M.Com. (Business Management) / The chemical industry is associated with high risk to the safety and health of personnel and the environment. However, the macro-environment expects the safe operation of chemical plants. In particular, the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act No. 85 of 1993, regulates safety in the industry. Management are exposed to the transgression of this law, even unwittingly, unless an integrated safety management system ensures the necessary planning, organising, leading and control for the safe operation of plants. While line management is ultimately responsible for the safety of chemical plants, the responsibilities of line management must be clearly defined to ensure continuity in the management of safety. Furthermore, the input of every worker is necessary to ensure that safety management is a process of continuous improvement. Knowledge of the processes associated with any specific plant is of primary importance for the safe operation thereof. This includes all information related to the operation of the plant, as well as design data and operational limits. The risks associated with the process and the operating procedures must be properly communicated to personnel. Plant operation must be within design limits, and the dangers associated with exceeding these limits must be well understood. As technology improves, process safety information must be updated regularly. While it is the objective to have an accident free record, it is imperative to identify possible emergency scenario's, and to give the necessary training to effectively control the impact that an emergency situation can have on the business and its staJceholders. Safety management includes the responsible operation of units with regard to the environment. In order to ensure a safe and healthy working environment for all personnel, the legal requirements of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Act No. 85 of 1993, and all the regulations in terms of the Machinery and Occupational Safety Act, Act No. 6 of 1983, must be met. The ever-changing needs and requirements within a chemical plant require control of all the changes that can result in unsafe acts and conditions. Maintenance work, work on protection systems, start-ups after major maintenance work and plant modifications arc considered changes with high enough risk factor to control these actions. The safety of persons other than persons at work, and in particular contractors, are the responsibility of line management. Effective training of contractors to ensure their safe conduct while performing their duty or during emergencies, are therefore necessary. Proper control systems are needed to ensure the correct and timeous fulfilment of safety requirements. Management information systems must be designed to audit deviations from standards, but also to point out the correctness of systems, thus providing proof of management participation in the improvement of safety standards. In order to have a competent and effective workforce, the necessary training of workers with regard to safety must be given. Line management must be appraised on their input to ensure an effective safety management program, and not only on the results. Rewarding the individuals for their contribution in this field, would ensure a strong and continuous effort toward a high safety standard. No safety management system can be successful unless strong leadership and a safety culture exists in the plant. Furthermore, the participation and involvement of every employee is needed to ensure continuous improvement in safety standards. Safety management must be a key performance area of every line manager, to protect both the business and its most valuable asset, namely the workers.

Ph.D. (Chemistry) / The aim of this study was the development of stereoselective routes for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral precursors of I1-deoxy-1l-thiaprostaglandins and albomysin di, using carbohydrates as chiral building blocks. A brief overview of known stereocontrolled routes for the synthesis of sulphur-containing monosaccharides and heterocyclic prostaglandin analogues is presented. Approaches to the stereocontrolled synthesis of I1-deoxy-11-thiaprostaglandins from Larabinose are described. Special topics in this part of the study include approaches to the preparation of chiral tetrahydrothiophenes. The 1,4-diol 5-0-benzoyl-3-deoxy-3-C-(carboxymethyl- 2,3-y-lactone)-L-lyxitol (146a), was identified as a possible chiral building block for the proposed route towards 11-thiaprostaglandins. New groups for the activation of the hydroxyl functions of the 1,4-diol in order to introduce the ring sulphur atom via a 1thiobenzyl ether, were investigated. The l,4-diol was subsequently transformed into a 1,4dimesylate and this compound proved to be the most suitable for the generation of the tetrahydrothiophene unit. This investigation resulted in an efficient synthesis of 11thiaprostaglandin precursors using glucose as a chiral building block. In the second part of the investigation, approaches to the stereoselective synthesis of a potential precursor for the synthesis of albomysin dr are described. An investigation of the selective acylation of acyclic pentoses are also presented. The aim of this study was the regioselective introduction of a leaving group, for example a tosylate, in acyclic derivatives of pentose without protecting any of the secondary hydroxyl groups. This strategy would make intramolecular cyclisations possible with a suitable nycleophile present on C-l. Some of the compounds in the pentose series investigated, furnished dibutyltin complexes which were regioselectively acylated in an efficient manner. Starting from L-arabinose an alternative strategy for the synthesis of a precursor for the synthesis of aIbomysin di is also given. The synthesis involved the preparation of 1-0-acetyl2,3, 5-tri-O-benzoyl-4-thio-xylofuranose, followed by conversion to the required nucleoside.

