Privatization has become a central feature of the economic policies of nations in the developed and developing world. Eritrea has also embarked on a privatisation program for the state-owned enterprises. It privatised 39 manufacturing enterprises from 1997-2001 in the hope that the enterprises might be restructured into more efficient, profitable, competent and value creating private enterprises. This thesis assessed the impact of privatisation on the operating efficiency, profitability, employment, wages and tax payment of the Eritrean newly privatised manufacturing enterprises.

This research paper investigated whether there are any limitations or restraints in the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995, which possible keeps an employer from outsourcing functions or parts of a business to a third party.

This study identifies the impacts to the internal Information Technology (IT) department's policies and procedures caused by outsourcing selective IT functions and assesses the threats and opportunities to an internal IT group, presented by outsourcing selective IT functions. The trend to selectively outsource IT functions implies that this can be done with minimal disruption and risk to the IT departments policies and processes. This research investigates whether this assertion is valid and develops a model for internal IT departments to respond to the challenges presented by selective outsourcing. Existing models of outsourcing currently in use and available to organizations are reviewed to assess their suitability or adaptability for `selective outsourcing' and from this identifies which areas of internal IT policy and procedures are most impacted. An analysis of the threats and opportunities presented to the internal IT department is also provided. Research was conducted into one organization's experience with selective outsourcing to investigate how internal IT departments could approach selective outsourcing of internal IT functions and how internal IT departments could develop strategies for responding to the challenges posed by selective outsourcing. A case study was conducted of a recent selective outsourcing arrangement within the IT group of the target organization. The personal interview method was adopted to survey a cross section of management and staff from the work groups involved in the selective outsourcing arrangement. The results obtained revolved around the major themes of: 1. Planning (identified as time constraints, resource constraints and work load). 2. Management control (which encompasses the structuring of the outsourcing relationship, human resource concerns, level of ownership, communication, structure of the internal IT group and inter-departmental concerns). 3. Process (which applies to the quality of the procedures, inherent internal knowledge required, the informality of the procedures and concerns over adherence to procedures). For an IT group to develop strategies to respond to the challenges of selective outsourcing it was identified that the IT group needs to remove internal barriers to process and strive to achieve single ownership of processes within functional work groups; nurture a shift in internal groups thinking to more planning rather than doing; improve the quality of internal IT procedures and implement appropriate project team structures for task specific selective outsourcing engagements and for ongoing vendor relationship management.

This thesis investigates success factors, risks and trade offs in Information Technology (IT) outsourcing arrangements, and also examines the impact of certain recommended practices on outsourcing success. / Four research components contribute to the investigation: 1) a critical review of ten years' literature on IT outsourcing, paying particular attention to the evidence for success rates and the impact of practices on IT outsourcing success; 2) statistical analysis of a survey of government and non-government organisations (n = 240) taken from the largest 1000 organisations in Australia; 3) a detailed case study into the Australian Federal Government's "Whole of Government IT Infrastructure Outsourcing Initiative" and 4) qualitative analysis of 16 focus groups involving vendor and purchaser informants. / Using confirmatory factor analysis on the survey data, the study validated seven dimensions of IT outsourcing success proposed in the literature. Only two of these factors had been rated positively by most survey respondents, and only a minority of respondents had rated the other five success dimensions positively. Further statistical investigations looked at the relationship between various recommended practices in IT outsourcing and certain success measures, and at relationships between success measures. Particular attention was paid to the notion of selective outsourcing, a notion that has received much attention in the literature and that is explored further in the case study of the Federal Government initiative. The focus group analysis enabled the teasing out of other factors, not easily identified in the other research. / Drawing on all four research components, the thesis proposes that "information impactedness" associated with post-Internet technologies and skills shortages, and unacknowledged inherent trade-offs, contribute to generally poor risks and returns for IT outsourcing. The thesis concludes with recommendations for decision-makers.

A central feature of public sector reform in Australia in the past decade or so has been the introduction of competition into service markets that were previously monopolised by public agencies. The adoption of more competitive strategies by these agencies has usually been accompanied by changes in their organisational culture - found in their structures, modes of operation and in internal and external relationships, as well as in the underlying values orientation of the organisation. The introduction of compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) in local government in the state of Victoria reflected criticisms of the performance of traditional local government bureaucracies and a determination by the state government to secure a change in local government culture. This study investigates the impact of CCT on local authorities in Victoria, and explores the changes to organisational culture that have occurred. It assesses the extent to which the changes are consistent with a 'post-bureaucratic' conception of public organisations. The study presents evidence that cultural change has occurred in Victorian local authorities, particularly in the establishment of new organisation structures, a more entrepreneurial or outward focused orientation, and the development of more market focused and customer oriented service delivery systems. While cultural changes may not have progressed as far as intended by the Victorian government, they represent a more radical approach to local government reform than in other Australian states - so radical that they present a serious challenge to long-held views of the role of local government in the community. The thesis reveals that the new competitive environment may itself generate new problems such as transactions costs and erosion of trust within local councils and enables senior managers to assert stronger control over the council. It is this control, together with the technocratic or top-down approach to reform taken by the state government, which has constrained the development of model post-bureaucratic local government organisations in Victoria. In particular, it seems that senior managers are more intent on reshaping their organisations than in encouraging the greater market responsiveness anticipated in the post-bureaucratic model.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 73 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 62-66).

Thesis (M.S.)--Naval Postgraduate School, 2004. / Title from title screen (viewed Aug. 16, 2004). "June 2004." Includes bibliographical references (p. 55-56). Also issued in paper format.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-99).

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-107).

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.