This study surveys the theoretical literature dealing with the behavior of technology suppliers in the presence of network externalities with a focus on economies of compatibility setting and promotional pricing. Positive network externalities arise when a good is more valuable to a user because more users adopt the same good or compatible ones. There are two issues with network externalities: demand side and supply side. This paper focuses on the supply side, and it relates the way that technologies are chosen and promoted. On the supply side, product compatibility choice, technology sponsorship, penetration pricing, and product pre-announcement are the competing strategies of firms operating in a market with network externalities. Among these strategies, compatibility choice decisions and promotional pricing are presented in the two different subsections, which follows. / Master of Arts

This thesis develops and demonstrates a methodology for formulating a link between physical efficiency, economic efficiency, and organizational efficiency, and then uses the link developed earlier for justifying capital expenditures. Two scenarios have been used to demonstrate the methodology in two phases. The first phase deals with the formulation of the link between physical efficiency, economic efficiency, and organizational efficiency. The second phase uses the methodology developed in phase one to perform a multi-period analysis. This multi-period analysis shows that an increase in the efficiency of the physical environment results in an increase in the efficiency of the economic environment for two hypothetical companies. The increase in the efficiency of the economic environment results in increased profits, which are a necessary but not sufficient condition for the existence of the organization. The increase in profits further leads to satisfaction of individual wants for four classes of contributors to the organization, and, thus, to an increase in the overall efficiency of the organizational process. / Master of Science

Traditionally, organizational commitment has been proposed as an important factor leading to desired behavioral consequences (Angle and Perry, 1981). Organizationally-committed individuals remain in an organization, perform reliably, and are even willing to make contributions to an organization's operation which go beyond what is expected of them (Schein, l980; Steers, 1977). One company that seems to rely heavily on the organizational commitment or its participants is Amway Corporation. Amway Corporation is a multi-level direct sales company that specializes in personal and home care products. In just 25 years it has grown from a low-budget company serving a regional market into a multimillion dollar corporation with markets in over 45 countries and territories and approximately one million distributors. Although some of Amway's remarkable organizational success must be attributed to product quality and its dynamic and inclusive recruitment policy, it seems possible that much of Amway's success must be traced back to the organizational commitment of its distributors. Amway Corporation attempts to enhance distributor commitment to the organization by providing material and non-material incentives, thereby promoting what Weber ( t 978) referred to as instrumental and value-rational, as well as affective forms of social action. The present study focused on the following research questions: What is the relationship between organizational commitment and successful Amway distributor task performance? What effect does the nature of distributor's organizational involvement have on the relationship between organizational commitment and distributor success? What role docs emotional attachment to Amway play in promoting successful distributor task performance? These different types of social action suggest different types of organizational involvement that might be exhibited by individuals in a complex organization. Based largely on the theoretical work of Etzioni (1961, 1975), and Clark and Wilson (1975), organizational involvement is conceptualized in the present study as the importance or material, purposive, and solidary incentives for distributor's continuing participation in Amway, and may be distinguished into two types: calculative and moral. Based on data collected on 121 Amway distributors, using two separate samples, this study found that there is a positive relationship between organizational commitment and distributor success. It was also found that organizational involvement and commitment are highly related. The hypothesis proposing that combining calculative and moral involvement greatly enhances the relationship between organizational commitment and overall distributor success was not supported. Calculative involvement and organizational commitment were found to have an interactive effect on overall distributor success. It was found that various time-use factors, such as number of months respondents had been in Amway, number of hours spent weekly motivating downline distributors, and the number of hours spent weekly selling products were also related to overall distributor success. The total number of hours spent weekly on Amway-related activities, and the number of hours spent weekly showing the Amway Sales and Marketing Plan were not significantly related to overall distributor success. / Ph. D.

