There can be little doubt that Six Sigma is far more than just another novelty concept; in fact, it can be considered as a proven quality philosophy and if applied correctly, ensures a competitive advantage. A rapidly increasing number of firms, from all industries and of all sizes, are now reporting significant savings or returns on their program and training investments, because of the implementation of Six Sigma. This paper investigates the origin, definition, financial benefits and challenges of Six Sigma and its implementation. Certain critical success factors determine the successful implementation of Six Sigma in any firm. Many firms have reported significant benefits as a result of Six Sigma project implementation, though not all are yet success stories. This paper reviews the literature related to the critical success factors for the effective implementation of Six Sigma. This research will provide the useful information for firms, which are willing to implement Six Sigma and help firms avoid the risks during the process of Six Sigma implementation. The primary objective of this exploratory research is to identify the critical success factors required for the successful implementation of Six Sigma. Then, based on the critical success factors identified in literature and the survey, the purpose is to develop and propose an applicable framework for firms to successfully implement Six Sigma. The research is explorative of nature and a survey research design was used with a questionnaire as data-gathering instrument. Descriptive statistics (e.g. means and standard deviations) were used to analyse the data. The results confirmed that the most critical success factors for successful Six Sigma implementation include management commitment, change management, effective communication and alignment. The proposed framework presents six interlinking components of Six Sigma which is dependent on these four critical success factors. Limitations in the research are identified and recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was to study health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and return to work in the first 3 years following a breast cancer diagnosis, and to identify clinical and contextual factors associated with these outcomes. Method: The four studies were part of a population-based cohort study including women identified in the Breast Cancer Quality Register in central Sweden. Of 1,573 women asked to participate, 69% (n=1,093) responded to a baseline questionnaire, 62% (n=977) responded at the 1st follow-up and 54% (n=856) participated at the 2nd follow-up (mean time 4, 16 and 38 months post-diagnosis, respectively). Studies II and IV only included women aged <63 years at diagnosis. In Study IV, each woman was individually matched to five breast-cancer-free controls. Questionnaire data on HRQoL, socio-demographics and work-related variables were combined with clinical register, normative and social insurance data. Main findings: Study I: Women with breast cancer, particularly women aged <50 years, experienced poorer HRQoL at baseline than normative data. Chemotherapy, lack of social support, sick leave and a poor financial situation were associated with poorer HRQoL. Study II: Compared with pre-diagnosis working time, 72% of participating women reported no change, 2% had increased their working time, 15% reported a decrease in working time and 11% did not work at the 1st follow-up. Chemotherapy, cancer-related work limitations and less value attached to work increased the odds of job discontinuation/decreased working time. Study III: During the 3 years post-diagnosis, HRQoL generally improved. Less consistent improvements were found among women on sick leave/disability pension pre-diagnosis and women reporting job discontinuation/decreased working time post-diagnosis. Study IV: The proportion of women with breast cancer on sick leave steadily decreased during the 3 years post-diagnosis, but they were more likely to be on sick leave than the controls. Chemotherapy, fatigue and pre-diagnosis sick days predicted sickness absence during the 2nd and 3rd year post-diagnosis. Conclusions: Most women with breast cancer gradually recover, but there are subgroups of women who may be particularly vulnerable. In a clinical setting, increased attention should be directed towards women undergoing chemotherapy, young women, women on sick leave/disability pension pre-diagnosis and women who do not return to work to the same extent as pre-diagnosis.

This thesis investigates the performance of Swedish listed family-controlled firms using re-turn on assets (ROA) and Tobin’s Q as performance measures. Results show that found-ing-family firms perform 6.1 % better than other firms for ROA. Firm-specific knowledge of the founder-CEO is the main cause of the enhanced performance. The results are not robust to residual testing which suggests caution when drawing conclusions from these re-sults. The main contribution of this thesis is an empirical analysis of family insider repre-sentation and the relation to ROA and Tobin’s Q in a sample consisting entirely of Swedish firms.

Abstract This qualitative study explored the experiences of employed women with breast cancer. The narrative approach using Frank’s (1995) illness types and the feminist perspective were applied in looking at the women’s diversity of experiences and meanings. Purposive sampling was used to recruit women aged 30-49 (n=8) who continued working during treatment and after treatment ended. Face to face, semi-structured interviews were conducted. The findings discovered that all the women got reasonable accommodations; work environment was supportive; and the majority was successful in returning to work despite treatment challenges. Two separated participants reported being locked into job because of medical insurance and discrimination. Concerns identified were: More support from health care professionals, information, dietary, counselling and the need to be listened to. This study can help social workers and other health care professionals to review their roles in supporting women who return to work and in managing the cancer experience.

