Participating in the growing research stream involving the market orientation-performance relationship, this investigation explores the impact of firms’ planning, implementation, and evolution of market orientation on financial performance. A longitudinal approach is used to capture the formation and evolution of market orientation. Evidence of market orientation as depicted in top management’s stated strategy is assessed through content analysis of 150 SEC filings (S-1s and 10-Ks) of seventy-five initial public offering (IPO) firms. The sample covers companies that went public in the years 2001-2003, and the study spans a six-year period from 2001-2007. Customer and competitor orientation are independent variables tested to predict stock return. Moderator variables of firm size, top-management-team (TMT) heterogeneity, services or manufacturing industry, and industry competitive intensity are tested in a series of regression analyses. The study involves a unique combination of features in that: 1) the market orientation of top management is captured; 2) the market orientation formation and evolution is captured; 3) secondary archival data is used in the analysis; 4) objective performance measures are utilized; 5) data from multiple industries is analyzed; 6) factors that moderate the market orientation performance relationship are studied. Contributions of this study are that it: 1) builds on the work of Gebhardt, Carpenter and Sherry (2006) using longitudinal analysis to capture the dynamic nature of the market orientation; 2) establishes evidence of variation of the market orientation across time; 3) examines the division of market orientation as separate constructs of customer and competition; 4) provides insight about important moderators of the relationship; 5) moves literature towards a foundation for a more general theory of market orientation by providing some further evidence of the construct’s relation to financial performance. Results of regression analysis provide support for customer orientation leading to superior financial performance. Significant moderator variables in this relationship include manufacturing vs. service firms, top-management-team (TMT) heterogeneity, and firm size. Unexpected results are found for competitor orientation and some moderator results are not significant.

During the last two decades, organisations in developed countries have tried different management approaches to improve their business performance, although these approaches have not always been successful. Mostly, these approachess uch as Total Quality Management (TQM), Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), and Strategic Planning (SP), have been implemented as separate initiatives and in isolation of a holistic framework to manage change in the organisation. Also, in many cases, such approaches focus on technical aspects neglecting the people dimension. In addition to the lack of attention to potential problems that exist due to national cultural differences. In order to diagnose the viability of such approaches and remedy potential causes of failure, the researcher developed A Comprehensive Model for Improving Business Performance in Industrial Organisations. A research methodology has been constructed to reach the research objectives. Content validation of the model has been achieved through the literature, a survey that was conducted with UK prominent experts, and a survey that was conducted with UK-based companies. The new model is constructed to reflect development on existing models and approaches,a nd to add other aspectsth at haven ot beenc onsideredb efore. As such, the model eliminates the gaps in the existing business models by integrating several improvement approaches into the organisation's business plan. The model is also characterised by identifying a causal relationship between its components, and providing a step-by-step modular approach for achieving improvement. The cultural dimensions have been also included, at both corporate and national levels. The model was tested for its Applicability within Jordanian Industrial Organisations. Differences related to culturalfactors such as power distance, individualism and collectivism, corporate factors, and other non-cultural factors such the country's level of development, were found to influence the model's applicability. At the end, recommendations for practical modifications and adaptations are presentedw ith a view to develop a Model for Jordan.

