Background: Managing credit risks is an integral part of the banking sector and is crucial for banks’ success. Effective risk management ensures stable and profitable operations, addressing challenges like information asymmetry between lenders and borrowers. To combat these challenges, banks are shifting from manual methods to automated processes in credit assessment and credit risk management.Purpose: The purpose of the study was to investigate how the use of AI has contributed to credit risk management and the handling of risk assessments within Swedish banks. Additionally, the study explored the factors driving the use of AI in this area.  Methodology: An abductive research approach was employed within the framework of a qualitative research method. Four banks were included in the study: two major banks and two niche banks. Semi structured interviews provided the primary data for the study, while secondary data, such as articles and literature, were used to support and explain the findings during the analysis and discussion.  Theory: The study was based on two models and the theory of information asymmetry. The first model focuses on the credit assessment process, while the second addresses critical success factors for the implementation of AI. The theory of information asymmetry consists of moral hazard and adverse selection. Conclusions: The study’s conclusion indicated that AI has contributed to increased efficiency and precision in credit risk management. Furthermore, AI supports addressing information asymmetry by automating data collection, analysis, and fraud detection. The study concludes that effective AI usage necessitates a balanced combination of management support, strategic vision, organizational culture, and structure.

This study shows that managers of short-term insurers may improve their financial results if they can identify and manage the factors that are critical to their financial results. The development and application of the concept of critical success factors are therefore used as a basis for this study. The study reviews the functions performed by short-term insurers, focusing on the effect these functions have on their cash flows. Selection and pricing of risk are discussed in detail. The underwriting cycle in South Africa, and several possible causes of the cycle are investigated. Reinsurance, claims handling and rilanagement expenses are important components of the cash flows of short-term insurers and are therefore examined in detail. The optimum risk level at various combinations of underwriting and investment income is empirically tested, using the financial results of several insurers. The study investigates different approaches to the measurement of financial success of insurers, and the return on shareholders' funds is found to provide the fairest and most reliable method. Empirical comparisons are made on the financial results of the insurers that participated in the study to distinguish between those that are financially successful and those that are not. To discover what the industry consider to be their critical financial success factors, a postal survey was done of key decision makers in the South African short-term insurance industry. Respondents identified several success factors, but did not include some success factors discovered during the review of the literature. Respondents apparently experienced difficulty in separating strategic issues from operational ones. The survey revealed that the pricing of risk is problematic for short-term insurers. The importance of the investment function is also underestimated by the industry. The study concludes that the combined systematic risk of the investment and underwriting portfolios is a critical success factor, along with the capital base of the insurer, the ability of the insurer to use the leverage provided by using policyholders' funds as free reserves and the size and direction of an insurer's cash flows. / Business Management / D. Com (Business Management)

Marist International University College, Nairobi – Kenya is challenged with problems like duplication of work due to lack of a central repository for knowledge, loss of knowledge through expertise leaving the institution without knowledge being captured and over reliance on a few known subject experts as others have not been identified. This research thus set out to address these problems. The aim of the study was to conduct a knowledge management assessment at the Marist International University College (MIUC) in order to identify and recommend a suitable strategy for the institution. The study employed a concurrent triangulation mixed methodology approach which encompassed a questionnaire and an interview schedule to collect data from 33 academic staff and 9 members of the MIUC management respectively. These two groups were purposively selected as the target population for the study as they play the key role in knowledge creation at MIUC. All 33 copies of the questionnaires that were distributed to the teaching staff were returned by respondents and all the 9 MIUC members of management were successfully interviewed. Data transformation analysis was applied during which qualitative data from open-ended questions and interviews were quantified using content analysis. Quantitative data in the questionnaires was descriptively analysed using SPSS. The study revealed a variety of informal knowledge management structures and resources at MIUC and the challenges of managing knowledge at Marist. The main challenge was that there was no uniformity and consistency in the management of knowledge. The study hence, formulated a KM strategy for MIUC that would help leverage its knowledge assets. / Information Science / MA (Information Science)

