Bakgrund: När covid-19 spred sig i Sverige under våren 2020 blev både samhället, näringslivet och andra samhällsfaktorer drabbade. Regeringen utformade flera restriktioner under årets gång och speciellt drabbad blev restaurang- och hotellbranschen. För företagen blev det snabbt viktigt att anpassa sig och tillämpa rätt strategi för att överleva. När covid-19 drabbade världen i modern tid skapade det ett unikt tillfälle att undersöka vilka faktiska strategival företag har tillämpat under en kris. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att nå en djupare förståelse i hur företag arbetat med strategiförändringar till följd av covid-19 och hur planering används i företags strategiarbete. Metod: I denna studie tillämpas en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en abduktiv ansats. För att kunna undersöka forskningsfrågan har en intervjustudie gjorts. Data har samlats in genom semistrukturerade intervjuer från sex olika företag som ligger till grund för empirin. Slutsats: I studien framkommer det att samtliga företag har arbetet med att tillämpa nya strategiförändringar för att kunna fortsätta bedriva sin verksamhet till följd av covid-19. Företagen har inte använt någon långsiktig planering vid deras strategiarbete. Deras strategiarbete i covid-19 har istället handlat om kortsiktig planering, samarbete, kommunikation och kreativt entreprenörskap. / Background: When covid-19 spread in Sweden in the spring of 2020, both society, business and other important societal factors were affected. The government designed several restrictions during the year and the restaurant and hotel industry was particularly affected. For companies, it quickly became important to adapt and apply the right strategy to survive. When covid-19 hit the world in modern times, it created a unique opportunity to examine strategy choices companies have applied during a crisis. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how companies worked with strategy changes as a result of covid-19 and how planning is used in companies' strategy work. Method: In this study, a qualitative research method with an abductive approach is applied. In order to investigate the research question, an interview study has been conducted. Data have been collected through semi-structured interviews from six different companies that form the basis of the empirical data. Conclusion: The study shows that all companies have had to apply new strategy changes in order to stay in business due to the covid-19. The companies have not used any long-term planning in their strategy work. Their strategy work in covid-19 has instead focused on short-term planning, collaboration, communication and creative entrepreneurship.

Summary in English and Afrikaans / CSR has become a priority for many key businesses, particularly in light of codes of practice such as the 2009, The King Report on Corporate Governance for South Africa 2009 (often referred to as King III Report). Effective CSR is dependent on efficient communication between and with stakeholders and businesses, yet the quality of these communications is seldom evaluated. While the literature emphasises the importance of stakeholder engagement, little attention is given to the communication processes used during stakeholder engagement. This study asserts that Integrated Communication (IC) offers a multi-pronged approach for engaging with an organisations’ diverse stakeholders and, when incorporated holistically, aligns CSR throughout an organisation. This study uses a framework drawn from IC theory as a means of analysing the efficiency of stakeholder engagement within Anglo American South Africa (AASA), a company explicitly dedicated to CSR. A single embedded case study research design is employed, including a review of main CSR documents used by AASA, interviews with key communications staff, as well as a focus group on site with key staff members. The research revealed that although AASA is in many ways doing a laudable job in terms of stakeholder engagement, there are key points at which their efforts break down. This is due, in most part; firstly to a lack of integrated awareness throughout the broader business of what constitutes its stated CSR agenda; and secondly to a lack of executive power within the communications department of the business. It is suggested that by following the proposed IC framework, and investing key communications personnel with executive power rather than merely supportive responsibility, the effectiveness of AASA’s stakeholder engagement would be improved. This would improve the likelihood of an effective strategic CSR’s success, and be of value to the organisation. / Korporatiewe Maatskaplike Verantwoordelikheid (KMV) het 'n prioriteit geword vir baie belangrike besighede, veral in die lig van gedragskodes soos die 2009 derde King verslag oor korporatiewe bestuur. Effektiewe KMV is afhanklik van doeltreffende kommunikasie tussen en met belanghebbendes en besighede, maar die gehalte van hierdie kommunikasie is selde geëvalueer. Terwyl die literatuur beklemtoon die belangrikheid van die betrokkenheid van belanghebbendes, is min aandag gegee aan die kommunikasie- prosesse wat gebruik word tydens die betrokkenheid van belanghebbendes. Hierdie studie voer aan dat Geïntegreerde Kommunikasie (GK) 'n multi-ledige benadering bied vir die aangaan met organisasies se diverse belanghebbendes en, wanneer holisties opgeneem, lyn 'n organisasie deurgaans in met KMV. Hierdie studie maak gebruik van 'n raamwerk wat uit GK teorie as 'n middel van die ontleding van die doeltreffendheid wat met belanghebbendes binne Anglo American Suid-Afrika (AASA) uitvloei, 'n maatskappy uitdruklik gewy aan KMV. 'n Enkele navorste gevallestudie is gebruik, insluitend 'n oorsig van die belangrikste KMV dokumente, onderhoude met sleutel kommunikasie personeel sowel as 'n fokusgroep met belangrike personeel op die terrein. Die navorsing toon dat alhoewel AASA is in baie maniere om 'n lofwaardige werk in terme van die betrokkenheid van belanghebbendes handhaaf, is daar belangrike punte waarop hul pogings kort kom. Dit is te danke oorsaaklik; eerstens 'n gebrek aan geïntegreerde bewustheid regdeur die breër organisasie wat sy verklaarde KMV agenda uitmaak, en tweedens 'n gebrek van die uitvoerende gesag in die kommunikasie-afdeling van die besigheid. Daar word voorgestel dat die voorgestelde GK raamwerk kruis organisatoriese bewustheid van AASA se KMV agenda sou bevorder, en die organisasie dwing om belangrike kommunikasie personeel te belê met uitvoerende gesag eerder as bloot ondersteunende verantwoordelikheid. Dit sal op sy beurt die doeltreffendheid van AASA se betrokkenheid verseker. Die waarskynlikheid van strategiese KMV se sukses te verbeter, en van waarde wees vir die organisasie as geheel. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

