity could be reduced by implementing certain organisational elements. This study is based on the developments of structure and culture as remedial organisational elements to reduce instability in merged institutions. These elements serve as mechanisms in dealing with the repercussions of the merger. The special focus of this study is higher education mergers. The primary objective is to gain an insight into the ramification and the impact of the merger. This includes the effectiveness of the newly designed internal processes. In accomplishing this, the study has applied a cultural and structural model to merged institutions. It has also examined various types of culture and structural literature theory extensively. From this it has discovered that these elements play a crucial role in reducing organisational conflict in mergers. It has also been found that merger consequences are less severe in organisations with similar backgrounds.
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Liao, Shiow-Man. "A comparative study of organisational structure changes in higher education institutions' libraries between UK and Taiwan." Thesis, City, University of London, 2004. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/18323/.
Full textAbstract:
Over the past two decades (1980s and 1990s), changes in environmental factors demanded that higher education institutions should be managed more efficiently. It is necessary for library administrators to evaluate their organisational structures in order to meet their customers' rising expectation and parent institutions' vision, mission, and strategy for future development. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent oflibrary reorganisation within the UK and Taiwan universities, and the principal differences and similarities on organisational structure changes between 1985 and 2001. This study was a population study. This study was composed of two surveys (the initial survey and the follow-up survey) in the two countries. Quantitative data was gathered though a questionnaire. The researcher investigated general aspects of library reorganisation, then focused specific on eight research problems and conducted comparison between the UK and Taiwan. Thirteen hypotheses centered on the issues concerning organisational structure changes were tested. Of the thirteen hypotheses, some were supported by the study and others were not. Comparisons were made among organisational charts during this IS-year period. The main findings are: (1) The extent of library reorganisation for the two countries was high over the IS-year period (1985-2001). However, there had been an overall decline during the follow-up survey period. If the non-respondents represented a biassed set (they all had not conducted organisational structure change), then the extent of change in the two countries was actually not so high. The plans of organisational change will continue with 30% respondents from UK and 24% from Taiwan in the follow-up survey were considering the possibility. (2) There was no significant relationship between the extent of the library reorganisation and the selected background of libraries studied. (3) Of the environmental factors responsible for organisational structure changes, Service reasons and management reasons played the top two major roles. Economic and technological influences on organisational change declined over the survey time. 'Changes in higher Education', 'the development of digitized collection/digital library', 'change in human expectations', and 'changes in scholarly publishing/communication' became the important reasons for changes in the follow-up survey period. (4) Most of the libraries conducted internally reorganisation rather than externally. The top two methods adopted in internal reorganisation were: 'creating new functions/departments/units', and 'combination of functions'. Convergence activities were only reported by several responding libraries, the results showed that the extent of convergence activities seemed increased with time. The major reasons for the convergence were: shared vision; to pursue a more effective administration; to cooperate in supporting teaching, research, and learning; overlapping missions and strategies; exchanges of specialization between organisations; more economic administration; to cooperate in development of digital resources and digital collection; sharing of staff, facilities, and equipment. (5) After reorganisation, most university libraries in the UK adopted hierarchical structure and based on a combined functional/subject-based pattern. Team-based structure was the second favorite. Almost all respondents' libraries in Taiwan preferred a hierarchical structure and based on a functional pattern, however, 'teamwork' concept was adopted by some libraries. (6) The new organisations mostly emphasized user services, integration of the management of varied resources in libraries, and technological support. (7) The management levels of libraries in the UK tended to be flatter after reorganisation. However, most of the libraries in Taiwan retained the same management level after reorganisation. (8) The title of library managers within UK universities became more versatile after reorganisation. However, most of the library managers in Taiwan retained the same title even after reorganisation. (9) The considered important challenges of organisational change were: 'the parent institutional climate'; 'managerial support within and outside the library'; 'the climate of the libraries'; 'the staff strengths and weaknesses'; 'staff attitudes towards change'; 'the attitude of library directors'. (10) The results of library reorganisation have been mostly positive, and have provided lessons in organisational change from which other libraries may benefit.
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Kemp, Leona. "Strategic change and its impact on the organisational structure of Pennypinchers (PTY) Ltd.: a case study." Thesis, Port Elizabeth Technikon, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/262.
