Purpose: The main research objective is to identify how an organization is using a CSRstrategy to gain a competitive advantage Method: The selected research method is a descriptive method followed by an inductive one.Secondary data has been collected from books at Halmstad University’s Library and academicjournals and other articles founded in the University’s Databases. Primary data has beenobtained through an interview carried out with the head manager of Coop Halmstad, JorgenWestman. Theoretical framework: We firstly define in details the concepts of Corporate SocialResponsibility and its three aspects which are Economic, Social and Environmental. Thedescription of the concept of competitive advantage and how to obtain a sustainablecompetitive advantage. Finally, food retailers are defined. Conclusion: A summary of the findings obtained from our study is posted. Another summaryto point out the bounds between corporate social responsibility and competitive advantage.The limitations of the study as well as some suggestions for further researches are added inthis section

The increased globalization has brought increased interdependency between countries as well as markets.  The  2007  financial  crisis  impacted  companies  on  a  global  scale  and  the  need  for companies  to  be  socially  responsible  has  increased.  Corporate  social  responsibility  (CSR)  can build reputation and lead to societal and competitive advantage, which can be especially useful for  small  and  medium  sized  enterprises  (SME)  with  limited  resources.  CSR  has  traditionally been  the  domain  of  multinational  corporations  and  little  is  known  about CSR in  SMEs. Recent research  shows  mixed results  of  how  the  financial  crisis  has  affected  CSR  strategies.  The purpose of this study is to explore how stakeholders‟ issues and CSR strategies change during times  of  market  turbulence  and  SMEs  conform  to  the  changes  of  the  internal  and  external environment. This was studied through a qualitative case study of three Swedish exporting SMEs and  their  key  stakeholders.  Interviews  with  managing  directors  of  the  companies  and  key stakeholders  together  with  secondary  data  constitute  the  gathered  empirical  data.  Key stakeholders,  key  issues,  legitimacy  with  stakeholders,  company  matching  with  the  external environment and the CSR strategy,  as well as changes during crisis were analyzed based on the empirical data. We found an increased need for CSR activities during times of turbulence. Two companies  increased  their  CSR  activities  while  one  decreased the  activities.  The results  of  the study  indicate that  the  external  environment  changes  during  times  of  market  turbulence  and companies  need  to  adapt  to  the  newly shaped  environment.  CSR  activities  became  more important  for  some  stakeholders  during  market  turbulence.  Companies  which  adapted  to  the changes  of  the  external  environment  improved  legitimacy  with  their  stakeholders  and  moved toward enhancing their competitive advantage as well as improved their performance. The study contributes  to  the  knowledge  of  how  SME  form  CSR  strategy  as  well  as  how  this  strategy  is changed  during  times  of  turbulence.  We  found  CSR  strategies  of  the  studied  SMEs  to  be emergent  and  intuitive,  and  that  CSR  strategy  changed  in  a  mixed  direction  during  the  crisis. Finally,  a  recommendation  is  made  based  on  the  results.  SMEs  can  strategically  use  CSR activities  in  order  to  develop  a  competitive  advantage through  differentiation by  a  creating societal advantage.

