The concept of networking has seen a sustained growth of interest of late from academics and practicing managers. The purpose of this study is to contribute to understan ding the extent to which business owners and senior managers within Ethekwini realize the importance of networking and, further, reveal the extent of their willingness to form relationships with other business owners. In pursuit of this broad aim the research made use of a sample size of 206 respondents, who were asked, and agreed, to complete a questionnaire comprising 25 questions. The questions in the questionnaire were structured in such a way that most of the salient factors that could affect one’s willingness to form relationships with others were reflected in the responses. The targeted population represented a variety of business owners and managers of different age and race groups. Most of the questionnaires were self-administered, and due to time constraints they were also completed using the services of four field workers. The quantitative method of data analysis was used to compare and contrast responses given by the respondents. The findings may be summarized in four statements. First, most business people are not members of bodies representing businesses like theirs and yet they are willing to become members. Most business people are ignorant of the existence of bodies representing businesses like theirs. Second, while business owners and senior managers in Ethekwini have great confidence in the future of Ethekwini economy, they seem to be feeling so individually, and not as members of network groups. Third, most of the respondents except those that are members of bodies representing bodies of businesses like theirs, do not talk to competitors. This is a clear indication that contrary to past research findings, some businesses do not feel that they can benefit from sharing information with competitors. Fourth, business owners and senior managers who have low self-confidence are less likely to network. They tend to keep information to themselves, perhaps, because of low self -confidence, not out of greed. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

With the coming of the digital era, global competition has resulted in every industry expanding their requirements in supply chain integration and enterprise resource planning. When all kinds of industries seek to manage the supply chain and establish cooperative partnerships, trying to exploit cooperation to acquire more competencies in the market, the importance of information system integration for interfirm activities also increases with time. In fact, an interorganisational information system for business-to-business integration (B2Bi) is not a creation by technical input only but involves other factors. Particularly, it has larger system scope and numbers of system stakeholders than any other organisational information systems. In the management literature, a supply chain is often not a linear type of interfirm structure but is considered to be made up of the network formation. Business network studies actually have in common with B2Bi adoption theories that are based on their research models and determinants, such as the firms' resources, social legitimacy, and associated power. However, there appears to be only a few investigations of B2Bi adoption from the business network aspects in the extent literature and especially within the context of Taiwanese Information Technology (IT) Industries. This thesis can be seen as an attempt to enrich the previous findings of the technology acceptance model (TAM) in a B2B environment. Formulated in another way, it tries to test, apply and extend the adoption model to the use of computer-based information systems in integrating supply chain as the focus. Given the knowledge niches in the literature, the research question canvassed in the thesis is: How does the business network environment affect the information systems adoption for business-to-business integration? / In order to find out the answer to this proposed question, a combination of observation and survey methodologies for the final analysis by structural equation modelling (SEM) is used. The first stage is to go into the heartland of the Taiwanese IT industry as an IS lecturer working adjacent to the Hsin Chu Science Park. This strategy has helped me to approach many industrial practitioners easily and has subsequently assisted with publishing the preliminary findings in conference proceedings and journal articles. These early works have thus become the basis for refining and confirming my theoretical framework. The second stage involves statistical analysis to measure the hypotheses of the research model, which makes this thesis a piece of work drawing on both theory building and testing. / The path analyses indicate the answers of three issues raised from the research framework. The results confirm the associations between a firm's existing system support readiness and the network determinants outside organisational boundaries. Further, it identifies the interrelationships among these factors, and it seems that some of them mediate the enterprises' behaviour on investments to increase current information systems for B2Bi purposes. With the empirical data of Taiwanese IT industries, this thesis discusses the research model in terms of its applicability, limitation, and future researches. Moreover, factors such as perceived benefits and network governance are covered so as to enhance the current knowledge on supply chain integration and B2Bi implementation. / Thesis (PhDBusinessandManagement)--University of South Australia, 2004.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Technology, Sydney, 2002. / "A thesis submitted ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy"--T.p.

Thesis (D.B.A.)--Cleveland State University, 2008. / Abstract. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 8, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-214). Available online via the OhioLINK ETD Center. Also available in print.

Thesis (M.A.)--Texas State University-San Marcos, 2008. / Vita. Appendices: leaves 81-95. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 71-80). Also available on microfilm.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Berkeley, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 325-340).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009. / Prepared for: Dept. of Management. Title from title-page of electronic thesis. Bibliography: leaves 81-94.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-118)

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Kentucky, 2007. / Title from document title page (viewed on August 7, 2007). Document formatted into pages; contains: vii, 87 p. : ill. (some col.), map. Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 80-85).