Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1968. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 230-234).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-74).

Quesada, Gonzalez, Mueller & Mueller (2010) have identified that organisations spend at least one-third of their overall budget on procurement of products and services. Hence the importance of reducing procurement costs through an efficient supply chain should be a priority for any senior manager. E-procurement is one of the components that can assist management in streamlining the operations resulting in an efficient supply chain process. The usage of qualitative research for this study ensured that appropriate answers were identified to address the research question and a clear understanding was obtained to establish the factors that affect the adoption of e-procurement technologies. The scope of the research was focused on the suppliers and manufactures of plumbing material in South Africa. The aim of the study was to establish the factors that influence organisation in adopting e-procurement technologies. The data reflected that e-procurement adoption improves organisation’s productivity, ability to better control costs resulting in an efficient and effective supply chain process. This is only possible with the support of senior management, end-user buy-in and allocation of financial resources. The three major findings identified were that e-procurement adoption is driven by internal needs, reduces labour costs and improves customer relations. Possible Future research should examine the influence of other factors such as competitiveness, customer service and organisation size. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Successful business in today’s competitive climate thrives on building relationships with one’s suppliers, clientele and employees. Businesses, as a form of strategic engagement, extend their appreciation and recognition to these key role players with rewards (or incentives) such as prizes, holidays and free goods and/or services. This treatise examines the taxation implications of such rewards and determines that the market value thereof should be taxed in the hands of their recipients. This study also investigates possible indicators (or points of reference) to establish such market value and suggests alternate values that may be ascribed thereto for inclusion in the recipient’s gross income. Where the rewards are passed onwards by the recipient to its employees, fringe benefit consequences are occasioned and this study observes that the market value thereof should be taxed in the employees’ hands. The study goes on further to consider the position of the supplier (or provider) of the rewards and finds that the supplier is entitled to a deduction of the cost of the rewards it has provided to its clients or customers. This study also reflects upon the penal implications of not including the market value of rewards in gross income and notes that such non-inclusion constitutes a fiscal loss and is subject to an understatement penalty. Key recommendations on how such omission may be addressed by the tax authorities are also presented.

The construction industry in Malawi plays a vital role in developing the infrastructure of the country that is in need of improvement. Thus, in order to improve the quality of infrastructure in Malawi, the construction industry has to perform better than the status quo. The construction industry is characterised by a complex value chain that comprises of clients, consultants, contractors, and material manufacturers, suppliers, financing institutions, knowledge organisations and regulatory authority. This research looks at the relationship between construction value and project success in the Malawian construction industry. A qualitative research method was used for compiling the primary data for the study. Twenty-nine (29) participants were interviewed. These participants represented clients, consultants, contractors and material suppliers. The findings reveal that value creation in Malawi is characterised by lack of harmonised standards and specifications, inconsistent project management practices, existence of non-value adding activities, corrupt practices, lack of a skilled labour force, and lack of commitment to best practices in H&S as well as environmental management. Further, logistical problems affect the supply of construction materials to the country; while an unfavourable economic environment makes pricing of materials a challenge in the country too. Poor communication and limited use of information technology (IT) is very common in the industry and project implementation is also affected by a poor road network, an intermittent power supply, and a lack of cooperation from other service providers. In terms of supply chain structures in use, the research revealed that the traditional procurement method that is based on the lowest bidder / price is the most dominant method in use and very few members of the construction industry are conversant with other procurement methods. The method is also the preferred procurement method used by public sector clients. The performance of the traditional procurement method largely depends on the competence of the project design and supervision team, the adequacy of the documentation, and the capacity of the contractor. However, in most cases the system has failed to perform due to the poor contract management skills of the supervising consultant and the lack of timely guidance from the public sector clients. The findings also revealed that most of the suppliers or subcontractors are engaged on project based relationships, and members of the industry are unwilling to engage in long terms relationships due to mistrust and greed among members of the industry, and also largely due to lack of proper frameworks that can support such relationships. It is therefore recommended that other procurement methods should be explored and the engagement of the lowest price bidders should be discontinued on small and medium scale projects. The criteria for upgrading contractors to higher categories should equally be revisited to eliminate incompetent contractors. The NCIC should take a leading role in harmonising the various standards and specifications in use in the country. Promotion of the usage IT services should be encouraged to facilitate faster information dissemination. Usage of risk management in construction and evaluation and monitoring of projects should be encouraged and benchmark best practices. Finally, the members of the industry should take up the responsibility to take leading entities in the industry to task, if fundamental changes are to take place in the industry.

M.B.A. / The currently available literature regarding Strategic Alliances, (SA's), is vast and fragmented, based on differing views, perspectives and academic bases. The literature certainly suggests, as a common theme, the importance of partnering type relationships as becoming more and more important as a source of competitive advantage as markets become more uncertain and risky and as finns battle to acquire all the resources necessary to compete effectively for the future in an industry. While rends have shown a huge increase in the number of SA formations, studies have also shown that many of these alliances fail. A commonly cited reason for alliance failure is that SA's are not understood properly upfront in terms of exactly what an alliance is and what it can do in terms of the alliance value creation logic. Lack of trust is another commonly cited reason for failure of SA's. The aim of this research was to establish the feasibility of the SA concept in terms of...

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by Leung Yiu-kwan, Siu Kwok-keung, William. / Bibliography: leaf [72] / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1986