The world chemical industry is one of the most basic and important manufacturing businesses globally. Petrochemicals have played a pivotal role in industrial modernisation. In the 1970s and 1980s South Africa developed an unusually large chemical industry as Import Substitution Industrialisation was conveniently extended into military/strategic apartheid policy. These policies steered the industry away from conventional crude oil and natural gas based feedstocks into a uniquely coal based chemical industry. The shift from oil to coal based petrochemicals also narrowed the slate of petrochemicals available. Pricing is critical in the commodity plastics filiere. Coal based production contributed to a higher cost structure than crude oil based producers and a 'missing link' in the production chain, the petrochemical intermediate naphtha. This facilitated the introduction of a pricing mechanism which concentrated the benefits amongst upstream producers at the expense of downstream plastic converters, stunting growth in this higher value added and more labour intensive sector. Ironically a 'sunk costs' approach and recent developments allow SASOL's to produce coal based petrochemicals at low cost. In a significant change the traditional pillars of the local chemical industry, agricultural and mining chemicals, were supplanted by plastic raw materials as the major sector of the industry during the 1980s despite its coal base. Trade patterns also reflect these developments. A significant shift in employment from blacks to whites in Industrial Chemicals and Refineries accompanied this reordering of the major sectors. Providing mass housing, electrification and other basic wage goods will require industrial policies, embracing the entire filiere, which are significantly different from previous policies. Such policies should facilitate the development of higher value added and more labour intensive sectors within a broadly conceived framework of redistribution of political and economic opportunity. This will require lowering chemical intermediate input costs as well as a range of nurturing and facilitative policies for the filiere. These will help to reduce the current anti-export bias. The process of implementing such policies is as important as the direction itself. To facilitate national reconciliation and empowerment of previously disadvantaged groups transparent tripartite policy making institutions are recommended. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1994.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / The main research focus is stated as follows: "This research study will endeavour to identify the focus areas for a strategic marketing plan for the Polythene Division in Polifin by constructing a product / market matrix using the results of a situation audit, and to determine what a comparative study of Polifin's performance relative to competitors may reveal for a more intelligent approach to implementing the marketing plan. " The results should make it possible to prepare a strategic marketing plan for the Polythene Business Unit as well as providing specific objectives and action plans for the successful implementation of the plan.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The industrial product manager is responsible for the development and marketing of a product. This includes more than just the properties of the product. To be successful during the process of development and marketing of industrial products, there must be sufficient knowledge about the factors influencing it as well as the relative importance that is placed on it by the target market. The aim of this study was to identify critical factors for the success of new products in the industrial environment. These critical succfess factors were further verified, and their rank of importance determined, in the chemical industry of South Africa. The results of this study can be used by product managers in the industry to improve their new product programs in those areas which are considered as important during and by the development and marketing processes of enterprizes. Thirteen critical success factors, and their rank of importance, were established as th following: 1. A superior product 2. Solid up-front homework prior to development 3. Quality technological actions 4. Quality marketing actions 5. Innovativeness 6. A ttractive markets 7. A quality launch 8. Low-risk, important purchase 9. Familiar, known arenas 10. Sharp and early product definition 11. Cross-functional team approach 12. Non-product advantage 13. High synergy None of these factors can be ignored during the development and marketing...

