<p>Туризам је у многим земљама препознат као кључни фактор развоја, повећања прихода и запослености. Истовремено има важну улогу у креирању имиџа и<br />промоцији дестинације на међународном тржишту. Туристичка конкурентност је препозната као кључни фактор успеха туристичке дестинације. Због тога је<br />важан задатак дестинацијског менаџмента да разуме како да се постигне и одржи конкурентност. У докторској дисертацији детаљно је приказана ресурсна<br />основа туризма Јужнобанатске области кроз преглед туристичко-географског положаја, природног-географских карактеристика, друштвено-географских карактеристика и материјалне базе. Посебно су анализирани постојећи и потенцијални облици туризма, стратешко планирање и развојни пројекти.<br />Извршена је туристичка валоризација и SWOT анализа расположивих ресурса Јужнобанатске области. Туристичка конкурентност оцењена је на основу<br />ставова представника понуде добијених кроз анкетно истраживање. Анкетни упитник заснован је на Ричи и Кроуч моделу конкурентности. Резултати<br />истраживања указују да Јужнобанатска области није конкурентна туристичка дестинација. Постоји значајна разлика у ставовима преставника приватног и јавног сектора у погледу дестинацијског менаџмента,политике, планирања и развоја дестинације. Ипак кроз истраживање указане су дестинацијске предности које могу бити полазиште за успостављање конкурентности. У оквиру рада дате су препоруке за будућа истраживања и активности јавног и приватног сектора<br />туристичке привреде.</p> / <p>Turizam je u mnogim zemljama prepoznat kao ključni faktor razvoja, povećanja prihoda i zaposlenosti. Istovremeno ima važnu ulogu u kreiranju imidža i<br />promociji destinacije na međunarodnom tržištu. Turistička konkurentnost je prepoznata kao ključni faktor uspeha turističke destinacije. Zbog toga je<br />važan zadatak destinacijskog menadžmenta da razume kako da se postigne i održi konkurentnost. U doktorskoj disertaciji detaljno je prikazana resursna<br />osnova turizma Južnobanatske oblasti kroz pregled turističko-geografskog položaja, prirodnog-geografskih karakteristika, društveno-geografskih karakteristika i materijalne baze. Posebno su analizirani postojeći i potencijalni oblici turizma, strateško planiranje i razvojni projekti.<br />Izvršena je turistička valorizacija i SWOT analiza raspoloživih resursa Južnobanatske oblasti. Turistička konkurentnost ocenjena je na osnovu<br />stavova predstavnika ponude dobijenih kroz anketno istraživanje. Anketni upitnik zasnovan je na Riči i Krouč modelu konkurentnosti. Rezultati<br />istraživanja ukazuju da Južnobanatska oblasti nije konkurentna turistička destinacija. Postoji značajna razlika u stavovima prestavnika privatnog i javnog sektora u pogledu destinacijskog menadžmenta,politike, planiranja i razvoja destinacije. Ipak kroz istraživanje ukazane su destinacijske prednosti koje mogu biti polazište za uspostavljanje konkurentnosti. U okviru rada date su preporuke za buduća istraživanja i aktivnosti javnog i privatnog sektora<br />turističke privrede.</p> / <p>Tourism has been recognized as one of the key sectors for development in many countries and a major source of income, jobs and wealth creation. It also plays a wider role in promoting the image and international perception of a destination. Competitiveness is increasingly being seen as a critical influence on the performance of tourism destinations in world markets. Therefore, the fundamental task of destination management is to understand how tourism destination competitiveness can be enhanced and sustained. Available resources of South Banat district are being reviewed through interpretation of geographical location, natural and anthropogenic values and material base. The existing and potential forms of tourism, strategic planning and development projects were particularly analyzed. Tourist valorization and SWOT analysis of the available resources of the South Banat region&nbsp; were conducted. The assessment of tourist competitiveness is based on the survey of the stakeholders. The questionnaire was based on Ritchie and Crouch&#39;s&nbsp; competitiveness model. The results show that stakeholders believe South Banat is not&nbsp; a competitive tourism destination. A comparison of two groups of stakeholders,&nbsp; the private and public sectors, indicated significant differences in the ratings of destination management and in the destination&#39;s policy, planning and development determinants. However, the destination&#39;s advantages, which can be used as a starting point for improving the destination&#39;s competitiveness, were identified. Suggestions for future research and stakeholders activities in tourism are provided in the dissertation.</p>

