When starting a new business, the owner has the vision to grow the business to a large corporate enterprise. In the small business stage, many challenges face the management of such businesses though. The influence of the external environment pushes the business from one side to the other. It is at this point where a true entrepreneur takes control and uses all necessary skills to succeed in generating the expected return on the invested money. One of the skills in the management armour of the small business manager is the ability to use information as a management tool. To gain insight into the dynamics of information management, a detailed literature study was done on all the aspects relevant to the topic. Previous research studies were taken into account to form a broad understanding of the study field. To determine the use of management information in small businesses as a tool in decision–making activities, a qualitative research study was done. The outcome of this study shows that there is a good understanding of the advantages of using management information as a decision–making tool, but that application does not happen to its full extent in practice. The management of data seems to be not very recent in small businesses. The objectives of the study was to determine the use of information, as well as the possibility of creating a communal information bureau, to assist in the availability of relevant data in the information support process. Certain recommendations were made in terms of the direct results and conclusions raised by the empirical study. Future studies can be done to determine the feasibility of communal data warehouses and data bureaus. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

When starting a new business, the owner has the vision to grow the business to a large corporate enterprise. In the small business stage, many challenges face the management of such businesses though. The influence of the external environment pushes the business from one side to the other. It is at this point where a true entrepreneur takes control and uses all necessary skills to succeed in generating the expected return on the invested money. One of the skills in the management armour of the small business manager is the ability to use information as a management tool. To gain insight into the dynamics of information management, a detailed literature study was done on all the aspects relevant to the topic. Previous research studies were taken into account to form a broad understanding of the study field. To determine the use of management information in small businesses as a tool in decision–making activities, a qualitative research study was done. The outcome of this study shows that there is a good understanding of the advantages of using management information as a decision–making tool, but that application does not happen to its full extent in practice. The management of data seems to be not very recent in small businesses. The objectives of the study was to determine the use of information, as well as the possibility of creating a communal information bureau, to assist in the availability of relevant data in the information support process. Certain recommendations were made in terms of the direct results and conclusions raised by the empirical study. Future studies can be done to determine the feasibility of communal data warehouses and data bureaus. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Thèse (M.A.)--Université Laval, 2004. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 29 novembre 2004). Bibliogr. Présenté aussi en version papier.

This dissertation presents a problem that has sparked discussions about the reform of Law No. 9.610/98, the Copyright Act, namely, the possibility of state supervision in the operation of collective management of copyright and related rights of musical works in Brazil, ECAD and conducted by associations of authors. The conflict exist once the 1988 Constitution in art. 5, paragraph XXVII guarantees the author and, by consequence, the management bodies, the exclusive economic use of their works, and seals in the art. 5, XVIII, state interference in the functioning of associations. On the other hand, the collective management organizations must meet functions to ensure Copyright in harmony with the fundamental rights of cultural diffusion, as well as users the right of access to works. This work was based on bibliographic reading of the main aspects of the Copyright Law and of the exercise of their collective management since the aegis of Law No. 5.988/73, aiming to demonstrate how the agency specifically created to manage the Brazilian collective management of copyright and related matters concerning the implementation of public works in the music field, the Central Bureau of Collection and Distribution (ECAD), has been developing its activities. Furthermore, we analyzed the structure of the Office, the criteria for collection and distribution, verifying the controversial aspects of management. The results show that the authors and users have little participation in the collective management