[pt] Muitos artigos abordaram, nos últimos anos, o tópico de Sales and Operations Planning (SeOP) da perspectiva do gerenciamento da cadeia de suprimentos. No entanto, ainda é possível observar uma lacuna entre os modelos de SeOP presentes na literatura e a implementação nas empresas, principalmente devido aos diferentes contextos existentes na vida real. A caracterização do processo de S&OP precisa de mais desenvolvimento, especialmente para ajudar os praticantes em novas implementações. Além disso, faltam estudos sobre a aplicação específica desse processo em indústrias com modelo de produção Engineer-To-Order (ETO). Esta dissertação traz, por meio de um estudo de caso com abordagem exploratória, uma análise do processo de S&OP em uma indústria com um modelo de produção de ETO, demonstrando como o processo ocorre e quais são as peculiaridades desse modelo. O objetivo é oferecer um guia prático para implementação do SeOP com base na caracterização da aplicação do SeOP em uma indústria de produção de conteúdo audiovisual. O estudo caracteriza o processo observado na empresa, reduzindo a lacuna das práticas de pesquisa na literatura relativa à caracterização completa do processo de SeOP a partir de pesquisas empíricas e amplia o entendimento da área pesquisada no contexto de ETO. A dissertação oferece um guia prático que visa auxiliar praticantes da indústria a implementar o processo de SeOP nas empresas, outra carência existente na literatura. / [en] Many studies have addressed, over the past few years, the topic of Sales and Operations Planning (S and OP) from the perspective of Supply Chain Management. However, it is still possible to observe a gap between the S and OP models present in the literature and the implementation in companies, mainly due to the different contexts existing in real life. The characterization of the S and OP process needs further development, especially to help practitioners in new implementations. Besides, there is an absence of studies on the specific application of this process in industries with an Engineer-To-Order (ETO) production model. This dissertation brings, through a case study with an exploratory approach, an analysis of the S and OP process in an industry with an ETO production model, demonstrating how the process occurs and what are the peculiarities of this model. The objective is to offer a practical guide for the implementation of S and OP based on the characterization of the application of S and OP in an audiovisual content production industry. The study characterizes the process observed in the company, reducing the research practices gap in the literature concerning a complete characterization of the S and OP process based on empirical research and expand the understanding of the researched area with the ETO context. The dissertation offers a practical guide that aims to help practitioners to implement the S and OP process in companies, addressing another literature gap.