Full textAbstract:
During the 1990’s many South African companies experienced the need to change and adapt. This was largely because of the environmental changes brought about by a new political regime. One of these changes was the exposure of South African companies to global competition. Because the South African business environment had remained relatively static during the 1980’s, many companies had no idea of how to manage change when it became necessary for economic survival. This inability led to the demise of many organisations. As change as a business concept covers a vast area, the main objective of this study was to isolate one area of change and examine it in a practical context. The chosen area was the relationship, if any, between strategy and organisational structure. The practical context chosen was an organisation, which had recently undergone strategic change. The research methodology for this study included the conducting of an intensive literature study, to determine the academic stance on the strategy/structure relationship. Various academic theories were examined to determine whether there was a relationship between the two concepts, and if so, what the relationship should be. This provided a background for the practical evaluation. Literary opinion showed consensus that there was indeed a relationship between the two; in fact the one was integral to the success of the other. That is, if an organisation chooses to consider adopting a change strategy, it should carefully consider its impact on organisational structure. To summarise, in a situation of change, structure should support strategy to ensure a successful transition. An empirical study was then conducted at Pennypinchers (Pty) Ltd , which had recently undertaken to implement a change strategy. The focus of the empirical study was the relationship between the chosen change strategy and organisational structure. The aim was to determine whether the strategy had an impact on organisational structure, and if so, whether the structure underwent During the 1990’s many South African companies experienced the need to change and adapt. This was largely because of the environmental changes brought about by a new political regime. One of these changes was the exposure of South African companies to global competition. Because the South African business environment had remained relatively static during the 1980’s, many companies had no idea of how to manage change when it became necessary for economic survival. This inability led to the demise of many organisations. As change as a business concept covers a vast area, the main objective of this study was to isolate one area of change and examine it in a practical context. The chosen area was the relationship, if any, between strategy and organisational structure. The practical context chosen was an organisation, which had recently undergone strategic change. The research methodology for this study included the conducting of an intensive literature study, to determine the academic stance on the strategy/structure relationship. Various academic theories were examined to determine whether there was a relationship between the two concepts, and if so, what the relationship should be. This provided a background for the practical evaluation. Literary opinion showed consensus that there was indeed a relationship between the two; in fact the one was integral to the success of the other. That is, if an organisation chooses to consider adopting a change strategy, it should carefully consider its impact on organisational structure. To summarise, in a situation of change, structure should support strategy to ensure a successful transition. An empirical study was then conducted at Pennypinchers (Pty) Ltd , which had recently undertaken to implement a change strategy. The focus of the empirical study was the relationship between the chosen change strategy and organisational structure. The aim was to determine whether the strategy had an impact on organisational structure, and if so, whether the structure underwent.
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Hamlin, Suzanne Christina. "An exploration of the themes which influence the flow of communications/information around an organisational structure." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2012. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.575489.
Full textAbstract:
Although people in organisations often recognise, and suffer, broken and distorted communications; the way organisations share information internally is seldom considered seriously. Often it is tucked in human resources as low- impact Employee Communications (EC) or hijacked and/or over-shadowed by Knowledge Management (KM). Investment seems justifiable for external but not Internal Communications (IC). This work looks at the author's concept of Internal or Organisational Communications (I/OC); a fusion of IC, EC and KM. An Action Research (AR) approach which was both interpretive and iterative was conducted in three organisations; two vertically integrated businesses and a strategically selected network (in order to improve the transferability of investigative methodology). The purpose was to explore factors which influence the flow of communications/information around a corporate structure. Multiple research cycles were undertaken in Organisation One before spiralling into Organisation Two then Three. This resulted in research cycles informing each- other as they progressed, whilst a similar methodology was applied in three settings. After chronologically telling these stories, 18 themes were systematically drawn out which emerged, developed and sometimes dominated the work. Further analysis caused these themes to form seven groupings to be considered when seeking to improve communications. These groups represent a mode of engagement with an organisation, underpinned by a consistent set of values/beliefs. It is not appropriate to separate the themes and valueslbeliefs from the AR process itself; they will help improve communications when used within the framework of AR. This approach provides a methodology for enabling the analysis of communication issues in organisations. It seeks to understand the organisation before developing sustainable systems and processes built upon what is already working. It helps engender a sense of belonging whilst supporting increased productivity. As it is applied practically it is continuously developing conceptually making it adaptive. Finally, it makes substantive contributions in the areas of research methodology, methods in practice and KM and communications theory.