The merging of business and information technology (IT) strategies, effectively becoming a Digital Business Strategy (DBS), is changing the way that organisations have to leverage resources to create differential value. Due to the DBS being such a novice idea, there is no clear understanding of what the DBS is, what its characteristics and boundaries are, how it impacts alignment between business and IT, and how it impacts organisational performance. Without this understanding, organisations leveraging a DBS run the risk of launching technological initiatives or making organisational changes that are disjointed from their strategic direction. These misaligned efforts may result in unrealised strategy and unsatisfactory organisational performance. The purpose of this study was to define the boundaries and characteristics of the DBS, provide a definition of a DBS and to establish if the DBS has a positive effect on organisational performance. To examine the DBS, it was observed in its natural habitat, through a single case study approach, focusing on an organisation that has been leveraging a DBS as part of their digital journey. The organisation is a South African based financial services provider and is a subsidiary of a larger financial services provider. In this study, the DBS was observed from an intellectual, operational, social and cultural alignment perspective, using a combination of the Strategic Alignment Model (SAM) and the Complex Adaptive System (CAS) frameworks. This study subscribed to a mixed-method approach which included both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. Staff providing input into this study included senior, middle, junior and non-management employees. The study was conducted over a period of thirteen months. The findings from both the qualitative and quantitative data suggest that to leverage a DBS the organisation must be concerned with more than just leveraging digital resources. For instance, organisations must focus on customer and staff empowerment, use customer and industry-related information to create opportunistic and competitive decision-making opportunities, and create a change-ready culture where bold experimentation and failing forward is embraced. Researchers and practitioners alike can use the findings of this case study as lessons on how to leverage organisational resources in the context of the DBS.

The subject of this diploma thesis is proposing the use of IS/IT in the implementation of a business strategy in a geological company operating in a very specific market. The thesis examines key internal andexternal factors related to the implementation of business strategy of the company, evaluates them and proposes concrete implementation of IT/IS tools to support achievement of strategic goals.

The subject of the diploma thesis is proposing the use of ICT in the implementation of a business strategy in the company M&P optik s.r.o.. The thesis examines key internal and external factors related to the implementation of the business strategy of the company, evaluates them, and proposes the specific implementation of ICT to achieve strategic objectives.

Increasing economic, social and environmental problems around the world have shown that current models of economic development cannot be sustained. Thus, new patterns of consumption are needed. According to the literature, global companies are well placed to attempt leveraging sustainable consumption, as their production lines; supply chains; products and services extend across many continents, and as such the cumulative effect of their actions are wide reaching. This research sets out to better understand the intertwined factors that companies in two different contexts (Mexico and the UK), need to consider in order to leverage sustainable consumption. Through the literature review it was seen that sustainable consumption requires a multitude of changes, which have to occur at a systems level. In response to this, user-centred design (UCD) principles were seen as a valuable approach to give a broader account of the complexities around consumption and consumer's behaviour that could be communicated to higher management. A series of interviews, a focus group and a document analysis was undertaken to collect qualitative data. The findings led to the construction of a theoretical framework supported by UCD principles. The theoretical framework was then translated into the Sustainable Consumption Leveraging (SCL) Model and its toolkit. The SCL Model is a mechanism that takes into account the interaction of elements in a specific business context to identify areas of opportunity to leverage sustainable consumption through a consumer-focused approach. During a series of workshops, the SCL Model and its toolkit were tested to distinguish further opportunities of improvement and to understand where global companies stand with regards leveraging sustainable consumption. The research concludes by saying that companies need to work in collaboration with other actors to build a strong sustainability and innovation strategy that could help them to find new ways of doing business that can enhance more sustainable lifestyles.

While both the concept of Private-Public Partnerships and the research on the topic is not new, PPPs from a market expansion perspective has not been covered to any notable extent, something this thesis aims to rectify. With the importance of relationships in business in emerging markets, the Institutional Network Approach serves as the backdrop for the study, highlighting the interplay between MNE and surrounding institutions. Through three case studies of Swedish MNEs active in PPP-projects in emerging markets, the aim is to develop a model suitable for analyzing MNE engagements in PPP-projects, but also to see if the gains from PPP engagements can constitute a feasible emerging market expansion tool.   The outcome of the study revealed that the studied MNEs primarily sought legitimacy and credibility in their projects, goals which according to MNEs also were acquired, and that the new model to a large extent captured aspects that were identified as important in the firms’ reports from the projects. It was concluded that in order for the PPP to serve as reliable market expansion tool, the firm has to be of MNE-size in terms of resources and ambitions, because smaller firms would struggle to be awarded, or handle, PPP-projects of this size. Previously stated credibility and legitimacy (from the CSR-aspects of the PPP), as well as the long-term collaboration resulting in solid relationships between MNE and institutions, are other benefits.

The graduation thesis deals with a partial business strategy of TNT Express Worldwide. The thesis aims to describe current situation of the company and to perform both internal and external analysis. Its findings and recommendations shall be utilized for further development.

The diploma thesis is describing Analysis of business strategy of the company Invia and is divided into two parts. First part summarizes principle of market of tourism. It defines subjects and specifics of this market. Special attention is focused on selling tours through the Internet. Second part analyzes business strategy of travel agency Invia, the largest seller of tours online in the Czech Republic. First of all basic information about the company are described, and then parts of business strategy are developed, including SWOT analyze.

