Yes / This paper focuses on the application and exploitation of Big Data to create competitive advantage. It presents a framework of application areas and how they help the understanding of targeting and scoping specific areas for sustainable improvement. Empirical evidence demonstrates the application of Big Data in practice and tests the framework. An exploratory approach is adopted to the secondary research which examines vendors’ offerings. The empirical research used the case study method. The findings indicate that there is opportunity to create sustainable competitive advantage through the application of big data. However there are social, technological and human consequences that are only now beginning to emerge which need to be addressed if true long-term advantage is to be achieved. The research develops a framework and tests it only in 2 dimensions. This should be expanded. The vendor analysis limitations lie within the nature of the information available and the difficulties in mitigating against bias. The suggested framework can help academics and managers to identify areas of opportunity to do so, setting new levels of performance and new agendas for business. This work contributes to service operations management, building on Kranzberg (1986) and the impact of technology and on Fosso Wamba et al. (2015) by developing a systems application framework to further understanding of big data from a practical perspective to extend their research taxonomy insights. Our case studies demonstrate how the use of BD enhances operational performance.

Yes / Social media analytics (SMA) is a dynamic field which has received considerable attention from both academics and management practitioners alike. A significant number of the scholarly research currently being conducted in SMA, however, is conceptual. Industry experts know that SMA creates new opportunities for organisations who want to more strongly engage with their customers and improve business performance. However, the relationship between social media analytic practices (SMAP), customer engagement (CE), and business performance (BP) has not yet been sufficiently investigated from an empirical perspective. In order to gain a better understanding of the relationship between SMAP and BP and the mediation role of CE in that process, a large-scale survey was conducted among senior and mid-level managers as well as consultants in the Retail and information technology (IT) industries in India. Specifically, a structured closed-ended questionnaire was administered to managers and management consultants country-wide and gathered usable responses from 281 respondents holding positions such as: Digital Marketing Executive/Digital Marketing Specialist, Management Consultant, Analytics Manager, Customer Relationship Manager, Marketing Director, Engagement Manager, etc. who were in charge of digital marketing strategies in the respondent retail and IT organisations. The questionnaire addressed issues related to the way in which SMAP contribute to an enhanced business performance through the mediation role of customer engagement. Structural Equation Modelling was employed to analyse the received empirical data. On the basis of the findings our research concludes that there is a significant positive relationship between SMAP and BP mediated by CE in the Indian retail and IT industries.

La littérature suppose implicitement l'existence d'un déterminisme biologique pour expliquer les différences entre les hommes et les femmes entrepreneurs. Par l'analyse des représentations de la performance, nous questionnons les stéréotypes sexués en mobilisant les notions de sexe (homme/femme) et de genre (féminité/masculinité) : le sexe est-il une variable pertinente pour expliquer les différences hommes/femmes en matière de représentation de la performance d'entreprise ?Trois études quantitatives utilisant une ANOVA et des t-Test ont analysé les données issues de 244 entrepreneurs. Une étude qualitative auprès de 6 entrepreneurs a permis de modéliser les représentations de la performance. Nous montrons que les différences de représentations de la performance d'entreprise ne sont expliquées ni par les catégories de sexe (Homme et Femme), ni par celles du genre (Masculin, Féminin, Androgyne, Indifférencié) définies par le Bem Sex Role Inventory. Nous confirmons également que les représentations collectives de la performance ont évolué et vont bien au-delà de la simple quête de profit, et sont plus rattachées à des valeurs sociales actuelles. / Literature tends to assume implicitly the existence of a biological determinism to explain the differences between men and women entrepreneurs. Our aim was to study the representations of business performance based on the notion of sex (biological sex: female & male), and gender (the social sex: feminity & masculinity). Could masculinity and/or femininity reveal differences in representing business performance between men and women entrepreneurs? Three quantitative studies, based on ANOVA and t-Test, were used to analyze data collected by questionnaire from 244 entrepreneurs. A qualitative study was used to model data collected during individual interview of six entrepreneurs.We found that differences in representing business performance cannot be revealed neither by the distinction of category of sex (male / female), nor by gender categories (Male, Female, Androgynous, Undifferentiated) as defined by the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Also, we confirm that collective representations of the performance by the entrepreneurs have evolved and go well beyond the simple pursuit of economic profit, and can be more closely related to current social values.