The internationalisation of multinationals from emerging markets has increased remarkably over the last two decades which has caused a fundamental shift in the global economy whereby more focus is now being directed to the foreign expansion strategies pursued by these firms. There is a growing debate amongst IB scholars about the applicability of existing theories and frameworks in explaining the rise of emerging market multinationals. The objective of this research was to explore internationalisation strategies of multinationals from emerging countries to provide more insights and understanding into the foreign expansion approaches employed by these multinational companies (MNCs) when investing in other emerging economies with the focus on foreign expansion of South African chemical companies into the rest of Africa. A qualitative exploratory study was followed where 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior managers and executives across four South African chemical companies. The findings indicate how the rising competition in the domestic market due to the introduction of international competition and the increase of local market competitors led to the successful internationalisation of South African companies from the chemical. The study also shows that chemical companies from South Africa adopt a gradual internationalisation approach when expanding into the rest of Africa and these companies based their foreign expansion on firm-specific advantages that were shaped by the unique history South Africa. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / zkgibs2015 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / Unrestricted

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / Coega Development Corporation

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Technology: Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2007. / Unsafe incidents are a regular occurrence in the chemical industries, which have resulted, in some cases in the catastrophic destruction to the environment and loss of life. Major global organizations have shut down after experiencing fatal unsafe incidents as in the case of Union Carbide. This organization was closed after the Bhopal incident in India, in 1984, which claimed the lives of a-bout three thousand residents (see appendix d). In this study, the safety and operational risks at a selected chemical company in Durban are researched. This study looks at the huge number of unsafe incidents in a three year period, from (2003) to year (2005), that occurred at this organization. The objective of this study is to identify the variables that contribute to the high number of unsafe incidents within the organisation. The study will focus on the relationship between staff perceptions and management's assumptions of these contributory variables. The sub-objectives of the study are: o To ascertain staff perceptions of the contributors to the incidents and unsafe working conditions; o To determine if management is accurate in their assumptions of the causes for the incidents; and o To determine relationships between staff perceptions and actual causes of the incidents. The contributors were themed in the study in the following manner: o Behaviour and attitude; e Communications; e Plant and equipment; e Training and development; o Planning and workload; o Safety aspects; and e Other related aspects. Implementing the recommendations made will assist in reducing the number of unsafe incidents and make the organization a safer place for all stakeholders. / M

This research deals with organisation culture in the Chemical Industry, with specific reference to the culture in Gas Production. In the literature survey, the concept 'organisation culture' is studied theoretically from the perspective of Burke and Litwin. Theoretically, differences may occur between the current and desired organisation culture, between divisions and between levels of authority. The conclusion is drawn that culture change involves the whole organisation. In the empirical investigation, the Organisation Culture Index is applied to 36 employees at management level and 138 at employee level. The empirical findings show that there are significant differences. The empirical findings therefore support the theoretical findings that a single culture does not always exist in an organisation. This research also confirms that the culture in this organisation may not be appropriate for the present era. / Hierdie navorsing ondersoek organisasiekultuur in die Chemiese Bedryf, met spesifieke verwysing na die kultuur in Gasproduksie. In die literatuuroorsig word die konsep "organisasiekultuur" teoreties vanuit Burke en Litwin se perspektief beskou. Teoreties kan verskille in organisasiekultuur tussen die huidige en die verlangde organisasiekultuur, tussen afdelings en tussen gesagsvlakke voorkom. Die afleiding word gemaak dat kultuurverandering die totale organisasie betrek. In die empiriese ondersoek word die Organisasiekultuurindeks op 36 werknemers van die bestuursgroep en 138 van die werknemersgroep toegepas. Uit die empiriese bevindinge blyk dit dat daar betekenisvolle verskille in organisasiekultuur voorkom. Die empiriese bevindinge steun die teoretiese bevindinge dat daar nie altyd sprake is van 'n enkele kultuur in 'n organisasie nie. Daar word ook vasgestel dat hierdie organisasie se organisasiekultuur nie toespaslik is vir die huidige era nie. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology in Business Administration, Entrepreneurial Studies & Management Department, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015.