Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 1999. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Few lecturers – my mentor is an excellent example of those few – treasure the joy and satisfaction of their students. In order to maximize the joy associated with elective subjects (this should be one of the highlights of the MBA course), a procedure was developed that will schedule electives in such a way that the maximum number of students will be satisfied completely. This procedure harnesses the power of the modern computer and solves the problem with brute force. The computing part of the process takes less than 10 minutes. A very high level of student satisfaction (the highest level possible) is guaranteed with the correct use of this procedure. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Weinig dosente – my mentor is ‘n uitstekende voorbeeld van daardie enkeles – stel die vreugde en bevrediging van hul studente eerste. Ten einde die vreugde uit keusevakke te maksimeer (dit behoort een van die hoogtepunte van die MBA kursus te wees), is ‘n prosedure ontwikkel wat keusevakke so skeduleer dat die maksimum aantal studente daardeur bevredig word. Hierdie prosedure span die krag van die moderne rekenaar in deur die probleem met brute krag op te los (akademiese kragtoerjie??). Die verwerking van die probleem deur die rekenaar duur minder as 10 minute. ‘n Hoë vlak van studentebevrediging (die hoogste vlak haalbaar) word gewaarborg deur die korrekte gebruik van hierdie prosedure.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The information technology revolution has not really impacted the core processes of learning and teaching in business schools. Business schools stand in stark contrast to organisations where IT forms the new infrastructure for communication, decision-making, product development and service delivery. In this context, advanced and emerging information technologies are increasingly viewed as a key resource in enabling new and effective learning process. and educational innovations. The study introduces an interactive computer-mediated learning system designed for the field of People and Change Management that, whilst interacting with the student, also integrates seamlessly with traditional information sources. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die informasie tegnologie revolusie het nog nie regtig 'n groot impak op die kern prosesse van leer en onderwysing in besigheidskole gemaak nie. Besigheidskole staan in skerp kontras met organisasies waar IT die nuwe infrastruktuur vorm vir kommunikasie, besluitneming, produk ontwikkeling en dienslewering. In hierdie konteks word gevorderde en ontwikkelende informasie tegnologieë gesien as al hoe meer van kern belang in die daarstelling van nuwe en effektiewe leer prosesse en onderwys innovasie. Die studie boekstaaf die ontwikkeling van 'n rekenaar model om hierdie probleem aan te spreek in die veld van Menslike Hulpbronne en Veranderingsbestuur. Die impak is tweeledig van aard, die daarstelling van 'n interaktiewe leer proses, sowel as integrasie met tradisionele inligting bronne.

This thesis sought to answer the research question: How do the top educators in the area of public relations, marketing, and advertising perceive the concept of integrated marketing communications as compared to one another?The mail survey applying Q methodology was sent to 15 top educators in each of the three fields in the United States for a total sample of 45 educators. A total of twenty-five responses were returned representing 55.5 percent of the sample. When the respondents were analyzed by discipline, there were eight responses from the pubic relations educators, nine from the marketing educators, and eight from the advertising educators. As a result the responses from each disciplines comprised, respectively, 53.3 percent, 60 percent, and 53.33 percent of the total sample.The statements in Q-Sorting were collected from the review of literature and in interviews with the Ball State University advertising, and public relations professors. Each statement either agreed or disagreed with the perception of integrated marketing communications. Each educator was asked to indicate how strongly they agreed or disagreed with each statement.A computer program developed for Q-Methodology studies was used to extract the factors from the educators' responses. After the Q-Sorts were tabulated, the researcher identified two factors, Factor I, and Factor II. The majority of Factor I respondents were the marketing, and advertising educators. The majority of Factor II respondents were public relations educators.The researcher concluded that these two groups had clearly different attitudes toward IMC. Stated in another way, marketing educators and advertising educators had similar perceptions of IMC, while public relations educators perceived the IMC concept very differently. Public relations educators indicated that the concept of IMC would be acceptable if it should be viewed as a total organizational communications function. / Department of Journalism