As a result of a growing demand of fast produced fashion and new trends, it seems as if the consumers' needs are changing continuously. Furthermore, the product development of clothes often take place on expected demand and desires, several months in advance and not on request. The fashion industry faces further issues, for instance the difficulty of producing items with perfect fit and how to optimise inventory. Customisation, and more specifcally mass customisation could be a solution to these issues. It would be a way for companies to offer customised products for the individual consumer, but with a price similar to that of massproduction. Earlier research have claimed that digital technologies can be implemented by companies in combination with mass customisation to make their business more effective. How companies work with acitivites and resources to optimise the business process in-house is called operations management and can be crucial for the survival of a company. The aim of this essay is to understand how companies in the fashion industry can work with customisation and mass customisation with the support of digital technologies in order to be competative. Through working with this concept companies may meet the consumers' need and desires. We have, in the theoretical framework, used a model founded in the five dimensions: quality, speed, dependability, flexibility and cost. With these in mind we have studied three companies working with customisation. By doing that we have come to results showing that the concept of mass mustomisation affects all dimensions, but mostly quality. The concept can be used by companies to offer consumers what they demand when they demand it and thus create competitiveness. / Till följd av en växande efterfrågan på snabbt producerat mode och nya trender, verkar konsumenters behov i ständigt förändring. Vidare sker produktutveckling av kläder ofta på prognotiserade behov och önskemål, flera månader i förväg och inte på aktuell efterfrågan. Modebranschen besitter ytterligare problem, som bland annat berör svårigheter att ta fram plagg med en bra passform, samt att optimera lagerhållning. För att frånkomma dessa problemen kan kundanpassning och mer specifikt - konceptet mass customisation ses som en lösning. Det blir ett sätt för företag att erbjuda kundanpassade produkter för den individuella konsumenten, men med ett pris liknande massproduktion. Tidigare forskning har lyft fram digitala teknologier som kan implementeras av företag i kombination med mass customasition, för effektiviserade aktiviteter i verksamheten. Hur företag vidare arbetar med aktiviteter och resurser internt för att optimera affärsprocessen kan benämnas som operations management och kan vara avgörande för ett företags överlevnad. Denna uppsats syftar till att förstå hur modeföretag kan arbeta med kundanpassning och mass customisation, med stöd av digitala teknologier, för att skapa konkurrenskraftighet. Genom att arbeta med detta koncept kan företag i större utsträckning tillmötesgå konsumenters behov och önskemål. Vi har i den teoretiska referensramen utgått från en modell som grundar sig i de fem dimensionerna: kvalitet, hastighet, pålitlighet, flexibilitet och kostnader. Utifrån dessa har vi studerat tre fallföretag som arbetar med kundanpassning på något sätt. Således har vi fått fram ett resultat som pekar på att konceptet mass customisation påverkar samtliga dimensioner, men att det främst karaktäriseras av dimensionen kvalitet. Konceptet kan användas av företag för att erbjuda konsumenter vad de efterfrågar när de efterfrågar det och på så sätt skapa konkurrenskraft.

This diploma thesis deals with the economy and the position of Sri Lanka in the international tourism market. The aim of the thesis is to analyze the performance of Sri Lankan economy and the country's position in the international tourism market. The thesis also concentrates on assessing the competitiveness of both the economy and the tourism industry. The development of the country is analyzed since the end of the civil war. The first chapter theoretically defines key concepts related to the issue of international tourism. The second chapter deals with the economy of Sri Lanka. Firstly, the structure of economy is introduced. Secondly, macroeconomic indicators and international trade are assessed and thirdly, the competitiveness of Sri Lankan economy is analyzed. The third chapter deals with tourism in Sri Lanka. After the presentation of tourism preconditions, the economic characteristics of the sector and of its impact on the national economy follow. The organizational structure and the tourism competitiveness are evaluated afterwards. Finally, SWOT analysis of the tourism industry in Sri Lanka is conducted.

The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and propose new features in order to enhance the competitiveness of the company. The thesis is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on theoretical framework such as innovation, innovation process and process management. The second part is based on the analysis of the companie s competitors and SWOT analysis. Based on the results of these analysis, the thesis further investigates the companys opportunities. Data for this research were gathered from analysis, surveys, phone and personal interviews Specific innovative steps are suggested by using the results of this research. These steps are measured through balance scorecard and then the implementation steps are described together with process models based on BPMN. The results reveal recommendation for future growth of the company.