This dissertation consists of three essays. In the first essay, I estimate a high dimensional covariance matrix of returns for 88 individual stocks from the S&P 100 index, using daily return data for 1995-2005. This study applies the two-step estimator of the dynamic conditional correlation multivariate GARCH model, proposed by Engle (2002b) and Engle and Sheppard (2001) and applies variations of this model. This is the first study estimating variances and covariances of returns using a large number of individual stocks (e.g., Engle and Sheppard (2001) use data on various aggregate sub-indexes of stocks). This avoids errors in estimation of GARCH models with contemporaneous aggregation of stocks (e.g. Nijman and Sentana 1996; Komunjer 2001). Second, this is the first multivariate GARCH adopting a systematic general-to-specific approach to specification of lagged returns in the mean equation. Various alternatives to simple GARCH are considered in step one univariate estimation, and econometric results favour an asymmetric EGARCH extension of Engle and Sheppard’s model. In essay two, I aggregate a variance-covariance matrix of return risk (estimated using DCC-MVGARCH in essay one) to an aggregate index of return risk. This measure of risk is compared with the standard approach to measuring risk from a simple univariate GARCH model of aggregate returns. In principle the standard approach implies errors in estimation due to contemporaneous aggregation of stocks. The two measures are compared in terms of correlation and economic values: measures are not perfectly correlated, and the economic value for the improved estimate of risk as calculated here is substantial. Essay three has three parts. The major part is an empirical study of the aggregate risk return tradeoff for U.S. stocks using daily data. Recent research indicates that past risk-return studies suffer from inadequate sample size, and this suggests using daily rather than monthly data. Modeling dynamics/lags is critical in daily models, and apparently this is the first such study to model lags correctly using a general to specific approach. This is also the first risk return study to apply Wu tests for possible problems of endogeneity/measurement error for the risk variable. Results indicate a statistically significant positive relation between expected returns and risk, as is predicted by capital asset pricing models. Development of the Wu test leads naturally into a model relating aggregate risk of returns to economic variables from the risk return study. This is the first such model to include lags in variables based on a general to specific methodology and to include covariances of such variables. I also derive coefficient links between such models and risk-return models, so in theory these models are more closely related than has been realized in past literature. Empirical results for the daily model are consistent with theory and indicate that the economic and financial variables explain a substantial part of variation in daily risk of returns. The first section of this essay also investigates at a theoretical and empirical level several alternative index number approaches for aggregating multivariate risk over stocks. The empirical results indicate that these indexes are highly correlated for this data set, so only the simplest indexes are used in the remainder of the essay.

Depression has been cited as the most prevalent of the Axis I disorders affecting upward of 16% of American adults in their lifetimes (Kessler et al., 2005). The literature on effective treatments for depression is substantial, however the follow-up literature that speaks to what happens after treatment ends is much smaller. This thesis describes two studies. The first is an overview of reviews of post-treatment outcomes for adults treated for major depressive disorder (MDD). The second is a narrative systematic review of studies of long-term (at least 12 months) post-treatment outcomes after the completion of treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). These studies synthesize the available evidence concerning post-treatment outcomes and discuss the limitations of these data. Relapse is a significant issue for many people who respond to treatment with upwards of 50% of people relapsing within a year of the end of treatment, depending on the type of treatment. Some treatments have significant relapse prevention effects, including continued medication treatment, acute and continuation phase CBT, and variations of CBT designed specifically for addressing residual symptoms after acute treatment or specifically aimed at relapse prevention. Given that the risk of relapse after treatment is significant, it should be discussed during acute treatment, as should approaches to reducing the risk of relapse. Recommendations for future research are discussed. Within the overview of reviews, there was considerable consistency across reviews which aided in the formulation of practical recommendations for clinicians and for patients. Examples include provision of education about the probability of relapse and planning for relapse prevention during acute phase treatment. Engaging in continuation and maintenance treatments that are aimed at reducing relapse, and whenever possible, continuing treatment until patients are considered to be in recovery, and not just for a certain period of time, or until the point of remission of symptoms are also recommended to reduce rates of relapse.

