This dissertation develops a technique for predicting purchasing quality costs and studying their behavior as random variables. The resulting model extends prior research which treated purchasing costs deterministically and it thereby provides management with a valuable decision and planning tool. This is important because the trend is for companies to place an increasing reliance on purchased components. Expressions for the expected cost of three alternative policies are developed: incoming evaluation of components, evaluation of components at the supplier, and waiving of product evaluation with a review of supplier data only. The cost of off-site evaluation (at the supplier), as an alternative to incoming evaluation, has not been considered in previous literature. Important quality cost inputs are treated as random variables with frequency distributions estimated from company historical data. In critical applications where safety of the end user is the primary concern, it is desirable to detect faulty components at the earliest possible stage in the production flow, and some form of product inspection will always be desirable. The model proposed in this dissertation is particularly suitable under these conditions. The model enables the management practitioner to justify switching between policies based on expected costs. Cost data from a small U.S. Government contractor demonstrates the usefulness and application of the model. A computer simulation is used to illustrate the application of the model and a method for developing probability distribution functions from empirical data is discussed and demonstrated. The simulation results suggest that an evaluation policy based on management consensus or intuition may not always be the lowest cost policy.

Worldwide, the idea of "person-less" banks, and full-service (financial services) institutions which compete with "non-bank" financial services organizations, are becoming the new way of doing business. To meet global competition, the Canadian Financial Services Industry has a need to conduct research into how to design their delivery of services by the most efficient and effective means. Specifically, there is a need to develop and position the operating structure of the institution to best respond to the market place, while meeting internal operational performance goals. Accordingly, a fundamental restructuring and reengineering is occurring within a large Canadian Bank. A major objective of this transformation is to provide more convenient and efficient platforms to the customer for performing transactions. This dissertation is directed at evaluating branch bank performance as a means of identifying best practice. Methods are developed to (1) study the performance of traditional bank branches. This activity involves the development of models characterizing both operational and sales performance, and attempts to uncover sources of inefficiency existing within the present structure; (2) provide tools for evaluating branches under the new structure. This effort will allow banks to examine reengineering options, and facilitate the development of a best strategic option for the organization with regard to branch make up; and (3) branch merger. More generally, the result will aid the Canadian Financial Service Industry in undertaking restructuring and reengineering efforts that are now occurring.

In the United States, on-site (in-situ) oil shale extraction methods are underutilized, leading to a potential loss of $20 billion per year in profit. On-site oil shale extraction methods are not considered when discussing large-scale oil shale extraction operations. Off-site (ex-situ) extraction remains the only commercialized method, but on-site extraction is showing considerable promise. The on-site methods allow for the exploitation of deeper oil shale prospects, which have the potential of producing up to 1.32 trillion barrels of oil. Oil shale is an unconventional hydrocarbon resource that must be considered part of the overall energy solution. There are two general methods for extracting oil shale resources: off-site extraction and on-site extraction. The off-site method consists of surface mining and above ground heating. The on-site methods consist of well drilling, well completion, and underground heating. Due to their technical differences, a comparison of the methods is difficult. This praxis seeks to inform the selection of oil shale extraction methods using a multi-attribute utility function as part of a decision tool. The tool consists of three components: the oil production model, the cost model, and the decision model. The practical application of the tool is to bring on-site extraction methods into the conversation. The Piceance Basin, located in western Colorado, is used to show the application of the tool in the field. With the ability to evaluate different extraction methods and process-heating options using the decision tool, the exploitation of more oil shale is possible. Multi-criteria decision-making methods have seen increased use in process industries. Decision making in mining and offshore oil and gas exploration provides useful insights into how decisions are made and how decision analysis could be used for oil shale projects. When evaluating distinct oil shale extraction alternatives, a decision tool, built around multi-attribute utility theory, simulation, and regression analysis provides the best vehicle for systematic decision making.