Orientador: Otávio José de Oliveira / Resumo: Com o atual cenário organizacional globalizado e cada vez mais competitivo, as organizações necessitam cada vez mais de estratégias para sobreviver em meio à concorrência excessiva. Com intuito de poupar esforços e otimizar recursos, as empresas, sobretudo as do setor industrial começaram a desenvolver seus próprios Sistemas de Gestão Integrado (SGI) como uma alternativa plausível e eficaz nesse sentido. O SGI busca alcançar a integração dos sistemas de qualidade, meio ambiente, saúde e segurança ocupacional e responsabilidade social corporativa de acordo com as características, atividades e necessidades de cada organização. Um alinhamento eficaz do SGI com a estratégia empresarial pode ter influências positivas nas capacidades inovadoras das organizações, bem como na satisfação de seus colaboradores e clientes. No entanto, de acordo com a literatura científica muitas empresas não estão cientes das dificuldades em alinhar o SGI com sua estratégia. Portanto, o objetivo desta tese é propor diretrizes para o alinhamento do SGI com a estratégia de empresas industriais. Para a consecução deste objetivo, foi realizada uma revisão da literatura científica que permitiu a sistematização dos princípios da estratégia empresarial e a identificação das relações teóricas entre o SGI e estratégia, que deram suporte para a realização dos estudos de caso múltiplos e auxiliando na elaboração das diretrizes para o alinhamento do SGI com a estratégia empresarial. Em função do desenvolvimento des... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: With today's globalized and increasingly competitive organizational landscape, organizations need strategy to survive in the midst of excessive competition. In order to save effort and optimize resources, companies, especially those in the industrial sector have started developing their own Integrated Management System (IMS) as a plausible and effective alternative in this sense. The IMS seeks to achieve the integration of the systems of quality, environment, occupational health and safety and corporate social responsibility in accordance with the characteristics, activities and needs of each organization. An effective alignment of IMS with the business strategy can have positive influences on innovative capabilities of organizations, as well as the satisfaction of their employees and customers. However, according to the scientific literature many companies are not aware of the difficulties in aligning the IMS with their strategy. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to propose guidelines for the alignment of the IMS with the business strategy in industrial companies. In order to achieve this objective, a review of the scientific literature was carried out, which allowed the systematization of the principles of business strategy and the identification of the theoretical correlations between IMS and strategy, which are supporting the carrying out of multiple case studies and assisting in the elaboration of the guidelines for IMS alignment with business strategy. Due to t... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Num ambiente competitivo, no qual a maioria das empresas atua, torna-se essencial o uso de instrumentos de administração que deem suporte para que elas se mantenham competitivas. Um desses instrumentos, a administração estratégica, é cada vez mais difundido, seja nas organizações ou nas escolas de administração. O acirramento da concorrência tem levado as organizações a preocuparem-se, não somente com a estratégia corporativa, mas também com o marketing. Assim, o marketing estratégico tem se tornado cada vez mais um instrumento fundamental para a sobrevivência das empresas. Nesse contexto, esta tese teve por objetivo verificar se alinhamento entre a administração estratégica e o marketing estratégico é condição determinante para conquista de vantagem competitiva que assegure crescimento e rentabilidade. Para que o objetivo fosse alcançado foi realizada uma revisão sobre a teoria da estratégia empresarial e do marketing estratégico. Após o final da revisão da literatura foi realizado um estudo de caso na Mapfre Seguros, a maior empresa do seu setor, onde se procurou verificar a existência ou não do alinhamento pesquisado e como essa empresa utiliza esses instrumentos para obter a posição diferenciada que ela ocupa no mercado. / In a competitive environment, in which most of the companies act, turns out essential to use administration tools that support their competitiveness. One of these tools, strategic management, is increasingly used either in organizations or in the academy. Increased competition has led organizations to not only be concerned about the corporate strategy, but also about marketing. Thus, the strategic marketing has become an increasingly essential tool for the survival of businesses. In this context, this thesis aimed to verify if alignment between strategic management and strategic marketing is a determining condition for achieving competitive advantage that will ensure growth and profitability. In order to accomplish that objective, it was held a review on the theory of business strategy and strategic marketing. At the end of the literature review it was conducted a case study in Mapfre Seguros, the largest company in its industry, and sought whether or not the alignment studied exists and how this company uses these instruments to position its differentiation in the market.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T18:57:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O setor de seguros no Brasil passou por mudanças significativas desde a abertura na economia brasileira. A pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar de que forma os grupos Bradesco Seguros S.A. e Sul América S.A. se reorganizaram e redefiniram suas estratégias de negócios, no período de 1985 a 2007, em decorrência das mudanças relevantes ocorridas no mercado segurador brasileiro. A partir de um estudo exploratório, utilizando dados de fontes de informações secundárias, buscou-se gerar explicações para responder as questões definidas pelo objetivo dessa pesquisa. Depois de concluído esse estudo pôde-se verificar que a formação dos grupos, resultou, principalmente, de suas decisões estratégicas, e não como forma de readequação às mudanças ocorridas no seu ambiente de negócios, que alteraram a estrutura do setor de seguros do Brasil. Todavia, crê-se que os grupos aproveitaram positivamente os estímulos do meio ambiente econômico. Quanto às decisões estratégicas dos grupos, no ramo auto, conclui-se que a estratégia de a / The insurance sector in Brazil has had significant changes since the open market of the Brazilian economy. This research has as its objectives to analyze how Bradesco Seguros S.A. and Sul América S.A. reorganized themselves and redefine their business strategies, from 1985 to 2007, due to the relevant changes occurred in the Brazilian insurance market. From an exploratory study, using secondary source of information, it was generated explanations to answer the questions defined as objectives of this research. After the conclusion of this study, it was possible to verify that the groups formation, resulted, mainly, from its strategic decisions, and do not as a way of re-appropriation to the changes that happened in its business atmosphere, that altered the structure of the Brazil’s insurance sector. However, it is believed that the groups took the advantage of the stimulus that came from the economic environment. As for the strategic decisions of the groups, in the auto field, it has been concluded that the st