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The corporate accelerator Ericsson ONE, at the multinational networking and telecommunications company Ericsson headquartered in Sweden, is subject to this master thesis research. Within the organization, there was a need for a new business performance measurement system for indicating the performance and success of Ericsson ONE. The objective of this research was to find suitable frameworks and methods that can be applied when developing a customized business performance measurement system for a corporate accelerator. The goal was then to identify relevant measurements and Key Performance Indicators for Ericsson ONE to use and to visualize that data to communicate it to the users. This has been a qualitative study with ten conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with representatives from different departments at Ericsson ONE. Additionally, interviews were also made with representatives from an external accelerator program. The study has been following a three-step method for assessing and developing a business performance measurement system in a structured way. It resulted in a mockup of a dashboard where data for the new business performance measurements both can be collected and visualized. To ensure all important areas and perspectives of the organization are covered, the strategy performance management tool Balanced Scorecard was applied. / Företagsacceleratorn Ericsson ONE i det multinationella nätverks- och telekommunikationsföretaget Ericsson med huvudkontor i Sverige är uppdragsgivaren för detta examensarbete. Inom organisationen fanns ett behov av ett mätsystem för att indikera hur Ericsson ONE utvecklas och för att se vilken framgång som sker. Syftet med denna uppsats var att hitta lämpliga ramar och metoder för att utveckla ett anpassat mätsystem till en företagsaccelerator. Målet var att för Ericsson ONE identifiera relevant mätbar data utifrån lämpliga ramverk samt att visualisera och kommunicera denna data för användarna. Denna kvalitativa studie har genomförts genom att representanter från olika delar av Ericsson ONE har intervjuats på ett semistrukturerat sätt. Även representanter från ytterligare ett acceleratorprogram har inkluderats. Projektet har följt en trestegsmetod för att utvärdera och utveckla ett mätsystem på ett strukturerat sätt. Detta resulterade i att en mockup för en dashboard har utvecklats där data och mätindikatorerna kan samlas ihop och visualiseras. För att säkerställa att alla viktiga områden och perspektiv i organisationen täcks, användes strategihanteringsverktyget Balanced Scorecard.

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) contributes to performance with an outlook on business growth as well as business development and improvement. It is predicted that the failure rate of small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa is between 70% and 80%. Millions of rands are being lost on new venture creations because of mistakes and problems that could have been avoided. The survival rate of SMME‟s in South Africa is relatively low indicating that less than half of newly established businesses survive beyond five years. There are a number of similar undesired events surrounding entrepreneurs. These events called for a study on entrepreneurial orientation with the aim to improve on the current situation. The South African government Gazette (2009) indicates that small and medium-sized enterprises contribute positively to the South African GDP and it is essential to help these businesses to grow and to develop. The primary objective of this study is to investigate entrepreneurial orientation in small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa and to assess the awareness and application of the five EO-dimensions, in order to ultimately promote entrepreneurial orientation in the entrepreneurial environment so that businesses can be successful and sustainable. The field of study is entrepreneurship with reference to the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business managers and entrepreneurs, managing and creating South African SMME‟s. The private sector with specifically regard to micro, small and medium sized-enterprises in South Africa is under investigation. The study was carried out on selected product and service suppliers in the region of the North-West and the Gauteng provinces. Only businesses older than one year was considered during the research process due to the fact that most businesses that have not yet reached the first year is still under establishment. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

When managers face the choice of decision-making financing tool, how to assess the status of the selected company's corporate profit and shareholder equity of the financing tool for maximizing. This study focused on the Taiwan Listed electronic industry, ownership structure and the different financing tools on the issue of the impact of corporate performance The data are using Taiwan Stock Exchange Market Observation Station of the company's financial number, Taiwan Economic Journal database of financial information of listed companies and various listed electronics company Annual Reports. The use of statistical analysis methods, including: t test, one way analysis of variance, and correlation and regression analysis. The results as below: 1. Electronic industry financing tool for the proportion of ownership structure and financing impact; 2.Electronic industry financing tool have an impact on business performance; 3. Electronic industry financing ratio will be part of the performance indicators impact; 4. Electronic industry financing tool part of the index change over time; 5. Electronic industry and mostly the equity structure will change with time; 6. Electronic industry financing percentage change over time.

Background: The globalization of markets, competition in the market place, shareholder activism has compelled firms to rethink their way of doing business. In today’s world stakeholders are placing much emphasis on supplier relationships given that the survival of firms depends on the type of relationship that exists between the supplier and the buying firm. The maintenance of supplier relationships is a complex task due to differences in interest and the opportunistic behaviour which may be on the part of the supplier or the buyer. For this reason, firms have to look out for supplier relationships that can improve their business performance and enhance their competitive advantage. Purpose:     The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship that exists between medical devices manufacturers in Sweden and their key suppliers, and the reasons for establishing relationships. The authors were also interested in knowing how this relationship ultimately leads to improved business performance. Method: The authors used positivist perspective and a deductive approach for this thesis. The sampled firms in this study are Arcoma AB, Baxter and Cellavision and a convenience sampling method was used in selecting the companies. The empirical data for this study was collected through interviews with senior management personnel of the three companies whose head offices are located Lund and Växjö in Sweden. Results, conclusions: The supplier relationships established by Arcoma, Baxter and Cellavision, and their key suppliers was found to be collaborative. The quests to improve on quality, reduce cost and increase the responsiveness of the supply chain are some of the reasons why firms establish collaborative relationships. Establishing collaborative relationships with key suppliers leads to improved operational and financial business performance. Improvements in operational business performance could be in the form of reduction in defects, improved compliance with quality standards, and improvement in delivery reliability and reduced lead times. The benefits to the firms in terms of financial performance stems from cost reduction and the offering of competitive prices in the marketplace which leads to increased market share and revenue expansion.