by Fung Kin-piu, Ernest, Wong Yun-tak, Ted. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaf 40. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.iv / PREFACE --- p.v / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Literature Review --- p.2 / Early and Late Market Entry Decisions --- p.5 / The Hong Kong Situation --- p.5 / Chapter II. --- RESEARCH METHODOLOGY --- p.7 / Statement of Objectives --- p.7 / Research Design --- p.7 / Data Collection Method --- p.9 / Sampling --- p.10 / Chapter III. --- DATA ANALYSIS --- p.12 / Method of Analysis --- p.12 / Results --- p.14 / Distribution of Relative Weights in the sample --- p.14 / Result for H1 --- p.15 / Result for H2 --- p.15 / Result for H3 --- p.17 / Chapter IV. --- LIMITATIONS --- p.18 / Biases in Design Process --- p.18 / Biases in Data Collection --- p.19 / Biases in Data Analysis --- p.20 / Chapter V. --- CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION --- p.23 / Identification of Entry Barriers --- p.23 / Importance of Market Entry Barriers --- p.23 / Managerial Implications --- p.24 / APPENDIX --- p.28 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.40

by Kok-fai Chung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-92). / Chapter Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Corporate Capital Structure Decision: A Review of Theory and Evidence --- p.5 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.5 / Chapter B. --- Static Tradeoff Theory --- p.6 / Chapter C. --- Agency Theory --- p.11 / Chapter D. --- Asymmetric Information Theory --- p.13 / Chapter E. --- The Choice of Providers of Finance --- p.16 / Chapter F. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.19 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- An Analysis on Aggregate Capital Structure of Japanese Manufacturing Corporations --- p.22 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.22 / Chapter B. --- Setting the Stage --- p.22 / Chapter C. --- Historical Predominance of Bank Loans in Japan and Main Bank System --- p.25 / Chapter D. --- Substitutions of Bond Issues and Internal Fund for Bank Borrowings --- p.29 / Chapter E. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.35 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Determinants of Financial Heterogeneity among the Japanese Manufacturing Corporations: An Econometric Analysis --- p.42 / Chapter A. --- Introduction --- p.42 / Chapter B. --- Statistical Evidence of Financial Heterogeneity of Japanese Manufacturing Corporations --- p.43 / Chapter C. --- Factors Affecting the Debt-Equity Choice and Bank Loan- Bond Issue Choice --- p.52 / Chapter D. --- Data Sources and Methods of Sampling and Estimations --- p.68 / Chapter E. --- Estimation Results and Discussions --- p.70 / Chapter F. --- Concluding Remarks --- p.79 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Conclusion --- p.82 / Bibliography --- p.86

by Chan Kong Wah. / Bibliography: leaves 112-115 / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1983

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Harvard University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 687-714).

Master of Arts / Department of Economics / Peri da Silva / Economists use various models to explain why it is that firms are capable of pricing above marginal cost. In this paper, we will examine two of them: the Cournot and Bertrand duopoly models. Economists generally accept both models as good explanations of the phenomenon, but the two models contradict each other in various important ways. The puzzle is that two inconsistent explanations are both regarded as good explanations for the same phenomenon. This becomes especially worrisome when the two models are offering divergent policy recommendations. This report presents that puzzle by laying out how the two models contradict each other in a myriad of ways and then offers five possible solutions to that puzzle from various economists, philosophers of science, and philosophers of economics.

