A research report submitted to the faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation (MMENVC) Wits Business School, 2016 / In order for developing countries like South Africa to not only compete in business at an international level, but to also establish a sustained competitive advantage in this increasingly integrated global business economy, a radical change in thinking is required. Technological innovation, knowledge and its application, which holistically explains an enterprise‟s technological innovation capability, are absolutely essential for modern firms looking to develop strategic and operational prowess on a global scale. Research in this field has largely highlighted the lack of technological innovation capabilities in developing regions around the world, and more recently the need for nations and firms to increasingly invest heavily in fostering technological innovation as a means for national economic growth. The same notion goes for the practice of corporate entrepreneurship, which has been internationally recognised as an integral aspect of firm survival, growth and relevance in all sectors and industries around the world. However, while several researchers agree that the relationship between technological innovation capabilities and corporate entrepreneurship is not clear, it is also vague as to the effect this relationship consequently has on organisational performance. Therefore, this research aims to delineate these relationships, specifically between technological innovation capabilities and corporate entrepreneurship, between technological innovation capabilities and organisational performance, between corporate entrepreneurship and organisational performance and through these constructs, shed some light on the investment capability of firms in these concepts in the context of the South African Media and Entertainment Industry. The research looks at the seven dimensions of technological innovation capabilities, the four dimensions of corporate entrepreneurship and a minor dimension on investment capability, all in relation to firm performance. This research employs both a regression and multi-correlation analysis to demonstrate the relationships between the two constructs and their individual relationships to firm performance. / GR2018

Performance audit as an audit discipline has developed seriously since the late 1970s. Due to its developing nature, it has been noted that it lacks formal methodologies. One such methodology is in the specific design of an audit program; this is important as the audit program is the basis of the audit. This study attempts to create a methodology of audit program design specifically for performance auditing and to present this in a model format. Grounded theory will be applied. The result indicates a methodology and model specific for performance audit can be compiled. The methodology and model were evaluated against SAICA and INTOSAI performance audit standards. In order to test the methodology and model in the external environment it was applied to an existing private sector business. No problems were identified. The value of this research study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in that grounded theory was applied to develop a performance audit methodology specific to performance audit, the proposed methodology and model contributes to audit program design within performance audit, and in the evaluation of the methodology and model against SAICA and INTOSAI performance audit standards. Further research is required to confirm the applicability of the methodology and model in the private and public sectors. Keywords Performance audit; audit program; grounded theory; private sector; public sector; process; risk; control; risk-based auditing; efficiency; effectiveness; economy

MSc Physiotherapy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / The use of reliable and valid outcome measures in clinical research as well as clinical practice is very important. Self reported questionnaires are widely used as outcome measures to assess the subjective perception of disability caused by low back pain (LBP). The Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ), Quebec Disability Scale (QDS) and Waddell Disability Index (WDI) have been identified as reliable and valid instruments for assessing disability caused by LPB in English speaking patients. The three questionnaires were translated, back-translated and tested in a final version for use with Tswana speaking subjects. The questionnaires were tested on one hundred respondents, who met the inclusion criteria, at five hospitals in Tswana speaking areas. Of the one hundred respondents 31 were retested 24 hours later. No significant floor or ceiling effects were found for all three questionnaires. There was moderate correlation between the RMDQ, WDI and the DRI (0.74 and 0.63, respectively). The correlation between the QDS and the Disability Rating Index (DRI) was strong (0.85). The RMDQ, QDS and WDI correlated moderately with the VAS (pain) (0.63, 0.68 and 0.74, respectively). The RMDQ, QDS and WDI appeared to be internally consistent scales with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.92, 0.95 and 0.75, respectively. The RMDQ, QDS and WDI showed excellent test-retest reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient values of 0.93, 0.91 and 0.84, respectively. The results suggest that the Tswana versions of the RMDQ, QDS and WDI validated in this study are easy to understand, valid and reliable instruments for the measurement of functional disability caused by LBP in a Tswana speaking population. Therefore, these translated instruments may be useful clinical methods for collecting standardised data on activity limitations resulting from LBP in a Tswana speaking population.