Organisations are seeking for an opportunity to reduce costs while they increase service delivery to their customers. In order to remain in business, companies must have proper strategies in place to reduce costs while they still deliver the same standard of service. In order to remain competitive, companies have implemented Information Communication Technology (ICT). The implementation of ICT was done to assist organisations to improve efficiency in their production processes. To achieve these objectives, companies implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Some companies that have implemented an ERP system, however, are faced with the challenge of not fully realising the full benefits of implementing the ERP system. The Water Industry is faced with a challenge of ensuring that it manages the water value chain effectively through the use of an ERP system. The industry is also experiencing difficult times in ensuring that the business is run in a sustainable manner to manage the infrastructure assets. This has resulted in the importance of internal reporting within the Water Industry to assist management to monitor performance and take informed decisions. The implementation of an ERP system has affected all the roles in the Water Industry, especially the role of management accountants who are involved with internal reporting. Management accountants are experiencing challenges during and after the implementation of an ERP system, especially with the effective and efficient reporting of information. This study investigated the challenges that management accountants encountered after the implementation of an ERP system in the Water Industry in South Africa. The research consists of a preliminary study to identify challenges that management accountants encounter during and after the implementation of ERP system in the Water Industry. A literature review on the role of management accountants combined with the ERP system applications and framework are investigated and an ERP system implementation framework for the Water Industry is proposed. The proposed framework is evaluated and recommendations are made to those involved with the water industry that are considering upgrading or implementing an ERP system.

First part of the thesis compares available approaches on business planning, namely the traditional and newly emerged and proposes a Business Planning Approach Selection Framework that should help (newbie) entrepreneurs with orientation in the chaotic business planning world and choosing an approach suiting their specific needs. Conclusion of the theoretical part is that both the traditional and modern business plans have their role in todays business environment. While the old are great for external presentation and funds securing, the new enable to create more complex process for planning successful business from the original idea to and beyond their launch, building on customer feedback and gradual iterations. The practical part then builds on the theoretical research and aims to check feasibility of an actual business project, a multisided platform mediating sales of automotive financial products. It describes the model refinement and product creation process as well as eventually proves viability and feasibility of the whole business.

The growth in developing markets has created a need for businesses to re-look their strategies and become players in the emerging economies. With the advancement of growth in the developing countries, new opportunities are created with innovative solutions coming from developing countries and being sold to developed countries. Besides the projected growth and opportunities in the developing countries, the majority of people living in poverty are found in these countries. They are also faced with challenges such as lack of infrastructure and lack of property rights. Firms that want to successfully serve these markets will need to develop innovative business models that will create value for the shareholders, communities and other stakeholders.The purpose of this study is to explore business models developed for the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) in different industries and to understand what makes them successful despite facing the institutional voids experienced in developing countries with the intention to provide a high-level generic business model template that can be used for firms that are targeting the BOP markets. The objective of this report, hence, was to explore the differences in business models developed by firms serving the BOP market; identify the challenges of doing business in developing countries and explore how those challenges are met; and identify the critical success factors in serving the BOP markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / pagibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

This study investigated the relationships between business planning and venture growth while also exploring the moderating variables of entrepreneurial pre-entry knowledge and industry dynamism. Scales that allowed for empirical testing were collected and collated from the broader business planning literature. Using a sample of 103 entrepreneurs from three industries, entrepreneurs were surveyed in an attempt to measure entrepreneurial business planning practices in a South African environment. The results of the study indicated that while planning is an important process of an entrepreneurial venture its effectiveness depends on planning combinations and contextual factors. Specifically, it provided evidence for planning’s positive impact on venture growth; when an entrepreneur engaged in prior business planning and then implemented the plan. Furthermore the extent of an entrepreneur’s pre-entry knowledge was shown to have a positive impact on venture growth. While a synergy effect was observed when entrepreneurs had both pre-entry knowledge and engaged in prior planning. In contrast, the findings suggest that when an entrepreneur launches a business and has pre-entry knowledge it is more valuable not to implement these plans. Lastly the results suggested that planning practices were more likely to positively impact venture growth in industries experiencing lower levels of dynamism. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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This study had two objectives. The first was to extend the strategy paradigm by examining the relationship between strategy type and performance objective. The second was to test the idea of a contingency relationship between strategy and performance. The central research question guiding this effort was: What performance results arise from following different strategies within a given context? The intention of this study was to show that firms within a given environmental context could follow different strategies and be successful provided the strategy was related to a specific performance objective. The implication of this argument is that organizational success is a product of both proper implementation of a selected strategy, and the correct choice of a performance objective. Strategy was operationalized using the Miles & Snow (1978) typology. The choice of a typology was made in order to compare theoretical “ideal types“ with methodological "ideal types." The empirical tests of the hypotheses demonstrated that each strategy type was related to different performance objectives. Analysis demonstrated that for firms which achieved a higher degree of coalignment with their environment, there was a positive and significant impact on performance for the Defender and Analyzer strategy types. This relationship was not supported for the Prospector strategy types, although the results were in the predicted direction. The primary contribution of this study was to demonstrate that the basic strategic management research paradigm needs to be extended to allow for consideration of multiple performance objectives when examining the relationship between strategy and performance. While there is no single appropriate strategy for any given context, there are limitations to strategy choice after an organization has determined its objectives. This study was the first to demonstrate a contingency relationship between strategy types and differing performance objectives within a single environmental context. Also, the present study was able to operationalize the Analyzer strategy type using secondary data. This is one of the first studies to have done so. / Ph. D.

by So Ting Sau, Cecilia, Tay Ko Ki, Doris. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.v / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.vi / CHAPTER / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Statement of Problem --- p.1 / Background --- p.1 / Hypothesis --- p.2 / Scope of Study --- p.2 / Organization of the Project --- p.3 / Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.4 / Chapter III. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.7 / Introduction --- p.7 / Quantitative Survey --- p.7 / Sample Selection --- p.7 / Questionnaire Construction --- p.8 / "Scoring, Editing & Coding" --- p.12 / Limitations of the Survey --- p.13 / Qualitative In-depth Interviews --- p.14 / Sample Selection --- p.14 / Interview Schedule & Construction --- p.15 / Background of Selected Company - Wong's International (Holdings) Ltd --- p.15 / Background of Selected Company - Myer Jewelry Manufacturer Ltd --- p.16 / Limitations of Face-to-face Interviews --- p.17 / Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH FINDINGS & DISCUSSIONS --- p.19 / Quantitative Survey --- p.19 / Background Information --- p.19 / Type of Planning --- p.22 / Company Mission --- p.24 / Objectives Setting --- p.25 / Strategy Formulation & Implementation --- p.27 / Control --- p.30 / Contingency Planning --- p.30 / Findings of the Qualitative In-depth Interviews --- p.31 / Wong's International (Holdings) Ltd --- p.31 / History of the Group --- p.31 / Type of Planning --- p.32 / Objectives Setting --- p.33 / Strategy Formulation & Implementation --- p.34 / Control --- p.34 / Contingency Planning --- p.35 / Myer Jewelry Manufacturer Ltd --- p.35 / Type of Planning --- p.35 / Company Mission --- p.36 / Objectives Setting --- p.37 / Strategy Formulation & Implementation --- p.37 / Control --- p.38 / Contingency Planning --- p.39 / Summary --- p.39 / Chapter V. --- CONCLUSION & SUGGESTIONS --- p.40 / Summary of Findings --- p.40 / Implications --- p.41 / Suggestions for Future Research --- p.41 / APPENDIX --- p.43 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.47

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references.