Les implementacions dels sistemes de programació de gestió integrada (ERP, en la sigla en anglès) s'estan consolidant com una de les principals tendències avantguardistes en l'àmbit de la tecnologia de la informació en el segment de les petites i mitjanes empreses (pimes). Malgrat que existeixen recerques relacionades amb l'estudi de l'adopció i de l'èxit de les implementacions d'ERP, hi ha una bretxa evident en la literatura a l'hora d'analitzar aquestes implementacions en el context de les pimes. Aquest article té l'objectiu d'examinar els factors que determinen l'èxit de les implementacions d'ERP, centrant-se específicament en la veta de mercat de les pimes que operen en zones en via de desenvolupament, com ara l'Amèrica Llatina. Es proposa un model que és corroborat empíricament amb dades obtingudes de 49 pimes llatinoamericanes. Una anàlisi de regressió múltiple permet corroborar 7 de les 8 hipòtesis presentades en el model, i evidencia alguns resultats que són consistents amb algunes recerques prèvies, però en ressalta d'altres que són únics en el context particular de l'Amèrica Llatina. Els resultats indiquen que les capacitats de facilitat d'ús proveïdes per l'ERP, com també l'èxit d'implementació del projecte de l'ERP i la satisfacció de l'usuari, són factors claus que impacten en l'èxit posterior a la implementació de l'ERP. D'altra banda, les iniciatives de gestió del canvi no van esdevenir tan determinants com s'evidenciava en recerques anteriors. El rol crític de la satisfacció de l'usuari com a mediador de la resta dels factors també va ser comprovat. Una aportació fonamental de la recerca és que l'èxit de la implementació de l'ERP va ser mesurat en termes dels beneficis incrementals de negoci obtinguts posteriorment a la implementació de l'ERP. S'analitzen les implicacions dels resultats en el context pràctic i de recerca, i se'n presenten línies de recerca prominents. / Las implementaciones de los Sistemas de Administración de Recursos Empresariales (ERP por sus siglas en inglés) se están consolidando como una de las tendencias vanguardistas críticas en el área de tecnología de la información para el segmento de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (SMEs). Aún cuando existen investigaciones relacionadas con el estudio de la adopción y éxito de las implementaciones de los ERP, es evidente la brecha existente en la literatura a la hora de analizar tales implementaciones en el contexto de las SMEs. Esta disertación pretende investigar factores que determinan el éxito de las implementaciones de los ERP, con foco específico en el contexto de las SMEs operando en regiones en vías de desarrollo, tales como América Latina. Se propone un modelo el cual es corroborado empíricamente con datos obtenidos de 49 pequeñas y medianas empresas latinoamericanas. Un análisis de regresión múltiple permite corroborar 7 de las 8 hipótesis presentadas en el modelo, exhibiéndose algunos resultados que son consistentes con investigaciones previas pero resaltándose otros que lucen originales al contexto particular de América Latina. Los resultados indican que las capacidades de Facilidad de Uso provistas por el ERP, así como el Éxito del Proyecto de Implementación del ERP y la Satisfacción del Usuario son factores claves que impactan en el éxito posterior a la implementación. Por otra parte, las iniciativas de Gerencia del Cambio no lucieron tan determinantes como se evidencia en investigaciones anteriores. El rol crítico de la Satisfacción del Usuario como mediador del resto de los factores también fue comprobado. Un aporte fundamental de la investigación es que el éxito de la implementación del ERP fue medido en términos de los beneficios incrementales de negocio obtenidos posterior a la implementación del ERP. Se analizan las implicaciones de los hallazgos en el contexto de investigación y práctico y prominentes líneas de investigación son presentadas. / Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems implementations are consolidating as a critical information technology initiative among small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Even though research exists aimed at analyzing the adoption and success of ERP implementations, there is a significant gap in the literature studying the SME niche. This article examines the causes determining the success of ERP implementations, specifically considering the niche of SMEs acting in developing regions such as Latin America. The proposed model is corroborated empirically with data from 49 Latin American SMEs. The regression analysis technique allows corroborating 7 of the 8 hypotheses. Some results are consistent with previous research but others appear to be unique to the Latin American context. These results suggest that Ease to Use capacities provided by ERP, as well as Project Implementation Success and User Satisfaction of an ERP initiative are key factors influencing the overall success of an ERP implementation. However, Change Management seems to be not as critical as the other factors. The decisive role of User Satisfaction as a mediating variable is also corroborated. An innovative contribution of this dissertation is the success of an ERP implementation is measured by improvements in business performance. The implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed, and another promising research streams are outlined.