This research examines management of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the two transitional countries of the former Soviet Union - Kazakhstan and Russia. The study focuses on how key PPP actors in Russia and Kazakhstan perceive and adapt to contract regulation, risk allocation and dispute resolution challenges in PPP management. The qualitative study draws on data from 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews with the respondents from four partnership projects, national and regional PPP centres, law firms and the government. Through a qualitative analysis of the interview data, four principal themes have emerged including partner opportunistic behaviour in a PPP; partner interaction; risk management in a PPP; and constraints and impediments to effective PPP governance. Utilising the PPP governance concept as the guiding theoretical framework, the research highlighted partners' opportunistic behaviour. A private partner exhibited its opportunism in a tariff setting and cost increases, whilst the public sector partners demonstrated their opportunistic behaviour by shifting public acceptance risk to a private party, exerting pressure in order to achieve results faster than contracted and framing a private partner's management flexibility. The findings revealed that partners from both sectors tend to downplay the significance of governance structures that would permit them to effectively interact and resolve all kinds of issues including those of risk management. Investigation of tools for dispute resolution between partners showed that this area of collaboration is virtually non-existent. Partners largely disregard formal mechanisms for dispute resolution and excessively rely on informal relations. The research identified a large number of commonalities in PPP management and no major discrepancy between Kazakhstan and Russia with regards to partnership management and PPP critical success factors. In the latter, managing public-private relationship during the entire project term is the principal factor. The study developed a model for more deeply understanding PPP governance in the two countries, which is the thesis' original contribution to knowledge. The model's core is the emergent PPP policy paradigm that the governments in both countries use. The study delineated the paradigm's principal elements and dynamics that contribute to PPP management changes in Kazakhstan and Russia. The research also contributes to knowledge by enhancing opportunism's definition and its application in the PPP setting.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this research project is to describe the journey to a process enterprise. This research project is a combination of work been done by Dr. Michael Hammer about the process enterprise and the author. The bulk of the theory of the research project is the following courses that were presented by Dr. Hammer in Boston, USA: • The Transition to the Process Enterprise: Strategies and Techniques. • Managing the Process Enterprise: Principles and Practices. • Process Design and Implementation: Reengineering and Change Management. A model of the research project is designed by the author who includes a theoretical summary of the two books written by Dr. Hammer about the process enterprise: • The Agenda. • Beyond Reengineering. A further model is designed which form part of the research project model, and is a roadmap to implement the process enterprise concepts. This model is based on the process lifecycle and covered all the material of the three courses presented by Dr. Hammer. The process lifecycle is the journey to a process enterprise which will result in improved sustainable enterprise or business performances if implemented. The sub parts of the process lifecycle model are the following: • Building commitment for the process enterprise. • Mobilisation to perform processes. • Process metries, prioritisation and targets. • Plan the process work. • Work the process plan. • Persuade, sell and align. • Change management. The different chapters of the process lifecycle are tools and techniques that must be implemented in a chronological order to become a process enterprise. The implementation of these tools and techniques will transform a traditional functional enterprise to a process enterprise. The last part of the research project described the practical experience by Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation on their journey to a process enterprise. Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation is a zinc mine owned by the South African diversified mining house, Kumba Resources. Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation delivered spectacular results since the implementation of the process enterprise concept. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van die navorsings projek is om die transformasie na 'n proses gedrewe organisasie te beskryf. Die navorsings projek is 'n kombinasie van werk wat gedoen is deur Dr. Michael Hammer en die outeur. Die grootste gedeelte van die teorie is afkomstig vanaf die volgende kursusse wat deur Dr. Hammer aangebied is in Boston, USA: • The Transition to the Process Enterprise: Strategies and Techniques. • Managing the Process Enterprise: Principles and Practices. • Process Design and Implementation: Reengineering and Change Management. 'n Model is ontwerp vir die navorsings projek wat 'n teoretiese opsomming insluit van die twee boeke wat geskryf is deur Dr. Hammer oor die proses gedrewe organisasie. Die twee boeke is die volgende: • The Agenda. • Beyond Reengineering. 'n Verdere model is ontwikkel deur die outeur wat deel vorm van die navorsings projek model wat 'n padkaart is om die proses gedrewe organisasie konsepte te implementeer. Die model is gebaseer op die proses iterasies en bevat al die materiaal van die kursusse wat deur Dr. Hammer aangebied is. Die proses iterasies is die transformasie na 'n proses gedrewe organisasie wat sal lei tot verbeterde volhoubare besigheids prestasie, indien die konsepte geimplementeer word. Die sub gedeeltes van die proses iterasie model is die volgende: • Verkry toewyding vir die proses gedrewe organisasie. • Mobiliseer om die prosesse te implementeer. • Proses metings, prioritisering en doelwitte. • Beplan die proses werk. • Werk die proses plan. • Oorreed, verkoop en belyn. • Veranderings bestuur. Die verskillende hoofstukke van die proses iterasie is gereedskap en tegnieke wat in 'n kronologiese volgorde geimplementeer moet word om te transformeer na 'n proses gedrewe organisasie. Die suksesvolle implementering van die gereedskap en tegnieke sal 'n tradisionele funsionele organisasie transformeer na proses gedrewe organisasie. Die laaste gedeelte van die navorsings projek beskryf die praktiese ervaring van Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation met hul implementering van die proses gedrewe organisasie konsepte. Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation is 'n sinkmyn wat deur die gediversifiseerde mynhuis, Kumba Resources, besit word. Rosh Pinah Zinc Corporation het uitstekende resultate gelewer sedert die implementering van die proses gedrewe organisasie konsepte.