No description available.

Over the past few years there has been growing interest in the study of leadership styles and organisational culture. Internal issues and external environment challenge the leadership of manufacturing organisations, Scarborough(2001). The focus of the research was to gain insight into the transformational leadership of manufacturing organisations. Although leadership scholars have generated a significant stream of research on transformational leadership, there has been a lack of attention to the specific features in the context of transformational leadership such as contingency theories, attribution theory, and organisational culture. The study investigates the effects of transformational leadership on situational determinants and organisational culture in manufacturing organisations in Pakistan. Podsakoff et al, (1990) a 23-item measure of transformational leadership inventory questionnaire was employed to evaluate transformational leadership in manufacturing organisations. The objectives of this research study are: Firstly to study transformational leadership in Pakistani manufacturing organisations. Secondly to study transformational leaders' behaviour in manufacturing organisations with respect to situational determinants, i.e., situation strength, attribution theory, feedback, and organisational culture. Thirdly to develop hypotheses concerning the relationship between transformational leadership, and situational determinants and to develop a model of relationship between transformational leadership, situational determinants and organisational culture. Lastly, to suggest further research guidelines for transformational leadership phenomena and leadership in Pakistani manufacturing organisations. Results from the research show that transformational leaders tend to create weak situations for their followers in manufacturing organisations; they favour discretion to their followers and delegate decision-making to followers. Transformational leaders also tend to make external attributions for the causes of poor performance in their organisations, and assume follower's mistake as a learning experience. They try to establish close contact with their followers and seek feedback directly from followers. Transformational leaders favour clan type culture more in their manufacturing organisations; however adhocracy culture is not completely ignored. A new leadership alignment model incorporating various concepts focusing on leadership style, organisational leadership, and situational strength has been introduccd. Results from the data analysis indicate that there is a need to train more leaders in Pakistani manufacturing organisations to benefit from the transformational leadership style, as it has beene stablished that transformational leadershipis an influential form of leadership clearly associated with high levels of individual and organisational performance(, Shamir & Kark, 2002). As pointed out by Bass, (2002) leaders will be prized for their innovativeness, responsiveness, and flexibility, all linked to their frequency of transformational leadership behaviour.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / The purpose of the research case study was to assess the current state of alignment of business processes to Provincial Strategic Goals (PSGs) and services in the Provincial Government and to identify the way to align business processes to PSGs and services for an effective e-government implementation. Existing literatures were reviewed in order to identify relevant models to achieve the purpose of the research case study. An empirical research case study and comparative approach were used in order to identify suitable models, by means of strengths and weaknesses of the identified models and discussed. A qualitative research design and methodology was applied while assessing existing models from various literatures. A model to identify the current state of business processes was identified by the researcher and tested to assess the current state of business processes in the Provincial Government in question. There was no existing model to assess the alignment of business processes to Provincial Strategic Goals and services. Alignment elements that were cited by various literatures were used by the researcher to design and propose a Business Process Alignment Model (BPAM). The BPAM was tested and accepted by the Provincial Government where the study was conducted. The research case study predominantly used a qualitative research design and method. The quantitative illustrative approach was applied only to validate the proposed model that was designed by the researcher. A questionnaire was used to conduct interviews with research participants that were selected within the Provincial Government in question. It should further be noted that a quantitative approach was used to illustrate some findings that were analysed by the researcher. Results confirmed that the current state of business processes within the Provincial Government in question was still at level two (repeatable state). Yet the alignment of business processes to Provincial Strategic Goals and services did not exist; this alignment was assessed using the proposed BPAM which was designed by the researcher during this research case study. The effectiveness of e-government services is dependent on proper alignment of business processes and the maturity level of business processes across the organisation. Without proper alignment of business processes, it is a challenge for the public sector organisations to realise effective e-government implementation, not excluding other factors that have been identified by other literatures. This research case study will contribute to the current body of knowledge regarding effective e-government implementation, particularly in the public sector at Provincial level. Public sector organisations in South Africa could leverage on this work to address issues associated with business process alignment.

