Competitive advantage is crucial for a business to be sustainable, yet many small- and medium-sized enterprises are not engaging in supplier development in order to achieve a competitive advantage. This empirical study was conducted on a sample of 64 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing industry in Kempton Park, Gauteng. The factors that influence engagement in supplier development were analysed to assess whether supplier development can lead to competitive advantage and other benefits. The findings indicate that supplier development can create and improve competitive advantage, as well as lead to other benefits. Four factors were found to have a relationship with supplier development, and therefore could influence the decision to take part in supplier development. Small- and medium-sized enterprises can use tools such as supplier development in order to be competitive and have an advantage over their competitors. The awareness of operational performance measures, competitive advantage, judgment of the absence or existence of trust, and a buyer’s relative power can all influence participation in supplier development.

From Introduction: 1. Background to the thesis: During the 1950' sand 1960' s it would appear that the explicit objectives of economic policy in South Africa were full employment and economic growth with some occasional emphasis on the pursuit of relative price stability. Other goals such as efficiency in resource allocation and the pursuit of an "acceptable" income distribution were at best implicit and subordinate to these objectives. This is exemplified by the fact that a number of key prices which were controlled by the authorities such as the exchange rate, interest rates and public utility tariffs were generally set at levels which were either over- or under-priced relative to factor scarcities throughout this period.

The research problem addressed in this study was to determine the challenges facing the financial manager in the manufacturing organisation and the possible ways of surmounting these challenges. To achieve this objective, relevant literature was reviewed and an empirical survey conducted. The main challenges identified are discussed under the following headings: · Regulatory requirements; · Information age; · Employees; · Economic environment; Each challenge was broken down into sub-challenges that were analysed using literature identified in the literature study. This information was used to develop a questionnaire to test the degree to which financial managers working for manufacturing organisations are challenged. The empirical results obtained indicate a strong concurrence with the literature study emphasising the importance of the identified challenges and the best possible ways of surmounting these challenges.

During the past three decades Information Technology (IT) has been constantly evolving and has emerged into a significant component and enabler of most organisations strategy, to the point that modern day organisations are intrinsically dependent on IT (Peppard and Ward, 2004). Henderson and Venkatraman (1993) advocate that for an organisation to be successful in a dynamic and competitive business environment it is imperative that there is an effective and efficient IT strategy that enables the business strategy and processes. Volkswagen South Africa (VWSA)in 2007 launched its corporate strategy, 1:10:100 – 2010 At the end of this stated period 2010, VWSA achieved several of its objectives, namely surpassing its competitors in passenger vehicle sales volume, improving its customer satisfaction, achieving a higher level of local parts content per unit, developing its people and improving its infrastructure and processes.

All world class manufacturing organizations have shop floor management in place. Shop floor management principles and tools are utilised to plan and to react in out of control conditions. Shop floor management is also utilised to involve people in decision making and to encourage continuous improvement. Various shop floor management principles exist and are applied differently depending on the nature of the business, however all these principles are present in all the companies researched. SA Canopy currently applies very little or no shop floor management principles. To be able to achieve its objectives and mission set by the new shareholders, shop floor excellence must be achieved. The objective of the study was to establish shop floor management principles utilised by the automotive industry as well as best in class organizations. To achieve this, a comprehensive literature study was performed on shop floor management. A questionnaire and audit schedule was designed based on guidelines in the literature study in order to establish what shop floor management principles are being utilised in the industry. The researcher used random sampling methods in distributing the questionnaire. An internal audit of the companies was conducted to support the responses in from the questionnaires. The opinions of the various respondents were compared with the guidelines provided in the literature survey in order to indentify shop floor management principles which would be suitable for SA Canopy. The following main recommendations were made: In order for SA canopy to achieve its objectives the company needs to develop a mission statement for everyone to work towards; SA Canopy needs to become more customer and supplier orientated. This will improve the overall performance of the business in respect of cost, quality and output; It is important that SA Canopy promotes teamwork so as to create a culture of continuous improvement; Problem solving skills need to be developed in the organization; Roles of Supervision need to be clearly defined and development programmes need to be put in place for supervision; A management process similar to the “Plan, Do, Check, Action “needs to be put in place to ensure effective actioning and monitoring of improvements and performance of stakeholders.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 1987. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: No abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaar

M. Tech. Entrepreneurship / This study examined the practice of corporate entrepreneurship within K.C. Auto Technology (K.C. Auto Tech), a company that specializes in auto electrical service and parts in South Africa, serving the entire automotive, heavy-duty, construction and agricultural industry. Corporate entrepreneurship is a top-down process, which originates with and filters down to employees. It is a management strategy to foster workforce initiatives and efforts to innovate and develop new business. An assessment of the corporate entrepreneurial environment is cardinal to the successful implementation of an intrapreneurial strategy which may assist K.C. Auto Technology in gaining a competitive edge. The researcher aimed to explore the extent to which corporate entrepreneurship is practised within K.C. Auto Technology.