在各個不同的產業裡，皆有研究提出構成企業「成功」和使其具有競爭力應擁有的關鍵因素。本研究以訪談資深非營利組織領導人來歸類整理出何謂「成功」的非營利組織及其發展的關鍵成功因素，以提供給向來資源有限的非營利組織在發展過程中作為檢視，以將資源優先投入這些關鍵的領域來減少無謂的摸索和失敗的可能。 為達研究目的，選擇持續運作超過十年的婦女團體，運用深度訪談法與關鍵事件分析法（Critical Incident Technique ,CIT），依五個受訪者所提其組織發展關鍵成功因素及對彼此組織發展關鍵成功因素，以「非營利組織的使命」;「非營利組織的參與者」；「非營利組織的運作」這三個構面將訪談內容歸類整理出非營利組織發展的「關鍵成功因素」如下： *非營利組織的使命：有清楚的宗旨（使命） *非營利組織的參與者： 1.參與者的特質：主動積極、對組織使命認同、有理想性格、熱忱、具行動力 2.組織的領導者：一路堅持的靈魂人物、願意不斷成長且洞見觀瞻的領導者 3.互補又分工的合作團隊 *非營利組織的運作： 1.組織文化：平等開放、學習型組織、活力型組織 2.把訴求清楚表達的能力 3.建立公信力及獲得社會認同 4.把人當做最大的資產，對參與者採「增權」方式 5.不斷檢視社會環境變遷，依社會需要調整服務或回應需求產生新服務 6.創新的靈活策略且能結合各方資源發揮影響力 一個非營利組織從成立到成為一個「成功」的非營利組織，最關鍵的因素為組織能否部份或階段性達成當初設定的使命，所以建議領導者要不斷檢視組織的使命是否有貫徹；要不斷反省與自我提升；同時要隨時注意時事以掌握社會需求脈動。非營利組織需掌握社會各種媒介的情報，促使成員相互激盪，培養出組織的共識與新行動；重視團隊合作；連結不同組織的資源網絡及凝聚共識的過程需平等公開，不採取一言堂的方式，「增權」組織成員潛能以使其盡情發揮，使組織維持最大動能。 / Research shows that there are key factors contributing to “success” that are common across industries. This study investigated the key to success of Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) and their developments through in-depth interviews with NPO leaders. These findings can serve as developmental key learnings for other, resource-limited NPO’s, allowing them to more effectively harness available resources, thus reducing wastage due to trial and error. This research paper endeavors to organize these Critical Success Factors into easily accessible best-of-practice case studies for up-and-coming NPO’s. For the purposes of this study, the author selected five Non-Profit Women’s Associations with a least ten years of successful operations. Research methodology was depth interviews combined with Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Three main constructs were used in this process including: The mission of NPOs, NPO participants and NPO operations. This study identifies and organizes “Critical Success Factors” that all successful Non-Profit Organizations should own. The Critical Success Factors of A Successful NPO Are: 1.Well defined missions. 2.Strong Personnel/Membership Structure: a.Members of the organization will have: i.self-motivated; identification to organization missions ii.A high degree of enthusiasm iii.The ability to execute the organization directives b.A successful NPO will have Leadership with the following characteristics/skill sets: i.The spiritual leader of an NPO with an unchanging sense of mission, a strong and insight. ii.The ability to continually learn and apply those learnings to the organization. iii.A mutually supporting team that divides work up equally. 3.Strong Operations: a.Organization culture: Equal, open, focused on learning and vigorous. b.Externally it will be able to: i.Clearly articulate organizational goals and objectives ii.Create sufficient exposure to create positive awareness and opinion within society c.Internally it will be able to: i.Create “esprit-de-corps” within organization ii.Empower stake-holders to leverage their strengths d.Continual review of social changes and the adjustment of old services or the introduction of new services to meet social needs. e.Creative and flexible strategies and the ability to integrate various resources to exert influence. A successful NPO needs to accomplish the initial Mission. In order to achieve this, it is recommended that the NPO leadership continually review whether or not the organization is achieving the objectives for which it was established and conduct self-evaluation and self-improvement. The NPO also needs to be in tune with developments and trends in the society it is operating in. By making the information gleaned open and available to all members of the organization, the leadership can empower its members and contribute to a common sense of purpose, helping it achieve the maximum efficiencies and success.