Professional rugby union has grown to become the third most popular team contact sport in the world. The physical nature of the game results in a high prevalence of injuries on all levels of play. Injury prevalence as high as 83.9 injuries per 1000 playing hours has been reported for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France. Although research indicates schoolboy rugby union to be safer than professional rugby, injury rates as high as 65.8 injuries per 1000 playing hours have been reported. These injuries are mostly caused by the tackle situation, with the knee– and shoulder–joints being the most injured site. The risk of injuries in rugby union is heightened by professionalism, previous injuries, higher training demands, intrinsic factors and psychological issues. Due to the professional nature the game has taken on, the management of rugby union injuries has become increasingly more important. This should include prehabilitation or injury prevention programs, rehabilitation up until the final, sport specific phase as well as structured return to play testing. Another important aspect of injury management is the education of coaches, players and other persons involved in the sport. Objectives The first objective of the study was to observe the prevalence and nature of injuries in South African schoolboy rugby union players. Secondly, the treatment of these injuries was observed as well as the return to play criteria used to determine readiness to return to play after injury. The association between the treatment of injuries and the severity of injuries was then obtained. Lastly re–injury prevalence was compared to treatment received and return to play criteria used to determine readiness. Methods Ten schools from across South Africa partook in the study. The schools were all identified by the NWU–PUK as elite schools due to performances in the previous year (2008). Only the first team squad of each school was participated, amounting to a total number of 194 boys answering questionnaires conducted by the researcher for each of their injuries. The questionnaires included injury severity and site, recurrence of injury, cause of injury, treatment procedures and criteria used for return to play. Severity was defined in terms of game and training days missed due to injury and are describe as slight (0 – 1 day), minimal (2 - 3 days), mild (4 - 7 days), moderate (8 - 28 days) or severe (>28 days). The results were then analyzed and presented through descriptive statistics. Statistical significance was indicated by p <= 0.05. Practical significance was described by the Phi–coefficient. The practical significance indicated by phi, was indicated as large if phi >= 0.5. Results A total number of 118 injuries were reported amounting to 78.51 injuries per 1000 playing hours. New injuries accounted for 68.64% (n=81) while recurrent injuries was reported to be 31.36% (n=37). The most frequent site of injury was the knee (n=26), followed by the shoulder (n=21). The event leading to injury that was most frequently reported, was the tackle (including making the tackle and being tackled) (n=49). Most injuries were slight (48%) but a high rate of moderate and severe injuries (39%) were reported. These moderate to severe injuries resulted in a minimum total of 360 days missed. Severe injuries were more likely to be treated by a doctor. Treatment by a doctor for severe injuries indicated the only significance in the study (p = 0.7). No fixed return to play protocol was in place for deciding if a player should be allowed to return to play. Thirteen of the injuries were however investigated through further testing (either through isokinetic or on–field testing). Conclusion Injury prevalence amongst top teams in South African schoolboy rugby union is very high. Rehabilitation does not follow a structured program or guidelines and there is no definite return to play protocols available. Re–injury rates are high, possibly due to the lack of structured rehabilitation and return to play protocols. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Biokinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

