Дисертації з теми "National business"

The goal of this master thesis is to appraise Budweiser Budvar, national corporation to 1st August 2013 with the purpose of selling the company to an unknown potential buyer. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part, all the important theoretical aspects are defined and methods for business valuation used in this thesis are described. In the second -- practical -- part, theory is applied to the particular company. Firstly, the appraised company is introduced followed by its strategic and financial analysis, value generators, and financial plan. The core valuation methods used are the two phase discounted free cash flow method and method based on industry multiples.

Bakgrund: Globaliseringen leder till att länder i allt högre utsträckning konkurrerar med varandra om uppmärksamhet, respekt och tillit från investerare, turister, konsumenter, donatorer, invandrare och media. Ett kraftfullt och positivt varumärke utgör därför en viktig konkurrensfördel. Varumärkesprofilering och branding, är de sätt på vilka en organisation kommunicerar, särskiljer och symboliserar sig själva gentemot sina kunder/klienter. National Branding är samma sak, men för ett land. Argumentet för National Branding är, i dagens globaliserade värld, att det finns en acceptans för konkurrens mellan länder för att erhålla uppmärksamhet av världen och dess tillgångar. Detta leder till att det blir ännu viktigare för ett lands ledare att göra allt som står i deras makt att projicera en positiv och konsekvent bild av det landet de försöker styra. Forskningsfråga: Vad innebär det att "branda" Sverige? Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att klargöra vad National Branding betyder och hur det fungerar för Sverige. Då begrepp inom kommunikation spelar en viktig roll för hur ett sådant komplext projekt ska utföras, kommer även dessa att beskrivas närmare och analyseras utifrån. Tillvägagångssätt: För att kartlägga vad National Branding är har Simon Anholts diskussioner och journaler studerats men också andra författares texter inom ämnet. För att fördjupa mig i hur National Branding fungerar rent praktiskt har jag intervjuat Thomas Carlhed som är Brand manager på Svenska Institutet och Anders Wollter, ambassadör och Koordinator för House of Sweden. Övriga personer som har intervjuats är Karin Serenander på UD:s info-enhet och samordnare för NSU-kretsen och Ylva Björnberg på Visit Sweden som också är expert i NSU:s arbetsgrupp för Nation Branding. Jag har under ett samtal med före detta riksdagsmannen Knut Billing diskuterat allmänt om National Branding. E-postintervju har genomförts med Jenny Lennung på UD, Henrik Uggla, forskare i Brand Management och Olle Wästberg, generaldirektör, SI. Resultat: Det moderna Sverige är dynamiskt och förändringsbenäget, multikulturellt, internationaliserat, samarbetsvilligt, socialt medvetet, kreativt, pålitligt och förknippat med kvalitet. Men kunskapen om Sverige varierar väldigt mycket. Det finns de som är ointresserade av Sverige och experter som vill skapa möten i de nätverk som de redan har. Det är viktigt att man får en bild av ett land och symboler är lätta att kommunicera med. Antalet associationer till landet Sverige är få och att använda sig av kungahuset är ett sätt att kommunicera ett lands kultur, värderingar och historia. Alla intervjupersoner menar att kungafamiljens symboliska värde och deras roll som ambassadörer för Sverige är ovärderligt. Även om den Sverigebild vi vill förmedla är sann och tagen ur verkligheten betyder det inte att det är tillräckligt. Även om Sverige ligger i framkant inom många områden betyder det inte att det kommer att vara så för all framtid. Därför måste den kontinuerligt uppdaterade Sverigebilden kommuniceras, på "rätt sätt" och till "rätt målgrupp", konstant. Det gäller att hitta passande kanaler och symboler för en sådan varumärkesuppbyggandeprocess. Landets befolkning som är en del av varumärket måste ha ökad kunskap om vad Sverige och Sverigebilden innebär och står för. Detta kommer leda till att befolkningen känner sig stolta över varumärket Sverige.

The essence of globalisation has been its influence on every aspect of post-modern social reality. However, little empirical research has considered how globalisation affects people’s perception of their national attachments. This study explores the interrelation between the international business environment and international business travellers’ understanding and construction of their national identity. By using data from 60 qualitative interviews with British (English and Scottish) and Russian business people actively involved in international business travel, the nature of their national belonging is compared and contrasted. The research identifies what constructs are employed in the research participants’ national identity claims and analyses differences and similarities in their articulations of their national belonging. Particular attention is paid to the role of the increasingly globalising international business environment in shaping the respondents’ local and cosmopolitan orientations. The study suggests that globalization affects the international business travellers’ perception of national self in two ways: while becoming more cosmopolitan they also grow more aware of their national belonging.