Σκοπός αυτής της εργασίας είναι να παρουσιάσει την έννοια της πολιτικής ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα» και να αναπτύξει ένα εργαλείο μέτρησης, ένα ερωτηματολόγιο για αυτή. Να εντοπίσει τα κενά που υπάρχουν στην ήδη υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία σχετικά με αυτή την έννοια καθώς και να παραθέσει κάποιες προτάσεις για μελλοντικές έρευνες. Τέλος σκοπός της είναι να παρουσιάσει το προφίλ των ελληνικών μεταποιητικών – βιομηχανικών επιχειρήσεων στις οποίες πρόκειται να στοχεύσει το παρόν ερωτηματολόγιο. Μεθοδολογία/προσέγγιση: στην παρούσα εργασία αναπτύσσεται η θεωρία σχετικά με την εφαρμογή της πολιτικής ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα» στις μεταποιητικές επιχειρήσεις. Η συλλογή των στοιχείων έγινε με βάση τη βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση και οι λέξεις κλειδιά που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ήταν: six sigma, critical success factors of six sigma, barriers of six sigma, benefits of six sigma, problem areas of six sigma, lean six sigma, reasons for implementing and not implementing, tools and techniques used by companies, factors for measuring six sigma management activities, και methodology DMAIC. Στα πλαίσια αυτής της εργασίας δημιουργήθηκε ένα δομημένο ερευνητικό ερωτηματολόγιο το οποίο έχει να κάνει με την πολιτική ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα» στις ελληνικές μεταποιητικές – βιομηχανικές επιχειρήσεις. Συμπεράσματα: μετά τη μελέτη αρκετών παρόμοιων ερευνών που έγιναν πάνω στην πολιτική ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα», καταλήγουμε στο συμπέρασμα ότι το παρόν ερωτηματολόγιο θα απευθυνθεί σε επιχειρήσεις που έχουν κάποια εμπειρία στην πολιτική ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα», ή έχουν εφαρμόσει κάποια άλλη στρατηγική ποιότητας (ISO 9000). Επίσης το μέγεθος των επιχειρήσεων στο οποίο θα στοχεύσει θα είναι ΜΜΕ, αφού αποτελούν την πλειοψηφία των ελληνικών επιχειρήσεων. Περιορισμοί: όπως κάθε έρευνα που πραγματοποιείται περιλαμβάνει κάποιους περιορισμούς έτσι και η παρούσα εργασία έχει τους δικούς της. Ο βασικότερος περιορισμός της είναι ότι βασίστηκε μόνο σε βιβλιογραφική ανασκόπηση και δεν απέδειξε τα στοιχεία που παρουσιάζονται μέσα από κάποια έρευνα έστω και πιλοτική. Επιπλέον το παρόν ερωτηματολόγιο αφορά μόνο τις μεταποιητικές – βιομηχανικές επιχειρήσεις. Παρόλα αυτά αυτή η μελέτη απλά αντιπροσωπεύει μια προκαταρκτική μελέτη που αργότερα μπορεί να επεκταθεί. Πρακτικές επιπτώσεις: αυτή η εργασία θα δώσει τη δυνατότητα στους επαγγελματίες «6 Σίγμα» να ελέγξουν κατά πόσο οι ελληνικές μεταποιητικές – βιομηχανικές επιχειρήσεις είναι εξοικειωμένες με την έννοια της πολιτικής ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα» και κατά πόσο την εφαρμόζουν. Αυτό θα μπορέσει να γίνει στο άμεσο μέλλον, αφού το παρόν ερωτηματολόγιο θα χρησιμοποιηθεί σε πιλοτική έρευνα. Πρωτοτυπία – αξία: αυτή η εργασία παρουσιάζει τα κενά που υπάρχουν στην ήδη υπάρχουσα βιβλιογραφία σχετικά με την πολιτική ποιότητας «6 Σίγμα», τα οποία οδηγούν σε πολλές ερευνητικές προτάσεις για το μέλλον. Επίσης αποτελεί την πρώτη απόπειρα προσέγγισης των ελληνικών μεταποιητικών επιχειρήσεων που εφαρμόζουν αυτή την