Microcredits have become a popular way to include poor people in the financial market. Former research on the impact on business performance has provided divergent findings and its impact on the Salvadoran market is not yet investigated. This thesis takes on this problem by analysing and evaluating how the microenterprises in Usulután, El Salvador are affected by the participation in a microcredit program. By using a quantitative method the business performance of a treatment group is compared to that of a control group. The results show that participation in a microcredit program enlarged the enterprise size in terms of sales, total assets and equity, but did not have any significant impact on business profit, marginal return to capital or fixed asset. Regressions are conducted to describe what individual characteristics of the clients are the most important for the business performance. Clients with higher education and male clients over performed other clients.

Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) contributes to performance with an outlook on business growth as well as business development and improvement. It is predicted that the failure rate of small, medium and micro enterprises in South Africa is between 70% and 80%. Millions of rands are being lost on new venture creations because of mistakes and problems that could have been avoided. The survival rate of SMME‟s in South Africa is relatively low indicating that less than half of newly established businesses survive beyond five years. There are a number of similar undesired events surrounding entrepreneurs. These events called for a study on entrepreneurial orientation with the aim to improve on the current situation. The South African government Gazette (2009) indicates that small and medium-sized enterprises contribute positively to the South African GDP and it is essential to help these businesses to grow and to develop. The primary objective of this study is to investigate entrepreneurial orientation in small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa and to assess the awareness and application of the five EO-dimensions, in order to ultimately promote entrepreneurial orientation in the entrepreneurial environment so that businesses can be successful and sustainable. The field of study is entrepreneurship with reference to the impact of entrepreneurial orientation on business managers and entrepreneurs, managing and creating South African SMME‟s. The private sector with specifically regard to micro, small and medium sized-enterprises in South Africa is under investigation. The study was carried out on selected product and service suppliers in the region of the North-West and the Gauteng provinces. Only businesses older than one year was considered during the research process due to the fact that most businesses that have not yet reached the first year is still under establishment. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

abstract: Ever since the registration of private banks was deregulated in Taiwan in 1991, the sector has suffered significant decline in profitability. Facing such a dynamic sector yet vital to domestic economy, what should the banks do to successfully improve their competiveness? As external changes are often unpredictable, the exploration and buildup of internal resources is a critical approach. This article focuses on how to effectively manage internal competition so as to upgrade business performance and accomplish organizational goals. This article discusses the effects of the compensation system and employee incentives on business performance in banking in two areas. First of all, based on the statistics on the banking sector in Taiwan, it explores the regulating effects of different compensation systems on two conflicts in the industry. It also reviews the literature on Conflict Theory. Research shows that when people trust each other, they tend to accept a value statement different from theirs. And our research also shows that trust can minimize task conflict and relationship conflict between team members. Moreover, after identifying the role of compensation structure to trust and task conflict, this article further categorizes the structure into team performance reward and individual performance reward. Analysis points out that when the organization bases compensation payment on team performance reward, the relationship between trust and task conflict is higher than that on individual performance reward. That is, team performance reward better helps to reinforce such correlation compared to individual performance reward. Second, the research studies different forms of employee incentives in Taiwan’s banking sector as well as resulting performance. During the studied period, the majority of the financial institutions preferred cash bonus. In addition, financial institutions also take other incentives. Cash bonus covered the highest percentage, followed by share bonus, treasury repo and transfer, and options in order. We study the ROEs under different incentives and conclude it is higher and more stable in the institutions offering multiple employee shares instead of single method. Whether the incentives are implemented also influence the level of net ROE. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2016