The present landscape presents numerous challenges for the firms operating in this 21 st century arena, as it is quite volatile. This landscape is global in nature, as the barriers to competition have been broken down between countries. The challenges of the global economy are immense. Strategic leadership emerges as the most effective way through which firms can achieve satisfactory performance in this competitive landscape. As companies attempt to sustain competitive advantage so as to maintain strategic competitiveness and earn above average returns, they need to practice effective strategic leadership. The aim of this paper is to establish how firms could use effective leadership to ensure that they are able to deal with the challenging situations facing them. Only through this, can they respond appropriately and quickly in the complex global competitive environment. The challenges facing companies of the 21 st century will be identified. Namibia Breweries Limited will be used as a case study of a firm in the developing world currently facing enormous challenges due to globalisation. Various analytical tools will be used to determine the company's competitive position. Also, the company's competitiveness will be evaluated against that of its major competitor, South African Breweries. The role strategic leadership could play to enable Namibia Breweries Limited to maintain competitiveness while facing the challenges of globalization will be established. The model by Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson will be adopted. These authors have come up with a model that highlights six critical components for effective strategic leadership. When a company's leadership effectively complete the activities called for by these components, they can become a source of competitive advantage. Furthermore, strategic leadership can be a source of competitive advantage for firms when competitors find it difficult to understand and imitate the processes involved with it. This advantage is significant, as it would enable firms to achieve strategic competitiveness. The study will establish how Namibia Breweries Limited could implement these components to achieve effective leadership, given their particular environment and the particular challenges facing them. Recommendations are made on how Namibia Breweries Limited can implement the components to improve on its competitiveness, using the proposed model. Suggestions are made with regard to what the company could do to ensure they maintain a good strategic position. The analysis indicates that the company, Namibia Breweries Limited, faces a giant in the industry. The South African Breweries presents major competition to the Namibian breweries and the leadership has a big role to play to ensure that the company maintains strategic competitiveness and is able to earn above average returns despite the major challenges it faces. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

Although higher educational institutions the world over are beginning to recognize the importance of knowledge management, such institutions are still on the “very first steps of the long ladder” in addressing, evaluating and implementing the benefits of knowledge management with particular reference to the human resource management sector. Knowledge management is a viable means through which higher educational institutions could gainfully capitalize on its intellectual and social capital. Implementing knowledge management principles could bring about improved human resource efficiency and effectiveness and a resultant improved performance at higher educational institutions fostering a culture of excellence. Institutions of higher learning should therefore embrace knowledge management principles and practices in order to adequately address the challenges in a society that is becoming increasingly knowledge based. Relevant knowledge for human resource managers could be located at three different places. Individual knowledge is acquired through personal work experiences. Secondary knowledge could be attained through others insights, experiences and perceptions. Finally, much valued codified knowledge could be found in knowledge repositories. The realistic value of knowledge could be derived through the combination of all three approaches. Against this backdrop, this study explores knowledge management as a strategic tool for human resource management in higher educational institutions. Specifically, the dimensions such as organizational culture, organizational performance, technology, management support, and the institutions mission and vision will be evaluated to understand knowledge management within higher educational institutions. A questionnaire/survey was administered to a sample representing senior, middle and junior human resource managers at selected higher educational institutions in South Africa, Mauritius and India. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted with executive managers responsible for the human resource function in the higher educational institutions. The study investigated the impact of policies, systems and processes that the higher educational institutions implemented in support of knowledge management and knowledge sharing. A triangulated research approach was adopted through the administration of survey questionnaires amongst human resource managers, conducting semistructured interviews with executive managers, and a comprehensive literature review backed up with a review of the findings of similar studies. The outcomes of the study demonstrate that significant benefits could be derived by HEI’s in adopting an integrative approach between the human resource and knowledge management functions. The research results provide convincing arguments to support the integration of human resource management and knowledge management initiatives in HEI’s and affirms the assumption that these two disciplines are mutually inclusive. Whilst the HRM function at HEI’s have demonstrated that they have the capability and resources to implement knowledge management initiatives, the results reflect that much ground needs to be covered to realize the full benefits of this endeavour. The research culminates in providing important recommendations and guidelines, as well as the development of an integrated normative model on how human resource departments at higher educational institutions could embrace knowledge management as a strategic human resource management tool. The study confirms that an effective knowledge management strategy for human resource management that is aligned to the organizations’ strategic objectives is imperative in the 21st century organizational era, and more specifically for higher educational institutions in South Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville,

21st century human resource (HR) managers face new challenges that require the management of employee resources and the management of information resources overload to support human resource management (HRM). The proposed research will examine the integrated approach that could be adopted by human resource information systems (HRISs) to identify, classify, store and evaluate human resource information assets to meet the strategic needs of HRM in the 21st century organisational era. The information assets may include databases, documents, policies, procedures, as well as the un-captured tacit expertise and experience stored in individual’s heads, in the form of knowledge. We live in an information economy powered by the human capacity to create value out of knowledge – an intangible asset that is referred to as Due to scarcity in natural resources, modern and knowledge organisations increasingly depend on the knowledge contained in the organisation to succeed and remain competitive. This study examines the perceptions of Human Resource Information System usage for knowledge management in the context of human resource management. Data for the study was obtained from a sample of 70 human resource employees employed at retail organisations within South Africa. The data was quantitatively analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The study indicated uncertainty about the use of HRIS functions while the respondents agree with using technology as a tool for sharing information. The concept of knowledge was explored as a strategic asset for the organisation to capitalise on as a competitive advantage, and the study explained that while HR employee’s value and recognise the various forms of the knowledge assets within employees, HR employees were uncertain about knowledge challenges. Although knowledge is generally shared within organisations, the benefits must be further explained in order to gain commitment and support. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