The integration of divergent cultures is crucial in maintaining the performance of a merged organization. Prior studies on IT culture in IS departments are mainly on corporate culture and lack of in-depth study. Recently, a practical survey shows that post-merger IT integration is always treated as a technology transformation perspective. To support business strategy, IT architecture, processes and skills should be effectively redesigned after the merger. However, conflicts may emerge within the merged departments due to different cultures and incompatible IT configurations. This dissertation proposed a novel analysis framework based on IT culture conflict perspective and strategic alignment model. We selected three financial holding companies in Taiwan as post-merger cases. They conducted IT integration projects while facing conflicts due to differences in IT culture related to organizational size, IT integration strategies, and characteristics with respect to government-owned versus private banks. Through multiple case study with data analysis based on grounded theory, we have identified three types of IT culture conflict that occurred in IT integration, examined their major effects on IT integration, and discussed how to resolve IT culture conflicts in post-merger IT integration. Propositions are derived to conclude the findings from these cases, which can be validated through empirical studies in future studies.

Safety and security have emerged as a major force driving change in the multinational hotel industry. As a problem area not well-developed in the literature but considered a crucial force influencing hotel firms' value by the multinational hotel community, safety and security provide an excellent opportunity for industry professionals and academic researchers to improve the value creation of multinational hotel firms. A research need is more urgent in the upscale sector of the industry, and thus, an upscale brand of multinational hotel firm was selected for this study. This case study investigated how a multinational hotel firm developed a process of valuing its investments in safety and security for its properties under an upscale brand. This European hotel firm operates in twenty countries with a variety of business climates. The differences in the remote environments, namely the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, and ecological environments, presented a great opportunity to gather different views regarding safety and security investments from hotel managers. The dimensions of hotel safety and security were identified by management teams running the firm's hotels to provide scope for decision-making. With this scope, the management teams continued to develop a framework for assessing the value generated from investments in safety and security by identifying the components of an investment decision-making model. A framework as a result of this exploratory study is suggested for future research where causality can be specified and a descriptive decision-making model can be built. / Ph. D.

Title: Digital business strategy - The driver for change in internal and external business environment Authors: Sumera Magsi and Sarah Shaaban Advisor: Andrea Fried Master thesis, 30 credits Background:The effects resulting from a more intense use of digital technologies in companies is visible in the integration between business and IT strategies which creates an urge for digital business strategies to emerge. Thesis aim: The aim is to investigate the current state of digital business strategies which includes highlighting benefits and challenges. By doing that we also are aiming towards answering, in what way ITBA can be questioned due to DBS. Methodology: A qualitative research based on a multiple case study by conducting semi- structured interviews. All the selected case companies are using digital business strategies as a part of their internal and external business environment (IEBE). The respondents have a role in the chosen case companies of being responsible for the implementation and use of strategies, digital business strategies and digital technologies. Findings: This study identifies that their exits a linkage between business strategy and ITBA. The main finding about the current state of DBS involves both internal and external DBS activities. Further findings show that benefit of digital business strategy to be the opportunity to levering costumers and challenges to be connected to the different IT maturity levels of the employees. The way that digital business strategy can question ITBA is based on that it is the driver for change for the case companies.