Figures show the unemployment rate in South Africa is increasing. Entrepreneurship is a very good solution to decrease the unemployment rate and increase the economic growth of South Africa. Very few studies have been done on entrepreneurship, including women entrepreneurs, as men have always been the leaders in this regard. More than 50% of South Africa‟s population is female and deemed as a very important factor for the country's economic growth. Women entrepreneurs have been understudied; there are also other factors and relationships that should be investigated and understood for the government to be able to establish programmes and assistance for women entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. The research for this study was conducted in the Gauteng Province as poverty levels are high, despite large industries in this province and the fact that it is the most Gross Domestic Province for South Africa. The objective of this study is to investigate women entrepreneurship in the Gauteng and to make practical recommendations to enhance women entrepreneurship in this province. A survey including 41 women-owned businesses was conducted. A detailed profile of the woman entrepreneur in Gauteng was compiled, including the structure of the business. Factors such as the level of organisational commitment, dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, development needs as well as the perceived business success, have been investigated. The relationships between these factors have also been investigated in the empirical research. The most urgent needs of women entrepreneurs in Gauteng are marketing training, financial support, machinery, equipment and tools as well as infrastructure. It is recommended that these needs are addressed through a support initiative especially implemented for women entrepreneurs. These factors need to be understood by the government in order to establish and assist women entrepreneurs in South Africa. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Figures show the unemployment rate in South Africa is increasing. Entrepreneurship is a very good solution to decrease the unemployment rate and increase the economic growth of South Africa. Very few studies have been done on entrepreneurship, including women entrepreneurs, as men have always been the leaders in this regard. More than 50% of South Africa‟s population is female and deemed as a very important factor for the country's economic growth. Women entrepreneurs have been understudied; there are also other factors and relationships that should be investigated and understood for the government to be able to establish programmes and assistance for women entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses. The research for this study was conducted in the Gauteng Province as poverty levels are high, despite large industries in this province and the fact that it is the most Gross Domestic Province for South Africa. The objective of this study is to investigate women entrepreneurship in the Gauteng and to make practical recommendations to enhance women entrepreneurship in this province. A survey including 41 women-owned businesses was conducted. A detailed profile of the woman entrepreneur in Gauteng was compiled, including the structure of the business. Factors such as the level of organisational commitment, dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, development needs as well as the perceived business success, have been investigated. The relationships between these factors have also been investigated in the empirical research. The most urgent needs of women entrepreneurs in Gauteng are marketing training, financial support, machinery, equipment and tools as well as infrastructure. It is recommended that these needs are addressed through a support initiative especially implemented for women entrepreneurs. These factors need to be understood by the government in order to establish and assist women entrepreneurs in South Africa. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / Some digitised pages may appear illegible due to the condition of the original hard copy / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: To compete in the global economy South African, organisations have been forced to become more competitive with other organisations worldwide. These changes have necessitated analysis of improved management techniques, stakeholder needs and requirements, business orientation and people management skills in order to ensure that the most efficient systems and structures are implemented. In this project, the systematic approach towards business excellence is discussed. Business excellence can only be achieved by implementing a structured approach towards business performance. This approach starts with the stakeholder needs, which are incorporated into the organisation's policies and strategies. The organisation must align its process and capabilities with the strategy in order to achieve the desired business results. This whole process is driven by leadership and a performance culture. The Denison Organisational Culture Model is based on managerial practices that have an impact on performance, and is introduced as a framework for measuring the organisational culture. The SAEF Model for performance excellence is a framework for measuring the organisation's progress towards achieving performance excellence, and is supported by the principles of continuous improvement and TOM. The self-assessment process, as prescribed by the South African Excellence foundation, is reviewed as a process to measure performance against the SAEF Model framework. A process for integrating results of the self-assessment exercises into the business planning process is presented. Lastly, guidelines on benchmarking, surveys and performance measurement are discussed as a toolkit for successful self-assessment.