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management, specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2016 / The prominence of international entrepreneurship in the global economy is of great importance and interest to researchers, entrepreneurs and governments alike. International business and accelerated internationalisation focus on multinational companies as well as entrepreneurial ventures for growth and innovative collaborations across borders in the global environment. The dominant logic for any corporate organisation today is to ensure that it facilitates and fosters an ecosystem that is conducive to innovation. The concept of generating opportunity through creativity and exploiting it with innovation, has proved to be extremely difficult, yet valuable. Innovation and control systems balance each other to ensure a pro-entrepreneurial organisational climate. Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) has received substantial attention in entrepreneurship research, which expands and develops a cumulative body of knowledge. The CE strategy is conceptualised by identifying key principles and components. This research is formulated to investigate the pro-entrepreneurial organisational architecture, as well as the entrepreneurial process and behaviour that individually and collectively encourage entrepreneurial orientation (EO). The relationships between the identified variables and moderators in a bank in the financial sector of South Africa are measured. Stevenson’s (1983) dimensions of entrepreneurial management, defined as a set of opportunity-based constructs, was measured by the EM measurement scale. Entrepreneurial orientation (EO) was assessed with the Miller/Covin- Slevin scale and linked to the entrepreneurial or innovative process of the company. Analysis of 178 samples (n=2229) indicated positive relationships between the variables, confirming theories in literature on the effects or predictions of the elements in the CE strategy on each other. The effect of success or failure in implementation indicated no moderating effect. Recommendations to address in future research are suggested. / MT2017

This research study sought to explore typical organisational structures that are prevalent in South African large construction companies, and investigate their behaviour towards employee involvement. The study proceeded by providing an understanding of the relationship between organisational structures and employee involvement, and draws general deductions of the influence of employee involvement on organisational performance. The aim of this research was to investigate the level of employee involvement on various organisational structures as employee involvement was felt as one of the contributing factors towards the success of any construction company. It was acknowledged that inappropriate organisational design leads to poor involvement of employees. The scope of this research is limited to the selected five large construction companies in South Africa. The research approach to the study was quantitative in nature, collected data was statistically analysed and presented through appropriate means. Research techniques employed for data collection were surveys and interviews. Surveys were completed by employees, while interviews were conducted with management level staff using a selfadministered questionnaire. A sample population of 71 respondents was obtained from a study response rate of 33%. The research findings confirmed the existence of a relationship between organisational structures and employee involvement. It was also revealed that from the large construction companies investigated, 60%, use hybrid (a combination of divisional and geographical) structures as their organisational structure. Two of the three (67%) hybrid structured companies achieved the best organisational performance measured over a period between 2008 and 2012. In conclusion, hybrid structures have proven to be the most appropriate organisational structures that are encouraging to employee involvement. From the findings, companies structured in this manner achieved the best financial results by becoming the first and second achievers in the overall financial assessment. Companies can be similarly structured, but may differ substantially in their effectiveness because organisational success lies in employee involvement and the quality of the human resources at its disposal. When implemented properly, employee involvement impacts the customer experience and subsequently, the overall organisational performance by means of high productivity and profitability. This study makes a modest contribution to the understanding of the relationship between employee involvement and organisational performance in the South African construction industry. Similarly to the previous studies in other sectors and countries, the findings of this study provided empirical evidence that employee involvement has an influence on organisational performance. The implications of this study to the South African construction industry are as follows: construction companies must constantly seek for opportunities to participate on projects outside the country. There are substantial work opportunities that are available in other developing economies such as: Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Congo, etc. At this point in time, the South African construction industry is not able to sustain all its role players. The South African government has to finally unlock the infrastructure expenditure plans that have been on the pipeline for a long time. This country as a developing economy still reflects huge infrastructural backlogs, and this expenditure could ignite the much needed growth and development for the entire economy. South Africa’s large construction companies are to expand and show real growth in as far as competing at global stage with some of the biggest construction firms in the world. This would lead to growth and expansion of all construction companies and effectively the development of the entire construction industry. The attempt to attain best practise international standards will also lead to improvements in poor performances that have constantly plagued the industry in the recent past. Keywords: Organisational Structures, Employee Involvement, Organisational Performance, Construction Industry, South Africa