of system operation, once there is unilateral imposition of rules by managers, which creates conflicts between the parties involved. This makes it difficult to effectuation of fundamental rights of the authors, artists and access to culture. The proposal is thus based on the theories of the constitutionalization of the Copyright Law and its social function, the need for state supervision in the process, starting to act as limiting tool of the actions of ECAD and associations that compose it, placing the author in focus of collective management, and protecting users from possible arbitrary criteria concerning charges for the uses of the works. Government intervention can ensure transparency in administration management, creating a balance between the fundamental rights involved. / Esta dissertação apresenta um problema que vem gerando discussões acerca da reforma da Lei nº 9.610/98, a Lei dos Direitos Autorais, qual seja, a possibilidade de supervisão estatal no funcionamento da gestão coletiva de direitos autorais e conexos das obras musicais no Brasil, realizado pelo ECAD e associações de autores. O conflito existe na medida em que a Constituição Federal de 1988 garante ao autor e, por via de consequência, aos organismos de gestão, no art. 5º, inciso XXVII, a exclusividade no aproveitamento econômico de suas obras, e veda, no art. 5º, inciso XVIII, a interferência estatal no funcionamento das associações. Por outro lado, as organizações de gestão coletiva devem atender às funções de garantir o Direito de Autor em harmonia com os direitos fundamentais de difusão cultural, bem como aos usuários o direito de acesso às obras. Para a realização do trabalho, realizou-se levantamento bibliográfico dos principais aspectos do Direito Autoral e o exercício de sua gestão coletiva, desde a égide da Lei nº 5.988/73, objetivando demonstrar como o órgão especificamente criado para administrar a gestão coletiva brasileira de direitos autorais e conexos relativa à execução pública de obras no campo musical, o Escritório Central de Arrecadação e Distribuição (ECAD), vem desenvolvendo suas atividades. Ademais, analisou-se a estrutura do Escritório, os critérios de arrecadação e distribuição, verificando-se os aspectos controversos da gestão. Os resultados mostram que os autores e usuários da gestão coletiva pouco participam do funcionamento do sistema, havendo imposição unilateral das regras pelos gestores, o que gera conflitos entre as partes envolvidas. Com isso, dificulta-se a efetivação dos direitos fundamentais dos autores, artistas e de acesso à cultura. Propõe-se, assim, com base nas teorias da constitucionalização do Direito Autoral e de sua função social, a necessidade de supervisão do Estado nesse processo, passando a atuar como limitador das ações do ECAD e das associações que o compõem, recolocando o autor no foco da gestão coletiva, além de proteger os usuários de possíveis critérios arbitrários na cobrança da retribuição pelos usos das obras. A intervenção estatal poderá garantir transparência na administração da gestão, criando um ponto de equilíbrio entre os direitos fundamentais nela envolvidos.

Este trabalho teve por objeto principal os serviços ofertados pelos Convention & Visitors Bureaux (CVBx), avaliados pelo seu grau de importância tanto pela ótica dos seus gestores como por organizadores profissionais de congressos (OPCs). Na qualidade de promotores do destino que representam, e pretendendo o aumento do fluxo de turistas, os CVBx utilizam-se de estratégias que incluem a atração de eventos profissionais. Por esse motivo, essas organizações direcionam seus esforços para a divulgação das potencialidades turísticas da localidade, visando com isso o convencimento dos planejadores desses acontecimentos e de seus intermediários - grupo no qual os organizadores de congressos ocupam lugar de destaque. Para o alcance de uma maior eficácia, entende-se que seja relevante um bom alinhamento entre os desejos e as necessidades dos compradores com a oferta proposta pelos CVBx. Tendo esse pressuposto como diretriz principal, decidiu-se investigar a valoração atribuída aos serviços ofertados, tanto pelos OPCs como pelos próprios CVBx. Teve-se por objetivo principal, gerar uma matriz dos serviços considerados mais importantes por esses intermediários dos compradores de destinos turísticos, ordenada do maior para o menor valor obtido. Pretendeu-se ainda comparar as percepções dos dois grupos, buscando-se evidenciar convergências e divergências na valoração dos serviços. Optou-se pela utilização de uma metodologia de pesquisa exploratório-descritiva, com processo de coleta de informações por meio de formulários estruturados, que incluíam questões de medida de opinião por meio de escalas de intensidade. A aplicação da pesquisa foi realizada junto aos representantes tanto de organizadores, como de CVBx. Definiu-se uma amostragem delimitada por área geográfica (região sul do Brasil) - que representava mais de 20% do universo dos CVBx brasileiros - e OPCs selecionados intencionalmente. A análise dos dados foi quantitativa e utilizou-se de métodos estatísticos. Os resultados