Business processes and information technology are two areas that are very closely related to the sustained competitive advantage in organisations. However, investment in information technology often leads to disappointment, which may in part be due to the non-alignment of the information system domain with the business process domain. Simulation modelling is an established technique often used in business process change projects, as it allows a comparison of different possible scenarios without the expense of physically implementing the system. However business process simulation fails to effectively capture the information systems perspective in the model. This thesis contends that by combining information systems modelling techniques with business process simulation the model will be able to capture all the four perspectives (functional, behavioural, organisational and informational) of an organisation, and the design of the business processes and the information system will be better aligned. Initially, attempts were made to integrate business process simulation with computer network simulation in a simple two- or three-layered simulation model, but this gave rise to significant problems the most significant being the underlying assumptions of the original hypothesis. This led to a refined hypothesis in which the layered models were discarded along with the network domain. The revised hypothesis aimed to capture the informational changes that occur in the information system and therefore combines prototyping with business process simulation. This overcomes the unsafe assumptions of the initial hypothesis about whether the system is 'correct' and provides a method of validating the design of the information system within the context of the business processes. The integrated model allows concurrent design of the information system domain and the business process domain and therefore ensures that the domains are better aligned. The framework is tested on a case study and the results indicate that it is an effective tool in the combined design of business processes and information systems.

Recent evidence suggests that the task of managing a bilingual individual’s two languages is carried out by general attentional mechanisms. Researchers have found evidence for bilingual advantages in attention, specifically on tasks that involve inhibiting irrelevant information, which are believed to stem from lifelong practice at inhibiting the language system not currently in use. In the present study we hypothesized that, since bilinguals are better at inhibiting irrelevant information, they should show memory disadvantages if previously irrelevant information becomes relevant. 12 bilingual and 12 monolingual participants (age range:19-27) were tested in an eye tracking paradigm where the relational manipulation effect (the tendency to direct more viewing to manipulated regions of previously viewed scenes) was used to access memory for scenes that had been presented as distractors during a study block. No differences in memory were observed. However, we observed a significant difference in general viewing patterns between the two language groups, such that bilinguals made significantly shorter fixations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pittsburgh, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 168-172).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-220).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Purdue University, 1979. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-187).

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To competitively operate in an environment where even the basic social needs of the population are not met, it makes business sense to uplift the stakeholders that form part of the business environment. With approximately five and a half billion rand spent on philanthropic activities in 2010 alone, it is important that this spend translates into a competitive advantage for the company.The purpose of this study was to explore the concept of philanthropy as understood by companies. Further to that, the intention of the research was to understand how engaging stakeholders, utilising resources available and the intention of the giving by the key decision makers, contributed towards achieving the competitive advantage of the company.Qualitative research in the form of interviews with the key decision makers in the companies in respect of giving was used for data gathering, along with secondary data in sustainability reports to support findings.The research found that competitive advantage can be gained by using corporate philanthropy as a tool. The paper proposes a framework based on the core theories that can be referenced to assist decision makers in determining which areas needs to be improved, in order to raise the competitiveness of the company by means of corporate philanthropy. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The goal of this thesis is to determine how Canada's competitiveness is being affected by its commodity-based, US-centric export mix, if it is justified to talk about a ''resource curse'' and if efforts to diversify should be pursued. In the end, the aim is to understand how the chosen trade strategy will impact Canadian efforts to tap into the Asian markets. Chapter 1 will first look into the theory of comparative advantage which was first established by David Ricardo and then extended through several neoclassic theories (namely, the Heckscher-Ohlin model), the various assumptions made will be considered and put into today's context of globalized trade exchanges. As the 'case study', the economy of Canada and more specifically its trade exchanges will be analyzed in Chapter 2. As an oil-centric (and generally, commodity-centric) economy, the question of whether the Dutch Disease and the commodity 'supercycle' pose threats to Canada's trade strategy and competitiveness will be answered. Finally, in Chapter 3, the concepts gathered in Chapter 1 as well as the observations made in Chapter 2 will come together and explain how Canada can, through a diversified export mix, better seize the economic opportunities which Asia will represent in the years to come. The conclusion is that the endowment of resources should be exploited but not relied upon, and that government policies and active investments should be redirected towards innovative, value-adding industries.