This study analyses the manner in which a higher education institution (HEI) – namely, the University of Pretoria – is internationalising, while taking into account the dual imperatives of national development needs and of competing and integrating with an increasingly interdependent and globalised world. These dual imperatives and the challenges they pose are referred to in this study as the “dual development challenge”. By focusing on the responses of one university, the study provides useful insights into how other HEIs might understand their role and ability to internationalise and address both national needs and global issues. The study thus has several key findings relative to HEIs and how they might address the “dual development challenge”, as well as findings regarding the internationalisation of higher education (HE). In terms of addressing the “dual development challenge”, the study demonstrates how one university’s ambitious and enthusiastic pursuit of its international research agenda and its focus on individual agents and collective individual agents as facilitators of that research agenda, allows it to pursue a “developmental settlement” while internationalising. Although it is marked by contestations and contradictions, the pursuit of this developmental settlement consists of a communal ambition that the university’s international activities and actions provide key catalysts to its contributions to both national development and global competitiveness and integration. With regard to internationalisation of HE, the study challenges notions that individualism is negative and that holistic, campus-wide and/or comprehensive internationalisation must be confined to a specific set of criteria. These two findings are linked, and thus the study’s key finding and argument is that a primary method of engaging with internationalisation within the context of the dual development challenge is through the pursuit of a developmental settlement, which can depend greatly on the development of individuals, their research and the building of their individual capacities. As such, the participation in international research activities and networks by individual and collective individual agents at an HEI can build their capacity both in terms of their professional abilities and their influence on other individuals, institutions and the nation, while at the same time allowing them to contribute to the global competitiveness and integration status of the HEI. Ultimately, the central thesis of this study is that internationalisation, via the support and activities of individual and collective individual agents, is a primary facilitator of a university’s abilities to address and contribute to both national and global developmental imperatives. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

The work describes particularities of public universities and their funding. It depicts possibilities of funding by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and particulary by structural funds of European Union. The main part is dedicted to funding by Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness. Work describes procedure of creation, implementation, monitoring and control of projects funding by Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness. Furthermore it describes other possibilities of funding by structural funds and economic information systems on Czech public universities.

The main theme of the thesis is the application of methods of information and knowledge-based disciplines - Competitive Intelligence on the building industry of the Czech Republic. The first part provides a comprehensive overview of theoretical information which are necessary to describe Competitive Intelligence. From the outset, it gradually forms detailed description about the entire field as far as detailed procedures with the application of various analytical methods, in the form of formalized definitions of Competitive Intelligence. The most common methods which are listed below in particular are SLEPT analysis, SWOT analysis, an analysis of five porter forces, BCG matrix, and others. The practical part of work is an application of process and methods of Competitive Intelligence on the Czech building market. This part gradually specifies individual steps of analysis (definition of objectives, procedures, identification and exploitation of information resources, etc.) and presents its final output, which is suitably complemented with a description of information resources. Chapter concludes the summary of the main trends and factors involved in the building industry, which complements the recommendations for the building companies to increase their competitiveness. There is also important summary and characteristics of selected information sources.

The experience from the period between world wars shows us, that providing right treatment of given potential it is possible to keep up with the world - class level.Directive way of managing the economy did not work properly with strong and weak sides of the industry and tried to push it within barriers that do not correspond it's long term development. Finally in 90's the Czech industry was given a second chance to learn from it's mistakes. How did it dispose with it? The totalitarian regime was very thorough at following it's own theories and so it decimated the industry. Also the business culture after 40 years suffered. Before there was too much state supervision, during the transformation it disapeared. New - born business sector had to rely on it's own strength and under the given conditions it did well. Yet strong competition on foreign markets unmuffled some of the shortcomings in the Czech export-oriented industry. Considering the necessity to strenghten the competitiveness, government was obliged to pay more attention to industrial policy.

The graduation thesis focuses on science and technology parks as the form of tendencies for the integration of the science and technology development in Europe. The objective of the thesis is to describe the development of science and technology parks in selected European countries and to verify the existence of dependencies between the integration of the science and technology development and the competitiveness of countries. The author defines the fundamental parameters and strategic goals of parks and compares parks in selected European countries on that basis. The author confirms positive dependences between the integration of the science and technology development and the competitiveness of countries and deduces prerequisites for the effective function of science and technology parks in the economy. The author suggests prospective good practices for the identified prerequisites.

