This research study seeks to identify possible barriers that may exist within supply chain organisations and prevent the full acceptance, integration and utilisation of Internet based information system technologies, as is required by the new information age. The barriers can possibly be behavioural in nature (in measuring the use of information technology applications), psychological (dealing with perceptions) or be based on organisational policies and technical know-how. By conducting an empirical research investigation into the perceptions of users at different levels of supply chain management activity, the intention is to help organisations capitalise on their investment in information technology systems by identifying barriers to its usage after implementation. The hypothesis is derived from existing literature about business organisations‘ experiences and best practices, albeit it beyond the borders of South Africa. The respondents’ perspective is tested in a questionnaire to determine the level of organisational Internet based SCM integration and information sharing in the current South African market. This survey was conducted over a period of four months and targeted 2568 respondents. Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were used to improve the value of research findings. The value of this research investigation is to assist South African supply chain management practitioners and researchers in competing with global players, since competitive advantage depends on competent supply chains in today’s digital economy, according to Philip Kotler (2001: 3). All the research objectives were achieved from the research sample data analysis. From the empirical research, the findings concern their search for lower prices, the payment receipt of money electronically and their order placement amongst others. The two underlying constructs that govern respondents’ SC interaction and in particular their information sharing activities are confidence and confidentiality, however the null hypothesis cannot be rejected. The results of this study and the contribution to the multi-discipline research area could be improved by future studies taking an even larger sample of the sample population to include more heterogeneous technology users in the study. This could facilitate the extrapolation of the results to the South African SCM market with more certainty. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Business Management / MCom / unrestricted

Magister Artium - MA / This study is primarily a history of black political organisations and their attempts to organise farmworkers in the rural Western Cape (1912 1930) with special reference to the Boland. The attempts made by these organisations to organise farmworkers in the Boland between 19:2 1930 raises a number of important issues which will be addressed in this study. Firstly, there is the issue to what extent capitalist agriculture existed in this area before and during the period under observation. On a general level there is a question to what extent capitalist relations of production existed in the agricultural production in the Boland. This would clearly have an effect on organisations attempting to organise farmworkers as well as the nature and form farmworkers struggles would develop into. Secondly, it is clear that the attempts at organisation the ANC(WC) was more successful than the A.P.O. and the I.C.U. put together. This raises a whole series of issues concerning the nature and form of these organisations, for example the strategies and organisational methods that were used, the issues that were addressed and the discourse and ideology of the A.P.O., I.C.U. and ANC(WC). Lastly, an attempt is made at evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the three organisations under consideration with a view to draw important lessons from these struggles for the organising of farmworkers in the future.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / The thesis focuses on the choice of technique as a key component in creating viable enterprises, including those controlled by their worker-members. A theoretical model of the choice of technique is presented, with its roots in the works of Pasinetti and others. Then a picture of the technological opportunities in the brick making industry is constructed through analyzing the actual technical choices made by a sample of firms in the industry. Implications for worker controlled enterprises are drawn throughout. The choice of technique function is shown to be more complex than is usually assumed. In the presence of uncertainty an enterprise has to search for a viable operating space rather than an optimum position.. The decision making criteria are firm specific decision rules built up over time. As such the enterprise can be viewed as 'embodied learning', with the power relations which characterise all social organisations. When making a choice, the enterprise has to reconcile the conflicting requirements of the technological system, the effective demand criteria and the the context in which the technique will operate. A key component of this context is the nature of the enterprise, the learning embodied in it, and the resources it possesses. The specific conditions within a worker controlled enterprise require changes to the institutional framework in which they can be successful. These are directly related to the distribution of income and the nature of the organisation of production. The former affects the capacity of a worker controlled enterprise to acquire human and physical resources required to invest in new techniques. The latter relates to the establishment of efficient management structures. The choice of technique in a sample of firms in the brick making industry in the Western Cape is investigated, and the technological opportunities and constraints analyzed. It is shown that smaller mechanised concrete masonry techniques seem to hold the most potential for a worker controlled enterprise under certain conditions. These conditions include particular state policies to foster the housing delivery systems geared towards small building contracts and squatter upgrading. These have to be supplemented with appropriate financing strategies and the provision of serviced land. The ability of worker controlled enterprises to attract efficient management skills will most probably depend on their capacity to integrate horizontally, and in so doing create economies of scale in the provision of managerial resources. The viability of an enterprise will ultimately depend on whether it is able to adopt a technique which can deliver the products wi th appropriate char act.erLst i cs , to a market segment which requires products of that nature at the cost required. In the Western Cape that growing market seems only to be possible in the sectors where housing is currently not affordable. Therefore, lack of effective demand places a limit on the viability of new enterprises until such time as state policies and the institutional context of land use and availability have been addressed.