Submitted by Bruno Andre Lima Ribeiro (brunolr@gmail.com) on 2016-01-08T11:20:05Z No. of bitstreams: 1 sistemas-informacao-ribeiro-dissertação_revisadovCompleta.pdf: 2464510 bytes, checksum: c31ebc1a415da52986041178a31c2af0 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Luiza Holme (ana.holme@fgv.br) on 2016-01-08T11:23:40Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 sistemas-informacao-ribeiro-dissertação_revisadovCompleta.pdf: 2464510 bytes, checksum: c31ebc1a415da52986041178a31c2af0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-08T11:27:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 sistemas-informacao-ribeiro-dissertação_revisadovCompleta.pdf: 2464510 bytes, checksum: c31ebc1a415da52986041178a31c2af0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-07 / Nos últimos 30 anos os executivos têm consistentemente identificado o alinhamento estratégico entre TI e negócio como uma das suas principais preocupações ainda não devidamente endereçadas. Existem diversos conceitos definidos sobre o significado deste alinhamento e suas consequências na performance das empresas, mas os estudos ainda são vagos em relação a como ele pode ser atingido e focam principalmente no alinhamento entre executivos, explorando pouco o nível operacional nas organizações. O objetivo deste estudo foi aprofundar-se no alinhamento entre TI e unidades de negócio na dimensão operacional, através de um estudo de caso avaliando o impacto na percepção de alinhamento entre as áreas após a criação de uma área dedicada ao relacionamento entre TI/Negócio, composta por profissionais de TI especializados e com conhecimentos específicos das unidades de negócio que atendem, visando um melhor entendimento dos objetivos da organização. Para tanto, foi aplicada uma abordagem multi-metodológica utilizando-se de Insider Action Research, que investiga um fenômeno partindo de uma intervenção no ambiente (em que o pesquisador faz parte), em conjunto com Design Research, que realiza o estudo de forma qualitativa centrada na construção e avaliação cíclica de um artefato. Para este estudo de caso, o artefato criado foi o método de trabalho utilizando-se de uma área responsável pela gestão do relacionamento entre TI/Negócio e a intervenção foi a implantação deste artefato na organização. As percepções foram capturadas através de reuniões com gestores da organização. As avaliações de efetividade foram apoiadas no framework de Luftman que mede o nível de alinhamento entre TI/Negócio em seis dimensões (Comunicação, Mensuração, Governança, Parceria, Escopo/Arquitetura e Competências). Os resultados mostraram que a criação da área de relacionamento TI/Negócios teve um claro impacto positivo na percepção de alinhamento entre as áreas, principalmente nas dimensões de comunicação e parceria. O estudo mostra que este tipo de abordagem gera uma maior sensação de confiança e proximidade e, portanto, pode ser utilizada para evoluir o alinhamento operacional entre as áreas. / Over the past 30 years, strategic alignment of information technology (IT) and business strategy has always been among the top concerns not properly addressed by executives. Although there are many studies about the meaning of this alignment and its consequences regarding the company´s performance, they often focus on the alignment between executives and few explore the operational level alignment and how it can be achieved. The main goal of this study is to approach the alignment between IT and business units from the operational level´s point of view. A case study is used in order to evaluate the impact on the perception of alignment after the creation of a dedicated team, responsible for managing the relationship between IT and business units, consisting of IT professionals with specific knowledge of the business units they are responsible for, in order to have a better understanding of the organizational objectives. In order to achieve that, a multi-methodological approach has been used, combining Insider Action Research, a methodology that investigates a phenomenon by evaluating the effects of an intervention on the environment (in which the researcher is a part of) with Design Research, another methodology that enables the study to be based upon the creation and cyclic evaluation of an artifact. In this study, the artifact created was a working method using a centralized unit responsible for the management of the IT and business unit´s relationship and the intervention was the implementation of this method on the organization. The perceptions were captured through meetings with the organization managers and directors. The evaluations were based on Luftman´s framework for measuring IT/Business alignment and had six dimensions (Communication, Metrics, Governance, Partnership, Scope/Architecture and Competences). The results shows that the creation of the unit dedicated to managing the IT/Business relationship had a positive impact on the alignment perception, mainly on the communication and partnership dimensions. The study also shows that this kind of structure results in a greater feeling of trust and, so, can be used to increase the operational alignment among the units.