This mixed methods study investigated the self-reported frequency of professional development experiences mentors have had with their mentees and with other mentors and identified the self-reported beliefs they hold about mentoring. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey of teachers from one school district that had mentored at least one time within the past 2 years. Specifically, mentors were asked to report how often they engaged in specific activities with their mentees and with other mentors. Mentors were also asked to report the degree to which they believed given statements were true about mentoring (a) as a professional development experience for the mentors themselves; (b) as a way to improve mentors' own classroom teaching practice; and (c) as an avenue for leadership roles in schools. Qualitative data were collected through face-to-face interviews with mentors to better understand the quality of their experiences and to identify those experiences that were more powerful in terms of shaping their beliefs. In addition, data were analyzed to determine the relationship between the frequency of mentors' experiences and their beliefs. The results show that the frequency of experiences mentors have had with their mentees and with other mentors was positively and significantly related to their beliefs in 5 out of 6 cases. Mentors reported strong beliefs about mentoring as professional development for themselves, as a way to improve their own classroom teaching practice, and as a vehicle for leadership in schools. This study sought to put mentors in the forefront by exploring their experiences and their beliefs about mentoring. This focus on the mentor teacher and not just the mentee places this research at the core of improving teaching practice and viewing mentoring as an educative experience for veteran and novice alike. / by Tammy L. Bresnahan. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Outsourcing has become a significant factor in the U.S. economy over the past two decades. Annual report disclosures made by a firm related to outsourcing are voluntary disclosures. Understanding the determinants and firm performance implications of initial outsourcing annual report disclosures is important to capital market providers, standards developers, and to the firms themselves. I identify and study firms making initial voluntary disclosures of outsourcing in their annual reports on Form 10-K between 1993 and 2003 after they make non-annual report related public disclosures. Specifically, I investigate if determinants of the initial annual report disclosure decision and subsequent performance are associated with the initial disclosure. This study contends managers disclose information related to outsourcing in their annual reports to reduce information asymmetry and to minimize agency costs. I hypothesize and develop a firm-related variable commonly used in agency theory to test this assertion. Signaling theory and voluntary disclosure theory also explain the determinants for firm voluntary outsourcing annual report disclosures. I develop several hypotheses defining determinants potentially associated with the likelihood of initial annual report outsourcing disclosure decisions, and test these determinants using a conditional logistic regression model and a matched-pair group of firms making public outsourcing disclosures but not making annual report disclosure. Using signaling theory, I also develop hypotheses testing if the initial outsourcing annual report disclosure sends a signal regarding future firm performance--specifically testing firm performance measures related to profitability and cash flow. I test these hypotheses using OLS models and the same matched-pair group of firms. I find firms with high levels of debt, high total cost ratios, and high returns on assets are more likely to make initial annual report outsourcing disclosure. / I also find firms may signal improvements in future levels of profitability when making the initial annual report outsourcing disclosure. / by Ronald F. Premuroso. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2008. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, FL : 2008 Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Organisations in both private and public sector have embraced Project Management as the ideal means of managing projects with the hopes of ensuring that they deliver their intended benefit. Projects have therefore become particularly prominent within the public sector including Municipalities, as a means of fulfilling developmental goals and delivering services. This has resulted in organisations investing considerable resources to ensure that they build the capacity needed to effectively manage projects. This investment usually takes the form of training and development of project managers or adopting and implementing project management methodologies with clear processes that guide how projects are managed. Within academia there has also been a broad spectrum of research devoted to the field of project management. A major focus area of project management research has been to determine the value of Project Management by measuring aspects of an organization’s project management performance and how best they can improve it to ensure project success. However, despite the advances in Project research and the practice of project management, organisations continue to face low project success rates. Findings from previous research has found that project management