Uno de los sectores inmobiliarios más dinámicos es el de alquiler de oficinas y dentro de él, un modelo de negocio innovador llamado Coworking que nace de una tendencia en crecimiento: la Economía Colaborativa. Dicho modelo resulta atractivo para inversionistas inmobiliarios, empresas en expansión e independientes porque ofrece mayor valor en cuanto a flexibilidad, comparada con la oferta tradicional. Por eso, este trabajo se centra en evidencia que valide la incidencia de esta tendencia, la economía colaborativa, sobre la competitividad de las empresas que brindan el servicio de alquiler de oficinas en Lima Metropolitana en el año 2018. La metodología se descompone en investigación cuantitativa y cualitativa. A través de una selección muestral, se realizaron encuestas a directivos o encargados de las empresas de Coworking. Por su lado, la investigación cualitativa consta de entrevistas en profundidad a expertos nacionales e internacionales respecto a la tendencia global de la economía colaborativa y el sector Coworking. Luego de la investigación realizada, se puede determinar que la Economía Colaborativa incide en la competitividad de las empresas que brindan servicio de alquiler de oficina en Lima Metropolitana en el año 2018. Asimismo, los factores: digital (hipótesis específica número 1, o, HE1), social (HE2), económico (HE3) tienen la misma incidencia. Sin embargo, el factor cultura medioambiental (HE4) no impactaría en la competitividad de dichas empresas ya que su alcance sería sólo en términos comunicacionales o publicitarios, el cual se sugiere investigar con mayor profundidad. Como aporte a la comunidad empresarial, se propone el Índice de Competitividad Colaborativa (ICC) que, de la investigación realizada, las empresas con mayor ICC demuestran una propuesta de valor más centrada en el usuario y una comunidad sólida. Se sugiere a las empresas de Coworking realizar un diagnóstico interno para identificar aspectos de la gestión interna asociados a la competitividad que pueden fortalecerse. / One of the most dynamic real estate sectors is office rental and within it, an innovative business model called Coworking born from a growing trend: the Collaborative Economy. This model is attractive to real estate investors, expanding and independent companies because it offers greater value in terms of flexibility compared to the traditional offer. Therefore, this work focuses on evidence that validates the incidence of this trend, the collaborative economy, on the competitiveness of companies that provide office rental services in Metropolitan Lima in 2018. The methodology is broken down into quantitative and qualitative research. Through a sample selection, surveys of executives or managers of Coworking companies were conducted. For instance, qualitative research consists of in-depth interviews to national and international experts about the global trend of the collaborative economy and the Coworking sector. After the investigation, it can be determined that the Collaborative Economy affects the competitiveness of companies that provide office rental service in Metropolitan Lima in 2018. Also, the factors: digital (specific hipothesis number 1, i.e. SH1), social (HE2), Economic (HE3) have the same incidence. However, the environmental culture factor (HE4) would not impact the competitiveness of these companies since its scope is only communicational or in advertising terms, which is further research could be conducted. As a contribution to the business community, the Collaborative Competitiveness Index (CCI) is a proposal derived from the research carried out. The companies with the highest CCI show a more user-centered value proposal and a solid community. Coworking companies are suggested to perform an internal diagnosis to identify aspects of internal management associated with competitiveness that can be strengthened. / Tesis

Look at the challenge of gender equity and global trends and its impact on Eskom / Women form 52 percent of the adult population in South Africa, the majority of the population, but their status in the workplace is marginalized. The Commission of Employment Equity 2003 report revealed that women represent only 37% of the total workforce and 21% of all senior management positions and only 14% of top management positions. The study firstly investigates if gender barriers are creating obstacles for the advancement of women to senior management positions. The evidence of the research indicates that barriers do exist and the most prominent of these barriers included organizational culture, men not supporting women in the organization, division of labour, lack of after care facilities and women not supporting each other. Organizations need to admit that barriers do exist before any meaningful change can be made to the working environment of women. Secondly the study investigates the impact of gender equity targets as some organizations are attempting to increase the number of women in their business. Although gender targets results in an increase of women in the workplace it has negatively impacted the morale of men. Lastly the effectiveness of some of the strategies like mentorship, training and development, networking, flexible work policies are examined. These strategies will only be effective if the organizations are committed in ensuring a balanced workforce. Organizations needs to realize that diversity should be seen as a great opportunity to be encouraged and nurtured. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