encontrados permitem que se perceba um bom alinhamento na atribuição de valor entre os dois grupos, muito embora, tenha sido evidenciado um relacionamento precário e algumas lacunas na disponibilização efetiva desses serviços, com o registro de atividades com alta valoração atribuída e rara oferta / Submitted by Marcelo Teixeira (mvteixeira@ucs.br) on 2014-05-29T14:04:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Vaniza de Lima Schuler.pdf: 1787306 bytes, checksum: efc4644d3c4b2936a322e7bf24e637d8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-29T14:04:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Vaniza de Lima Schuler.pdf: 1787306 bytes, checksum: efc4644d3c4b2936a322e7bf24e637d8 (MD5) / This work has as its principal object the services offered by the Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), evaluated both from the perspective of its administrators and from professional congress organizers (PCOs). As promoters of the destination, and intending to increase the flow of tourists, CVBs make use of strategies that include the attraction of professional events. For this reason, these organizations direct their efforts to publicize the tourist potential of the region, aiming thereby convincing the planners of these events and their intermediaries - group in which the congress organizers have a prominent place. To achieve greater efficiency, it is understood that is relevant good alignment between the desires and needs of buyers with the offer proposed by CVBs. Taking this assumption as a guiding principle, it was decided to investigate the value attributed to the services offered, by both OPCs as by the CVBs. The primary of this research it was generating an array of services considered most important by these middlemen buyers of tourist destinations, ordered from highest to lowest value obtained. Second aim was to compare the perceptions of the two groups , seeking to highlight similarities and differences in valuation services. It was opted for the use of a descriptive research methodology, with the process of gathering information through structured forms that included questions measuring opinion by means of intensity scales. The application of the research was carried out with representatives of both organizers, as CVBs. It was set up a sampling delimited geographical area (southern Brazil) - which represented more than 20 % of the universe of Brazilian CVBs - and intentionally selected OPCs. Data analysis was quantitative and it was used statistical methods. The results allow us to realize a good alignment on the allocation of value between the two groups, though, have been shown a poor relationship and some gaps in the effective provision of these services, in which there have been activities with high value attributed and rare offer.

Este trabalho teve por objeto principal os serviços ofertados pelos Convention & Visitors Bureaux (CVBx), avaliados pelo seu grau de importância tanto pela ótica dos seus gestores como por organizadores profissionais de congressos (OPCs). Na qualidade de promotores do destino que representam, e pretendendo o aumento do fluxo de turistas, os CVBx utilizam-se de estratégias que incluem a atração de eventos profissionais. Por esse motivo, essas organizações direcionam seus esforços para a divulgação das potencialidades turísticas da localidade, visando com isso o convencimento dos planejadores desses acontecimentos e de seus intermediários - grupo no qual os organizadores de congressos ocupam lugar de destaque. Para o alcance de uma maior eficácia, entende-se que seja relevante um bom alinhamento entre os desejos e as necessidades dos compradores com a oferta proposta pelos CVBx. Tendo esse pressuposto como diretriz principal, decidiu-se investigar a valoração atribuída aos serviços ofertados, tanto pelos OPCs como pelos próprios CVBx. Teve-se por objetivo principal, gerar uma matriz dos serviços considerados mais importantes por esses intermediários dos compradores de destinos turísticos, ordenada do maior para o menor valor obtido. Pretendeu-se ainda comparar as percepções dos dois grupos, buscando-se evidenciar convergências e divergências na valoração dos serviços. Optou-se pela utilização de uma metodologia de pesquisa exploratório-descritiva, com processo de coleta de informações por meio de formulários estruturados, que incluíam questões de medida de opinião por meio de escalas de intensidade. A aplicação da pesquisa foi realizada junto aos representantes tanto de organizadores, como de CVBx. Definiu-se uma amostragem delimitada por área geográfica (região sul do Brasil) - que representava mais de 20% do universo dos CVBx brasileiros - e OPCs selecionados intencionalmente. A análise dos dados foi quantitativa e utilizou-se de métodos estatísticos. Os resultados encontrados permitem que se perceba um bom alinhamento na atribuição de valor entre os dois grupos, muito embora, tenha sido evidenciado um relacionamento precário e algumas lacunas na disponibilização efetiva desses serviços, com o registro de atividades com alta valoração atribuída e rara oferta / This work has as its