Despite the growing importance of both destination image and event tourism, a research gap exists when the two fields are combined. Destination image and event tourism have been subject to separate research efforts in the tourism field, however there has been little evidence of research in how events can affect destination image. The thesis attempts to address the research gap that currently exists by using Canberra, the National Capital of Australia and two annual events in the Capital - Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade 2002 as case studies. The thesis illustrates the importance of destination image in regard to the destination selection process, the meaning and measurement of image and the growing interest in event tourism. Several studies have illustrated that destination images do influence tourists' behaviour and subsequently decision making (Hunt 1975). Image, among other variables can be the deciding factor in choosing one destination over another. In spite of the importance of this research line, several authors recognise a lack of an agreed way of conceptualising destination image. A conceptual framework of destination image was developed by Echtner and Ritchie (1991) which forms the foundation of the thesis. Although the framework has its flaws, it has been pointed out that the Echtner and Ritchie Destination Image Framework has been useful in the assessment of destination images. Importantly, how events can be used to influence the image of a destination is put forward. Canberra and its image, being the focus of the study, is discussed in detail with reference also to Tamworth and Sydney. Although much of the research into event tourism has focused on the economic benefits that events can provide to a destination, the effect an event can have on the destination image has not been well demonstrated. Research on Canberra has indicated various studies in regard to the perceptions Australians have of the destination, community attitudes towards Canberra and event related research, however the effect that events have on Canberra's image has not been addressed. The thesis incorporates studies of events to measure the effect that they have on the image of a destination. The two main studies were conducted in conjunction with the Centre of Tourism Research (CTR) at the University of Canberra. Two events, held annually in the National Capital, were the focus of the research - Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade 2002. Event attendees at the two events were the target sample consisting of both locals and interstate visitors to Canberra. Two key questions related to destination image were added to the existing questionnaires and were the focus of the research. Primary research commenced in June 2002 and concluded November 2002. Destination image responses were derived from both the Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade 2002. Results indicated that event attendees regard the two events as being very positive in respect to the destination image of Canberra. The Top 15 responses from both studies also indicate a positive correlation between events and the destination image of Canberra. The Top 15 image responses from the events indicated that events do have an influence on the image of the destination with many event related characteristics appearing in the Top 15 image responses. This was further emphasised when the results from the two events were compared to that of 'Australians' Perceptions of their National Capital' (Richards 2002). General destination images in all three studies were mentioned however Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade 2002 image responses were more events driven. The Perceptions study illustrated more unique characteristics of the National Capital along with National attractions. Further, the image results derived from Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade illustrates the notion of 'multiple' images that a destination may possess. It is postulated that events have a Life Cycle, and that their influence on destination image varies according to their life cycle stage. It was found that events that lay in the introduction stage of the life cycle have more varied image results that are directly related to the event itself. On the other hand, events that reside in the maturity stage possess strong images related more to the destination itself as opposed to the event. These 'older' events become synonymous with the destination and therefore images are associated with the destination. In conclusion, the research has illustrated that events do have an impact on the image or images of a destination. In this case, the image of Canberra was subject to influence from both Stegbar Canberra 400 and Floriade 2002 event attendees.

Around the world Quality Management is commonly regarded by industrialists and academics as a management concept that encompasses the potential in any organisation of developing into a company-wide philosophy with a profound focus on stakeholder values and improvement processes. However, there are mounting evidence that Quality Management has developed into an important strategic issue also on a national level, and that some leading industrial nations have enjoyed significant gains in the post War era by means of nation-wide progresses in Quality Management. In this thesis organisation is therefore substituted with nation state as the unit of analysis, with the ultimate objective to gain insight into how quality management movements in the industrialised world develop and prosper.  Based on empirical data from the Cross-cultural Quality Management Research Project, a bird' s􀀧eye view of Quality Management is taken in twelve leading industrialised nations. Comprehensive descriptions of Quality in Australia, Brazil, Germany, Japan and Sweden are given in order to identify what national driving factors that currently have an influence on national quality management movements, whereas China, Great Britain, Italy, Norway, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United States are assessed on a more overriding level with an objective to determine the factors' scope and characteristics.  The existence and influence of national driving factors in Quality Management was firstly discovered in the mid 1980s by one of the field's pioneers, Dr. Joseph M. Juran, and a core task in this thesis is to re-examine the identified factors current applicability. The outcome is a proposed set of national driving factors, embracing economy, national quality societies, people, certification bodies, industrial structure, organisation and its quality function, and government. Although, these national driving factors are found to be common to all countries, they are genuinely national in the sense that the national context by and large determines the factors' character and influence. To gain insight into how national quality management movements in the industrialised world develop and prosper, it is therefore recommended that focus be direct towards the national context with its national driving factors. The factors are powerful explanatory variables that so far have largely remained an untapped fountain of knowledge within the field of Quality Management.

Aim: The aim of this work is to study the role that culture plays in business relationships between the Netherlands and Sweden. Further, the effects of time and trust on the business relationships are also investigated. The investigation entails whether there are cultural differences between the two countries and how those differences are managed. Method: The research is conducted by a qualitative approach with the use of primary and secondary data. The empirical study is conducted through semi-structured interviews participated by seven Dutch and six Swedish employees from an organization with business operation in the Netherlands and Sweden. Interviews involve one face-to-face meeting and all others are done through Skype due to time, location and cost constraint. Scientific theory is compared against the empirical findings and the coded themes are discussed in analysis. Results and conclusions: The national culture dimensions of Hofstede are compared with the empirical findings and this study supports that the four national culture dimensions of Hofstede’s; Power Distance, Individualism, Femininity and low and middle Uncertainty Avoidance correspond with the description of the Dutch and Swedish interviewees behavior. These national characteristics are observed to have influence in the cross cultural business relationship between the employees in the Netherlands and the employees in Sweden. The two largest cultural difference are in the way the Dutch communicate compared with the Swedes and the perception on pace of work. Although both parties work in different countries, they interact with each other frequently by phone, Skype and face to face meetings due to the fact that they share common customers. The common customers are managed through the local country operation such as Sweden and also at the headquarters level in the Netherlands. As such, the frequent communication results in the development of a working relationship between the Dutch and Swedish colleagues. The efforts to adapt to each other’s cultural differences further increases the trust level in each other's working method in order to serve their customers better. Suggestions for future research: The limitation of the research is that it focuses on one company which belongs to one specific industry. Therefore integrating participants from different companies within the same industry or across industries could result in a dissimilar result. The shortcoming is addressed by suggesting that for future research, this study should be replicated in different industries in the Netherlands and Sweden. Contribution of the thesis: This research contributes to the improvement of business relationships in multinational companies and managers can implement these improvements. Keywords: Culture, Time, Trust, Adaptation, Business Relationship

