In this study, I have developed the theoretical concept Service Bullwhip Effect (SBWE) by examining it within the professional services context through a single case study at a Swedish consultancy firm. The research questions that have been guiding the study are the following: F1. How does the service bullwhip effect differ in professional service firms compared with other service firms? F2. How can the service bullwhip effect be mitigated within professional service firms? The purpose of the study is thus to contribute to the research area of Service Supply Chain Management, and its theoretical concept SBWE. I do this by studying the SBWE within the context of professional service firms (PSF), and analyze how it differentiate itself from other service firms, and how it can be mitigated within this context. The methodology used have been a combination of data sources that were collected in the form of primary qualitative data, and secondary quantitative data from the service supply chain of a consultancy firm. My findings indicate that a SBWE exists to some extent within the professional services context. Its presence, however, was limited due to the inherent characteristics of PSFs. From this I put forward the following three propositions: H1. The service bullwhip effect exists to some extent within professional service firms, and primarily in the form of a negative effect due to a work underdelegation. H2. Shortage gaming does not exist within the professional services context due to the close relation these firms have with its customers. H3. Batch ordering exists within professional service firms in the form of project clusters. Furthermore, managerial recommendations are also provided on how to mitigate the SBWE within the PSFs. My findings points towards a reduced emphasis on the individual utilization rate for the more senior consultants within the firm. Instead, I see that a larger emphasis should be put on the economic performance of projects when evaluating consultants that are project leaders. Research implications & limitations - As a single case, the research achieves a significant depth within the studied consultancy context, but have a limited generalizability. Therefore, the developed propositions will need to be tested within other types of PSFs, and thus with different sets of characteristics. / I denna studie har jag byggt vidare på teorier kopplade till Service Bullwhip Effect (SBWE) genom att undersöka konceptet inom den kunskapsintensiva tjänstesektorn. Detta har jag gjort genom en fallstudie på analys- och teknikkonsultföretaget WSP i form av en kvalitativ och kvantitativ datainsamling. Den insamlade empirin jämfördes med resultat från tidigare studier för att analysera huruvida SBWE existerar inom kunskapsintensiva tjänsteverksamheter, och hur denna effekt i så fall skiljer sig från andra tjänsteverksamheter. Utifrån analysen har jag fört en diskussion med koppling till de forskningsfrågor som styrt studien: F1. Hur skiljer sig Service Bullwhip Effect inom kunskapsintensiv tjänsteverksamhet jämfört med andra tjänsteverksamheter? F2. Hur kan Service Bullwhip Effect hanteras inom en kunskapsintensiv tjänsteverksamhet? Studiens slutsatser utifrån den första forskningsfrågan (F1) pekar bland annat på att en SBWE existerar till viss del inom kunskapsintensiva tjänsteföretag. Dock inte i samma utsträckning som inom icke kunskapsintensiva tjänsteverksamheter. Dessa slutsatser summeras i form av tre nya hypoteser: H1. The Service Bullwhip Effect existerar till viss del inom kunskapsintensiv tjänsteverksamhet, och främst i form av en negativ effekt på grund av en underdelegation av arbetsuppgifter. H2. Shortage Gaming existerar inte inom kunskapsintensiv tjänsteverksamhet på grund av den nära relationen med kunderna. H3. Batch ordering existerar inom kunskapsintensiv tjänsteverksamhet i form av uppdragskluster. De dragna slutsatserna konfirmerar därmed teorierna inom området samtidigt som branschspecifika adapteringar av teorin föreslås utifrån de särskilda förhållandena som råder inom den kunskapsintensiva tjänstesektorn. Dessa slutsatser har dock en låg generaliserbarhet och validitet då jag i denna studie undersökt ett specifikt fall, och därmed presenterar jag mina slutsatser i form av hypoteser som kräver testning genom ytterligare studier. Slutligen ger jag ledningsmässiga rekommendationer utifrån den andra forskningsfrågan (F2). Dessa rekommendationer har sitt fokus på hur SBWE kan motverkas utifrån det specifika fallet inom konsultföretaget, och hur en rådande underdelegation kan bearbetas av verksamhetens ledning. För att motverka SBWE, och en underdelegation av arbetsuppgifter, så rekommenderar jag bland annat att seniorkonsulterna utvärderas med en låg prioritet utifrån deras beläggningsgradskrav, och med hög prioritet utifrån deras ansvar över uppdragsekonomin.