Includes bibliography. / This work strives to give an insight into why Statistical Process Control (SPC), a quality management tool, is not yielding desired results in some manufacturing industries such as Atlantis Diesel Engines in the Western Cape. Statistical Process Control is an improvement technique that, when properly used, can improve both the quality and the productivity levels which may subsequently improve the competitiveness of a company. SPC achieves this by highlighting when a process is out of control. This happens at the source and a very early stage. The advantage of this is that in the case of manufacturing, rejects are limited and in some cases prevented depending on the relationship between process capability and specifications. The aim of SPC is to reduce variability of characteristics of a product. Wetherill and Brown (1991) revealed that many organisations regulated the quality of their products with SPC during the Second World War. This gives an idea of how long SPC has been in existence. The widespread use of SPC nearly came to an end in the 1960s. The reason for the abandonment of SPC by leading manufacturing industries in most parts of the world was not clear but the belief was that at that time industries were prospering, with little or no competition. However, in the late 1970s, the Japanese industries took the market by storm by the use of quality management techniques and tools, which were introduced by quality gurus such as Deming, Juran, Crosby and many others. This gave the incentive for organisations that wanted to be world class players in their respective sectors to reconsider exhaustively the use of SPC and its tools. In South Africa, predominantly in the Western Cape, SPC has been reintroduced in many companies over the past eight years. The introduction of SPC in most of the industries has not been a smooth transition as it was based on the misconception that if enough of the "right" improvement activities were carried out, then actual performance improvement would improve. There have been many factors hindering the successful implementation of SPC in manufacturing industries such as ADE. This research aims to identify these factors.

This thesis focuses on the 'Quality of Service' provided by Consulting Civil/Structural engineers. The study assesses whether or not there are shortfalls in the quality of engineering services provided by consulting engineers. It identifies service dimensions that are problematic and also identifies 'real' variables which consulting engineers should manage in order to improve their services. A survey research method was used (pilot and main study) to collect information from management in the consulting industry; and from clients of the consulting engineering profession. The pilot study aimed to determine whether engineers were meeting client expectations; and to what extent formal quality control usage and management support of this, contributed to the delivery of quality services. Furthermore the study aimed to determine whether engineers ever assessed client satisfaction to gather information about providing more accurate services to clients; to determine any costs associated with poor services; and to determine any general service improvements suggested by engineers and clients. The main study aimed to measure the relative size of the gap that existed between the expected and perceived services from clients; as well as the gap across the boundary between clients' expected service and engineers' perceptions of clients' expectations. It was found that on the whole clients were dissatisfied with services received from engineers. This provision of 'poor services' was found to have bigger financial implications to engineers than it did to clients! Three areas of service, were identified which engineers should manage to improve their services i.e. the provision of the optimum solution to the client's exact need, doing this in the allotted time, and tailoring this service to within the client's budget. This was regarded as being superior service provision, and would give engineers the required competitive edge to remain profitable in the market. Includes Bibliography: p. 85.

In order to address the need to remain flexible in dynamic business environments, organisations must focus on the effectiveness of their core operational processes. The importance of operational effectiveness has been claimed to have a direct influence on business performance. In order to improve their effectiveness, many organisations invest in information technology (IT) systems, even though the extent to which these technological initiatives influence operational effectiveness is considered to be largely misunderstood by the organisations who employ them. In this dissertation, the relationship between the Operations and IT departments of a financial services firm is investigated. This study pays particular attention to the factors that have the potential to influence the ability of the organisation to align its strategies. This enquiry takes the form of two distinct research questions: 1) What factors in the organisation have an impact on the success of business process change proposals? 2) How is the role of IT perceived in the preparation of business process change initiatives? The study involved conducting semi-structured interviews with members of both departments. A qualitative inductive approach was used to analyse the data collected from these interviews in order to identify themes. The emergent phenomena were then considered in conjunction with the literature on organisational effectiveness and strategic alignment, in order to develop a theory that answers the research questions. The findings of the theory that developed resulted in four main relationships. They were: how understanding business processes contributes to improved service delivery; how important communication is in contributing to organisational performance; how effective planning has an impact on product complexity; and the impact that effective organisational planning has on the relationship between IT and operations. The results of this study showed that although there was intention to improve alignment between business and IT strategies, with some noteworthy initiatives emerging, there have been a number of factors inhibiting successful alignment. Some of these factors include: a lack of trust in IT solution delivery, IT remaining ignorant to the impact of process changes, the inability to effectively allocate the business analysis function to the correct change proposals, and the silos of process knowledge that exist within operations. The recommendations of this study include: improvements to the visibility of business processes; methods to improve knowledge sharing; and strengthening the focus of the business analysis function.