It is widely accepted that the educational system of universities has to provide an academic environment that may serve as a catalysts for high-technology start-ups. The academic tradition of entrepreneurship in German-speaking countries is very short. Until recently, fostering innovations and new product development through entrepreneurship has not been regarded as a primary task of universities. However, perspectives have changed in this respect, and there have been numerous attempts to enhance the role of university graduates as founders of innovative businesses. In this paper, we compare the entrepreneurial intentions of students at two German-speaking universities (the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and the University of Munich) with the corresponding results for a leading institution in this field: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). We find very distinct patterns of entrepreneurial spirit in these universities. The results also suggest that the lower level of founding intentions among students in Munich and Vienna may be attributed to their less distinctive entrepreneurship education. This leaves a great deal of room for improvement. (author's abstract)

This is a comprehensive report based on my examination of the National Museum of Korea after completing an internship in the International Relations & PR Division from September 1, 2010 through February 28, 2011. This report is divided into five chapters. Chapter I introduces the overall organizational profile of the museum beginning with its history, mission, vision, goals, management structure, programming, and funding. Chapter II specifically focuses on the International Relations & PR Division, where I have successfully completed a six-month internship. It provides a description of the internship including an overview of the International Relation & PR Division as well as my duties and responsibilities as an intern. In Chapter III, a SWOT analysis of the organization‟s internal and external issues is performed including its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Best practices of other institutions are demonstrated in Chapter IV which may serve as a reference for further development of the museum. In Chapter V, I conclude this report by providing my own insights and recommendations.

Globalisation, nowadays, has increased the need to comprehend how cultural differences affect leadership styles, especially given the potential impact on organisational performance. In the Middle East and Saudi Arabia in particular, organisational performance has been claimed to be held back by national cultural values, but it is currently unclear how leaders in Saudi organisations are negotiating the balance between national cultural values and modem influences, and how the values they uphold may influence their leadership roles and practices. In order to develop leadership in the Saudi context, there is a real need to understand better the relationship between culture and leadership. Therefore, this study investigates to what extent and how the national culture influences the leadership process. The study was conducted in the utilities sector, the organisations that provide the three main public services; telecommunications, water and electricity. Qualitative data were collected by means of a multiple holistic case study strategy, involving interviews with nine managers and eighteen subordinates, and subjected to interpretive thematic analysis. Seven influencing factors were identified, with tension between the traditional factors of social norms, tribalism, regional affiliation, and wasta, perceived as having negative impacts, and the modernising influences of education and technology, perceived as positive. Islamic values reflected an ambiguous position, theoretically positive but purportedly misunderstood or incorrectly applied. The outcomes challenge universal views of leadership and suggest a distinctive Arab leadership style, albeit one facing contestation. The outcomes are expected to contribute to theories of culture and leadership, and to leadership practice in Saudi organisations.

U.S. companies continue to grow and expand overseas. They also outsource business processes. There were approximately 350,000 call center employees in India in 2009 (Lundby, Parthasarthy, & Kowske, 2009) and another 350,000 in the Philippines by 2010 (Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation, 2010). The success of employees who are not U.S. citizens, yet work for American companies, has become critical. These individuals are, many times, hired by and work for organizations located in the U.S. yet are native to, stationed in, and supervise operations in countries around the world. The leadership and cross-cultural acumen of individuals in these positions can be critical to their success or failure as employees of American organizations as well as to their ability to successfully lead members within their own organizations to achieve successful results.

This research project was conducted by a third party to preclude any bias as the researcher is also the owner of the organization under study. The research examined leadership behaviors as well as cross-cultural sensitivities of individuals in these positions in order to ascertain whether there were differences between these self-reported attributes and the results generated by particular organizational units. Qualitatively, the researcher interviewed senior executives at a number of firms (not associated with his own organization) with respect to leadership and cross-cultural sensitivities of mid-level managers to ascertain if, from the perspective of these senior executives, common threads could be identified that would lead to a greater understanding of the issues of leadership and cross-cultural sensitivities in these mid-level positions as well as efforts that could impact organizational results.

The resulting data indicated that there was not a significant statistical relationship between any of the leadership acumens or cultural identifiers and managerial performance. In the qualitative data, senior leaders overwhelmingly indicated that Focused Drive, Trusted Influence, and Conceptual Thinking were defining leadership behaviors between higher and lower performers.

