Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A sound strategic approach to the management of the Mine Technical Services (MTS) department at Styldrift is critical. There are numerous areas of influence that play a role in the success or failure of the department. All these influences have an impact on each other and these influences need to be carefully understood. Within the MTS department there are also several subdepartments that have to be staffed, equipped and managed very well in order to get the best interdependent relationship between departments as possible. It is only through this interdependent relationship that the department can function complementarily and excel in achieving its strategic goals. Mineral resources at a mine are managed through the services from the mine technical team. There are few strategic documents in the mineral resource management (MRM) field that provide a guideline to set up a department successfully. Departments throughout the country operate on different levels with different standards without the knowledge shared from the one section to the next. For the purpose of this assignment, some of the ground principles were investigated and documented to create a link between departments, mines and companies to enable the move towards operational excellence within the MTS. Through the application of relevant literature, research was conducted on the industry to determine best practices. The industry best practices are discussed and referenced to Styldrift Specific. The strategy and management philosophy were evaluated and are highlighted in this assignment. With the literature firmly understood and the required direction from the company placed in perspective, the strategy for the MTS department could be crafted to an extent that it can be executed. Each department was broken down to manageable elements to understand the functioning of the department. The fundamental OR requirements were evaluated and are stipulated in this paper. The MTS department was then dissected through the available theory to guide the process of crafting and executing the departmental strategy. The journey through to operational excellence and the fundamental guideline of crafting and executing a strategic plan for an MTS department to manage mineral resources become clearer as the chapters of the assignment are completed. The end goal of the project was to have a document that can guide staffing, equipping and management of the MTS department at Styldrift in order to ensure success for the project, mine and surrounding communities.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

The alignment of information systems (IS) strategies with business strategies has been a managerial priority in modern organisations. Information Technology (IT) governance is an alternative perspective that has recently been used as a management solution that can drive to desired levels of IS/business alignment. From a pragmatic perspective, both IS/business alignment and IT governance appear to be managerial solutions that corporations desire to implement in order to get the most of the business and IT relationship. Empirical research has addressed the idea that effective designs of IT governance enable IS/business alignment, however, the extent of such impact and related interactions are still unclear. This research is focused on those claims to contribute with pragmatic solutions towards IS/business alignment and IT governance by means of collective management practices. This research explored challenges, assumptions and conceptualisations around IS/business alignment and focused on the assessment process of IS-business alignment to identify management practices for both IS/business alignment and IT governance. First, a quantitative analysis from data collected of an international survey was performed. This survey was conducted to identify extreme outcomes of relevant management practices in the IS/business alignment dynamics and links with IT governance. Second, a qualitative analysis from data collected of two leading large companies, one in the manufacturing and other in the financial sector, was performed by using a three-level (strategic, tactical and operational) assessment method. This case research aimed to identify how common relevant management practices interact across strategic, tactical and operational organisational levels. Results of both analyses were integrated to elaborate the constructors of the framework derived from this research, namely ALIS-G. The results from this research can be summarised as follows: First, ALIS-G exhibits four core management practices (IT investment management, budgetary control, strategic and tactical program management, strategic and tactical understanding of IT-business) and four supportive (IT-business planning, IT projects prioritisation, sponsorship & championship and change readiness) to show collective and compelling influence over the IS-business alignment dynamics and the effectiveness of IT governance arrangements. Second, a well-established IT investment management process holds the most substantial positive impact in the IS-business alignment dynamics and design of IT governance arrangements. Finally, results highlights the fact, perhaps obvious, that the arrangement of IT governance and the dynamics of IS/business alignment are very much conditioned by the resilient assignment, allocation and administration of budgets