La contribution du marketing management à la stratégie est une problématique qui a suscité un grand intérêt, aussi bien dans la communauté des chercheurs que celle des praticiens. L’orientation marché a été un sujet d’investigation fertile dans ce courant de recherche et des débats ont été lancés sur sa capacité à influencer le design stratégique de l’entreprise. Toutefois, peu d’études empiriques ont analysé la relation entre l’orientation stratégique et les comportements orientés marché. Le présent travail tente de contribuer à la théorie de l’interface en examinant cette relation et son impact sur la performance de l’entreprise. Il intègre par ailleurs l’analyse du poids de certains modérateurs qui influencent cette association. Cette recherche doctorale présente une étude empirique qui répond à ces questionnements. Nous avons menée une étude qui a testé notre modèle auprès de 254 senior managers et nous avons opté pour une modélisation en équations structurelles. Nos résultats débouchent sur de nombreuses implications managériales. / Recognized as a topic with important implications for executive practice, the contribution of marketing to business strategy management is a fertile topic of investigation. Within this research stream the role of market orientation has deserved special attention. Prior research raised a substantial debate regarding the market orientation capability to influence strategy design. However, few have investigated this interaction effect and little is understood of the business performance implications of market orientation‘s contribution to business strategy formation. This research addresses theseshortfalls in the literature by examining relationships between market orientation and strategic orientation, their interaction effect on performance, and some factors that moderate their effects on performance. In an attempt to address these key issues, this doctoral research presents an empirical investigation. We conducted a survey of 254 senior executives about their practices adopted in their respective firms. We next performed a structural equation modeling analysis. The results highlight many managerial implications for the practitioners.

O objetivo desta tese foi verificar se o perfil do empreendedor e seu respectivo comportamento durante o processo empreendedor (processo de criação da empresa) influenciavam o desempenho da empresa criada. Para viabilizar o alcance do seu objetivo, inicialmente verificou-se o tipo de perfil e o respectivo tipo de comportamento predominantes na amostra analisada. O método principal utilizado na pesquisa é descritivo, sendo esta preponderantemente quantitativa. O perfil empreendedor foi medido com o instrumento proposto por McClelland (1987) e o comportamento do empreendedor foi medido por um instrumento criado e proposto pelo autor, visando entender o comportamento explicitado durante a criação da empresa, entre dois extremos, o causal e o effectual. Para identificar o conjunto de características mais presentes no perfil e o comportamento predominante em cada atividade do processo empreendedor foram utilizadas estatísticas descritivas. Na sequência, a análise de clusters foi realizada para identificar a existência de diferentes tipos de comportamento empreendedor. No entanto, para atingir o principal objetivo a técnica utilizada foi a modelagem de equações estruturais, mais especificamente o método de partial least square (PLS-SEM). Os dados foram coletados por meio de um questionário auto-administrado enviado por meio eletrônico para mais de 100.000 pessoas cadastradas em um dos principais sítios brasileiros de auxílio a empreendedores, dos quais 467 retornaram e 457 foram aproveitados após análise de outliers uni e multi variados. Os resultados revelaram que o perfil empreendedor tinha maior ocorrência de características do grupo de planejamento, seguido pelo grupo de realização e depois pelo poder. Também revelaram que o comportamento geral dos empreendedores é mais causal do que effectual, sendo que dezesseis atividades são realizadas com ênfase causal e apenas dez com ênfase effectual. Esse achado diverge da teoria recente do comportamento empreendedor que propõe a prevalência do comportamento effectual. Ainda em relação ao comportamento do empreendedor verificou-se a existência de três tipos distintos de comportamento, um comportamento mais causal (age de forma precavida, com planejamento