A qualitative exploratory research on knowledge management was conducted using Adcock Ingram Homecare as a case study. Adcock Ingram Homecare trades in the fast moving consumer goods industry, an industry where consumer insight, brand loyalty and innovation are key to ensure market growth and sustainable top line profitability. Knowledge management was seen in the light of providing the organisation with the competitive advantage of meeting and sustaining its growth and profitability targets especially in a rapidly evolving environment. Informal interviews, with five company personnel, provided great insight on the topic of research. First and foremost, the structure of the research was discussed, including the motivating reasons for conducting the study, its value to the organisation, the objectives of the study, how these objectives were met, the research methodology used and the limitations of the study. Literature on knowledge management was then review and accompanied with strategic management tools, it was used to develop a knowledge management model for Adcock Ingram Homecare. A critical analysis of Adcock Ingram Homecare's external and internal environment was first carried out. The company's present and future business strategies were assessed and the knowledge management model was aligned to that business strategy. The knowledge management model focussed on crafting a knowledge-based strategy along the following dimensions: governance, culture and behaviour, content management, technology, application, measurement and communication. A three-stage strategy horizon for Adcock Ingram Homecare's implementation of knowledge management was also developed. An implementation and measurement proposal of the strategy was made. The knowledge management model and strategy was evaluated in the context of the Adcock Ingram Homecare environment. Finally, recommendations were made to the company regarding the implementation of a knowledge management strategy. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Operations management is a broad subject that offers industry various planning and control philosophies and techniques on how best to manage all processes within an organisation. However, the macro environment in which companies are operating also affects the application of these techniques and philosophies. It is therefore important to understand the extent to which these tools can be applied by industry that is operating in an environment characterised by unpredictability. The manufacturing sector decision makers in Zimbabwe have been blaming the under performance and failures in the sector to the macro economic conditions which they claim is not conducive to business operations. Research has been conducted to investigate the challenges that this sector is facing and whether the application of operations management strategies and techniques could counter these challenges. This research is guided by the hypothesis that "The manufacturing sector's failure to strategically reposition itself in the current socioeconomic environment is the major contributor to its present distress. The methodology used is one consistent with the exploratory nature of the research and both quantitative and qualitative techniques were applied where data was obtained from personal interviews, questionnaires and articles on related topics. The findings of the research reveal that external factors (macro-economic conditions) are the reason for the under performance or failure of the manufacturing sector. These findings therefore rebut the initial hypothesis as false given the empirical evidence on the ground. It is recommended that companies in the manufacturing sector pursue investment strategies or form alliances with export earning companies internally and externally. Companies could also pool together financial resources to purchase equipment that produces a common output. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The non governmental organisation (NGO) sector has a lengthy legacy in Malawi going back all the way to the period of colonialism. However, the growth of the sector was restricted in the two key political eras of colonial rule and post independence under the first republic which ended in 1994. The new dispensation of multiparty politics has facilitated the growth of the sector in terms of numbers. However, the local NGO (LNGO) sector has largely remained underdeveloped due to a poor skills base and low funding among others. While the International NGOs (INGOs) have enjoyed better funding with the leverage of foreign social capital, the LNGO sector remains underfunded and vulnerable to manipulation by donors because they have not managed to attain considerable financial autonomy to leverage on. This study has confirmed that although most LNGOs consider sourcing funds from a narrow base, mostly donors, they can tap into various opportunities for revenue generation with creativity and strategic thinking. Malawi has a very enabling legislative framework for NGO funding and this provides room for growth of NGOs in the area of fundraising. However, there is very limited knowledge and capacity among LNGOs in terms of being able to explore alternative sources of funding that are less restrictive in nature. Most NGOs already apply single-loop learning which allows them to monitor pre-set indicators within a certain operational framework. However this type of learning does not allow them to actually ask fundamental questions about the appropriateness of the very operational framework they are using. Additionally, by bringing on board double-loop alongside single-loop learning, the NGOs have an opportunity to develop and apply their operational frameworks while being able to throw them out when necessary. In other words double-loop learning helps them to think outside the box. The dominant existence of single-loop learning in most NGOs has also contributed to inadequacies or absence of strategies to deal effectively with the question of autonomy. Some of the NGOs have potential to generate considerable levels of income from unrestricted sources but have not managed to do so because the prevailing mental models overshadow their ability to think out of the box. The Active Youth Initiative for Social Enhancement (AYISE) as a case study has showcased the potential for innovation in NGO enterprise development. In some instances, the sector line in which an NGO is operating can be a factor in the choice of business enterprises to embark on. In other instances, this may not be the case. For example, AYISE is a youth focused organisation and this means that as it pursues its business objectives, it should not engage in activities that may antagonise what it represents. Business activities such as selling of alcohol or cigarettes are inappropriate for an NGO like AYISE. Furthermore, NGOs such as the Ekocenter of Yugoslavia embarked on organic wine production, as a way of promoting their sector line authority (environment) through showcasing of environmentally friendly crop production processes. This implies that there is also an ethical or moral dimension to fundraising which NGOs must consider. However, other alternatives to fundraising can go across the board, for instance desktop publishing. It is a business activity that can be done across the board although limitations are also possible in terms of content to be published. To reinforce this point, a youth NGO such as AYISE, may not publish posters advertising alcohol while an environmental NGO may not put an embargo on such content. It is therefore fundamental that an NGO should be careful and conscious of what it is planning to do and how its actions would affect its image and values. The corporate world remains largely untapped as a source of funding for LNGOs and yet it has potential to offer funding with fewer strings attached. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2009.