This study addresses how transformational organisational change can be enabled by dispersing and distributing leadership to change teams. It responds to the research challenge set by Caldwell (2003; 2005) to investigate change teams and explores issues raised by some authors that understanding of dispersed change agency (Buchanan et al., 2007) and distributed leadership (Gronn, 2002) may offer some insights regarding the management of complex organisational change processes. The study focuses on the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in a Multi-National Corporation (MNC). It is accepted that failure rates for this type of technological change process are high and that most ERP implementations fail to achieve their objectives (Caruso, 2007; Aiken & Keller, 2009). In this study, a processual methodology (Pettigrew, 1985: Dawson, 1994; 2003) was employed and qualitative methods used, to unravel the complexity and develop rich and critical insight into the roles, relationships and competencies of three types of change teams. Research findings identify how change leadership was dispersed to three types of change team and how this led to rapid ERP implementation which was judged as ‘on time and in budget’. From this analysis, we develop a typology of change teams which identifies three types of change team: a control team; translation team; and a trouble shooting team. This typology characterises their roles, competencies and optimum conditions for interaction. In particular, we demonstrate how change teams working in concert demonstrate specific competencies, use complementary methods and employ specific political tactics to enable rapid improvisation of the implementation strategy and the ERP software.

M.B.A. / In this project, the researcher has investigated the factors relevant to competitiveness within the South African Chemicals Industry with the purpose of determining a conceptual framework of the strategic areas important for competitiveness in the South African Chemicals Industry. The challenge of the research problem resided in the fact that this study required the formulation of recommendations that would contribute to the development of competitive strategy for an industry that is diverse and fragmented in its historical development, strategies employed, markets served, technologies used, products manufactured and marketed, and scale of production. An additional challenge was the proprietary and confidential nature of the technology and strategies employed by individual firms within the industry. Given this paradigm, the researcher relied upon qualitative research techniques to address the complexity presented by the research problem. Individual focus interviews were employed to collect data. The data was then analysed and transcribed according to a specific protocol. Subsequently, the data was discussed and compared to literature available on the subject. Finally, conclusions were drawn and recommendations made which the researcher hopes make a positive contribution to the body of knowledge available with which to tackle the formidable problems facing the South African Chemicals Industry.

The main question in this study was: do business units that exhibit a "linkage" or "fit" between their business strategy and manufacturing strategy variables, outperform competitors who lack such a fit? This exploratory research focused on two business strategies: cost leadership and differentiation. Based on existing literature, twenty-four hypotheses concerning the relationship between business strategy and selected manufacturing strategy variables were developed. The manufacturing executives of eighty-eight broadwoven cotton fabric mills (SIC 2211) were surveyed using a qualitative questionnaire. Two sets of comparisons were made between the manufacturing strategy variables of the sampled firms: first, high vs. low performers pursuing cost leadership strategy; and second, high vs. low performers focusing on differentiation strategy. Within each set of comparisons, high performers reported linkage between their business strategies and selected manufacturing strategy variables. This study re-affirms the importance of linking business strategy with manufacturing strategy variables as a forceful weapon for overcoming competition.

Prior research on incumbent firm response to radical technological innovation identifies firm, technology, and environmental factors associated with incumbents’ performance after a technology shift. What remains unexplored are factors affecting choice of response made before a technological shift occurs. Such ex ante choices are important intermediate outcomes affecting long-term performance outcomes. Competitive considerations may be influential inputs in choice processes because technological innovation is often related to competitive strategy. The resulting research question for this study is: What role do competitive considerations play in incumbent firms’ ex ante strategic choices in response to potentially radical technological innovations? Findings from a survey of key informants in the electronics industry whose firms face a potential technological disruption (n=120) suggest that incumbents’ response choices are affected by competitor-related orientations and by perceptions of relative strength of their strategic assets. Limited support is found for a moderating effect of perceptions of the competitive environment. The results of this study extend theory on incumbent response to radical technological change by shedding light on the influence of competitor interdependence. Findings also suggest the importance of strategic choice as an intermediate variable in understanding incumbents’ long-term performance. Research examining choice factors at varied stages of a technology’s diffusion can further advance understanding of the evolving nature of strategic response choices and the effects they have on long-term performance.

M. Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences) Vaal University of Technology| / The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of knowledge-sharing, business strategy alignment and long-term relationship orientation on supply chain performance in the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. Particularly, the study sought to examine the hypothesis in the context of SME buyers and their suppliers. SMEs are particularly relevant to both developed and developing countries. In South Africa, SMEs are perceived to be an engine for growth for both the economy and the community. As such, the study sought to investigate underlying variables that influence the supply chain performance of SMEs for the purpose of identifying ways in which the Sector can improve performance. A conceptual model was developed, drawing from the theory of relational cohesion. Small and Medium Enterprises in the province of Gauteng, South Africa formed the population of the study. Essentially, the predicting roles of knowledge-sharing and business strategy alignment on the supply chain performance of SMEs were evaluated. Furthermore the mediating role of long-term relationship orientation was examined. A survey was conducted in the cities of Johannesburg, Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark and research data was collected from 341 SMEs. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 22 was employed to analyse data as well as Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 22 where Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was undertaken. The results revealed that the research constructs knowledge-sharing, business strategy alignment and long-term relationship orientation influence supply chain performance in a positive way. The findings realized will contribute to the existing body of buyer-supplier relationships literature and increase our knowledge in the field. Pragmatic implications are provided based on the findings as well as recommendations and avenues for future research.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Engineering. May 2016 / Successful implementation and execution of asset management strategy is found to be a critical element in driving value, which depends on physical assets’ performance. This paper shows that strategic asset management targets measured as AM Maturity are often not attained. This study identifies key issues that prevent mining organisations from attaining the desired level of Asset Management Maturity. A qualitative methodology was utilised on a single case study design in order to investigate a particular phenomenon which is Asset Management Maturity at A-Coal site. The study revealed revealed the following key issues: lack of strong Asset Management leadership; lack of a favourable organisational structure which will provide Asset Managers with credibility and the authority to make decisions in support of organisational objectives; no leadership support; and a lack of training obviate the benefits that can be realised from improvement initiatives which motivated, committed and enthusiastic employees will be delivering. In addition to these challenges are organisational culture and a certain level of employees’ competitiveness in the field of asset management. / MT2016

[pt] O estabelecimento de um processo de negócios se faz por meio de relacionamentos entre parceiros que têm um objetivo comum. Esses relacionamentos são definidos em contratos, que podem ser explícitos ou implícitos, podem ser verbais ou escritos, e assim por diante. Quando uma pessoa busca um parceiro de negócios, ela procura um parceiro que possa completar um relacionamento definido em um contrato. Para dar suporte a esses processos na Internet (e na Web) é necessário caracterizar todos os seus aspectos, tais como: agentes, contratos, papéis, relacionamentos, interações entre os parceiros, políticas etc. Este trabalho apresenta o Contract Oriented Web Services Model (COWS) - um modelo para um ambiente apropriado para diálogos de E- Business, implementados por meio de Web Services. COWS é baseado em contratos bemdefinidos, acordados entre todas as partes envolvidas e que incorpora vários níveis de políticas. Essas políticas podem estar relacionadas a formas de pagamento, qualidade de serviço (QoS), políticas de privacidade, direitos, retorno de produtos, confiança entre parceiros, entre outros. Os contratos podem se referenciar a outros contratos e têm escopo em foros específicos, que contêm políticas globais. Um protótipo, para um ambiente Web com suporte ao COWS, foi implementado para testar os conceitos que estendem o processo de casamento de parceiros, em um processo de negócios. Todos os modelos do COWS foram especificados como ontologias, utilizando-se a linguagem Flora-2. / [en] Business processes are established via relationships between partners with a common goal. These relationships are specified in contracts, which could be explicit or implicit, oral or written, and so on. When a person searches for a business partner, she is looking for a partner that can fulfill a relationship specified in a contract. To support such processes in the Internet (and in the Web) it is necessary to characterize all of its aspects, such as agents, contracts, roles, relationships, interactions between partners, policies, etc. This dissertation presents the Contract Oriented Web Services Model (COWS) - a model for an appropriate environment for E-Business dialogues, implemented using Web Services. COWS is based on well-defined contracts agreed upon by all concerned parties and incorporates various levels of applicable policies. These policies can be related to payment methods, quality of service (QoS), privacy policies, rights, products return, trust, etc. Contracts may refer to other contracts and are valid within forae, which have default global policies. A prototype web environment supporting COWS has been implemented to test the concepts that extend the discovery process. All COWS models have been specified as ontologies, using Flora-2.