The previous chapters described in detail the literature, theory and research on Co-alignment, RBV and SHRM that was the basis for the development of a construct for the conceptualization of HPWP in the casual theme restaurant sector of the US hospitality industry for management. Firms able to implement such HPWP systems possessing universality, i.e. complementary internal fit, have been shown to increase the intangible value of their human capital (employees) and create greater economic value (Delery, 1998). This study used the co-alignment principle in conjunction with concepts in SHRM and RBV to develop a theory for a HPWP system for casual theme restaurants in the US, which is named a High Performance People System (HPPS). The co-alignment model for hospitality organizations which is the foundation of the theoretical model for this research (Olsen, West, and Tse;1998) describes the relationship between four key constructs, i.e. the environment, strategy choice, firm structure, and firm performance. Briefly, the four constructs in the model must be in alignment with each other in order for the firm to produce the greatest value for its stakeholders. Co-alignment theory purports that, "if the firm is able to identify the opportunities that exist in the forces driving change, invest in competitive methods that take advantage of these opportunities, and allocate resources to those that create the greatest value, the financial results desired by owners and investors have a much better chance of being achieved" (Olsen et al. 1998, p.2). SHRM researchers have been advocates of the theory that supports the causal relationship between HRM practices, sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and firm performance. Several strategic human resource management researchers such as, Cappelli & Singh (1992),Wright & McMahan (1992), Pfeffer (1994), Lado & Wison (1995), Huselid (1995), Jackson & Schuler (1995),Becker & Gerhart (1996), Delany & Huselid (1996), Boxall (1998), Pfeffer (1998), Schuler & Jackson (2000), Ulrich & Beatty (2001), Lepak & Snell (2002), Hartog (2004) and others have directly or indirectly made attempts to theorize the effects of single or multiple human resource management variables on firm performance. These efforts have led to the incremental development of the strategic human resource management literature that stresses the relationships between the HRM practices, SCA and firm performance. There is an emergent body of evidence demonstrating that "the methods used by an organization to manage its human resources can have a substantial impact on many organizationally relevant outcomes" (Delery, 1998, p. 1). Convoluting the research on HPWP is incongruity among researchers on the micro HRM practices which are included in the SHRM system; there is little concurrence among scholars with respect to specifically which human resource practices should be incorporated (Becker & Gerhart, 1996; Rogers & Wright, 1998; Chadwick & Cappelli, 1999). RBV is one of the ten schools of thought in the field of management theory (Mintzberg, 2000) and is predicated on the concept that in order to create a sustainable competitive advantage and produce value for the firm, individual policies or practices produce the greatest results when they operate in a complex system that is not easily imitated (Barney, 1995). Resources are the "physical things a firm buys, leases or produces for its own use or the people hired on terms that make them effectively part of the firm" (Penrose, 1959: 67). Wernerfelt (1984) defines a firm's resources as "tangible or intangible assets which are tied semi-permanently to the firm" (p. 172). Barney (1991) further suggested that resources which can be used to create a SCA must have value, rareness, inimitability and substitutability The research focused on the discovery of the components of a HPWP system construct in the US casual theme restaurant segment for operating managers and the performance metrics used to judge their effectiveness. An exploratory study, in part using the Delphi method, serves as the overall research approach. A cross section of restaurant industry experts including company executives, consultants, academics and investors/owners contributed to the study. The outcome is a list of HRM work practices that are common to the casual theme restaurant industry and performance metrics. Based on prior empirical work the study started with 14 HRM work practice dimensions (See Table 3.1) and 3 performance measurements of productivity, turnover and financial performance (Huselid, 1995; Huselid & Becker, 1995; Delery & Doty, 1996; Becker & Huselid, 1996; Huselid & Becker, 1997; Hartog, 2004). These dimensions and performance metrics were presented to the panel of expert's making up the pilot study group as a starting point in the development of the HPWP system construct for the casual themed restaurant industry. After compiling the results of the pilot study and pretesting the survey instrument, the first Delphi survey (see Appendix 3) and a subsequent reminder were sent out electronically to the preselected Delphi participants for the study. A consensus on the research questions was not reached from the first-round survey according to the protocol Therefore, the second round was administered which provide opportunity for participants to change their position to help the group reach a consensus. Since consensus was reached according to the protocol (see tables 4.9, 4.12 & 4.13), the Delphi was concluded at this point. In summary, figure 1.1 put forth a conceptual model to clarify the relationships between the above mentioned schools of thought and firm performance. Figure 1.2 presented a working theoretical model which expounds on the relationships between the key concepts in the conceptual model and firm performance. Finally, figure 5.1 displays the results and the relationships of the study which methodically confirms the components of a HPPS for unit level managers, and identifies appropriate evaluation criteria for determining the performance of HPPS in the US casual restaurant market. / Ph. D.