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government&rsquo / s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.</p>

<p> <p>&nbsp / </p> </p> <p align="left">In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government&rsquo / s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.</p>

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In this thesis I argue that by taking account of economic disparities and backlogs in intergovernmental infrastructure grants to municipalities in South Africa, government will effectively meet its constitutional obligation to equitably allocate infrastructure grants to local government according to the principles of parity, proportionality and priority (Young, 1994). Municipalities will thus be able to provide basic services to households in keeping with the Bill of Rights of the Constitution of South Africa (1996). Adapting the Petchey et al (2004) provincial capital expenditure grant model to the provision of municipal services using secondary data and information from local municipalities in the Cape Winelands District, I evaluate whether government’s existing municipal grants are allocated equitably and, whether they account for disparities that differentiate municipalities from each other. The findings from my analysis show that the current approach to financing municipal infrastructure does not sufficiently account for disparities and thus, undermines the requirement for equitability, adequacy and efficiency of intergovernmental allocations. Consequently, the right of citizens to basic municipal services is compromised and the macroeconomic structure is weakened. Furthermore the institutional arrangements for local government autonomy is undermined because municipalities cannot ensure stability, predictability, flexibility and economic efficiency of infrastructure budgets. As municipalities receive part of their finance from national government through infrastructure grants, I used data from five local municipalities to examine the extent to which there is equitability and efficiency in the way this finance is allocated. To this end I constructed and applied a composite disparity index for each municipality to my adapted municipal infrastructure grant model to analyze and observe the impact of economic disparities in grant allocations. The findings show that a grant model that accounts for economic disparities satisfies the constitutional, economic and institutional considerations that should inform municipal grant allocation decisions. I conclude the thesis by highlighting the limitations and possibilities of using a municipal infrastructure grant model that accounts for economic disparities and, I propose some recommendations for applying such a model in South Africa.

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Hierdie studie fokus op die taalontwikkeling en -verryking van senior kleuters in milieubenadeelde gemeenskappe. Die ondersoekgroep is 'n A:fiikaanssprekende Kleurling- en Griekwagemeenskap. Dit blyk dat die ouers in hierdie gemeenskap sekere leemtes openbaar ten aansien van bulle taalopvoedingsgedrag, wat resulteer in taalervaringsagterstande by die senior kleuters. Taalontwikkeling en -verryking is in wese "a socially mediated process" en blootstelling aan stimulerende taalervaringe bevorder begrip van taalgebruik binne die sosiale konteks. Die ontoereikende taalvoorbeeld binne die gesinne en gemeenskap resulteer in ontoereikende taalontwikkeling en -verwerwing en die senior kleuters openbaar bulle arme, ongedifferensieerde taalwereld in taaltekorte ten opsigte van taalbebeer, taalstyl en taalkode. Die senior kleuters se konsepvorming is gebrekkig en in bulle taalaanwending is bulle eerder beskrywend en konkreet-gebonde as analities en abstrak. Dit blyk dat die ouers nie bulle senior kleuters kognitief toereikend stimuleer nie, en dat uitbreiding van taalkode nie toereikend gefasilieer word nie, omdat die ouers onkundig is omtrent die benutting van toevallige leersituasies, en nie potensiele leergeleenthede skep of ontgin nie. Kognitiewe stimulasie verwys na die vaslegging van sekere konsepte en uitbreiding van taalkode verwys na die vaardigheid om juis daardie konsepte te kan omskryf, verklaar of mee te deel. 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus die resultaat van gereelde blootstelling aan 'n wye verskeidenheid stimulerende ervaringe. Hierdie ervaringsraamwerk word later die kleuter se venrysingsraamwerk wat by gebruik om inligting te berhaal, versoeke te formuleer, voorwerpe te benoem en gebeure akkuraat te beskryf 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus noodsaaklik vir latere suksesvolle leer, omdat dit die leerder in staat stel om nuwe inligting te analiseer, te sinteseer en te globaliseer. Die implikasie vir die antwerp van 'n ouerprogram is dat die ouers nie net begelei moet word ten aansien van die taalverryking van die senior kleuters nie, maar ook eksplisiet daartoe begelei te word om potensieel-stimulerende leersituasies te skep. / This study focuses on the language development and -enrichment of senior toddlers in environmentally deprived communities. The research group is an Afrikaans speaking Colouredand Griqua community. It is evident that parents in this community reveal certain deficiencies pertaining to their language-teaching behaviour, resulting in linguistic experiential backlogs in their senior toddlers. Language development and -enrichment is in essence a socially mediated process and exposure to stimulating language experiences enhances comprehension of colloquial usage within the social context. The inadequate linguistic example set by both the family and the community results in inadequate language development and -enrichment and the senior toddlers reveal their impoverished, undifferentiated world of language in deficiencies pertaining to mastery of language, style of language and code of language. The senior toddlers' conceptualization is deficient and in their language usage they are rather descriptive and concrete-bound than analytic and abstract. It is evident that the parents do not adequately stimulate their senior toddlers' cognitive abilities, and a code of language is not adequately facilitated, because the parents do not know how to derive profit from incidental learning situations and are ignorant pertaining to the creation and utilization of potential learning opportunities. Stimulation of cognition refers to the mastery and fixation.. of certain concepts, while broadening of a code of language refers to the. ability to describe, to explain, to interpret or to communicate the meaning of these concepts. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus the result of regular exposure to a wide range of stimulating experiences. This experiential framework later becomes the toddler's referential framework which he uses to repeat information, to formulate requests, to name objects and to accurately describe events. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus essential for later successful learning, because it enables the learner to analyze, to synthesize and to globalize new information. The implication for the draft of a parental programme is that parents should not .only be accompanied pertaining to the enrichment of their senior toddlers' language development, but that parents in this deprived environment also explicitly be educated to create potential stimulating learning situations at home. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkudige Opvoedkunde)