This research explores the application of scenario planning to an engineering and project management consulting company based in Durban, South Africa. Scenario planning is used to formulate possible scenarios that this company' main client industry/ market may face in the next ten years. This application provides an opportunity for the consultancy to test if it is necessary for it to start pursuing other markets in order to minimize risk associated with its core market and mostly it prepares the consultancy for opportunities and threats that may exist but is currently not aware of. The research takes the following approach and sequence: . Introduction: The section gives a background into Bosch projects and the sugar industry. It also places me in the context of the research. . Literature Survey: In this section I review general thinking around strategy formulation, organizational learning, metaphors and system thinking. I also draw a link amongst these areas of learning. . Research Methodology: This section presents the methodology I followed in conducting the research. The research started with conversations with research participants followed up with questionnaires. The questionnaires were supplemented with one- on- one interviews with the participants in order gain more clarity on their responses. Scenario planning exercises were conducted with Bosch Projects' management team and the sugar industry participants. Three scenarios were developed with BP and another three with the sugar industry. I developed two additional scenarios for each group for my own interest. . Results Analysis: In this section I present the results of the research process. I start off by discussing the environmental scan analysis which describes the external environment within which the sugar industry operates. This discussion is informed by the results of the interviews with the participants. The general consensus was that the industry is faced with many positive possibilities. It also became clear that the industry is not taking full advantage of opportunities already available to them. In the same section I present the scenarios developed which highlight the challenges faced by the country and how they could affect the industry in the long term. . Conclusion: I then close off the research by making a conclusion that Bosch Projects has a positive future when viewed through the sugar industry lens irrespective of which uncertainties materialize but there are key issues which the company must address in order to be prepared for any of the eventualities. . Value: This research eventually revealed itself to be about learning to effectively lead a scenario planning session and what pitfalls to look out for when creating storylines. There is great value for people interested in finding progressive and well informed ways for strategy formulation. This scenario planning research is grounded on the concepts of a learning organization and systems thinking as the core drivers / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

Modern perspectives on strategy often attempt to address one question “whether the strategy will achieve wealth transfer or create new wealth?” While wealth transfer strategies may deliver one time gains to shareholders, they don't fundamentally change a company's long-term earning potential. These strategies don't create new wealth because they don't create new products, new markets, or new customers. The increasing difficulty of finding new wealth creation is a result of a fundamental shift in the business operating environment in which opportunities are sought after. Competing in such an environment is increasingly difficult and as a result, the value of strategic resources has shifted to more intangible resources. This study is concerned with exploring relationships that are considered to be instrumental to creating new wealth. It identifies entrepreneurial strategic posture as a widely supported approach to creating new wealth. The thesis also discusses organisational learning and structure as two intangible strategic resources that are increasingly valuable to successful strategy formulation and implementation. Furthermore the thesis considers organisational perceptions about the operating environment and seeks to relate resource configuration and strategic decision-making to these perceptions.

This dissertation explores from a post-structural way of thinking how the implementation of business strategy can be seen as a set of practices that has distinctive power effects on organizations and subjectivity effects on individuals. The dissertation is premised on the question: In the pursuit of superior performance, how is business strategy formed and actions aligned to that strategy, and how does this shape managements' subjectivity and understanding of that strategy? / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2007.

Market orientation as a business philosophy and strategy has been around for the past few decades but in recent years has become more important because of increasing business competition. This portfolio looks at market orientation in a group of top performing property companies in Malaysia. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2004.

Thesis (PhDBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2003.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2005. / Also available online.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-124). Also available via the Internet.