This research focussed on improving the quality of construction in South Africa by exploring best practices for the quality management of engineering. The research was motivated by several international studies and local press reports pointing to a general lack of quality focus in the construction industry and that engineering is one of the major causes of quality problems in construction.The research approach was to obtain expert opinion through a series of semistructured interviews on the best practices for managing the quality of engineering in the South African construction industry, comparing these practices to international best practices and determining if the experts believe fundamentally unique practices are required by the South African environment. The findings of this research make a contribution to improving the quality of construction in South Africa by providing a number of best practices suggested by South African experts that are aligned with the international literature, providing a number of recommended international best practices, that local experts believe are appropriate to South Africa and finally by concluding that experts believe that, apart from special practices needed to address shortages of engineering skills, international practices, techniques, tools and systems are applicable in South Africa. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMSs) are usually composed of general purpose machines with automatic tool changing capability and integrated material handling. FMSs offer the advantages of high utilization levels and simultaneous production of a variety of part types with minimal changeover time. The complexity of FMSs however requires sophisticated control. In this dissertation a four level control hierarchy along with computationally feasible control algorithms for each level is presented. Decisions are made at each level utilizing the flexibility inherent in FMSs. The proposed scheme has the advantages of ensuring satisfaction of higher level decisions as lower level operating decisions are made, and allows performance and status data collected at lower levels to be fed back and influence future high level decisions. The top level is concerned with the choice of part types and volumes to be assigned to the FMS over the next several months. Within this horizon, production volumes are planned for each period, a period typically being between a week and a month in length. A linear programming model is used for planning at this level. The second level plans daily or shift production. Advantage is taken of the FMSs ability to be configured to respond to different part mixes to allocate tools to machines so as to minimize holding costs. Separate mathematical programming models are formulated to match various FMS environments. A heuristic for solution of a model of an automated production flexible environment is detailed. Computational results are presented. Extensions of this heuristic to other environments are outlined. The third level determines process routes for each part type in order to minimize material handling. Additional tools are loaded on machines when possible to maximize alternate routings, and using the flexibility offered by FMSs to process parts along alternate routes, routing assignments are made to minimize workload assignment. These routing assignments are used by level four for actual routing, sequencing and material handling path control. The level three model is formulated as a linear program and heuristics are used for level four. An example is provided to illustrate the completeness of the decision hierarchy and the relationships between levels.

M.Com. (Informatics) / Research into formalised methods for software engineering has resulted in many solutions to the known problems of software development. One of these problems is the difficulty involved In managing the cost of software development. Though attempts are made to solve the problem of budget and schedule overruns during project management, there still seems to be a lack of useful formal methods and approaches. In this dissertation such a formalised approach is presented. This approach Is based on the principle that cost should be actively managed just like any other aspect of software development. Within this framework the management of cost is defined as a process of identifying, estimating, measuring and controlling those factors that Influence the cost of development. Many methods exists through which the estimation of cost can be facilitated. The fact that such methods are available does not seem to solve the problem because cost management Involves more than just cost estimation. The research done to formalise this approach includes a discussion on the background of software engineering and the state of the science. It also includes an investigation Into the use of development metrics. The cost of software development is analyzed to determine the influence of different environmental factors on cost. A few estimation models are also discussed to determine the useability of such methods during cost management. A synopsis of how these subjects are covered In this dissertation is as follows: Chapter one serves as an Introduction to the research by giving a background to the development of software engineering. The limitations of current practices are emphasized and certain research questions are formulated. Chapter two discusses formal methods of development in the form of process models as a basis for the management of development cost. This chapter also analyzes development metrics as a method of measurement during development and cost management. The analysis provides as a framework for the identification and application of metrics during the process of cost management. Chapter three defines the extent of development cost and analyzes all factors contributing to the cost of software. The chapter discusses each of these factors by examining the possible influence of each on the effort of development and the Interdependence of these factors. Chapter four discusses a case study to be applied during discussions In the rest of the dissertation. Chapter five examines different approaches to the estimation of software development cost. The chapter serves as an introduction to subsequent chapters that deal with specific estimation models. Chapter six discusses an estimation model developed by Blokdijk. The chapter gives an overview of the principles Involved in and the application of the model.

Now face of the twenty-one century, "knowledge economy era", the era of knowledge economy is the very important factor in resources, knowledge, and knowledge is most valuable, special in construction industry business. Many industries (especially in the construction industry ) has been gradually realized that sustainable competitive advantage to be no longer just a physical plant, land, labor, raw materials, capital, technology, but the intangible knowledge assets, knowledge management as if become the most popular topic, so have the knowledge management organization. This study is major in study the " knowledge management " used in the construction industry, through study and in-depth study in construction project about " how to united resources and knowledge property " and using in specific- project, and let this become useful in the highly competitive market, enhance the company become more competitive topic. In this study, we use "knowledge management" as based and research; we use open type interviews and study and use try from theory to practice and got report from tablet (case studies) the conclusions of this study was obtained are: 1. the "knowledge management "how they affect in Construction industry¡D 2. "knowledge management" success factor 3. We study the "knowledge management" in construction industry and project industry management relations. 4. Corporate knowledge management actives of the establishment, for the impact of construction technology management strategy development.