There has never been an age in which change did not take place. However, the increase in the unpredictability of many factors of the 21st century means that organisations are susceptible to, and must embrace change. This results in an increase in the pace at which organisations may have to deal with change. This research study evaluates the interventions considered to bring about optimal change within organisations. In order to complete this study it was necessary to address the fundamentals of change management, tools utilised to manage change and the current theoretical models that assist organisations in managing change. The study took place within the Eastern Cape as it is regarded as the second fastest growing economy in South Africa. The researcher used the automotive cluster as the population for the study as it is the largest industry within the Eastern Cape. Based on the theoretical findings of a literature survey a questionnaire was developed and distributed to a randomly selected sample in the automotive cluster. The objective of the questionnaire was to evaluate the theory used and to develop a process model of change management. The results of the empirical study were statistically analysed and interpreted. Among the most important findings of the research was the fact that organisations in the Eastern Cape do not follow any specific theoretical model for managing change and very few organisations have a formal change management policy. Although the respondents to the survey acknowledged that it is imperative to engender an awareness of change management principles, especially among top management, the majority does not adhere to this principle because it is too time consuming! This research study highlights a number of areas where the management of change can be improved and presents a practical process model that can be adapted and used by the majority of organisations within the East Cape Motor Industry Cluster.

This study investigated relationships between marketing success, the level of external environmental complexity and turbulence, and marketing mix tactics. The literature suggested that more successful companies in simple and stable environments use stabilising marketing tactics, while more successful companies in complex and turbulent environments use destabilising tactics, regardless of industry habits, management preferences or market sector. A marketing mix model for the different environments was developed using a chaos and complexity theory perspective. The study was exploratory, using a qualitative, case study technique. Data was collected via depth interviews and document analysis from four companies in the information technology (IT) and packaging industries. These industries were identified as, respectively, the most complex and turbulent, and the simplest and most stable, South African environments. Two companies from each industry were chosen to reflect more successful and less successful companies. The more successful company in the complex/turbulent environment was found to use destabilising tactics, as did the more successful company in the simple/stable environment. Therefore, contrary to expectations, it appears that destabilising tactics contribute more to success than stabilising tactics do, regardless of the environment. It was also found, contrary to expectations, that stabilising tactics were used by both the less successful companies. The research concluded that destabilising tactics are related to more success and stabilising tactics to less success. The lack of clear differentiation between the two industries may be because the whole South African environment is complex and turbulent, because the packaging industry is not sufficiently simple and stable to differentiate it from the IT industry or because packaging industry managers perceive their industry to be complex and turbulent and act accordingly. Despite these uncertainties, the research showed the marketing mix model to be reasonably accurate for the complex/turbulent environment, and therefore of potential value to South African companies. To overcome the equivocal findings, further research is recommended in different industries, in countries with different levels of complexity and turbulence and into specific marketing mix tactics. Research into managers’ perceptions of environmental complexity and turbulence and into co-evolution of marketing tactics and external environments would also be of value.

The 21st century has posed challenges and provided opportunities for organisations, and although a large body of research exists on both leadership and organisational climate, these two concepts have become a matter of urgency in South African organisations. The dynamics in the organisation have a direct effect on the people the organisation serves and business performance. The aim of this research was to explore the relationship between leadership and organisational climate in a South African fast-moving consumable goods (FMCG) organisation. There are few research studies that focus on leadership and organisational climate in the South African context and this study builds on limited existing knowledge. Using a descriptive, cross-sectional field survey approach, a sample of 896 participants employed at one organisation was surveyed. Explanatory factor analysis and the structural equation modelling (SEM) multivariate analysis technique revealed a new set of organisational dimensions and confirmed the relationship between leadership and organisational climate and organisational climate and its various dimensions. The findings emphasise the importance of certain generic and specific leadership practices in creating the desired organisational climate in the South African context. This study contributes to knowledge on the relationship between leadership and organisational climate in the South African context. / Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)