Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Allen M. Featherstone / The world is an ever-changing place with many demands on both companies and their employees. Finance individuals in a large multi-national company also have many demands placed on them as they grow and develop with the companies in which they work. A detailed analysis was performed on one large multi-national company in the agriculture sector to determine: 1. a framework to assess the skills that finance individuals need, 2. the desired skills and needs of the finance organization, 3. a current assessment of finance experiences and skills, and 4. the gaps between the current state and the desired skill level state. Although there are a number of criteria and competencies that can be used for assessment, this thesis focused on the critical skills and experiences for two key areas: 1. accounting and technical skills, and 2. analytical and business acumen skills. Skill set levels were measured at three criteria levels: Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. The desired state of the organization and the current state of the organization was defined and mapped on a Skill Set Grid and gaps were identified. When looking at the results, the data indicate that Company XYZ has several areas to explore further and refine. There were many gaps in the current state of the skill sets versus the desired state of the skill sets in both the areas of accounting and technical skills and analytical and business acumen skills. Further, the analytical and business acumen skills were significantly in need of further improvement. In addition, several areas of further refinement could occur that would further enhance the use of this skill assessment methodology. However, both the company and the employees who received feedback valued the information developed in this process.

An examination of the relationship between business acumen and chief human resource officers’ (CHROs) effectiveness has been missing from the practitioner and academic literatures. To remedy this deficiency, elements of the SHRM HR Competency Model, the ATD Competency Model, and the HR Competency Model were used to frame, theorize, and test propositions in this study of the relationship between business acumen and CHRO effectiveness in institutions of higher education. To this end, a survey, was employed to elicit responses from a sample of chief human resources officers responsible for leading and managing the HR function at institutions of higher education. To ensure proper representation of CHRO responses across the different types of institutions, proportional stratified sampling was used. The resulting survey data were analyzed using descriptive, correlational, and inferential statistics to examine propositions describing the relationship between business acumen and CHRO effectiveness. Descriptive statistical analysis showed: (a) CHROs possess a mix of business acumen skills, (b) CHROs vary in the extent to which they possess business acumen, and (c) CHRO effectiveness levels vary from not effective to effective. Correlational statistical analysis revealed CHRO effectiveness was significantly correlated with business acumen. Furthermore, inferential statistical analysis indicated the mix of business acumen skills did not differ significantly across effective CHROs employed at non-profit and for-profit institutions of higher education. Key Words: business acumen, effectiveness, chief human resource officers (CHROs), institutions of higher education / Business Administration/Human Resource Management

It is of vital importance never to forget that the world is ever changing. Therefore, it is crucialfor organizations not to only alter but also to improve their performance in order to becomemore competitive on the market. One way of achieving this is to work with continuousimprovements. However, this requires that the employees receive the needed training for thispurpose. In multinational corporations they must also all receive the same training in order tocreate a common culture throughout the whole organization. This study therefore aims toinvestigate how a multinational corporation can organize an Improvement ManagementTraining. Which are the main areas that are desirable to have knowledge in when leading animprovement work? In order to identify the areas of interest, a case study has been performedat Ericsson Supply Site Borås. The investigation was conducted as a combination of aqualitative and a semiquantitative study in order to determinate the empirical data. The resultsrevealed that the following five major areas are essential for an Improvement ManagementTraining: Leadership, Lean¸ Organizational Behavior, Project Management and StrategicManagement. / Program: Bachelor of Science with a Major in Industrial Engineering – Work Organization and Leadership

This study examines the factors appear to lead to the failure of small businesses in the Kagiso Township. The high failure rate can be partially attributed to the lack of support that the small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) receive from support institutions as well as to their own internal weaknesses. Strategies are recommended that will help small businesses be more successful. The study was exploratory, descriptive and qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Results indicated that the most common causes of business failure were lack of knowledge regarding legal matters, lack of funding and a general lack of business acumen. The study recommends that government should improve the effectiveness of its support mechanisms and that record keeping and cash flow management training is critical for SMEs. These recommendations, if applied properly, will ensure small businesses' success in Kagiso and the rest of South Africa. / Economics / M.Tech. (Business Administration)

This study examines the factors appear to lead to the failure of small businesses in the Kagiso Township. The high failure rate can be partially attributed to the lack of support that the small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) receive from support institutions as well as to their own internal weaknesses. Strategies are recommended that will help small businesses be more successful. The study was exploratory, descriptive and qualitative in nature. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. Results indicated that the most common causes of business failure were lack of knowledge regarding legal matters, lack of funding and a general lack of business acumen. The study recommends that government should improve the effectiveness of its support mechanisms and that record keeping and cash flow management training is critical for SMEs. These recommendations, if applied properly, will ensure small businesses' success in Kagiso and the rest of South Africa. / Business Management / M.Tech. (Business Administration)