Credit risk mitigation that can be applied by commercial banks in assessing the lending decision /credit risk when advances and equity investments are considered for BEE classified companies. / A research report presented to the Graduate School of Business Leadership, University of South Africa / The previous political dispensation limited black people’s participation in the South African economy. Poor credit records, lack of training, resulting in skills and capacity gaps further limited entry into the lending market. These aspects are considered the main limitations in obtaining finance for the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). This research report focuses on how credit risk can be mitigated by commercial banks in lending to Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) companies in the medium to large market. Exploratory research was conducted using various methods to achieve methodological triangulation. These methods consisted of a literature review, interviewing experts in the field and case studies. A qualitative research approach was followed. It was found that the lack of own contribution and security were still prevalent in the medium to large market, but the quality of management (little training and skills) was deemed not to be a limitation as suitable credit risk mitigants were identified. No credit risk mitigants were identified to mitigate poor credit records. It is postulated that by adopting and applying the identified credit risk mitigants, commercial banks can increase their success rate in lending to BEE companies. It will further assist in the transformation of black people and compliance with the Financial Services Charter. It is recommended that a similar study be conducted in the agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing industry. The reasons why BEE companies applications are declined could also be investigated. Further studies could also explore other external factors such as economical, legal and social that could have an influence on the funding of BEE companies.

A Research Report presented to the Graduate School of Business Leadership University of South Africa. In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the MASTERS DEGREE IN BUSINESS LEADERSHIP, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA / The purpose of this research is to analyse the changes in housing values in Windhoek, Namibia over the past ten years and explore links in property value variation to macroeconomic changes during that period. The objectives of this research are twofold. Firstly this research compiles and assesses the movement of housing values over the past ten years. Secondly this research assesses if there is a causal relationship between changes in macroeconomic factors and housing values, and to define the nature of this relationship. The timing and magnitude of response by housing values to changes in macroeconomic factors are investigated. The primary data requirements for this study are a monthly relative value index of housing prices for the Windhoek area and macroeconomic factors. Macroeconomic data collected relates to macroeconomic conditions within Namibia that could have an effect on housing prices. This includes information on housing supply, GDP, population levels, inflation and interest rates. The results of this study explore the relationship between these factors and changes in housing prices as reflected by changes in the housing index. The most significant result of this study is the effect of housing availability on housing values. Changes in the total supply of housing as estimated by the number of houses built in a month affect changes in housing values after 5 and 6 months. A total of 20.5% of the change in housing values can be explained by the change in total housing supply. The effect of interest rates found by this study was lower than the theory and literature reviews would have led us to expect. The results of the Pearson correlation test for the relationship between percentage changes in interest rates and percentage changes in future housing values found that a relationship exists 8 months after the change in interest rates occurred. Interest rates were found to explain 5.5% of the change in housing values 8 months later. No significant effects were noted for changes in inflation. For population and income changes there was insufficient data to perform more than a high level look at possible interactions with the level of housing prices. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