Executives' compensation has been on the forefront of the public and political debate since the recent financial crisis. One of the measures publicly discussed is a general upper boundary to top management compensation packages ("salary cap", "maximum wage"). While such measures are novelties to the corporate world, the North American major sports leagues have been using maximum compensation regulations for decades. This paper exploits the 23-year experience with salary cap regulations from the National Football League (NFL). The results show a significant negative relation between the success of NFL teams and the amount of the net (after-tax) salary cap represented by the personal income tax rate of the teams' home states. A team from California (highest average tax rate) wins 2.256 games less per year and has an 11% reduced probability of making the playoffs than a team located in a no-tax state such as Florida or Texas. The paper contributes to and informs the ongoing public and political debate regarding the regulation of executive compensation, and its effects on the performance of the regulated entities.
Series: WU International Taxation Research Paper Series

The main purpose of this study is to develop a bankruptcy prediction model for the small business firm. Data was collected from the Dallas Small Business Administration (SBA), making this study specific to its decision makers. Existing research has produced models which predominately use financial ratios and information measures either independently or combined, and a few research models have used economic trends. This study varies from past studies in that it includes regional economic variables from the states of Texas. A sample of three-year data for 138 firms included fifteen bankrupt firms. This proportion of bankrupt/nonbankrupt firms approximates the proportion of repayed/defaulted loans in the SBA. Stepwise regression, set at the .15 level of significance, reduced a total of fifty-three variables to nine. These nine variables were then used to test twelve predictive models. All twelve models tested improved the SBA repayment rate and only two of the twelve would have caused the SBA to deny loans to applicants who eventually repaid. The study determined the model that included financial ratios, information measures, and Texas economic variables as best. It was also demonstrated that some of the variables used in this model could be eliminated without decreasing the predictive power of the model. The best of twelve models improved the SBA default rate by 40 percent without denying a loan to any applicant that eventually repaid.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
The assessment of internal communication at PetroSA was conducted with the view to obtaining guidance on how to improve communication within the organisation. The study looked at both upward and downward communication content and flow. A representative sample was selected from the core groups of highly-trained professional employees in Levels 2, 3 and 4 (of nine levels). Employees in this sample were asked to respond electronically to a questionnaire designed by the researcher with input from colleagues. The questionnaire had 60 statements in seven concept areas. The statements were wide enough to capture the most important aspects of internal communication. It used a Likert-type scale. Responses were averaged and the averages were tested by t-tests to see whether employees agreed or disagreed with the statements. The sample of employees could also respond if they wished to a qualitative question. Results were analysed, conclusions were drawn, and recommendations were made about ways the company can improve its internal communication. The timing of the study is important for the organisation as the company plans to grow by more than 30 000 employees after the building of a new refinery in Port Elizabeth. What became clear in the study was that much satisfactory downward communication is happening in the company through CEO road shows, the in-house Yiza Sithethe magazine and the daily newsletter PetroSA Today, but employees want more. They want more specific information on where the company is going as well as on its financial status. Despite some disengagement, they would like to be free to engage with management on issues without running a huge risk (more upward communication). They indicate strongly that management does not listen to their ideas and suggestions. They want more explanation for some of management’s decisions, more discussions over causes and prevention of breakdowns in production, and clearer ideas of how they fit into the larger company. Despite some lack of alignment with the company goals, they do want to work for the larger good. More efficient budgeting processes, clearer career paths, and better understanding of their capabilities by their own managers seem to be needed. The company management needs to deal with some mistrust by employees, and this will not be achieved overnight. Immediate actions include a communication management plan to achieve better alignment of its workforce, as well as communication skills development for its levels of managers. Communication keeps any organisation together. There is good potential for PetroSA to attain its vision to be a leading petrochemical company in Africa. But first, it has to improve its internal communication.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
Factors influencing the adoption of smartphones are not known in South Africa. Smartphone adoption globally is currently measured as being around forty-seven percent of all mobile phone users, with an expectation that it will be around the fifty per cent mark by 2017. Most of this growth will come from markets that are highly price-sensitive, and low-cost smartphones will allow users to shift from feature phones to smartphones, or they may skip the step of buying a feature phone altogether and upgrade directly to a smartphone. With one of the fastest growing smartphone adoption rates in the world. Primary data was collected using an online survey tool, and four hundred and twenty-six responses to the survey were collected. The survey instrument was designed to collect information regarding the smartphone attributes and features that are most pertinent to the smartphone purchasing decision. The research also profiled how consumers were currently using their mobile devices from a time and frequency perspective. This was done through descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the sample data. The research adopted the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) with three added constructs from the literature, being Entertainment, Security and Privacy, and Social Networking. The objective of the research, therefore, was to test the relationship of these constructs in relation to smartphone adoption by the sample collected. Inspection of the data was done through multiple logistic regression on respondent’s current adoption status of smartphones. Only PU (Perceived Usefulness) was measured to be significant after inferential statistical analysis, but this proved to have only minor influence on the overall multiple regression equation of the research. Entertainment was statistically not significant in the research, but was measured as very close to significance whenusing a confidence level alpha of 0.05. The application of the TAM model with added constructs proved to be successful, although the added constructs did not result in significance of the associated sample data. Respondents indicated that smartphone features such as battery life and the affordability of data were the most important to them in the decision of purchasing a smartphone. The descriptive data did reveal differing adoption trends among different race groups within South Africa, and it is recommended that this phenomenon be explored in further detail in future research.