[pt] Sales and Operations Planning (SeOP), também chamado de Integrated Business Planning (IBP), é um processo de negócios que integra os planejamentos dos setores de uma empresa de forma a balancear a oferta e a demanda por produtos em um horizonte de planejamento de médio prazo, apoiando assim a integração horizontal da empresa. O S(e)OP/IBP serve também de ponte entre os planejamentos estratégico e operacional, apoiando assim a integração vertical da empresa. Apesar de esse processo ter adquirido um papel de destaque na área de gestão da cadeia de suprimentos, os benefícios esperados ainda não foram totalmente obtidos, na prática, pela indústria. Além disso, a literatura indica a necessidade de uma caracterização completa do processo e que um modelo de referência beneficiaria os usuários do processo. Visando endereçar tais carências, esta dissertação elabora uma estrutura de modelo de referência preliminar para o processo de S(e)OP/IBP, com base em trabalhos acadêmicos, white papers escritos por praticantes, um estudo de caso em uma indústria química do Brasil e a aplicação de grupos focais e painel de especialistas em S(e)OP/IBP. Este trabalho contribui com um estudo empírico no tema, além de oferecer uma estrutura de modelo de referência preliminar, avaliada por praticantes de S(e)OP/IBP, que pode ser usada como inspiração para empresas que desejam desenhar ou melhorar seu processo e por acadêmicos em pesquisas futuras com o intuito de aprimorá-lo. Ademais, são apresentados 13 pontos de atenção a serem avaliados pelos praticantes, a fim de amenizar os impactos das diferenças entre contextos. / [en] Sales and Operations Planning (SandOP), also called Integrated Business Planning (IBP), is a business process that integrates business plans from different functional areas of a firm to balance supply and demand of products in a mid-term planning horizon, thus supporting the horizontal integration of the firm. S(and)OP/IBP also serves as a bridge between strategic and operational plans, thus supporting the vertical integration of the firm. Although this process has gained prominence in the area of supply chain management, the expected benefits at the time of implementation have not yet been fully realized in practice by the industry. Moreover, the literature indicates the need for a complete characterization of the process and that a reference model would benefit process users. To address these research-practice gaps, this dissertation elaborates a preliminary reference model structure for the S(and)OP/IBP process, based on academic papers, white papers written by practitioners, a case study in a Brazilian chemical industry and the application of focus group with S(and)OP/IBP experts. This work contributes with an empirical study on the theme, as well as it offers a preliminary reference model structure, evaluated by practitioners of S(and)OP/IBP, which can be used as a guidance for firms willing to design or improve their own process and for academics in future researches with the aim of refining it. In addition, 13 points of attention to be assessed by practitioners are presented in order to mitigate the impacts of differences between contexts.

[pt] Organizações industriais têm investido na implantação de uma logística sustentável, que busca coordenar as atividades da cadeia de suprimentos visando parâmetros econômicos (e.g., minimização de custos, maximização das receitas), minimizando impactos no meio ambiente e estimulando o desenvolvimento social. A importância dos aspectos ambientais, econômicos e sociais, pilares do triple bottom line, na prática da logistica sustentável está diretamente relacionada aos impactos gerados no desempenho da organização. O sucesso deste desempenho também está associado à adoção da abordagem das dimensões Humana, Tecnológica e Organizacional (HTO), que vem sendo utilizada na análise de diversas facetas da gestão da cadeia de suprimentos. Diante desse cenário, o objetivo principal dessa dissertação de mestrado é desenvolver um artefato de gestão através de um framework concebido a partir de um modelo CMO com enfoque na logística sustentável por meio da incorporação das dimensões HTO, sob a perspectiva do TBL. A visão de sustentabilidade assumida engloba os pilares do TBL. O modelo proposto foi desenvolvido a partir de uma revisão de escopo, adicionando uma etapa final de consulta a especialistas da indústria de forma a aperfeiçoar e validar o modelo proposto. Os resultados da pesquisa indicam a carência de estudos que incorporem as dimensões do HTO, na perspectiva da TBL, reforçando assim a necessidade de criação de artefatos de gestão logística sustentável para estimular a disseminação desses conceitos, estimular novas pesquisas científicas nesta linha, bem como servir para um artefato de gestão para profissionais da área, que veem a logística sustentável como uma oportunidade de criação de valor para seus stakeholders. / [en] Industrial organizations have invested in the implementation of sustainable logistics, which seeks to coordinate the supply chain activities aiming at economics parameters (e.g., cost minimization, budget maximization), minimizing impacts on the environment and stimulating social development. The importance of the environmental, economic and social aspects, pillars of the triple bottom line, in the practice of sustainable logistics is directly related to the impacts generated in the performance of the organization. The success of this performance is also associated with the adoption of the Human, Technological and Organizational (HTO) dimensions approach, which has been used in the analysis of several facets of supply chain management. Given this scenario, the main objective of this master dissertation is to develop a management artifact through a framework conceived from a CMO model focusing on sustainable logistics through the incorporation of hto dimensions, from the perspective of TBL. The assumed view of sustainability encompasses the TBL pillars (i.e., economic, environmental, and social). The proposed model was developed from a scoping review, adding a final step of consulting experts from the industry towards improving and validating the proposed model. The research results indicate the lack of studies that incorporate the HTO dimensions from the TBL perspective, thus reinforcing the need to create sustainable logistics management artifacts to encourage the dissemination of these concepts, stimulate new scientific research in this research stream, as well as to serve as to serve as management artifact for professionals in the area, who see sustainable logistics as an opportunity to create value for their stakeholders.