πολιτική ποιότητας. Λέξεις κλειδιά: six sigma, critical success factors of six sigma, barriers of six sigma, benefits of six sigma, problem areas of six sigma, lean six sigma, reasons for implementing and not implementing, tools and techniques used by companies, factors for measuring six sigma management activities, methodology DMAIC, six sigma belt system και manufacturing industry. / The purpose of this project is to present the concept of “six sigma” and develop a measurement tool, a questionnaire, on this. To locate the gaps that may exist in the relevant by now-bibliography and also to give some future research suggestions. Finally its aim is to present the Greek manufacturing industries profile, which the present questionnaire concerns. Methodology/approach: The present project develops the theory which is relevant to the application of “six sigma” in the manufacturing industries. The collection of the data was based on literature reviews and the key words that were used were: six sigma, critical success factors of six sigma, barriers of six sigma, benefits of six sigma, problem areas of six sigma, lean six sigma, reasons for implementing and not implementing, tools and techniques used by companies, factors for measuring six sigma management activities and methodology DMAIC. In the context of this project there was created a structured research questionnaire, relevant to “six sigma” in Greek manufacturing industries. Conclusions: after studying enough similar surveys on “six sigma”, we come to the conclusion that the present questionnaire is addressed to industries that have a certain experience in “six sigma”, or have applied some other quality strategies (ISO 9000). Furthermore the size of the industries at which it aims will be SME, since they are the majority of Greek industries. Research limitations: the present project includes some specific limitations, like every other study that has been realized. The most basic limitation is that it was only based on literature reviews and it didn’t prove the elements that were presented through a study, even a pilot one. Moreover the present questionnaire concerns only the manufacturing industries. Nevertheless this study simply represents a preliminary study that later can be extended. Practical implications: this study will give the capability to the “six sigma” professionals to check how much the manufacturing industries are familiarized to the concept of “six sigma” and how much they apply it. This might happen in the direct future, since the present questionnaire is used in pilot study. Originality/value: this study presents the gaps that exist in the already existing literature relevant to six sigma, which leads to a lot of future research suggestions. Also it is the first attempt to approach Greek manufacturing industries that apply this quality politic. Key words: six sigma, critical success factors of six sigma, barriers of six sigma, benefits of six sigma, problem areas of six sigma, lean six sigma, reasons for implementing and not implementing, tools and techniques used by companies, factors for measuring six sigma management activities, methodology DMAIC, six sigma belt system and manufacturing industry.