This study was done against the backdrop that executives should carefully consider all the options to manage difficult periods before letting employees go, especially if they are going to rehire employees shortly after the economic recovery. Therefore, the study investigated whether investing in operational development of a plant can be used to increase feasibility, rather than to make across–the–board labour cuts. Two South African mining companies were chosen for this study. They are two investment centres at AngloGold Ashanti, Mine X Ltd. and Mine Z Ltd. The investigating project was done at Mine X to extract gold from the neighbouring Mine Z. Mine X will have access to the minerals 40 years in advance of Mine Z due to insufficient essential infrastructure at Mine Z. The life–time of the project is 18 years (estimated). The main objective of this study is to investigate the feasibility, from Mine X’s point of view, with a deepening project including Mine Z. The most significant aspect will be to determine which investment timeframe decision will gain Mine X a feasible position in terms of economic growth. This will be achieved by the following secondary objectives in making a capital investment decision: 1. To describe the nature and significance of investment decision making. 2. To recognise appropriate capital investment evaluation techniques in conjunction with sensitivity analysis. 3. To apply the techniques and sensitivity analysis in order to make a decision of a possible, feasible investment opportunity at Mine X. 4. To develop a framework to identify the project’s components and associate and access difficulties for Mine X‘s project lifecycle. The feasibility study undertakes multiple scenarios and provides recommendations and a final report, based on the scenario that is the most viable. The following techniques which were identified were used to analyse the feasibility of the project: Net present value, internal rate of return and payback period. All these above techniques will be analysed in three different scenarios, namely: 1. Mine X will stay with its current operations without any new projects. 2. The development project will begin immediately. 3. A six–month delay in development of the project. The study found that the net present value was positive, the internal rate of return was more than the discount rate and the payback period was shorter than the project’s life–time regarding to all three above–mentioned scenarios. The highest net present value is calculated in case the project starts immediately. Both the internal rate of return and the payback period indicated that a six month delay in the project is the most viable. After considering all the facts, the study concluded due to the highest net present value the best feasible recommendation would be to start the project immediately. The value of this study is that it is the first study to investigate the relationship between the viability to delay or to start the investment project immediately in the South African mining industry. This study is also unique, since it takes into account how mining industries world–wide can achieve long–term success through development projects without losing key players, due to impulsive short–term downsizing decisions. / Thesis (M.Com. (Management Accountancy))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Abstract Challenges, problems, and conflicts can be the seeds of growth, or the seeds of destruction. It seems worthwhile to develop skills for addressing and resolving life challenges in ways that promote growth. Problem solving skills are a component of any performance challenge whether athletic, academic, professional, or personal. However, the cognitive and physiological resources and processes associated with problem solving have the potential to act in ways that both enhance and inhibit effective problem solving and performance outcomes. The threat appraisal mechanism, the subconscious process of evaluating whether a challenge poses a threat, is designed to preserve the individual but can also work to interfere with an individual’s capacity for creative problem solving. Focus, a process capable of galvanizing an individual’s attention and energies toward a singular purpose, can erode performance just as powerfully by drawing energies away from performance goals. Insight into the interactions and interdependencies of underlying cognitive and physiological mechanisms and principles comprising the problem solving process would better inform the design of facilitative performance interventions for a variety of realms including business, academic, athletic, and interpersonal. The following experimental and quasi-experimental field study explored the relationship between cognitive appraisal, attentional focus, problem solving, and goal attainment. The research examined the influence that threat focus, assumption focus, goal focus and ‘integrated’ focus had upon coping strategies, cognitive stress appraisal, and performance outcome on problem solving tasks. Shifts in focus were achieved using questions designed to direct thinking. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted in the form of three separate but interrelated experiments. The first experiment compared the impact of three focusing interventions on problem solving rate and approach on a variety of insight problems. The second experiment evaluated a refined intervention against a control group on the same tasks. The final experiment applied the refined intervention within an organizational field setting and evaluated the impact of the intervention on problem solving approach and outcome when faced with challenges related to a workplace injury. Outcome was based upon correct solutions in the lab and sustainability of solutions in the field. Analysis of variance results demonstrated that the focusing intervention significantly and positively affected problem solving rate, outcome and approach in the lab and moderately and positively affected problem solving outcome and approach in a workplace setting. The research has implications for other individual, team and organizational settings suggesting that performance on a wide variety of problems may be improved by utilizing an integrated focus.

In many developed countries angel capital investment is the main source of external financing for high growth early-stage entrepreneurial companies. In spite of its importance, research in the angel capital market is still very limited. This is partly due the fact that data on angel capital investment is rare and unsystematic. This dissertation attempts to learn more about this important but not well-understood angel capital market. In particular, the first essay looks at the relationship between angels and venture capitalists in financing start-up ventures. This essay juxtaposes a complements hypothesis – angel financing is a springboard for venture capital, against a substitutes hypothesis – angels and venture capital are distinct financing methods that ought not to be combined. The result shows that companies that obtain angel financing subsequently obtain less venture capital, and vice versa. On average venture capitalist make larger investments, but this alone cannot explain the substitutes pattern. In addition, this essay reports that companies funded by venture capital perform better than angel backed companies, as measured by successful exits or revenues. Mixing angel and venture capital funding tends to be associated with worse performance. The second essay studies the role of geographic distance between the angel investors and the investee companies on the angel investment performance. This essay conjectures four possible channels that can explain the relationship between distance and the return to angel investment. It shows that distance has a positive relationship with the return to angel investment. Examining the effect of distance across different categories of angel investors, across angel investor’s locations, and across company’s location, this essay finds evidence that this positive relationship is mainly driven by the “objectivity effect”, which suggests that distant investors can evaluate the prospect of a company more objectively than close-by investors, who tend to be more biased in their judgments. The third essay examines why entrepreneurs find it generally hard to find angel investors. This essay modifies the standard search model introduced by Pissarides to explain this phenomenon. In this model, angels hide to force entrepreneurs to engage in a costly search. The result shows that angel investors adopt the hiding strategy to screen out low-productivity entrepreneurs who would otherwise inundate angels. Interestingly, social surplus is often increased when angels hide, though in some circumstances surplus may fall. / Graduate / 0505 / danvo@uvic.ca