In June 2012, the Supreme Court of the United States decided the fate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in a case called National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius. While initially the decision seemed favorable to supporters of the bill, Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion could likely render the bill ineffective in implementation and it creates more Constitutionally confusing precedent than it resolves. Among the questions that now rise to the surface are: will Congress be able to raise the tax to a level where it will become effective? What is now mandatory for states to adopt into their Medicaid programs? Where is the line for the federal government with regards to coercion? What are the definitions of direct and indirect taxes? And, how binding is the Origination Clause of the Constitution?

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Many countries recognise the importance of realising economic growth through the exploitation of research outputs culminating from publicly financed institutions. At the forefront of these countries is the United States of America which has seen increased commercialisation efforts made by its universities since the passing of its Intellectual Property (IP) legislation, the Bayh-Dole Act in the 1980s. The Act assigned IP rights to public institutions. Most countries have since followed suit and SA is likewise in the process of adopting similar legislation, namely the Intellectual Property Rights Bill (IPR Bill). The Department of Science and Technology (DST), which is responsible for growing the knowledge base of the country, guided by the National R&D Strategy adopted in 2002, has developed a framework for IP rights emanating from publicly financed research. This will form the basis for IPR legislation, which is currently under review by Parliament. The legislation is similar to that adopted in the USA, with due consideration for local content. It also assigns IP rights emanating from publicly financed research to the recipient entities, that is, public institutions and small businesses. The legislation aims to stimulate inter alia a culture of patenting by public institutions. This has the potential to increase the commercialisation of these research outputs, as evidenced in other countries. The abovementioned legislation refers to the establishment of a national agency, the National IP Management Office (NIPMO), which will have the responsibility of undertaking the administrative function set out in the legislation. This paper investigates a business model, as well as an institutional framework for NIPMO, taking into account the challenges of IP management in SA and abroad. Desktop research was carried out for a better understanding of the status quo in the IP management landscape, both locally and abroad. This was followed by primary research by means of interviews in order to gain insight into the nature of local IP management offices, the challenges they are faced with and also the expectations of the planned National IP Management Office. The literature survey indicated that many countries have come to realise the importance of developing their economies through exploitation of publicly financed research outputs. Most countries have since adopted IPR legislation to enable public research institutions to manage their IP, and commercialise their research outputs. There are still challenges faced by this system, which are similar across countries. These range from the financing required for the management and running of these office, limited capacity, and also traditional mindsets of researchers in putting greater value on publications than on patents. Exploiting the information gathered, an environmental analysis in the form of SWOT and stakeholder analyses was carried out, which culminated in the development of a business model and a governance model. Some of the key recommendations that have been made in this study include the following:  NIPMO should follow the proposed business model which outlines the different number of expertise and services that should be provided to ensure the sustainable administering of the IPR legislation.  In order to be able to provide a much needed service and be accessible to the institutional technology transfer offices (TTOs), NIPMO should set up provincial offices to better assist the under-capacitated TTOs, as well as institutions without TTOs.  As skills are being developed in the area of IP Management, it should be considered to roll-out these regional offices incrementally, starting with areas that are in most need of these services, namely Kwa-Zulu Natal and the Eastern Cape.  NIPMO should play a major role in monitoring and evaluating the implementation and the impact of the new legislation on the innovativeness of the country’s research environment.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Baie lande besef die belangrikheid van die verwesenliking van ekonomiese groei deur die benutting van navorsingsuitsette wat van staatsgefinansierde instellings afkomstig is. Die Verenigde State van Amerika (VSA) is aan die voorpunt van hierdie lande, met toenemende kommersialisering deur hierdie land se universiteite sedert die wetgewing oor Intellektuele Eiendom (IE) by wyse van die Bayh-Dole-wet in die 1980’s goedgekeur is. Hierdie wet het IE-regte aan regeringsinstellings toegeken. Die meeste lande het hierdie voorbeeld gevolg, en ook Suid-Afrika is tans besig om soortgelyke wetgewing goed te keur, naamlik die Wetsontwerp op Intellektuele Eiendomsregte (IER-wetsontwerp). Die Departement van Wetenskap en Tegnologie (DWT), wat verantwoordelik is vir die uitbreiding van die land se kennisbasis en deur die Nasionale Navorsings- en Ontwikkelingstrategie wat in 2002 goedgekeur is, gerig word, het ’n raamwerk vir IE-regte wat uit staatsgefinansierde navorsing afkomstig is, ontwikkel. Dít sal die grondslag vorm van IER-wetgewing en die IER-wetsontwerp, wat tans deur die Parlement in hersiening geneem word. Die wetgewing stem ooreen met dít wat in die VSA goedgekeur is, en skenk behoorlike oorweging aan plaaslike inhoud. Dit ken ook IE-regte wat uit staatsgefinansierde navorsing afkomstig is, aan die ontvangerentiteite, naamlik staatsinstellings en klein besighede, toe. Die wetgewing is daarop gemik om onder andere ’n kultuur van patentering deur staatsinstellings te stimuleer. Dit bied die moontlikheid van verhoogde kommersialisering van hierdie navorsingsuitsette, soos in ander lande aangetoon. Die bogenoemde wetgewing verwys na die stigting van ’n nasionale agentskap, die Nasionale IE-bestuurskantoor (NIMPO), wat daarvoor verantwoordelik sal wees om die administratiewe funksie, soos in die wetgewing gestipuleer, uit te voer. Hierdie tesis ondersoek ’n sakemodel asook ’n institusionele raamwerk vir NIPMO, wat die uitdagings van IE-bestuur in Suid-Afrika en in die buiteland in aanmerking neem. Literatuur oor die onderwerp is ondersoek om beter begrip van die status quo in die terrein van IE-bestuur, sowel plaaslik as in die buiteland, te verkry. Hierna het primêre navorsing deur middel van onderhoude gevolg, ten einde insig in die aard van plaaslike IE-bestuurskantore, die uitdagings waarvoor hulle te staan kom en ook die verwagtinge van die beplande NIMPO te verkry. Die literatuuroorsig het getoon dat baie lande die belangrikheid van die ontwikkeling van hul ekonomieë deur die benutting van staatsgefinansierde navorsingsuitsette besef. Die meeste lande het intussen IER-wetgewing goedgekeur ten einde staatsnavorsingsinstellings in staat te stel om hul IE te bestuur, en om hul navorsingsuitsette te kommersialiseer. Hierdie stelsel kom steeds voor uitdagings te staan, soos ook die geval in ander lande. Hierdie uitdagings wissel van die finansiering wat nodig is vir die bestuur en werking van hierdie kantore en beperkte kapasiteit tot ’n tradisionele ingesteldheid van navorsers om groter waarde op publikasies as op patente te plaas. Op grond van die inligting wat ingesamel is, is ’n omgewingsontleding in die vorm van SWOT- en belanghebberontledings uitgevoer, wat tot die ontwikkeling van ’n sake- en ’n beheermodel gelei het. Op grond van die ontledings is belangrike aanbevelings gemaak, wat die volgende insluit:  NIPMO moet die voorgestelde sakemodel volg, wat die hoeveelheid kundigheid en dienste stipuleer wat nodig is om die volhoubare uitvoering van die IER-wetgewing te verseker.  Ten einde in staat te wees om ’n uiters noodsaaklike diens te verskaf en vir die institusionele tegnologie-oordragkantore (TOK’s) toeganklik te wees, moet NIPMO provinsiale kantore stig om TOK’s met ’n lae kapasiteit asook instellings sonder TOK’s beter te kan bystaan.  Aangesien vaardighede in die veld van EI-bestuur nog ontwikkel word, moet oorweging daaraan geskenk word om hierdie streekskantore toenemend van stapel te laat loop deur te begin by gebiede wat hierdie dienste die nodigste het, soos Kwa-Zulu Natal en die Oos-Kaap.  NIPMO moet ’n belangrike rol in die monitering en evaluering van die implementering en die impak van die nuwe wetgewing op die vernuwende aard van die land se navorsingsomgewing speel.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Southern Illinois University Carbondale, 2008.
"Department of Workforce Education and Development." Keywords: Attainment, Business, Career and technical education, Enrollment, Outcomes, Subbaccalaureate, Occupational outcome, Business students. Includes bibliographical references (p. 122-132). Also available online.