Nature–based tourism destinations have shown significant growth over the past decade and, with the ever increasing numbers of tourists travelling to national parks, the right management structures, goals and objectives need to be determined. South African National Parks (SANParks) manages all 22 national parks in South Africa with the Kruger National Park (KNP) being the biggest of them all and generating more than 80% of SANParks income. The KNP is one of the world’s largest parks conserving a staggering 1 962 362 ha of land which is bigger than countries such as Israel and Holland. When taking the KNP into perspective, park management must have the right management styles and factors in place to ensure that the park is managed in a sustainable manner and exceeds the expectations of the tourist to provide a memorable experience whilst visiting the KNP. The goal of this study was therefore to determine the critical management aspects or critical success factors (CSFs) needed to create a memorable visitor experience at the park. This goal was achieved by conducting a questionnaire survey at four rest camps within the KNP from 27 December 2010 to 4 January 2011. The rest camps used for the survey were: Skukuza (152 questionnaires), Berg and Dal (98 questionnaires), Lower Sabie (85 questionnaires) and Satara (101 questionnaires). During this time a total of 436 questionnaires were completed and included in further analysis. In Article 1, the key management aspects that visitors regard as important for a memorable visitor experience at the KNP were identified. These CSFs assist management in providing quality services and products for the tourist, leading to a memorable experience. A factor analysis was performed on the expectations of the tourists to national parks. There were nine CSFs identified that management can implement to ensure a memorable visitor experience. The three factors that have not yet been identified in previous research were wildlife experience, interpretation and luxuries. Other factors that have been identified were General management, Variety activities, Accommodation, Green management, Hospitality management, and Facilities. The results showed that park management needs to become aware of what the visitor sees as important factors for a memorable visitor experience and they can adapt certain aspects to improve the visitor’s experience. In Article 2, gaps within the park management were identified. These gaps were measured by taking the 62 variables and asking the tourist what their expectations were with regard to a memorable experience versus their actual/real experience at the park. A factor analysis on the expectations and the actual/real experiences was done and each of these factors was given a score. The scores of each factor were measured against one another indicating the differences and gaps in management. The twelve factors that were identified were General management, Education activities. Accommodation facilities, Green management, Information provided, Layout of the park, Wildlife, Facilities in the park, Food and Beverage management, Interpretive activities, Bookings and General services, and Outdoor activities. These twelve factors have also been grouped into three sub groups containing four factors each and either the expectations were exceeded, did not meet expectations or were neutral. The main gaps were Education, Accommodation facilities, Interpretations facilities and Wildlife. If management want to ensure a memorable visitor experience at the KNP they must not only focus on these gaps, but also strive to exceed visitors’ expectations on all levels. This research found that there are certain CSFs for managing a national park and gaps within park management that need to be addressed. These gaps or problem areas can be overcome by the implementation of a continuous evaluation process that will ensure effective and efficient management of the park. Park management can therefore improve their services and products as well as the quality thereof by knowing what the tourists see as important when visiting a national park to obtain a memorable experience that will lead to positive word of mouth, loyalty, increased revenue and sustainability of the KNP. Even though it is not a requirement of a masters’ dissertation to make a contribution, this research has made a significant contribution towards the methodology as the method applied determined the gaps in visitor experience and expectations and this has not been used before. Future research can make use of this type of method determining individuals’ expectations and experiences when visiting a national park or any other nature–based destination. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Nature–based tourism destinations have shown significant growth over the past decade and, with the ever increasing numbers of tourists travelling to national parks, the right management structures, goals and objectives need to be determined. South African National Parks (SANParks) manages all 22 national parks in South Africa with the Kruger National Park (KNP) being the biggest of them all and generating more than 80% of SANParks income. The KNP is one of the world’s largest parks conserving a staggering 1 962 362 ha of land which is bigger than countries such as Israel and Holland. When taking the KNP into perspective, park management must have the right management styles and factors in place to ensure that the park is managed in a sustainable manner and exceeds the expectations of the tourist to provide a memorable experience whilst visiting the KNP. The goal of this study was therefore to determine the critical management aspects or critical success factors (CSFs) needed to create a memorable visitor experience at the park. This goal was achieved by conducting a questionnaire survey at four rest camps within the KNP from 27 December 2010 to 4 January 2011. The rest camps used for the survey were: Skukuza (152 questionnaires), Berg and Dal (98 questionnaires), Lower Sabie (85 questionnaires) and Satara (101 questionnaires). During this time a total of 436 questionnaires were completed and included in