principal object the services offered by the Convention & Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), evaluated both from the perspective of its administrators and from professional congress organizers (PCOs). As promoters of the destination, and intending to increase the flow of tourists, CVBs make use of strategies that include the attraction of professional events. For this reason, these organizations direct their efforts to publicize the tourist potential of the region, aiming thereby convincing the planners of these events and their intermediaries - group in which the congress organizers have a prominent place. To achieve greater efficiency, it is understood that is relevant good alignment between the desires and needs of buyers with the offer proposed by CVBs. Taking this assumption as a guiding principle, it was decided to investigate the value attributed to the services offered, by both OPCs as by the CVBs. The primary of this research it was generating an array of services considered most important by these middlemen buyers of tourist destinations, ordered from highest to lowest value obtained. Second aim was to compare the perceptions of the two groups , seeking to highlight similarities and differences in valuation services. It was opted for the use of a descriptive research methodology, with the process of gathering information through structured forms that included questions measuring opinion by means of intensity scales. The application of the research was carried out with representatives of both organizers, as CVBs. It was set up a sampling delimited geographical area (southern Brazil) - which represented more than 20 % of the universe of Brazilian CVBs - and intentionally selected OPCs. Data analysis was quantitative and it was used statistical methods. The results allow us to realize a good alignment on the allocation of value between the two groups, though, have been shown a poor relationship and some gaps in the effective provision of these services, in which there have been activities with high value attributed and rare offer.

The aim of this study was to compare motivational techniques used in analytical laboratories in South Africa from. The three different size laboratories selected were: Those in large corporations, those in smaller companies and contract laboratories located in Gauteng. The researcher attempted to find an underlying lack of motivational techniques being applied in this particular industry. This was achieved through a qualitative interpretation of data gathered during interviews with the laboratory managers. The interviews investigated the motivational techniques being applied in accordance with well known theories on what motivates employees. The three laboratories selected were chosen because of their unique circumstances and to be able to ascertain if the motivational techniques being applied differed between laboratories as a result of the size of their environments. A literature review was conducted detailing the findings of well known authors and their theories on what motivates people. The research of Hertzberg, McClelland, Maslow and others mentioned in the review gave evidence to support the concept of motivation in terms of: What motivates employees and evidence that motivated employees work better improving productivity. The research methodology was a qualitative analysis of responses to semi-structured interviews with the laboratory managers of the selected laboratories. The questions were divided into three sections. The first section dealt with the interviewee’s demographics. The second section focussed on the environment within the laboratory. The third section dealt with laboratory motivators being applied relative to the theories discussed in the literature review. From the results it was apparent that motivators were generally well applied in all three laboratories within the constraints of the organisations size and opportunities available. The research was successful in demonstrating the influence of the work environment on motivators being applied as well as recognising common motivational techniques used between laboratories and organisations. Future studies should focus on the effectiveness of motivators being applied from the perspective of an analyst. Following this their views should be compared with the opportunities made available by the organisation and the way in which they are applied by the laboratory managers from different laboratories. / Dr. D. J. Theron

This thesis takes up the issue of consumer loans credit risk. It aims to identify factors that influence the likelihood of default during the repayment of bank retail products. Theoretical part is focused on the theory of bank loans, credit risk together with its regulation within the Basel guidelines and a description of the most commonly used statistical methods for the creation of scoring models. In the practical part, logistic regression parameter estimates are used on real set, the main features linking loans in default are examined and their impact on the proportion of bad loans in the portfolio is measured.