This article is based on several nouns about transmission performance such as limiting positions, manipulation angle, transmission angle and mechanical advantage. In order to analyse the transmission performance of the coupler-driven and crank-output linkage mechanism, this article has developed an index called Transmissivity of Mechanical Advantage (TMA) for designers, besides this useful index, this article has identified a new noun as Total Transmission Coupler Point, that means after acting a force on the same direction of coupler point moving instantly, then the output force on the crank will act on it¡¦s moving direction and make the Transmissivity Index be the best as 1. For the designers of the coupler-driven linkage mechanisms, the transmission performance and the position where the force acts on involves to coupler curves very much. Based on the result of this research, the designers are able to choose the most proper coupler curves, and the best position of the coupler point would be designed. The designers are able to pick the best one among several similar coupler curves, and also they can certainly get a best range of either the length or the angle of the coupler designed when they were designing the coupler-driven type 4-bar linkage or the Stephenson¡¦s III 6-bar linkage. The applying force must change the direction all the time when a coupler-driven mechanism is driven, and it makes this type of mechanism seems to be uncommon, but it doesn¡¦t mean this kind of mechanism is not worth of application. On the other hand, the short of research about this type of mechanism makes the designers feel helpless when they were trying to analyse the transmission performance of mechanisms were designed. This article develops not only the theorem of analysis but also builds computer programs to help the designers to analyse the transmission performance quickly and correctly

Taiwan has listed on developed countries, people in Taiwan are more and more emphasis on leisure activities following on the higher income, increased GNP and changed life style of aging society. Besides, 5-working-day scheme and promotion of tourism and leisure industries have become Taiwan government¡¦s important policy. Tourism and leisure industries is a tremendous potential market, which implies billions of dollars treasure there. Moreover, tourism and leisure industries can help Taiwan government to resolve high un-employee problems. I believe that this potential emerging market of leisure and tourism industries may draw more and more attention from authorities and interested parties. So as this paper hi-lights leisure industries and takes a case study of Shitzuwan Beach Resort. From business operational environment point of view, there are certain factors that cause an enterprise operates very successfully in its field, these certain factors are well known as key success factors. On the other hand, resource-based view is looking into and focusing an enterprise¡¦s internal resources and its capabilities, this theory has been implemented since 1990 and becomes a fad now a day. From resource-based view, the formation of competitive advantage of a firm is weather or not its resources and capabilities match with key success factors, this model of ¡uresource and core competence ¡÷ key success factors ¡÷ competitive advantage¡vhave been proved by the ¡ucompetitive advantage matrix analysis model¡v whereas the model created by the author. The main purpose of this paper therefore, is to contribute to the theoretical creation of competitive advantage matrix analysis model, this model is based on two dimensions of key success factors¡]KSF¡^and resource-based view¡]RBV¡^, through this competitive advantage matrix can illustrates the types of competitive advantage and intensive of competitive advantage of the designated enterprise. The result of matrix analysis also gives hints for the enterprises to overview and to reinforce his internal resources as well as core competence, so as to keep and create its competitive advantage. Key Words¡GKey Success Factor¡]KSF¡^, Resource-based View¡]RBV¡^, Core Competence, Competitive Advantage, Competitive Advantage Matrix Analysis.

Procter & Gamble has operated nearly 300 branded products and outsold in more than 140 nations worldwide these days. Among these products, P&G has its innovative research and developes abilities to introduce the brand new infant merchandise ¡V Pampers diapers. P&G is usually not a first mover but Pampers is the state of art product for little infants in the globe. Soon after Pampers¡¦ existence, this unique product has benefited countless mothers to nourish their little ones. In many years, Pampers has played the pioneer character and its leadership in the baby diapers market. Thus, this research study will be focused on P&G¡¦s product, Pampers, to discover P&G¡¦s first mover advantages. In the meantime, this paper will also study how much advantage first mover has in the consumer products industry, where these advantages come from, and how to maintain them. In addition, this research study will examine other unique competitiveness in Taiwan¡¦s diapers¡¦ market for infants. This research study has discovered that Pampers has several first mover advantages and they are as follows: 1. The sequence of entering a market is not necessary related to the market shares but a brand has the most effectiveness when it first enters the market 2. When this particular industry has low competiveness but high entering barriers, or when a specific product lifecycle is in the introduction stage or growing stage, the first mover has more advantages when entering this market 3. The entering sequence has effectiveness to the price elasticity, production cost, and advertisement cost. The marketing combination has higher effectiveness in the long turn market 4. In the high penetration market, the first mover has more powerful competitive advantages 5. The marketing abilities will enhance first mover¡¦s brand equity

Much research has been conducted within Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and it is currently a highly debated topic. Today, CSR is not only pursued in response to public pressure, but is also seen as a source of competitive advantage and differentiation. The problem that this thesis deals with is that many SMEs do not use CSR as a proactive competitive tool in a strategic manner. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to develop an evaluation framework for SME‟s CSR projects, and to use this framework to analyze Casall‟s CSR projects in order to provide recommendations for Casall regarding strategic CSR. CSR as a concept is first discussed with the use of previous literature. This leads to the development of an evaluation framework for SME‟s CSR projects. The methodology is carefully considered, and a qualitative case study is chosen to be conducted at Casall. The results and analysis are presented in accordance with the theoretical framework and method. An in-depth analysis is conducted with the help of the evaluation framework. This leads to recommendations on Casall‟s existing and future engagement in CSR projects. The five recommendations are to simplify the guidelines for producers, adapt the guidelines for producers, get engaged in the local community, implement an internal code of conduct, and raise customer awareness of their engagement in CSR. This thesis contributes to the academic society by combining theories into a practical framework for evaluating SMEs‟ CSR projects. More specifically, the framework is used to guide Casall in their future CSR involvement. The framework can also be useful for other SMEs to evaluate and integrate suitable CSR projects into corporate strategy.