is very context specific and that there is not a ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to implementing project management practices. Therefore, organisations should be tailoring their project management approach to best suit their unique needs. This study has therefore chosen to evaluate project management performance within Municipalities in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of which was to find how best municipalities can improve their current performance and ensure project success. The rationale for this research is further supported by evidence which indicates that project management within the public sector is generally less developed than in the private sector. In this study a construct was developed to define project management performance consisting of Project Management Maturity, the impact of project teams and effective project partnerships. Project management maturity was analysed adapting a project management maturity model developed by Labuschagne and Marnewick (2008). Project success was defined by five project success criteria that were identified through literature reviews. The success criteria consisted of the completion of a project within time, budget, quality requirements, satisfaction of the public’s needs and ensuring organizational success. A survey questionnaire was developed and distributed to 108 project managers working within a selected municipal department in South Africa. The results of this research has provided evidence of the link between project management performance and project success within municipalities. These findings provide insights on which aspects of their project management practice a municipality should focus on and develop to maximise project success. In addition, the research also contributes to a deeper insight into the application, benefits and pitfalls of project management maturity models.

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration in Project Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / The single most critical factor responsible for the success of any project is the human element as this is the point at which projects succeed. Senior technically qualified managers have recorded high failure rates in areas where they have hard skills relevant to the industry. The levels of technical expertise and technology should have facilitated the project execution process and increased the success rate of project management. Contrary to this, the IT industry for instance, has recorded an average 47% failure rates regardless of the fact that IT specialists manage them. Project management has been defined as a unique undertaking limited by time, quality and budget within a prescribed scope. Depending on the type of the project, there is a need for different expertise to operate in the different stages in the life cycle of the project as well as the elements or WBSs of the project. Where people are involved there is bound to be conflicts, and these conflicts need to be managed. Because of the nature of project management, specialists who together comprise of the project team head WBSs. This team originates from different sources, and in the matrix system is comprised of people seconded to the project but whose loyalty remains with their departments. Such teams are therefore comprised of people who may not share the same culture or work ethics, together with the differences in approaching their duties. It becomes the responsibility of the project leader therefore to enable these “secondments” to be satisfied in their new positions so that they can be productive. This research sought out to identify generic requirements to satisfy a team and get the best out of the team.

Thesis (MEd)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2018. / Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) policy is an initiative intended to up-skill teachers, and in so doing improve schooling and learner achievement. CPTD involves the participation of teachers in various developmental activities for which they earn CPTD points. The professional development of teachers in South Africa has been erratic and, as a consequence, there has been a decline in the quality of teachers. Despite there being formal structures in place, policy implementation continues to be a problem. The purpose of this study was to identify constraints and opportunities regarding CPTD policy implementation in the Western Cape. The research tradition of interpretivism was chosen, allowing for a qualitative case study design to be employed. The non-probability sampling method was used to select a purposive sample of three WCED officials and four school principals. Convenience sampling was applied in identifying 24 teachers. Other data were drawn from policy documents. The study was conducted in an urban and rural district within the Western Cape. This study is significant in that it informs policy makers and implementers, and other stakeholders about the constraints and opportunities with regard to CPTD implementation and in so doing, paves the way for more effective implementation. Findings revealed that constraints outweighed opportunities. In spite of time constraints, principals and teachers reported that they are in support of professional development, but are not in support of the CPTD management system implemented by SACE. They do not agree with the one-size-fits-all approach to implementation, nor the focus of development being the collection of CPTD points. It is thus deemed that a review of the CPTD policy is necessary in order to clear the misconception that accumulation of PD points is the primary focus of CPTD. Granted, teachers would still need to collect points to monitor their growth. A recommendation is made in this study to improve the system and ensure that it is functional and accessible to all teachers at all times, including those in rural districts.