Theses (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.
This paper describes the redesigning processes of the National Building Regulations of South Africa. These processes are administered by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in terms of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977 (The Act). The application of the business processes and the Building Control Officers from various local authorities nation-wide who enforce the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 103 of 1977 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) with particular reference to implementation of core regulatory business processes within the building industry in Southern Africa. The investigation was largely motivated by the high number of injuries, deaths and/or human lives affected adversely and reported due to collapsing and defective buildings. These disasters occurred at various Local Authorities, in private residential homes, government-owned buildings, abandoned and commercial buildings, such as shopping malls, have been investigated and reported by the Building Regulator, i.e. the NRCS in collaboration with the Department of Labour’s Commission of Enquiry between the years 2012 and 2014. The reports show that in those sectors of building, the local authorities’ Building Control Officers, as the legislated enforcers of the Building Regulations (with the oversight role played by the NRCS), experienced the highest levels of non-compliance by various parties who are affected by the Building Regulations, i.e. building owners or their legal representatives, built-environment professional practitioners and builders. This study applies the interpretive approach underpinned by qualitative methodology where interviews were used to collect data from building owners, prospective building owners, building occupants, built-environment practitioners, Local Authorities’ building control officers and The Regulator of the National Building Regulations. The empirical findings revealed that there is a critical need for business process review and strategy shifts that advance objectivity and benefits to compliance, visibility and awareness of regulatory process, the highlights of possible endangerment of human life due to non-compliance, the outlining of sanctions for failure to comply, and stakeholder liaison. The output is a re-module of business processes that will enforce and maintain compliance of the building regulations of South Africa.

This research examines WHY and HOW a new approach to Enterprise Strategy and IT planning can be adopted in the European national financial sector by using Enterprise Architecture (EA). EA has been promoted as a key tool for transformation and modernisation of the enterprise. By following best practices from successful case studies and the European Central Bank (ECB), the claim is that the adoption of EA will ensure that IT resources and business processes are planned, leveraged, and coordinated better in national financial sectors. In our five supporting papers, several qualitative case studies in Europe were investigated by applying an interpretive perspective. According to common belief EA connects business and IT; it is an important tool for survival and growth. Many EA endeavours, however, fail. The question is how can risks of EA implementation failure be reduced at an early stage? Underlying questions concern: why would a particular organisation need EA, can implementation risks be identified and are solutions available to reduce the failure rate? In order to answer research questions a literature study is performed to build the Business Transformation Enablement Program framework (BTEP). It advocates deliberate motivation, active risk management and an iterative and incremental implementation of EA. Next to the literature, the framework is validated through the Small National Bank (SNB) implementation. Data was collected in both structured, semi-structured and ad-hoc methods. Grounded theory techniques were used to analyse the data logically, using existing theory only as prior constructs. The theoretical abstractions, generalisations and experience generated in the research process have been published and availed to specialised groups.