[pt] Apesar dos altos gastos com saúde no Brasil, a qualidade e eficiência operacional nem sempre são alcançadas. Para lidar com essa questão, os gestores hospitalares adotaram o agrupamento de recursos hospitalares como estratégia para reduzir custos. O Centro de Materiais de Esterilização (CME) desempenha um papel crucial, recebendo e esterilizando materiais usados em outras partes do hospital. Essa atividade, embora essencial, é dispendiosa e, portanto, alvo de estudos para redução de custos. A centralização da operação de esterilização em redes é apontada na literatura como uma importante estratégia para redução de custos globais. Essa pesquisa visa desenvolver um modelo para apoiar a decisão de criação de uma unidade centralizadora de esterilização em uma rede de hospitais no Brasil. A metodologia inclui uma revisão de escopo e uma pesquisa ação. A pesquisa contribui para uma maior compreensão dos benefícios da centralização do CME, modelando processos operacionais de uma rede de quatro CME com uma análise crítica e os resultados obtidos com desenvolvimento e aplicação do modelo para definição do cenário de centralização de uma rede de hospitais. Dessa forma, observa-se os benefícios economia de escala, eficiência operacional, maior controle e rastreamento de materiais, entre outros. O modelo proposto diferencia-se dos encontrados na literatura por garantir uma otimização global ao utilizar um modelo único com dados reais. Ele permite uma tomada de decisão real para uma organização de saúde, propondo a abertura de um único CME centralizado para atender os hospitais da rede. / [en] Despite high healthcare spending in Brazil, quality and operational efficiency are not always achieved. To deal with this issue, hospital managers adopted the pooling of hospital resources as a strategy to reduce costs. The Sterilization Centers (SC) plays a crucial role, receiving and sterilizing materials used in other parts of the hospital. This activity, although essential, is expensive and, therefore, the target of studies to reduce costs. The centralization of sterilization operations in networks is highlighted in the literature as an important strategy for reducing global costs. This research aims to develop a model to support the decision to create a centralized sterilization unit in a network of hospitals in Brazil. The methodology includes a scoping review and action research. The research contributes to a greater understanding of the benefits of SC centralization, modeling operational processes of a network of four SCs with a critical analysis and the results obtained with the development and application of the model to define the centralization scenario of a hospital network. In this way, the benefits of economies of scale, operational efficiency, greater control and tracking of materials, among others, are observed. The proposed model differs from those found in the literature by guaranteeing global optimization when using a single model with real data. It allows real decision making for a healthcare organization, proposing the opening of a single centralized SC to serve the network s hospitals.