prévio de suas ações), um comportamento intermediário (alterna a forma de agir entre planejamento prévio e ação não precedida de planejamento) e um comportamento mais effectual (age sem planejamento e posteriormente enfrenta as possíveis consequências). Um achado do estudo em relação aos tipos de comportamento foi constatar que os empreendedores modificam o seu padrão de comportamento ao longo do processo, sendo que os empreendedores que iniciam o processo de maneira mais causal tendem a ser menos causais conforme o seu avanço e os empreendedores que iniciam effectuais, tendem a ser menos effectuais ao longo do processo. Finalmente, respondendo ao objetivo principal da tese, relacionando o perfil, comportamento e desempenho, é possível afirmar que tanto o perfil quanto o comportamento influenciaram o desempenho da empresa criada. O comportamento demonstrou capacidade de exercer maior influência do que o perfil, especialmente o comportamento com ênfase causal. Foi verificado também que o modelo apresentado é mais adequado aos empreendedores do setor de comércio tradicional do que ao setor de serviços. / The purpose of the thesis is to verify whether the profile of the entrepreneur and his behavior during the entrepreneurial process (the creation of a company) influence the performance of the company created. In order to enable the scope of such purpose, there were initially verified the type of profile and the correspondent type of behavior predominant in the sample analyzed. The main method used on the research is descriptive, being the research predominantly quantitative. The entrepreneurial profile was measured by the instrument proposed by McClelland (1987) and the behavior of the entrepreneur was measured by an instrument created and proposed by the author of this thesis, aiming to understand the behavior shown during the creation of the company, between two extremes, the causal and the effectual. In order to identify the group of characteristics predominant in the profile and the predominant behavior in each activity of the entrepreneurial process, there were used descriptive statistics. Following that, the analysis of clusters was made to identify the existence of different types of entrepreneurial behavior. However, in order to achieve the main purpose, the technique used was the structural equation modeling, more specifically the partial least square (PLS-SEM) method. The data were collected through a self-administrated questionnaire sent electronically to more than 100.000 people registered on one of the Brazilian main websites of support to entrepreneurs, 467 of which have returned and 457 were used after analysis of uni and multivariate outliers. The results revealed that the entrepreneurial profile presented more of the planning group characteristics, followed by the achievement group and, after that, by the power one. They also revealed that the general behavior of the entrepreneurs is more causal than effectual: sixteen activities are carried out with causal emphasis and only ten with effectual emphasis. These finding differs from the recent theory of the entrepreneurial behavior that proposes the prevalence of the effectual behavior. Still regarding the behavior of the entrepreneur, it was verified the existence of three different types of behavior, one that is more causal (acts on a cautious way, with previous planning of actions), one intermediate behavior (varies the behavior between acting with previous planning and without previous planning) and one more effectual behavior (acts without planning and, afterward, faces possible consequences). One finding of the study, regarding the types of behavior, was to note that entrepreneurs change their pattern of behavior along the process: entrepreneurs that begin the process on a more causal way tend to be less causal as they advance and the entrepreneurs that begin effectual tend to be less effectual along the process. Finally, answering to the main purpose of the thesis, relating profile, behavior and performance, it is possible to affirm that both profile and behavior influence the performance of the company created. It was demonstrated that behavior may exercise greater influence than the profile, especially the behavior with causal emphasis. It was also verified that the model presented suits better to entrepreneurs of the traditional commerce sector than to those from services\' sector.