The military faces unprecedented limitation of resources due to fiscal cuts through all branches of service. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore succession planning (SP) strategies used by Air National Guard leaders to retain skilled workers. The target population consisted of 5 leaders of the Washington Air National Guard (ANG) with a minimum of 5 years of experience in the ANG. The five tenured candidates were selected given proven leadership performance, ability to influence the organization, and they provided institutional knowledge and corporate insight of SP efforts spanning nearly a century. Additionally, these leaders had direct first-hand experience with local selective retention process and successful force management practices. The conceptual framework included organizational leadership theory, succession theory, and employee retention. Semistructured interviews were conducted and relevant documents collected. All interpretations from the data were subjected to member checking to ensure trustworthiness of findings. Coding, clustering, and thematic analysis were methods used for data analysis. Prominent ideas and actions taken were coded, common codes were clustered and themes evolved. Based on the methodological triangulation of data, 5 themes surfaced: (a) skills focus verses strategic, (b) informal verses formal SP, (c) individual verses organizational, (d) priority for retention verses recruitment, and (e) limited skill leads to mission gaps. The application of the findings from the study may contribute to social change by inspiring military leadership to adopt more strategic succession planning and ensure business sustainability by changing existing SP from a recruitment-based technique to culture of retention.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The South African population involves huge numbers of young people. The majority of these young people are unemployed and unable to make a living as a result of the inability of the economy to absorb them into the labour market. Other young people attempt to make a living through entrepreneurship. However, the participation of young people in entrepreneurship is very low. Young people face many challenges associated with lack of funding and business development support services, technical skills and development. The problems facing the country substantially caused socio-economic challenges resulting in a shrinking economy. This translated into an inability of both the private sector and government to create and sustain jobs. The government of South Africa established the National Youth Development Agency (here called the Agency) with the mandate to reduce poverty by making sound investments. This facilitates opportunities for young people to acquire skills, promote creation of jobs or pursue meaningful self-employment opportunities through various enterprise development initiatives. The agency developed the Enterprise Development Finance Programme as an economic development approach. The agency provides access to financial and non-financial services to the previously disadvantaged youth in a sustainable manner that improves and promotes sustainable livelihoods for the low-income groups. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the EDFP. The public and private sector offers different programmes aiming at equipping aspiring and established entrepreneurs with skills, knowledge, and motivation to enable business development and growth in the country. However, the challenge is that many do not have entrepreneurial minds. Those who have entrepreneurship knowledge do not know about the programmes, or the programmes are not easily accessible particularly to people in the rural areas. In addition, these programmes are not co-ordinated and as result we are not in a position to tell immediately as to who is doing what and where. This also makes it difficult to identify gaps and to maximise the impact of the programmes. There is a need to audit all programmes aimed at improving the economic development of the country. The government of South Africa must instil a culture of entrepreneurship at all levels to promote and nurture entrepreneurship skills. Vigorous entrepreneurial activity and innovation is needed to alleviate high unemployment levels through a combination of improved quality education and skills development. Promotion and support of entrepreneurship should form an important component of policy options considered to increase economic growth for the long term. The Economic Development Finance programme provides SME and microfinance funding which is seen as an important strategy for economic growth. Education and skills development is an important tool that supports the culture of entrepreneurship, as it contributes to the success of businesses. The private and public institutions should intensify their involvements and consider both financial and non-financial support for youth enterprises and entrepreneurs equally. The support for entrepreneurship should be holistic and cover funding, technical training, training in business and financial management, and business linkages.

The world of business is changing and organizations are finding cross-border mergers are greatly different from their domestic acquisitions. The influence of national culture can be dramatic and leaders are discovering those differences can have a great impact on the success or failure of the partnership. The success of a partnership depends on many classical factors such as financial risk, legal liabilities, and capability to deliver. The participants in this study demonstrated few of the studied organizations understand the other organizations business or national culture and that inability to understand has had a tremendous cost to multinationals in both money and success. The purpose of this study was to address the shortcomings of partnership effectiveness by exploring the relationships and effects of business and national culture in partnerships and the efforts expended during due diligence to identify potential problems. The study results indicate many of the problems organizations face could have been discovered early and allowed for the establishment of programs necessary to address cultural issues before they become organizational problems.

Aim: The aim of this research is to formulate India market product strategy for the global multinational corporate Vodafone Inc.,

Investigate the influence of national cultures in strategy formulation. Applying cultural synthesis in the strategy formulations for target markets. 

Method: The main methods of data collection are individual interviews and discussions and group cultural training. A computer online questionnaire is used past the interview for correlation and analysis of responses. Two sets of interviews pre-cultural training and post-cultural training are conducted. The results are presented, analysed, reflected and related to the research. The research is applied to deliver a reformulated product strategy for Vodafone Inc.,

Result & Conclusion: This research bought out the implications of national cultures in strategy formulation and how strategy can be delivered by infusing culture as one of the parameter in strategy formulation. The end result is strategy that is closer to local market customer needs and wants aligned with organization business objectives. The conclusion is that global multinationals could deliver better strategy that applies globally to each of the local subsidiaries by embedding ethos of the regional markets in the strategy formulation.