further analysis. In Article 1, the key management aspects that visitors regard as important for a memorable visitor experience at the KNP were identified. These CSFs assist management in providing quality services and products for the tourist, leading to a memorable experience. A factor analysis was performed on the expectations of the tourists to national parks. There were nine CSFs identified that management can implement to ensure a memorable visitor experience. The three factors that have not yet been identified in previous research were wildlife experience, interpretation and luxuries. Other factors that have been identified were General management, Variety activities, Accommodation, Green management, Hospitality management, and Facilities. The results showed that park management needs to become aware of what the visitor sees as important factors for a memorable visitor experience and they can adapt certain aspects to improve the visitor’s experience. In Article 2, gaps within the park management were identified. These gaps were measured by taking the 62 variables and asking the tourist what their expectations were with regard to a memorable experience versus their actual/real experience at the park. A factor analysis on the expectations and the actual/real experiences was done and each of these factors was given a score. The scores of each factor were measured against one another indicating the differences and gaps in management. The twelve factors that were identified were General management, Education activities. Accommodation facilities, Green management, Information provided, Layout of the park, Wildlife, Facilities in the park, Food and Beverage management, Interpretive activities, Bookings and General services, and Outdoor activities. These twelve factors have also been grouped into three sub groups containing four factors each and either the expectations were exceeded, did not meet expectations or were neutral. The main gaps were Education, Accommodation facilities, Interpretations facilities and Wildlife. If management want to ensure a memorable visitor experience at the KNP they must not only focus on these gaps, but also strive to exceed visitors’ expectations on all levels. This research found that there are certain CSFs for managing a national park and gaps within park management that need to be addressed. These gaps or problem areas can be overcome by the implementation of a continuous evaluation process that will ensure effective and efficient management of the park. Park management can therefore improve their services and products as well as the quality thereof by knowing what the tourists see as important when visiting a national park to obtain a memorable experience that will lead to positive word of mouth, loyalty, increased revenue and sustainability of the KNP. Even though it is not a requirement of a masters’ dissertation to make a contribution, this research has made a significant contribution towards the methodology as the method applied determined the gaps in visitor experience and expectations and this has not been used before. Future research can make use of this type of method determining individuals’ expectations and experiences when visiting a national park or any other nature–based destination. / Thesis (M.Com. (Tourism))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

More than ninety per cent of projects are run by project teams and the stronger the team the more likely the project will succeed. Team building activities are performed to both increase team performance and to enhance the likelihood of project success. For the purpose of this study, information technology (IT) business projects were chosen as IT is a major driving force in business today and there is widespread dissatisfaction with the performance of IT business projects. In analysing the causes of dissatisfaction, increasingly researchers are recognising that technology is a secondary issue behind the human side of project team management. Business projects were chosen because increasingly IT is being used in the business environment to solve problems in the post-industrial era characterised by the service industry, while the manufacturing industry, from which much of the project literature has emerged, reduces. The importance of the project team in developing IT business projects is well recognised and managers are concerned about their ability to transform an ad-hoc collection of people assigned to a particular project into a coherent, integrated project team. In most cases the activities recommended to build a successful IT business project team have been theoretically based, rather than empirically founded. The goal of this research was to investigate the team building activities used on successful projects. To achieve this goal, the research defines the key measures of project success and establishes their relative importance; determines the most important team building activities for project success with experienced project managers; enhances the understanding of implementation of team building activities on successful projects; and provides suggestions on how to increase the likelihood of project success through focusing on team building activities. The research used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to develop a hierarchical model linking project success measures with team building activities. Confirmation of the AHP results and additional understanding of team building activities implementation was achieved by interviewing experienced project managers. The research found that customer satisfaction, although seldom used, was significantly more important as a project success measure than the three measures most often used - time, budget and scope. As identified by project managers, the most important team building activities for achieving customer satisfaction are team leadership; ensuring senior management support; staffing the team properly; planning the project with the team and empowering team members; building commitment among team members; developing strong communication channels and developing appropriate organisational interfaces. The research found successful projects focused on relationships in addition to the task focus of many project methodologies. The research findings on team building activities will enable project leaders on IT business projects to develop empowered project teams with stronger affiliations and support throughout the organisation. By empowering project teams to create effective internal and external relationships there will be fewer project failures, increased customer satisfaction and improved achievement of project success.