Diplomová práce se zabývá problematikou strategického měření výkonnosti podniků. Konkrétně je zacílena na měření výkonnosti potravinářské firmy působící na trhu výroby a prodeje surovin pro pekaře, cukráře a gastronomii. Řeší především důležitost sledování výkonnosti podniku, ukazuje možné moderní koncepty měření výkonnosti, zabývá se metrikami a odhaluje podstatu multidimenzionálního přístupu. Za pomoci získaných teoretických znalostí je následně vytvořen model metrik potravinářské firmy. Pro ověření možností sledovat vybrané metriky vytvořeného modelu je použit nástroj Microsoft Analysis Services, který je jedním z typických představitelů systémů Business Intelligence. Diplomová práce má dva hlavní výstupy. Prvním je model metrik potravinářské firmy ve formě strategické mapy, druhým jsou grafické reporty sledující vybrané metriky v nástroji MS Excel.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:25:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriano Pescarmona.pdf: 1482379 bytes, checksum: 0bd99d72bdea76de569c041bd84b058b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-09-01 / Lean Manufacturing (LM) is a concept originated from the introduction of Toyota Production System (TPS), when the Japanese manufacturer, since the 1980s, became a global reference in the application of IPM due to the success of the adopted production model. Successfully applied to companies in various areas, the LM is studied by researchers worldwide, but in Brazil studies are required on the subject. This form of management discussion brings to the quest for simplicity, ie, elimination of waste, establishment of flow processes and proximity to customer and market. On this basis, the aim was to provide input to clarify the answer to question: the use of the LM system has direct relationship with business performance? This research also sought help to expand knowledge about the LM and find subsidies in the corporate environment so they can better understand the impacts of this management system in business performance. Accordingly, the aim is also to verify the need for non-financial variables as intermediate between the use of LM and business performance. To this end, we carried out a research project in two stages. The first step was an exploratory nature, where we seek, through interviews with professionals, to determine elements that characterize the LM and also validate the non-financial indicators and business performance that would be used in the study. In the second step a field survey was applied to managers involved with management and implementation of LM elements. The data collected in the first stage were treated by the content analysis and contributed to the formation of the elements that characterize the LM and validate the constructs. The data coming from the second stage went through factor analysis and development of structural equation to study the relationships between the constructs LM, non-financial indicators and business performance. Results show a valid relationship between elements of LM and non-financial indicators and business performance. Also found that the non-financial indicators exert relevant intermediary between the elements of LM and business performance. It was also noted the high importance that factors such as waste elimination and the establishment of flow have in LM. Among the findings, beyond the positive aspects, there is, in our sample, lack of awareness of the effect of managers actions in business performance due to the distance between their actions with guidelines to business arising from the focus on short term and the gap on training of managers. / Manufatura Enxuta (ME) é um conceito que nasceu com a implantação do Toyota Production System (TPS), quando a montadora japonesa, a partir da década de 1980, tornou-se referência mundial na aplicação desse tipo de gestão em razão do sucesso do modelo de produção adotado. Aplicada com sucesso em empresas de diversas áreas, a ME é estudada por pesquisadores no mundo todo, mas no Brasil ainda há necessidade de pesquisa sobre o assunto. Essa forma de gestão traz à discussão a busca da simplicidade, isto é, eliminação de desperdício, estabelecimento de fluxo nos processos e proximidade com cliente e mercado. Com base nesses elementos, o objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar contribuições para elucidar a resposta à pergunta: o emprego do sistema de ME tem relação direta e positiva com o desempenho de negócio? Esta investigação buscou também contribuir para alargar o conhecimento sobre a ME e encontrar subsídios no ambiente corporativo para que se possam conhecer os possíveis impactos desse sistema de gestão no desempenho de negócio. Nesse sentido, pretendeu-se também verificar a necessidade de variáveis não-financeiras como intermediárias entre emprego de ME e desempenho de negócio. Para tanto, realizou-se um trabalho de pesquisa em duas etapas. A primeira etapa teve natureza exploratória, onde se buscou, por meio de entrevistas em profundidade com profissionais, determinar elementos para caracterizar a ME e também validar os indicadores não-financeiros e de desempenho de negócio utilizados no estudo. Na segunda etapa foi aplicada pesquisa de campo com questionários enviados a gestores envolvidos na gestão e implantação de elementos de ME. Os dados coletados na primeira etapa foram tratados pela análise de conteúdo e contribuíram para a constituição dos elementos caracterizadores da ME e para validar os constructos. Os dados procedentes da segunda etapa passaram por análise fatorial e desenvolvimento de equações estruturais para estudar as relações entre os constructos ME, indicadores não-financeiros e desempenho de negócio. Pelos resultados obtidos, verificou-se relação válida entre elementos de gestão de ME e indicadores não-financeiros e desempenho de negócio. Também se observou que os indicadores não-financeiros exercem relevante intermediação entre os elementos de ME e desempenho de negócio, constatando-se a elevada relevância que fatores como eliminação de desperdício e estabelecimento de fluxo têm na ME. Entre as conclusões, além dos aspectos positivos, destacou-se, na amostra estudada, a falta de percepção do efeito das ações dos gestores no desempenho de negócio em razão do distanciamento entre as ações destes profissionais com as diretrizes de negócio decorrentes do foco no curto termo e deficiências na formação desses gestores.