This thesis, The Influence of Media on the Message: A Case Study of Kvinnobyrån’s Communication and Media Distribution, is written by Anna-Evelina Dahlström and Linnea Ljung. To gain insight into Kvinnobyrån’s current situation, and add to the understanding of the problem with the ethical aspects of communication for NPOs. Based on the following research questions -What is  communicated via Kvinnobyrån’s media channels?, - How is Kvinnobyråns media channels utilised today and how should they be utilised, according to Uppsala Stadsmission and Kvinnobyrån?, - Does the ethical aspects of Kvinnobyrån’s communication affect their communications practices? And if so, how? The theoretical framework consists of Mediation Theory, Communicative Constitution of Organisations (CCO) and Seven building blocks of social media. The methods utilise triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods. The material consists of interviews, social media posts and statistical data from Kvinnobyrån. The results had three main characteristics, informative, donations, and storytelling. Storytelling is the main communicative strategy and the ethical aspect is limiting Kvinnobyråns communication. The field lacks an extensive research base on ethical considerations about vulnerable people and for NPOs communication. This thesis contributes with a new perspective to the field, by examining the effect of ethical limitations on communication by mapping the problems to add insight into the phenomena. The paper has 62 pages and is published by the department Media and Communication studies: Department of Informatics at Uppsala University during the fall term of 2020 supervised by Martina Ladendorf.

Si la coordination a été largement abordée dans les organisations et les projets, elle l’a été beaucoup moins dans les projets de type complex product systems (COPS). Dans cette thèse sur travaux, nous mobilisons une approche qualitative longitudinale d'étude de cas unique pour aborder différentes questions de recherche. Théoriquement, nous décrivons le caractère multi-niveaux de la coordination plaidant en faveur d'une combinaison de mécanismes de coordination émergents et planifiés. Nous montrons ensuite, empiriquement, comment, considéré comme un artefact, un référentiel de connaissance dans la gestion de projet (le Guide PMBOK), assure la coordination de ses communautés de pratiques dispersées géographiquement. Ainsi, nous caractérisons la relation entre communautés de pratique et artefact comme étant mutuellement constitutive et co-évolutive. Ensuite, au niveau des acteurs projet, nous explorons le processus de développement des interdépendances en montrant que combler les écarts de connaissances engendre des changements dynamiques dans les interdépendances entre acteurs et celles entre tâches. Ceci nous a permis de mettre en évidence un flux réciproque de causalité entre taches et entre acteurs. Enfin, nous montrons que les barrières de connaissances entravant la coordination sont caractéristiques des projets COPS et nous expliquons comment les acteurs projet les surmontent à l'aide de différents artefacts imbriqués à leurs actions. Cette analyse nous permet de fournir un appui empirique à l’idée que les processus émergents de création de connaissance offrent une explication complémentaire aux problèmes de coordination. Ainsi, notre thèse présente une compréhension novatrice de la coordination dans les projets COPS avec des contributions qui s’inscrivent dans la littérature du management de projet ainsi que dans celle du management stratégique. / Although coordinating was addressed extensively in organizations and projects, it is much less studied in complex product systems (COPS) projects. Using a knowledge perspective, this compilation thesis addresses different research issues inherent to the process of coordinating using a qualitative longitudinal single case study design. Theoretically, we depict the multi-level character of coordination arguing in favour of a blend of emergent and planned coordination mechanisms. We then empirically demonstrate how, viewed as an artefact, a project management practice standard (the PMBOK Guide) ensures the coordination of spatially dispersed communities of practice. Thus, we characterize such relationship between an artefact and communities of practice as one of mutual constitution and co-evolution. We zoom in to a project participants level to depict the process of developing interdependencies by closing knowledge gaps. This results in dynamic shifts in actor and task interdependencies showing a flow of causality reciprocally between actors and tasks. Finally, we show that knowledge barriers to coordination are characteristic of COPS projects, and we outline how project participants overcome them using different artefacts imbricated with social action. This analysis provides empirical support for the idea that emergent processes of knowledge creation offer a complementary explanation for coordination problems. Thus, the present thesis provides a novel understanding of coordinating in COPS projects with notable contributions to the literature in project management as well as that on strategic management.

Current literature reflects escalating concerns regarding the potential organisational damage that can result from overloaded and under loaded workforces. Overloaded and under loaded workforces have been linked to poor employee well-being, reduced productivity, dissatisfaction and higher turnover rates. This study aimed to develop a scale for the measurement of workload within South African organisations. The initial scale contained six dimensions and a total of 71 items. These items were then sent to subject matter experts in order to determine their content validity. The survey was then completed by 224 employed individuals. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed and six factors were indicated. The overall reliability of the scale was highly satisfactory with inter-correlations between scale items. The results suggest that the South African Workload Scale (SAWS) is a promising instrument for the measurement of workload within South African organisations. Copyright 2010, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Myburgh, T 2010, A workload inventory for South African Organisations, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02212012-115206 / > C12/4/64/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This study aims to investigate how aid organisations with different means of financing respond to corruption allegations, and how the perceived risk of reputational loss affects that response.  The method used to answer the research question was a collective case study where three different aid organisations, Oxfam GB, UNDP and SIDA, which all have different funding mechanisms, were compared in their response to corruption allegations - before and after the public gained knowledge of those allegations. The analysis shows that there is a difference in the response to corruption allegations between the cases, namely that Oxfam GB and UNDP developed their response to a large extent when the public learnt of the allegations, SIDA on the other hand did not change their response at all. However, donor pressure seems to be more important for this induced change rather than the perceived risk of reputational loss.