Hierdie studie fokus op die taalontwikkeling en -verryking van senior kleuters in milieubenadeelde gemeenskappe. Die ondersoekgroep is 'n A:fiikaanssprekende Kleurling- en Griekwagemeenskap. Dit blyk dat die ouers in hierdie gemeenskap sekere leemtes openbaar ten aansien van bulle taalopvoedingsgedrag, wat resulteer in taalervaringsagterstande by die senior kleuters. Taalontwikkeling en -verryking is in wese "a socially mediated process" en blootstelling aan stimulerende taalervaringe bevorder begrip van taalgebruik binne die sosiale konteks. Die ontoereikende taalvoorbeeld binne die gesinne en gemeenskap resulteer in ontoereikende taalontwikkeling en -verwerwing en die senior kleuters openbaar bulle arme, ongedifferensieerde taalwereld in taaltekorte ten opsigte van taalbebeer, taalstyl en taalkode. Die senior kleuters se konsepvorming is gebrekkig en in bulle taalaanwending is bulle eerder beskrywend en konkreet-gebonde as analities en abstrak. Dit blyk dat die ouers nie bulle senior kleuters kognitief toereikend stimuleer nie, en dat uitbreiding van taalkode nie toereikend gefasilieer word nie, omdat die ouers onkundig is omtrent die benutting van toevallige leersituasies, en nie potensiele leergeleenthede skep of ontgin nie. Kognitiewe stimulasie verwys na die vaslegging van sekere konsepte en uitbreiding van taalkode verwys na die vaardigheid om juis daardie konsepte te kan omskryf, verklaar of mee te deel. 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus die resultaat van gereelde blootstelling aan 'n wye verskeidenheid stimulerende ervaringe. Hierdie ervaringsraamwerk word later die kleuter se venrysingsraamwerk wat by gebruik om inligting te berhaal, versoeke te formuleer, voorwerpe te benoem en gebeure akkuraat te beskryf 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus noodsaaklik vir latere suksesvolle leer, omdat dit die leerder in staat stel om nuwe inligting te analiseer, te sinteseer en te globaliseer. Die implikasie vir die antwerp van 'n ouerprogram is dat die ouers nie net begelei moet word ten aansien van die taalverryking van die senior kleuters nie, maar ook eksplisiet daartoe begelei te word om potensieel-stimulerende leersituasies te skep. / This study focuses on the language development and -enrichment of senior toddlers in environmentally deprived communities. The research group is an Afrikaans speaking Colouredand Griqua community. It is evident that parents in this community reveal certain deficiencies pertaining to their language-teaching behaviour, resulting in linguistic experiential backlogs in their senior toddlers. Language development and -enrichment is in essence a socially mediated process and exposure to stimulating language experiences enhances comprehension of colloquial usage within the social context. The inadequate linguistic example set by both the family and the community results in inadequate language development and -enrichment and the senior toddlers reveal their impoverished, undifferentiated world of language in deficiencies pertaining to mastery of language, style of language and code of language. The senior toddlers' conceptualization is deficient and in their language usage they are rather descriptive and concrete-bound than analytic and abstract. It is evident that the parents do not adequately stimulate their senior toddlers' cognitive abilities, and a code of language is not adequately facilitated, because the parents do not know how to derive profit from incidental learning situations and are ignorant pertaining to the creation and utilization of potential learning opportunities. Stimulation of cognition refers to the mastery and fixation.. of certain concepts, while broadening of a code of language refers to the. ability to describe, to explain, to interpret or to communicate the meaning of these concepts. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus the result of regular exposure to a wide range of stimulating experiences. This experiential framework later becomes the toddler's referential framework which he uses to repeat information, to formulate requests, to name objects and to accurately describe events. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus essential for later successful learning, because it enables the learner to analyze, to synthesize and to globalize new information. The implication for the draft of a parental programme is that parents should not .only be accompanied pertaining to the enrichment of their senior toddlers' language development, but that parents in this deprived environment also explicitly be educated to create potential stimulating learning situations at home. / Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkudige Opvoedkunde)