The purpose of this research was to explore how a medium-sized, not-for-profit social services organization could strategically engage culturally diverse women in Canada between the ages of 30-50 in activities that would help to achieve the organization's strategic objectives. Research was related to determining the current state of engaging this population and the actions SOS could take to enhance engagement. Action research involved staff, volunteers, donors and representatives of other organizations. Research findings revealed a connection between engaging stakeholders and growing the organization, in particular engagement through dialogue on issues associated with orphaned and abandoned children using methods that address the diverse preferences of this population. Recommendations included targeting corporate marketing and communication efforts to create meaningful interactions, creating messages centred on issues, and developing organizational capacity to strategically plan and manage this kind of stakeholder engagement. This study was of minimal risk and adhered to RRU Ethical Guidelines.

No description available.

This thesis explores in detail intuition or the often neglected, non-analytical aspects of the strategic decision-making process.  In doing so, it makes a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge on strategic decision-making. In order to fully explore the strategic decision-making process, analysis (analytical aspects) and the interaction of both intuition and analysis are also considered.  Companies involved in the present study are classified according to three types based on the results:   Analytical, Intuitive and See-Saw.  This forms a useful means of comparison between companies. A model is developed drawn from the empirical analysis, which highlights that there are various aspects within the organisational and industry environment, including analysis and intuition, which influence inter-organisational variation in strategic decision-making.  Variation in the strategic decision-making process is important to consider because it may be a source of competitive advantage for individual companies.  The applied implications of the model are also discussed. The upstream oil and gas industry, a dynamic environment characterised by uncertainty, provided the setting for the current study.  Data was collected in both Australia and the U.K.  Fifty face-to-face interviews were conducted within eleven operators and one serve company.  This information was also supplemented with documentary material.  Grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) provided the research strategy.  It is intended the empirical results will increase the clarity and understanding of the strategic decision-making process, ultimately leading to better and more informed decisions being made.

"Malaysian department stores under-performed', preliminary desk research says. "Department stores need to monitor the consumers and use merchandising as a competitive tool", practitioners and academicians advise. Within this parameter, the thesis examined the relationship between consumers, department stores and retail merchandising. First, the author explored the impact of the changing market on this `universal provider' and underlined how the latter had coped (successfully/unsuccessfully) with these changes through its merchandising activities. Second, she investigated on the multifaceted dimensions of retail merchandising and established a framework for strategic merchandise decisions. Third, she tested this framework in the Malaysian market. Given that the key to effective merchandising depends heavily on defining and understanding the target clients, to test the above construct, a consumer survey was undertaken. Likewise, since fashionable items made up the bulk of department stores' merchandise, the research instrument was constructed towards uncovering the shoppers' attitudes towards fashion. The gathered responses were then subjected to factor and cluster analysis. The former technique was used to identify the fashion lifestyle orientations. On the other hand, the latter method was used to classify the `cases'. Through these techniques, five fashion lifestyles orientation were uncovered and seven types of customers with fashion lifestyle orientations ranging from as few as two to as many as five factors were underlined. Further analysis established that local department stores should concentrate on three clusters, which made up 77 per cent of the total market. A broad overview shows that although they are department store shoppers, they shopped in other store types as well and engaged in extensive cross shopping. Moreover, when making purchases, their main trade-off was `quality' and `price'. Although they generally did not seek the cheapest price, there were on several occasions that quality was compromised for a `better' price. This behaviour was mostly evidenced in the cluster that made up of many Chinese. Another significant discovery was, wide assortment, an attribute most notable in department store retailing, was not distinctively important to these target markets. At the end of the investigation, a strategic merchandise mix - set of merchandise that meet the needs and expectations of these three clusters, was offered. It is only through this attainment (a strategic merchandise mix) that local department stores can realise their true potential.