The competitive advantage of velvet beans as an economic agricultural commodity. In the past 40 years, although food insecurity, poverty and environmental degradation persist, worldwide farmers have made considerable progress in increasing per capita food production whilst better understanding natural-resource management. Literature indicates that — in the decades to come — food demand will both grow and change for three reasons, namely increased numbers of people, increased income (people will have more purchasing power), and increased urbanisation (people will be more likely to adopt new diets containing animal protein and cereal). The world population is expected to increase to 8,9 billion by 2050, with 84% in the developing countries. Food insecurity and malnutrition are expected to persist despite progress on average per capita consumption of food. As a complex system, and despite challenges, agriculture must produce simultaneously unprecedented abundance of food and unparalleled social concerns. As a business, agriculture requires high capital investments in land, facilities and production inputs; most often producing commodities of generally low unit value with thin profit margins, thereby forcing producers to strive for efficiency in all aspects of production. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that farmers should understand sustainable agriculture; where a more sustainable food-production system seeks to make the best use of nature’s goods and services whilst not being harmful to the environment. Sustainable agriculture should maximise the productivity of the land; should focus on locally adapted resource-conserving technologies which assist whole system redesign and large-scale adoption; and should aim to minimise the use of harmful non-renewable and fossil-fuel derived inputs. Fertilisers have not replaced the function of organic matter and other management practices; but soil erosion and toxic waste rather did increase disproportionately along with increased agricultural production. This has led to a progressive decline in crop and land productivity as a result of soil degradation, water contamination, increasing problems of weed infestation, pests and diseases. Often the apparent absence of sustainable productive agricultural systems within the scope of commercial farmers is not because of the lack in technology or low yield potential of traditional varieties, but rather on account of the limited knowledge or lack of awareness on the part of farmers about sustainable production practices which function in harmony with their farming environment. As one of the keys to success the velvet bean — which can grow almost everywhere — is an example of the introduction of a simple regenerative component into a farming system, as well as boosting the capacity of a farmer for local adaptation of the technology. Integrating the natural processes of nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation and introducing natural enemies of pests into food production processes can contribute to minimising environmental damage and/or health of the farmer and the consumer. Using the knowledge and skills of farmers helps to improve their self-reliance and to solve a common management problem, such as social- and human-capital management. The velvet bean is seen as an answer to the agricultural problem of low nutrient supply to the staple crop of maize. The bean creates ground cover, regenerates, fertilises the soil, controls weeds and adds organic matter and nutrients. In arid South Africa the crop is one of the strongest defences of the farmer against the harmful effects of El Niño — with the bean protecting the soil, holding water and fertilising the land with its leaves. With the velvet bean farmers can grow their own organic and inexpensive fertilisers. Commercial fertilisers are becoming more and more expensive and their benefit is decreasing because of a degrading soil resource base. Furthermore, the rise in production costs makes total reliance on inorganic fertilisers more uneconomical for most growers in the agricultural sector; making it imperative for researchers to come up with options which increase the efficient use of fertiliser, and also to identify other nutrient sources — such as legumes — that are not capital intensive. The velvet-bean technique is known to researchers and farmers worldwide for a considerable amount of time, but not in our country. As the technique becomes better known to South African farmers, it can be considered in a broader sense as a modern way to add nitrogen to the soil; benefitting, amongst others, the subsequent crop. The velvet-bean approach has a window of opportunity which can lead to higher yields in crop production, decline in labour costs, crop diversification, as well as agro-processing — all resulting in improved food security for South Africa. Adopting the velvet bean into a production system can benefit a farmer, by achieving maize yields of 3 t/ha–4 t/ha (similar to yields normally obtained with recommended levels of fertilisation at 130 kg N/ha) without applied nitrogen fertiliser or input for weeding. Velvet beans, as an intercrop, can provide more than 100 kg N/ha to the following crop. However, literature shows a declining trend over time for all systems, which suggests that additional external inputs (probably P and K fertiliser) are required to achieve full sustainability. The adoption of the velvet bean in the South African maize industry would result in import savings of about 158 million tons of urea or about R591 billion/year. Information presented in this mini-dissertation is considered to be the current state of knowledge on establishing, managing, and utilising the velvet bean as a legume in South Africa’s commodity market; with the belief that it will expand the use of the bean, and will enhance the benefits from its use. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The competitive advantage of velvet beans as an economic agricultural commodity. In the past 40 years, although food insecurity, poverty and environmental degradation persist, worldwide farmers have made considerable progress in increasing per capita food production whilst better understanding natural-resource management. Literature indicates that — in the decades to come — food demand will both grow and change for three reasons, namely increased numbers of people, increased income (people will have more purchasing power), and increased urbanisation (people will be more likely to adopt new diets containing animal protein and cereal). The world population is expected to increase to 8,9 billion by 2050, with 84% in the developing countries. Food insecurity and malnutrition are expected to persist despite progress on average per capita consumption of food. As a complex system, and despite challenges, agriculture must produce simultaneously unprecedented abundance of food and unparalleled social concerns. As a business, agriculture requires high capital investments in land, facilities and production inputs; most often producing commodities of generally low unit value with thin profit margins, thereby forcing producers to strive for efficiency in all aspects of production. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that farmers should understand sustainable agriculture; where a more sustainable food-production system seeks to make the best use of nature’s goods and services whilst not being harmful to the environment. Sustainable agriculture should maximise the productivity of the land; should focus on locally adapted resource-conserving technologies which assist whole system redesign and large-scale adoption; and should aim to minimise the use of harmful non-renewable and fossil-fuel derived inputs. Fertilisers have not replaced the function of organic matter and other management practices; but soil erosion and toxic waste rather did increase disproportionately along with increased agricultural production. This has led to a progressive decline in crop and land productivity as a result of soil degradation, water contamination, increasing problems of weed infestation, pests and diseases. Often the apparent absence of sustainable productive agricultural systems within the scope of commercial farmers is not because of the lack in technology or low yield potential of traditional varieties, but rather on account of the limited knowledge or lack of awareness on the part of farmers about sustainable production practices which function in harmony with their farming environment. As one of the keys to success the velvet bean — which can grow almost everywhere — is an example of the introduction of a simple regenerative component into a farming system, as well as boosting the capacity of a farmer for local adaptation of the technology. Integrating the natural processes of nutrient cycling, nitrogen fixation and introducing natural enemies of pests into food production processes can contribute to minimising environmental damage and/or health of the farmer and the consumer. Using the knowledge and skills of farmers helps to improve their self-reliance and to solve a common management problem, such as social- and human-capital management. The velvet bean is seen as an answer to the agricultural problem of low nutrient supply to the staple crop of maize. The bean creates ground cover, regenerates, fertilises the soil, controls weeds and adds organic matter and nutrients. In arid South Africa the crop is one of the strongest defences of the farmer against the harmful effects of El Niño — with the bean protecting the soil, holding water and fertilising the land with its leaves. With the velvet bean farmers can grow their own organic and inexpensive fertilisers. Commercial fertilisers are becoming more and more expensive and their benefit is decreasing because of a degrading soil resource base. Furthermore, the rise in production costs makes total reliance on inorganic fertilisers more uneconomical for most growers in the agricultural sector; making it imperative for researchers to come up with options which increase the efficient use of fertiliser, and also to identify other nutrient sources — such as legumes — that are not capital intensive. The velvet-bean technique is known to researchers and farmers worldwide for a considerable amount of time, but not in our country. As the technique becomes better known to South African farmers, it can be considered in a broader sense as a modern way to add nitrogen to the soil; benefitting, amongst others, the subsequent crop. The velvet-bean approach has a window of opportunity which can lead to higher yields in crop production, decline in labour costs, crop diversification, as well as agro-processing — all resulting in improved food security for South Africa. Adopting the velvet bean into a production system can benefit a farmer, by achieving maize yields of 3 t/ha–4 t/ha (similar to yields normally obtained with recommended levels of fertilisation at 130 kg N/ha) without applied nitrogen fertiliser or input for weeding. Velvet beans, as an intercrop, can provide more than 100 kg N/ha to the following crop. However, literature shows a declining trend over time for all systems, which suggests that additional external inputs (probably P and K fertiliser) are required to achieve full sustainability. The adoption of the velvet bean in the South African maize industry would result in import savings of about 158 million tons of urea or about R591 billion/year. Information presented in this mini-dissertation is considered to be the current state of knowledge on establishing, managing, and utilising the velvet bean as a legume in South Africa’s commodity market; with the belief that it will expand the use of the bean, and will enhance the benefits from its use. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis aims to develop and validate the dimensions of supply chain collaboration and collaborative advantage in the containerised maritime industry and explores the impact of supply chain collaboration on collaborative advantage and port performance. Additionally, this thesis tests a mediation effect of collaborative advantage on the relationship between supply chain collaboration and port performance. This thesis employs a quantitative method. A theoretical model is built based on thorough literature reviews of supply chain management and maritime studies, in-depth discussions with experts, item review and Q-sorting techniques to signify ambiguity or misunderstanding with the scales and to suggest modifications. The proposed model is empirically tested with survey data using 178 responses from terminal operators, shipping lines, inland transport companies, freight forwarders, ship management companies and third-party logistics providers involved in maritime logistics in the major containers ports of Busan, Gwangyang and Incheon for a comprehensive and balanced view by using structural equation modelling. With regard to the findings of the empirical research, three main constructs were successfully validated as multi-dimensional constructs. The structural paths support hypotheses that supply chain collaboration has a positive influence on collaborative advantage, and collaborative advantage has a strong contribution to port performance. However, the direct impact of supply chain collaboration on port performance is insignificant. A hierarchical approach of the mediation test and bootstrapping test found that the association between supply chain collaboration and port performance is fully mediated by collaborative advantage. In other words, the greater degree of supply chain collaboration between the port and port user enables them to gain a higher degree of collaborative advantage, and, in turn, this collaborative advantage can contribute to augmenting port performance. This thesis synthesises transaction cost theory, resource based theory and a relational view to explain how supply chain collaboration influences collaborative advantage and port performance. Its theoretical contribution expands the concept of supply chain collaboration and collaborative advantage into containerised maritime contexts, capturing the perspective of the ports and port users. Further, despite numerous maritime studies which extol the importance of collaboration between the ports and port users, no systematic approach has previously developed and validated those constructs and relationships. The various maritime logistics organisations would benefit from applying the results of this study to their supply chain collaboration practices when seeking greater collaborative advantage. The results heed practitioners in containerised maritime logistics organisations to focus on balancing the facets of supply chain collaboration to transport flows of containers seamlessly and efficiently from door-to-door, as supply chain management philosophy drives the maritime logistics industry to become more integrated into shippers' supply chains.

This thesis provides a critical analysis of Dubai’s approach to economic development planning over the period covered by its first three formalized plans that is 1996 to 2010. Dubai experienced a period of very rapid economic growth in the ten years before the 2008 global financial crisis, despite being a small economy with little oil; oil revenues only accounted for 2% of GDP in 2011. This dissertation analyzes and evaluates how the nature of Dubai’s strategic planning changed over the period 1996 to 2010 and the factors underpinning those changes. The thesis also offers an assessment of the potential for Dubai to develop and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage in the future. To help evaluate Dubai’s first three formalized economic development plans, this thesis identifies and discusses a number of theoretical frameworks and concepts to identify key concepts and relationships between ideas and practice in the field of economic development planning. In particular, a comparison is drawn between corporate strategic planning and economic development planning approaches and their relevance to the Dubai context. Given the blurred boundaries between the state and commerce, both approaches have potential relevance, at least in part, to Dubai. Dubai’s economic development plans are set against the historical, political, economic, social and cultural and context of the Emirate. The plans are analyzed using computer-based text analytics and summarized in mindmap form. This allows the major themes of the plans to be compared and progression between the plans to be identified. The plans are analyzed from a number of perspectives including the role of government, the expected contribution of the private sector and the role of higher education and research in promoting development. However, the main area of analysis is the extent to which the plans successfully identify development paths which will result in sustainable competitive advantage for Dubai. The thesis also reports on the results of semi-structured interviews with prominent experts. The interviews provide an important source of evidence and opinions on the successes and shortcomings of Dubai’s planning and plans and the actions which need to be taken if Dubai is to achieve its long-term aim of becoming and innovation an innovation driven knowledge-based economy.