The Council for Geoscience (CGS) is one of the National Science Councils of South Africa and is the legal successor to the Geological Survey of South Africa. The total staff complements numbered 291 as of March 2006, consisting of four executive managers, 18 unit managers, 124 professionals, 84 technicians, 41 administrative personnel, 17 unskilled labourers 3 skilled workers. The strength of the CGS is manifested in its core of competent geoscience and technical staff. The primary business of the CGS is science; therefore scientists, apart from human resources, finance and procurement, are appointed to senior positions in the organisation. The criteria for scientists to qualify for managerial positions are either a masters or doctorate degree in science. Although a sound knowledge of science is needed for these positions, the necessary managerial and leadership characteristics have never played a significant role in the appointment of unit leaders. Therefore, it is the aim of this study to determine the leadership style of the scientists that were appointed as unit leaders. Theories on leadership provide for a variety of potential explanations regarding effective leadership, including personal attributes, contingencies, and the role of subordinates. By analysing managerial leadership, it becomes important to consider and recognise the complex interplay among the structure of organisational life, patterns of behaviour, varied beliefs, values, interests, and initiatives of the individuals who create and work within this structure. Research on organisational leadership has grown systematically with the advance of industrialisation. Large work organisations are associated with bureaucratic and technological complexity that affects the demand for managers and the need for coordination and leadership roles. Leadership theories have evolved over time, becoming more sophisticated and even more applicable for their “innovation”. Different perspectives have featured throughout history. Theories of leadership are primarily analytical, directed at better understanding of the leadership process and the variations among them. The most up- to- date concept within leadership is the theory of transformational and transactional leadership. Transformational leadership comprises five factors — (1) idealised influence: attributed; (2) idealised influence: behaviour; (3) inspirational motivation; (4) intellectual simulation; and (5) individualised consideration — of which the first two factors refer to the concern, power, personal morality, and sacrifice of the leader, as well as his or her ability to instil collective pride in the group’s mission. The third factor relates to motivating the group to accomplish missions through challenging goals and by indicating certainty in areas of uncertainty, which, in turn, arouse individual and team spirit. The fourth factor refers to the leaders’ ability to relate at an individual level to the follower and the fifth factor to intellectual stimulation. Transactional leadership display behaviours associated with constructive and corrective transactions, and comprises three factors— (1) contingent reward leadership; (2) management-by-exception: active; and (3) management-by-exception: passive — of which relates to leaders who involve themselves only when things go wrong, i.e. the constructive style. Their interventions are associated with failure and punishment. The corrective style is labelled management-by-expectation: active, which refers to the closer involvement in monitoring the subordinates’ actions. Contingent reward leadership relates to rewards for work performance. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) has become a standard instrument for assessing a variety of transformational, transactional and non-leadership scales and was used to assess the leadership style of scientists of the Council for Geoscience. The instrument measures a broad range of leadership types: passive leaders, leaders who give contingent rewards to subordinates and leaders who transform their subordinates into leaders themselves. The objectives of the study were to (1) determine the leadership style of scientists in positions of unit leaders; (2) how their supervisors, peers and subordinates perceive their leadership style; and (3) whether scientists as unit leaders, perceive their own leadership style differently than do their supervisors, peers and subordinates. The MLQ instrument contains 45 items that identify and measure key leadership and effectiveness behaviours. A five point rating scale (0: 1: 2: 3: 4) is used for rating the frequency of observed leader behaviour where 0=not at all, and 4=frequently, if not always. The average scores of the MLQ questionnaire for the Council for Geoscience ranged from 2 to 3 on the transformational leadership factors. Participants in general perceive scientists in unit leader positions more as transformational leaders as apposed to transactional leaders. The 2.5 rating on transformational leadership indicates that the unit leaders are often influential in the awareness of what is important. The ratings of scientists as unit leaders were similar to the ratings of their peers and 'others'. Supervisors and subordinates, however, rated them lower. Transactional leadership ratings for the majority of leaders were between 2.0–3.0 on CR, and MBEA and 1.0–2.0 on MBEP. The ratings obtained, indicate that unit leaders would be seen as people wwho prefer to monitor and take action before failures occur. Supervisors, peers and others rated the scientists as unit leaders higher on transactional leadership, except for subordinates who rated them lower. Leaders are rated 0–1 on laissez-faire leadership style. Supervisors, peers and subordinates rated scientists as unit leaders higher on laissez-faire leadership style than the rating they gave themselves (self-rating). The low rating on the laissez-faire leadership style confirms that leaders do get involved in important issues and have a need to be involved in the decision-making process. Scientists as unit leaders, however, perceive themselves to be more involved than do supervisors and subordinates. Attribution ratings (extra-effort, effectiveness and satisfaction) varied from 2.0–3.0. For attribution dimensions, supervisors and subordinates rated the scientists as unit leaders lower on extra-effort, effectiveness and satisfaction, whereas peers rated them higher. The satisfaction dimension indicates that unit leaders often work with others in a satisfactory way. For attribution dimensions, supervisors and subordinates rated the scientists as unit leaders lower on extra-effort, effectiveness and satisfaction, whereas peers rated them higher. Supervisors are less satisfied with the leaders than subordinates are. The results obtained from the MLQ questionnaire for the leadership style of scientists in the Council for Geoscience are slightly different from those of United States companies. The Council for Geoscience, compared with United States (US) companies, rated lower on both transformational leadership and attribution dimensions (extra-effort, effectiveness and satisfaction) and higher on both transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles. This seems to indicate that the Council for Geoscience tends to follow a less inspirational and influential leadership style with more objective setting and less satisfying methods of leadership, compared with US companies. Transformational leadership development is recommended for the scientists as unit leaders of the Council for Geoscience. It is important to note that false transformational leaders (seemingly transformational leaders with a self-absorbed tendency) should be distinguished from the genuine ones. Optimism and employee frustration can be used in future surveys by the Council for Geoscience to determine the progress of transformational leadership development in the organisation. The leadership of an organisation influences the organisational culture. Upper management is responsible for the implementation of the necessary changes to promote transformational leadership. The culture of an organisation is a reflection of upper management. If upper management does not realise the importance of transformational leadership, the chances for the rest of the organisation to promote a transformational leadership culture in the organisation are not good. One recommendation to consider is for the Council for Geoscience to employ people with adequate managerial skills in unit leader positions. These skills would include leadership traits, operational skills, financial skills, etc. A decision needs to be taken by the Council for Geoscience that when scientists are employed as unit leaders or as members of the upper management cadre, they must have adequate managerial and leadership skills, and all parties have to agree with the competency and be satisfied with the management styles. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / M.B.L.