The importance of testing the co-alignment model has been emphasized by several researchers in the past. The present study is an attempt to test the model using theories in corporate finance and strategic management, which will also prove the commonalties that exist between these domains of business research. This will help support the arguments of some researchers in the hospitality industry who have stressed the importance of assessing the firm's strategies using concepts in finance. The overall objective of this study is to test the viability of the co-alignment model using strategic management and corporate finance theory. The present study identifies the dimensions and variables using prior research within each of the constructs studied under the management and corporate finance domains, vis-a-vis environment risk, corporate strategy, capital structure and firm performance. The relationship between the constructs and dimensions were tested for the dependencies between them using surrogates used in prior research through a priori hypothesized relationships. The unit of analysis was the corporate level, and hence, the study included corporate level data of restaurant firms. The research design included cross-sectional data of restaurant firms that were averaged across an a priori defined time period. These firms were selected based on certain criteria that helped control for country effects and industry effects. Therefore, the publicly traded firms selected as part of the sample were based in the U.S. serving markets predominantly within the country. The statistical analysis was conducted using cross-sectional regression. Results indicate that a high variance in firm performance is explained by the co-alignment between environment risk, corporate strategy, and capital structure. Furthermore, the hypothesized relationships between variables that represent the constructs hold good while using accrual and cash flow returns as surrogates of firm performance. This key finding provides the base for future research efforts, which could focus on developing the model through the use of surrogates that are used in both strategic management and corporate finance research. Also, the sample could be extended to include privately owned restaurant firms that serve markets within the U.S., which will help improve the generalizability of the co-alignment model. / Ph. D.

As competition has changed and made the environment more dynamic and complex for the hospitality and tourism industry, the concept of strategic management has become more important. However, under the force driving change of technology innovation, information has gone digital and electronic for business development and management. Adopting information technology (IT) for strategic management becomes an important issue for an organization. The co-alignment model is believed to be one of the effective models for the purposes of strategic management in the field of hospitality and tourism. The primary objective of this study was to investigate important considerations for the design of an information system (IS) to improve the utility of the model. Once the important considerations are taken into account for constructing the system, such an IS is expected to facilitate the information flows associated with the co-alignment model and further work in concert with the model to strengthen the processes of strategy formulation and implementation. Together, the co-alignment model and the IS can be viewed as a Coordination Strategy Framework which also has theoretical underpinning from the review of the literature of strategy, hospitality and tourism, management information system (MIS), computer science (CS), and information science. Because this research topic or its similar kind has not been studied in the field of hospitality and tourism, this study is exploratory in nature. A qualitative research approach adopting a single-case study method was used. Using the co-alignment model as one of its theoretical supports along with other techniques to collect and test the interview data, the study achieved reliability and validity of the research findings. As a major part of the conclusions of this study, the findings are the important considerations for the design of the future IS. They included the seven key issues in five dimensions, eleven recommendations, and ten propositions that explained the relationships among the managerial aspects implicated in the framework implementation, especially the interactions between the future IS and the co-alignment model. Furthermore, as the framework is an integration of a strategy model and an IT application, it also gives a new perspective to the term "strategic IT" that denotes the strategic use of IT. / Ph. D.