This study is an inter-disciplinary investigation into the nature of corporate strategy and the forces shaping industrial development with particular reference to a science based industry such as the chemical industry. The central objective of the study 1S to analyse the critical role of technological change as a major force ln strategic planning - a largely neglected area in the literature on corporate strategy. Traditional writings on corporate strategy tend to be self limiting 1n that they focus on a "single profit objective" and associated with this is the heavy emphasis placed on acquisition strategies in order to realize managerial profit objectives. The present study suggests that much more attention should be given to other than profit objectives, the conflict between them and their reconciliation. For this purpose a synthesis of the behavioural model of the firm and the managerial discretion model is proposed. The method uses four types of standards - historical, external, intentional and innovative - 1n setting multiple objectives at a target and at a constraint level. In this target constraint approach the difference between the two levels determines a margin within which conflicting claims of multiple objectives can be reconciled and a consensus level can thereby be reached. The study shows that the existence of a gap between the innovative and the other standards signifies that growth will mainly come through technological change. Theoretical aspects of technological change, in particular the economic and sociological approaches to diffusion of innovation are also discussed with special reference to the chemical industry. Against this background i i a generalized growth pattern for basic chemicals is developed and this pattern identifies the competitive and innovative modes of growth. In the competitive mode the individual chemical producer seeks to increase the level of usage of his material in its established end use categories. In the innovative mode, on the other hand, growth is sought by innovating new end use categories. Given a specialized producer willing to grow in his area, the competitive mode is characterized by the fact that marketing, financial and organizational measures can compensate for scientific and technological weaknesses, whereas intensive research and development activities are all important in the innovative mode . . The discussion finally leads to the formulation of a method of pinpointing technologically based opportunities. This method~ the technological growth tree, is developed as a managerial tool for mapping out strategic opportunities for the chemical industrialist. The tree consists of two principal branches, technological expansion and technological diversification, which subdivide into relevant strategies and tactics. Technological expansion strategies can be utilized in the competitive mode while the technological diversification strategies are appropriate in the innovative mode. The usefulness of the technological growth tree, in particular its diversification strategies, is illustrated by reference to the bromine industry where application of the former has resulted in a number of potential opportunities. These require further research and development efforts for their realization. ·Resulting from this, the principles outlined in the present study can also be applied in other science based industries for strategic planning.

Results found in this thesis draw attention to limitations in the conventional approach to modelling forest management strategy, where models have insufficient spatial resolution and ignore industry. Addressing these limitations, a Model One linear programming framework was developed in which models built can model strategically relevant spatial resolution, and include industry representation. In a case-study on Nova Scotia's Crown Central Forest, models from this framework were compared with Woodstock\texttrademark, a commercial modelling framework. When strategically relevant spatial resolution was modelled, these models found solutions in substantially less time than Woodstock. Of further interest, the framework's industry representation allows novel analysis to be performed. A comparison between a model that includes industry and a conventional model demonstrates that the conventional model schedules unprofitable stands for harvest. Then, models with industry representation are used to demonstrate industry based analysis, such as assessing the cost of a clearcut restriction policy and investigating the benefit of industrial expansion. Taken together, the results herein contained make an argument for modelling forest management strategy at strategically relevant spatial resolution, and including industry representation in modelling.

The current and future energy situations in Canada are put into perspective, and the importance of nuclear energy and controversies surrounding it are investigated. More specifically, to demonstrate the important role nuclear energy has to play in Canada's future, a novel energy modeling tool, Canadian Energy Systems Simulator (CanESS), is employed. CanESS is a modeling platform with a huge database that assists an analyst in defining different energy scenarios by modifying the variables such as population and contributions of different energy sources to the overall production. The CanESS results clearly show that expansion of nuclear energy production is required to meet energy demand and simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To formally study strategic issues connected to the ongoing conflict over nuclear power production in Ontario, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) is utilized. This flexible systems methodology is used to study the nuclear disputes that existed in Ontario at two key points in time: the fall of 2008 and spring of 2010. The results of the 2008 analysis, especially the sensitivity analyses, show that the only decision makers (DMs) involved in the conflict who hold real power are the Federal and Ontario governments, although at the beginning of the investigation the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) and the environmental groups had also been considered as participating DMs. The findings and information of the analysis in 2008, as well as an updated background for 2010, are used to perform another analysis in 2010. Meanwhile, their options or possible courses of action have also been changed. Again, at this stage the stable states of the game are found, and attitude analysis is carried out to obtain deeper insights about the dispute. The equilibria or potential resolutions of the 2008 analysis are found to be the transition states in the 2010 analysis. Specifically, it is discovered that if the Federal Government does have a negative attitude towards the Ontario Government, it is possible that the final outcome is a state that is among the least preferred states for both DMs. To formally study strategic issues connected to the ongoing conflict over nuclear power production in Ontario, the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution (GMCR) is utilized. This flexible systems methodology is used to study the nuclear disputes that existed in Ontario at two key points in time: the fall of 2008 and spring of 2010. The results of the 2008 analysis, especially the sensitivity analyses, show that the only decision makers (DMs) involved in the conflict who hold real power are the Federal and Ontario governments, although at the beginning of the investigation the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) and the environmental groups had also been considered as participating DMs. The findings and information of the analysis in 2008, as well as an updated background for 2010, are used to perform another analysis in 2010. According to the results of the 2008 analysis, only the two governments are considered as the DMs in 2010. Meanwhile, their options or possible courses of action have also been changed. Again, at this stage the stable states of the game are found, and attitude analysis is carried out to obtain deeper insights about the dispute. The equilibria or potential resolutions of the 2008 analysis are found to be the transition states in the 2010 analysis. Specifically, it is discovered that if the Federal Government does have a negative attitude towards the Ontario Government, it is possible that the final outcome is a state that is among the least preferred states for both DMs.