This thesis deals with the topic of congress tourism, which is perceived as a substantially attractive form of tourism in many destinations. The practical part focuses on the annual congress organized by ICCA - a significant international conference association, that Prague will host in 2017. The aim of this work is to characterize the sector of convention industry with emphasis on the segment of congresses and conferences organized by associations and other non-profit organizations, and subsequently to evaluate the steps the entities participating in preparation and execution of the ICCA prestigious congress have taken so far.

Il est aujourd’hui accepté que le bruit de parole représente la principale source de gêne pour les employés des bureaux ouverts. L’objectif de ce travail est d’évaluer les effets psychophysiologiques de la parole intelligible sur les salariés effectuant une ou plusieurs tâches. Pour répondre à cet objectif, deux expériences ont été réalisées. La première a pour but d’évaluer le décrément de performance (DP) lors d’une tâche de sériation pour de fortes valeurs d’intelligibilité. L’indicateur acoustique choisi est le STI (« Speech Transmission Index »). Les résultats de l’étude menée auprès de cinquante-cinq participants montrent un effet du STI sur le DP. Cependant, cette expérience a une validité écologique réduite puisqu’elle est de courte durée et qu’elle est limitée à une tâche très spécifique. La deuxième expérience a donc pour but d’élaborer des tests en laboratoire plus proches des conditions de travail en bureau ouvert et d’étudier l’effet de la parole intelligible sur des indicateurs psychologiques. Trente-neuf participants ont participé à cette expérimentation. Plusieurs mesures telles que la fatigue psychologique, la gêne sonore et la charge mentale de travail ont été réalisées. Les participants ont été soumis à trois conditions sonores différentes (bruit stationnaire, bruit modulé et parole) durant trois journées. Chaque jour, les participants ont réalisé leur travail en étant exposés à la même condition sonore pendant 6h45min. Les résultats montrent un effet de la parole sur l’état psychologique des participants. La parole semble être la source de bruit la plus fatigante et la plus gênante. Elle entraine également une charge mentale supplémentaire. Au-delà des résultats de ces expériences, les modèles psychologiques mobilisés lors de cette thèse peuvent être adaptés pour mener des enquêtes in-situ afin d’évaluer et prévenir les risques psychologiques liés aux bruits dans les bureaux ouverts. / It seems now accepted that speech noise in open-plan offices is the main source of annoyance for employees. This work aims to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of intelligible speech on the employees performing one or multiple tasks. For this purpose, two experiments were conducted. The first experiment evaluates the decrease in performance (DP) during a serial recall task for high values of speech intelligibility. The chosen acoustical indicator is the Speech Transmission Index (STI). Fifty-five subjects participated during this experiment. The results show a significant effect of the STI on the DP. However, this experiment does not reflect the reality of an open-plan office because of the specificity of the task performed during a brief period of time. The second experiment aims to elaborate on laboratory tests which are closer to work conditions in an open-plan office and to evaluate the effect of intelligible speech on the psychological indicators. Thirty-nine subjects participated to the experiment. Different measurements such as psychological fatigue, sound annoyance and the cognitive workload were performed. The subjects were subdued to three different sound conditions (stationary noise, ‘speech-like’ amplitude-modulated noise and intelligible speech) during three days. For each day, the subjects did their work while being exposed to the same sound condition during six hours and forty-five minutes. The results show a significant effect of the speech condition on the psychological state of the subjects. The speech seems to be the most tiring and the most annoying sound source out of the three conditions. It also induces a supplementary cognitive workload. Hereafter the results of these two experiments, the psychological models applied during this thesis could be adopted to conduct in-situ surveys for purposes of preventing the psychological hazards due to noise in open-plan offices.