Suggestions of future research: The research focussed on strengthening strategy formulation by embedding culture as parameter. The theme could be extended to strategy implementation in future research.

Contribution of the thesis: This research has added value to the strategy formulation, by proposing a new model, where the strategy team comprehends the national culture value of target markets and blends them as one of the parameters in the information’s and data. Thus the final interpretation of the information and data is a collective reflection of own national culture values and the target market cultural values.

The objective of this research was to determine whether there is a relationship between the level of maturity of an organization's business processes as measured by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award's Criteria for Performance Excellence (BCPE) and the level of employee engagement. Two organizations were selected for the study based on their overall level of maturity measured by the BCPE scoring guide representing firms with high and low levels of maturity. The first hypothesis tested indicates a negative statistically significant relationship between the level of maturity of an organization and the level of employee engagement. Next, the level of employee engagement between males and females was significantly different as the level for men was higher than the level for women participating in the study. Finally, no support was found for the third hypothesis exploring differences in the levels of employee engagement between military and civilian employees. This study was limited to predominantly full-time personnel assigned to two of twenty-eight state Army National Guard (ARNG) organizations that participated in the ARNG Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) award process during the award years of 2009-2010. The absence of support for the BCPE's effect on the level of employee engagement within organizations could be an indicator of other factors affecting employee engagement that are needed to be researched further before any conclusions can be reached.

The goal of this thesis was to study the impact of national culture on the diffusion process of innovation. The study was conducted on consumers in two countries of Sweden and Iran who have significant cultural differences based on Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions model. A questionnaire designed to evaluate the tendency to adopt new products and to imitate was completed by 200 people in each of two respective countries. These participants were well distributed across different genders and age groups. The responses obtained were analyzed to evaluate the impact of culture on adoption of innovation as well as on imitation. In addition, the role of gender on the adoption of new product as well as on imitation was investigated.

The analysis of the data obtained in this study clearly indicates that national culture plays a significant role on the diffusion process of innovation. These results show that the tendency to adopt new products in the Swedish culture is higher than that in the Iranian culture. In other words one can conclude that the tendency to adopt new products in countries with low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, individualistic, and short term orientation culture is higher than in countries with high power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, collective, and long term orientation culture.

The results of this research also demonstrate that gender also plays an important role in the adoption of new products. These results indicate that the tendency to adopt new product by males in both Sweden and Iran is higher than the tendency to adopt new products by their female counter parts. In other words in both feminine and masculine cultures males have more tendencies to adopt new products than females.

The analysis of the data obtained in this study indicates that national culture plays a significant role on the degree of imitation. These results show that the tendency to imitate in Iranian culture is higher than in the Swedish culture. In other words the tendency to imitate in countries with high power distance, high uncertainty avoidance, collective, and long term orientation culture is higher than the tendency to imitate in countries with low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance, individualistic, and short term orientation culture.

In addition, the results of this research show that gender also plays an important role in the extent of imitation. These results suggest that the tendency to imitate by females in both Sweden and Iran is higher than the tendency to imitate by their male counter parts. In other words in both feminine and masculine cultures females have more tendencies to imitate than males.

This is a study of information management in technology transfer, industrialisation and national economic development. It is based on a case study of Kenya. It argues for national information management as an aid to informed strategic decision making in technology identification, selection and negotiation. It proposes that effective technology transfer to developing countries depends on the information management capability of the national institutions responsible for managing the process because institutions are information processing organs. National institutions can support the technology transfer process by making the internal and external environment transparent for the economic agents in the country. They can create the environment in which learning takes place by supporting decision making based on information and using the best expertise. To support the process, national institutions require to build institutional memory and proceduralise the transfer of lessons between projects. This is the way to advance indigenous technological capability. Institutionalising informed decision making is necessary if a developing country like Kenya is to benefit from developments accompanying the new information technologies. Institutional reorganisation should, therefore, be at the centre of national information and informatics policies. Two project case studies from Kenya are used to demonstrate the argument.

This study attempts to identify and explore the psychodynamics of Australian and Korean business encounters in Seoul, Republic of Korea, by describing and discussing 'Australian-ness' and 'Korean-ness' as representations of what I will call 'National character in-the-mind'. A guiding hypothesis is that in highly charged emotional settings, like those associated with foreign business encounters, National character in-the-mind acts as a psychological and emotional container, and a protective screen to hide more intricate institutional anxieties and defences. The data supporting the study is drawn from my interviews with 12 Australian and 6 Korean business people conducted between 3 and 14 June 1996 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. The study also reflects my experience and role as researcher in the research as a source, creator and interpreter of data through the exploration of my own introspection. The findings demonstrate how Australian-ness and Korean-ness appear to represent projections of the human imagination, willed within the bounds of individual experience and perception. A model for evaluating Cultural Misunderstanding and Defensive/Adaptive Behaviour is proposed with the aim of seeking improved understanding of the Australian and Korean National character. The model applies learning from the research experience which emphasises the need for Australian and Korean business people to take a more adaptive approach to the contrary behaviours they encounter. The model also acknowledges the value of investing time to establish and maintain cross-cultural business relationships based on access, whereby Australian and Korean business people see themselves as resources of mutual gain, reducing the potential for misunderstanding, fear and mistrust and the subsequent invocation of defensive responses.