The research question and phenomenon that is addressed by this research study is: “What is the perceived importance and level of acceptance of ERM in the South African business environment, and what is the perceived value of ERM in South African organisations?” The definition of ERM utilised throughout this research study is: “Enterprise Risk Management is a process, effected by an entity’s board of directors, management and other personnel, applied in strategy setting and across the enterprise, designed to identify potential events that may affect the entity, and manage risk to be within its risk appetite, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the achievement of business objectives”. (Committee of Sponsoring Organisations of the Treadway Commission – COSO, 2004: 4) Enterprise Risk Management is perceived by many as being a necessity, but a burden to business caused by increased investor confidence requirements, such as adherence to King II, Basel II, JSE listing requirements, and the Public Finance Management Act in South Africa, and Sarbanes Oxley requirements placed on organisations listed in the USA, resulting primarily from recent international corporate failures. This causes ERM to be implemented for compliance reasons without obtaining the true value that ERM provides. The main research problem is therefore to firstly identify the extent of acceptance and implementation of ERM in organisations in the South African business environment, secondly identify the reasons why organisations implement ERM in these organisations, and thirdly identify factors that describe the perceived value that ERM provides to these organisations. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

The primary purpose of this research is to establish to what extent, if any Zimbabwean companies proactively align their IT strategy with the business strategy as a way of building and sustaining business competitive advantage. The research seeks to provide further insights into the business performance implications of the alignment between IT and business strategies. It also seeks to determine if there are any linkages between strategic alignment, IT managerial resources and IT effectiveness. Last but not least, it examines whether alignment directly leads to increased business performance which Sabherwal & Chan (2001) terms ‘perceived business performance’. / Graduate School of Business Leadership / MBL

A study on corporate leadership failure in America by Vugt and Ronay has shown that the failure rate of business leadership in meeting profitability targets is as high as 60%. Most organizations fail to attain profitability targets due to limited experience and exposure to strategic leadership. The aim of this single case study design was to explore the role of strategic leadership in banking profitability. Twelve purposively selected senior bankers and members of the board of directors with over 10 years of experience in banking and profitability and 3 years in the top management team participated in the study in western Tanzania. The resource-based view framed the discussion regarding strategic leadership skills needed to enhance banking profitability. Data were collected through semistructured interviews using open-ended questions to elicit in-depth responses from the participants. Other data sources included social media, company websites, and annual reports. The modified van Kaam approach was used in the data analysis. Meaningful statements were grouped into larger units to form themes. Findings confirmed that strategic leadership skills development had an important influence on banking profitability. Five themes emerged from the study results including strategic leadership and organization performance, planning, risk management, training and skills development, and the unique resources. Findings may also help to improve banking profitability, create employment, and contribute to social change to the poor and unbanked communities in Tanzania.

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