Due to the multifaceted nature of manufacturing performance measurement and measures, the nature and scope of the information flow between those who lead manufacturing organisations and those who evaluate the performance of these organisations are very critical. The objective of this study is to shed some light on the information flow between these two groups. To achieve this objective, data collected from a sample of Portuguese financial analysts and Portuguese manufacturing executives was analysed using multiple regression analysis, cluster analyses and gap analysis. Based on the results of this study, three levels of information availability in relation to organisational performance measures are identified. A framework designed to view these three informational levels in relation to the willingness of management to share performance information with concerned outsiders is proposed.

Today’s global business environment requires organisation to adapt to increasingly complex technological, economic, political and cultural changes. Environmental turbulences are characterized by perceived dynamism, hostility and complexity. Organisations respond to this turbulence in many different ways. The popular ones involve outsourcing, leasing and renting, shorter product life cycles, downsizing and cost-cutting. Others enter into joint ventures, alliances, mergers and acquisitions. Popular responses often result in more problems than profits; and an average the success rate of alliances and mergers is a meagre 53%. To go beyond improving an organisation’s performance incrementally or entering into contractual alliances, activities need to be directed at the basic character of an organisation. Such changes are referred to as organisational transformations and imply fundamental changes to the way people perceive think and behave at work. Transformational change involves changing the different features of an organisation such as processes, structure, information systems, human resource practices and culture in a co-ordinated way. It is a transition from a control-based to a commitment-based organisation. The outcome is often the emergence of new organisational forms. These forms are mostly distinguishable by an emphasis on bottom-up entrepreneurship and a reliance on a co-operative network to allow for competencies to be shared. The aim of this research is to conceptualise a transformational process and model for changing a traditional, functional organisation to a high performance, entrepreneurial unit in a corporate environment. To achieve the aim a qualitative research study was conducted, which consisted of a survey of relevant literature and a case study. The literature review was performed to understand changes in today’s business environment, the characteristics of an entrepreneurial organisation and the dynamics of organisational change. The case study portrays the organisational transformation which occurred at Schumann-Sasol (Pty) Ltd over the period 1997 to 2003. The case study is a holistic picture of the transformation within it’s specific context and was guided by four research questions: <ul> <li>Why was a transformation necessary?</li> <li>How was the transformation managed?</li> <li>What role did the project team and the consultant play in championing the transformation?</li> <li>What role did leadership play in championing the transformation?</li> </ul> The transformational model which emerged from the research is composed of nine explicit phases, spread over two distinct periods of the transformation: the period when the consultant-project team alliance championed the change, and the period when the new MD as entrepreneurial leader, championed the change. The research generated sufficient evidence to conclude that Schümann-Sasol, redefined itself as an entrepreneurial unit in the Sasol Corporate environment. Distiguishing characteristics were it’s strategy, structure, new products and markets, management processes, systems, human resources practices, culture and leadership. During the period of the transformation performance in EBIT terms increased from the R3.09m to R187.70m. Several key success factors characterized the transformational process: the transformation was strategy-driven; it was mainly a people process; the right measure of entrepreneurial leadership was involved; organisational learning formed an integral part; values were successfully entrenched, ownership and risk were shared and high energy levels were sustained. Many of these learnings could find application in other transformations. Some of these are of particular importance to the South African context, and the way organisational change is being managed. In the broader context the study proves that transformational change can unlock the potential synergies hidden in a merger, even where different national cultures are involved. The research is particularly valuable because of the meticulous way in which the process of transformational change was mapped, variables were identified and dynamics observed and interpreted. It also highlights the strategic role of the Human Resources function and the practices of Organisational psychology in a transformation. Though these practices people’s perceptions, thinking and behaviour can change fundamentally to become a key factor in the attainment of a quantum leap in performance / Thesis (PhD (Human Resources Management))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

ABSTRACT From the 18th century, a considerable element of legislative democracy has been that of national budgeting. This has been substantially critical in assuring legislative statute over the government which has been controlled by kings. Predictably, the notion of public participation in budgetary processes has been disparate by governments in Africa. Due to its technocratic and elitist design, it is mostly a complex issue to recognise the making of national budgets by ordinary citizens in South Africa. However, topical developments have shown that the processes of creating national budgets should consider civil society’s role particularly in evaluating the impact of budgets on the poor. It is against this technocratic and elitist architectural backdrop of the state, regarding public budgeting and implementation, which this study employs the People’s Budget Campaign as a unique civil society organisation advocating for an alternative budget process in South Africa. This research has used a qualitative method in analysing data collected from primary and secondary sources, semi-structured interviews, as well as direct and participant observation of PBC activities.