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:15:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 166831.pdf: 1389320 bytes, checksum: e2c928f913844c7ae94080cb89a5c179 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-11-09T00:00:00Z / As administrações públicas contemporâneas vêm sofrendo diversas formas de pressão para que promovam a modernização de suas estruturas e serviços, provenientes não somente da própria sociedade, mas também derivadas das crises fiscais que assolaram diversos países nas últimas décadas. Uma das opções dos governos a fim de atender a essa demanda está no uso do potencial das tecnologias de informação e de comunicação em prol de melhores serviços ao cidadão e numa maior eficiência do aparato estatal. Esse movimento contemporâneo, associado principalmente ao advento da computação pessoal e da Internet, tem sido chamado Governo Eletrônico (e-Gov). Uma das suas ações relaciona-se à construção de serviços eletrônicos que integrem diversas agências governamentais em formato colaborativo. Entretanto, projetos de e-Gov que demandam esse grau de integração possuem complexidade de implementação aparentemente maior que projetos tradicionais, o que se reflete nos baixos índices de sucesso encontrados mundialmente. Existem hoje metodologias e frameworks de gestão de projetos disponíveis e consolidados no mercado, tal como o provido pelo Project Management Institute – PMI, por meio do Project Management Body of Knowledge – PMBOK, publicação que representa uma agregação dos conhecimentos dos mais de 230.000 profissionais associados ao PMI, principalmente nos aspectos conhecidos como 'boas práticas'. Ele é aceito como um padrão de gestão de projetos pelo ANSI – American National Standards Institute e pelo Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – IEEE (PMI, 2007). A questão que esta pesquisa procura explorar é a identificação das boas práticas na gestão de projetos de e-Gov multi-agências. Para isso, baseou-se no modelo proposto pelo PMBOK, considerado pela literatura como um framework abrangente e de grande reconhecimento (LEITE, 2004). A partir dessa análise, procurou-se identificar quais foram os fatores mais relevantes para o sucesso do projeto e como foram geridos pela equipe participante. Com esse intuito, essa pesquisa apresenta um estudo em profundidade do projeto Nota Fiscal Eletrônica – NF-e do Governo do Estado de São Paulo, projeto de e-Gov que possui integração nacional entre múltiplas agências (seis Administrações Tributárias Estaduais, Receita Federal e dezenove grandes empresas) e grande complexidade técnica e de gestão. Os resultados encontrados sugerem que o apoio da alta administração, a criação de um relacionamento de confiança, a participação de empresas no projeto, a alta capacidade das equipes envolvidas, a definição de um escopo viável e a utilização de padrões abertos são fatores que colaboram significativamente para o sucesso de projetos como a NF-e. / Contemporary public administrations have been suffering several ways of pressure to promote their structures and services modernization, and such pressures arise not only from society itself, but also derive from fiscal crisis that have ravaged several countries in the last few decades. One of governments options to meet that demand lies in the potential use of information and communication technology for the benefit of better service to citizens and greater state apparatus efficiency. This contemporary movement, particularly connected with personal computing and the Internet arrival, has been called Electronic Government (e-Gov). One of its actions relates to building government electronic services that integrate several government agencies in a collaborative format. However, e-Gov projects demanding integration to this degree have an implementation complexity that is greater than traditional projects, which reflects on low success rates worldwide. Nowadays there are project management methodologies and frameworks available and consolidated in the market, such as the one provided by the Project Management Institute – PMI, through the Project Management Body of Knowledge – PMBOK. PMBOK is a publication that represents the collected knowledge from over 230,000 PMI-associate professionals, mainly in those aspects known as 'good practices'. PMBOK is accepted as a project management standard by ANSI – American National Standards Institute and by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – IEEE (PMI, 2007). The issue this research tries to explore is good practices identification in multi-agency e-Gov project management. To this end, it was based on the model proposed by PMBOK, which literature considers to be a comprehensive and largely recognized framework (LEITE, 2004). From that analysis, the present work sought to identify which factors were most relevant to project success and how such factors were managed by the team involved. For this purpose, the present research presents an in-depth study of Nota Fiscal Eletrônica - NF-e (Electronic Invoice) project, developed by São Paulo’s state government in Brazil, a project with a nationwide integration of multiple agencies (six State Tax Administrations, the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service and nineteen large companies) and a major technical and management complexity. The results that were found suggest that support from high administration, the creation of a trust relationship, companies participation in the project, involved teams’ high capacity, a viable goal definition and open standards utilization are critical success factors that create very positive impacts in projects such as NF-e.