Les armements sont des transporteurs maritimes parfois amenés à intervenir dans la mise en oeuvre de terminaux portuaires, de services de transport terrestre et de terminaux intérieurs. Ces comportements d’ancrage prennent des formes différenciées, mais chaque armement espère tirer un avantage concurrentiel sur le marché investi. Notre travail vise à répondre à deux questions : quels sont les facteurs conditionnant la mise en oeuvre par les armements de comportements terrestres différenciés ? Ces différences agissent-elles sur l’avantage concurrentiel dégagé par les armements sur les segments investis ? Un cadre théorique au carrefour de l’économie de proximité et des sciences de gestion a été construit et confronté aux rapports qu’entretiennent les armements avec les ports et arrière pays de la rangée Nord Europe. Les raisons ayant permis à Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM et NYK, et pas à d’autres, d’intervenir de manière différenciée sur terre ont été décryptées. Enfin, la compétitivité que ces comportements d’ancrage procurent à ces quatre armements par rapport à ceux qui n’interviennent pas sur terre a été appréhendée. Au-delà de la rencontre industrie-firme-territoire, les dynamiques concurrentielles entre les armements d’une part et entre les territoires d’autre part agissent directement sur les attributs des différents comportements de territorialisation. La dynamique temporelle du développement des comportements d’ancrage conditionne sensiblement l’avantage concurrentiel procuré ; avantage dont la durabilité est étroitement liée à la densité et à la connexité des services terrestres développés / Shipping lines are maritime carriers who on occasion implement handling terminals, hinterland transport services and inland terminals in order to improve their competitiveness. These courses of action are developed in different ways but every shipping line hopes to develop a competitive advantage on the market invested. The thesis aims to answer two questions: what are the determining factors for the different forms taken by the enlargement of scopes of shipping lines? Do these differences have an impact on the competitive advantage of the shipping lines? A theoretical framework mixing concepts in proximity economics and strategic management has been built and tested on the North Range. The reasons why Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM and NYK implement different port and hinterland services, compared to other carriers, have been analysed. The competitiveness triggered by these enlargements of scopes has been analysed. Besides the industry-firm-territory logic, competitive dynamics between shipping lines on one hand, and between territories (port and its hinterland) on the other hand, impact the way carriers implement their port hinterland services. The competitive advantage triggered depends on the temporal dynamic of the services implemented. The sustainability of these advantages depends on the density and connexity of port hinterland services developed

Les systèmes d’enseignement supérieur ont été fortement marqués ces vingt dernières années par l’arrivée du paradigme de la qualité. Ce phénomène s’accompagne de nouvelles préoccupations, telles l’évaluation externe et interne, l’assurance-qualité, l’accréditation et les classements, à mesure que s’intensifient les débats sur la mission de l’université. Dans un contexte marqué par la rareté des ressources et par la concurrence, face aux diverses exigences qui s’imposent aux établissements d’enseignement supérieur aujourd’hui, entre autres, la nécessité d’une diversification de l’offre de formation, l’entreprenariat et l’amélioration de la qualité, les universitaires et les différents acteurs de la gouvernance semblent se trouver dans l’obligation d’un apprentissage organisationnel. Bien que l’université soit considérée comme un lieu de production, de diffusion et de conservation de la connaissance par excellence, peu de recherches semblent avoir porté sur l’apprentissage en milieu universitaire. D’autant plus que de rares travaux actuellement disponibles s’interrogent explicitement sur la contribution de l’apprentissage organisationnel pour le positionnement stratégique des établissements. La présente thèse fait le pari novateur de tenter d’appréhender la gouvernance des universités du point de vue du management des savoirs. En suivant une démarche à la fois inductive et comparative, la recherche se concentre sur l’analyse des principaux dispositifs d’évaluation de la qualité dans l’enseignement supérieur mozambicain. / Over the past twenty years, higher education systems have been strongly affected by the development of quality paradigm. This phenomenon is combined with new concerns like external and internal evaluations, quality assurance, accreditation and ranking. Similarly, debates about universities’ mission increase in so far as they are evaluated compared with what they offer. Nowadays, in a context marked out by resources scarcity, competition and various requirements that stand in front of academic institutions, such as diversification of the supply of training connected to the market requirements, entrepreneurship and improvement of quality, universities leaders, teachers-researchers and different actors of governance seem to be obliged to increase their learning organization strategies approaches. Although university is a place of production, a place of diffusion and a place of knowledge conservation above all, few researches have explicitly questioned the learning contribution in the strategic positioning of academic institutions. In this thesis, the author tries to approach university governance from the point of view of knowledge management. Following a both inductive and comparative processes, this research is focused on the analysis of the main schemes of quality evaluation in Mozambican higher education system.