by Chui Kar Yee, Ma Ying Ying Naomi. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-40). / ABSTRACT --- p.i / Chapter CHAPTER I --- INTRODUCTION / Objective --- p.1 / State of the Environment --- p.2 / Environmental Awareness --- p.4 / Group Groups in Hong Kong --- p.5 / Government Action --- p.8 / Chapter CHAPTER II --- CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT --- p.11 / Sustainable Development --- p.13 / ISO14001 --- p.14 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- CASE STUDY OF GREEN BUSINESSES IN HONG KONG / Environmental Performance --- p.20 / Motivations and Benefits for Adopting Environmental Strategies --- p.25 / Environmental Hurdles --- p.26 / Consumer and Environmental Performance --- p.27 / Key Success Factor in Corporate Environmental Management --- p.30 / Chapter CHAPTER III --- CONCLUSION --- p.32 / APPENDIX / Table 1: List of ISO 14001 Certified Companies in Hong Kong --- p.34 / BILIOGRAPHY --- p.38

This research was geared towards the investigation of management strategies (factors) that affect the performance ofMSMEs in Kenya. Many developed countries record a time in history when entrepreneurial activities led to revival of economical growth after decline. This implies MSMEs is a very vital sector especially for a developing country like Kenya. MSMEs stagnate and their performance is uncertain according to writers such as Namusonge, Management inadequacies have been suggested in several studies. The objectives of this research was to, 1. To identifY the critical management factors affecting the performance of MSMEs in Kenya; ii. To establish the process through which managerial factors affect the performance of a MSMEs in Kenya ; m. To determine the integrative effect of various management factors in the MSMES in Kenya; IV. To establish the effect of demographics and management factors on performance, v. To establish effects of external environment on internal management factors A conceptual model was formulated from the literature review showing relationships of the management strategies and the environment they operate in. These relationships became the basis for the hypotheses which were later tested. In chapter 4, a mini research (pilot study) was conducted in May 2007,whose main aim was to test the reliability and validity of the research instruments. The 36 questionnaires returned were analysed through descriptive method. Results obtained indicated the instruments were reliable and the results valid. A few corrections suggested were made. The major correction was addition of question 35 to collect financial information. The data collection was done between mid August and mid October 2007.In chapter 5, the researcher analysesd the results of the survey after receiving 180 questionnaires. Time was a constraint. In chapter 6, the hypotheses and conceptual model were analysed and the results obtained suggested that, most strategies did not affect the profitability separately but severally. The integrated effect of the management strategies and the associated factors had a higher impact on performance of the MSMES than any individual strategies. In chapter 7, the conclusions, summaries and Recommendations are given. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management and Policy)

Dissertation submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / This study explores the factors that limit the long-term survival and development of micro and survivalist enterprises of a selected informal sector in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). Micro and survivalist enterprises play an important role in the South African economy, but despite their significance, several studies have shown that these enterprises fail within their first five years. The high failure rate is partially attributed to lack of support from external sources of support as well as the enterprises’ own internal weaknesses. The study was descriptive, exploratory and quantitative in nature. Questionnaires were used to gather data. The questionnaires were personally distributed at the business sites of the respondents. The respondents consisted of 108 micro and survivalist enterprises of a selected informal sector in Durban, who were selected by means of a non-probability sampling method. The results obtained identified a number of limiting factors for the selected informal enterprises’ long-term survival and development. The limiting factors, that are internal to the businesses, included: poor planning, lack of networking, insufficient business experience, poor pricing knowledge, managerial and business knowledge incompetence and lack of literacy, education and training. Those that are external to the businesses comprised of inadequate knowledge in terms of the institutional and supportive environment. Few respondents knew about financial and non-financial services and access to training and development programmes provided by government, semi-government and other institutions. As a result, recommendations to increase awareness of the different incentives available to micro and survivalist enterprises have been set.

Land is a major factor in agricultural production, so agricultural land allocated to smallholder farmers through Land Reform Program or by traditional leader need to be actively utilised for enhancement of agricultural business. The study assessed land utilisation by small and emerging farmers in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality. Data was collected from 86 farms and analysed using SPSS Version 23. The results indicate that 74% of the farmers fully utilised their farm lands. Results of Logit model revealed that, the amount received from leasing, value adding to products, annual farm income and savings had positive significant impact on the area of cultivation, while skills pertaining to farming activities and the proportion of farm inputs purchased with the farmer’s own money had negative impact. The significant variables should be considered to influence full farmland utilisation by small and emerging farmers in the study area; farmers need production inputs, affordable loans and other forms of funding to improve farmland utilisation / Agriculture, Animal Health and Human Ecology / M. Sc. (Agriculture)