Thesis (M.Econ.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-130). Also available in print.

The aim of this research was to assess the business processes development and management practices as practiced in South Africa. This study applied a multiple case studies research strategy. It used the qualitative research method as its research approach, and used the grounded theory technique as its data analysis method. The participants were senior business processes developers from different business organisations with experience ranging from six to thirty-two years. Based on the participants' views, this study found that the need for effective and well defined business processes exist as long as business organisations exist. This is because business processes create harmony and ensure control of different actions and activities of different stakeholders internal and external to the organisation to ensure that organisations produce quality products and services that satisfy the needs of their customers (internal and external) and at the same time ensure that the vision, mission, and objectives of these organisations are achieved. This study also found that effective business processes can be developed only if the organisations apply the tested best practices and principles. Including a better understanding and mastering of the environmental factors that interact with business processes such as the vision, mission, and objectives of the organisation. The understanding and involvement of people (users and executives managers) within the organisation, the understanding of the needs and requirements of the business and its external stakeholders, the ability to select proper management framework (s) and other related tool (s) to be adapted or entirely used to develop the processes that satisfy the identified needs. It is also important to mention that this study identified the ability to establish proper measurement units (such as KPAs or KPIs) to assess the performance of business processes and proactively develop strategies to deal with challenges and quality requirements when developing and managing business processes are key activities toward successful development of business processes. / Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2011

The study examined personal and job characteristics and the socio-economic status of farm workers in the Mafikeng area, North West province, South Africa. A simple random sampling technique was used to select I 00 farm workers to be interviewed. A structured questionnaire was developed based on the study objectives and related literature to collect data which were analysed using frequency count, percentages and multiple regression analysis. The results show that the majority of farm workers fall between 20-30 years age group with males dominating and most have gone through primary education. The mean salary of most of the farm workers per month was R I 250.00. Medical aids, Sectoral determination and Labour unions were non-existent in different farm s. In terms of possession of material s, 79% of the farm workers have chickens while 64% have dogs. 92% have radio, 93% have beds, 89% have tables and 59% have electric stoves. Also, 82%have cell phones while 78% have boots and rain coats each. The findings have impIications for the level of socio-economic status of the farm workers and the need to improve on their livelihoods. / Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2011

published_or_final_version / Management Studies / Master / Master of Business Administration

The purpose of this research was to determine potential job functions in the food systems industry for implementation with robots. The research objectives included (1) to isolate job functions in food systems that should be implemented with robots, (2) to identify job functions that robot manufacturers believe robots are technologically capable of performing in the food industry, (3) to compare job functions that are most desired by food systems with those that are technologically possible from robot manufacturers and (4) to identify characteristics of professionals who are evaluating job functions for robots in food systems. Data collection was accomplished through the use of a survey questionnaire. The survey, consisting of two parts, was mailed nationwide to target populations in the food industry and robot manufacturing. Part one of the survey consisted of sixty-four job functions categorized into the major categories of receiving and storage, sanitation, food production, food service, food distribution, related job functions, education and entertainment. Part two of the survey consisted of ten demographic data questions, involving age, job title, work experience, educational background, sex and computer usage. The sample population to receive the survey was divided into three groups. These were (1) foodservice industries, including hospitals, universities and primary/secondary schools, (2) food processors and (3) robot manufacturers. Management personnel in foodservice and food processing were asked to provide an assessment of job functions feasible for robotics implementation. Robot manufacturers received questionnaires to provide an assessment of robot capabilities with regard to food industry needs. Each population group was stratified, based on a predetermined cut-off point, to include only large volume producers. Individual participants in each population group were selected through a systematic sample with a random start. Of six hundred sixty-seven surveys mailed, forty-one percent provided valid responses and were analyzed using frequencies and chi square test of significance. Using a seventy-five percent or greater yes response rate and significance greater than .05, sixteen of the sixty-four job functions were identified for further analysis with the demographic data. This identification process was used to determine job functions which the food industry and robot manufacturers did not disagree on feasibility for robotics implementation. Looking at seventy-five percent or greater no responses where significance is greater than .05, only five of the sixty-four job functions were identified as not feasible for robots at this time. Analysis of demographic data with the sixteen identified job functions resulted in no significant difference in responses in relation to age, years of work experience, sex, computer usage or level of education. There were several conclusions to be drawn from this research. First, the overall positive response to robots in the food industry suggest further research with actual robotics implementation would be indicated. It appears that robots aas reprogrammable, multifunctional manipulators are not currently in use in the food industry. Second, persons in the food industry need education on robots and robotics applications in the form of workshops, continuing education and academia for students. Robot manufacturers need to be educated, through publications and personal contact, in all areas of the food industry to enable the development of applications to occur. Third, further research is needed to determine appropriate job skills and training needed for food industry employees replaced by robots. / Graduation date: 1984

This dissertation examines whether auditors' job stress, job satisfaction, and performance are affected by the congruence (or fit) between auditors' personality and characteristics of the work environment they face. The personality measure used in this study is locus of control, which classifies individuals as either "internals" or "externals." The work environment is measured by using auditor assessments of role stress and imposed control and by noting whether the auditors work for a more or less structured auditing firm. Locus of control theory and prior research suggest that internals adapt better to environments that impose relatively little control on the individual or that are high in role stress. Conversely, externals adapt better to environments that impose high levels of control or that are low in role stress. In order to obtain the necessary data, a questionnaire was distributed to staff and senior-level auditors from four of the "Big 6" accounting firms (the two most structured and the two most unstructured as defined by prior research). The principal results can be summarized as follows. First, auditors' job stress was affected by the congruence between their locus of control and the amount of role conflict they perceived. Internals reported less job stress than externals when role conflict was high, and externals reported less job stress than internals when role conflict was low. Second, auditors' job satisfaction was affected by the congruence between (1) their locus of control and the amount of role ambiguity they perceived and (2) their locus of control and the amount of role conflict they perceived. In each case, internals reported higher job satisfaction than externals when role stress was high. On the other hand, when role stress was low, internals and externals reported similar levels of job satisfaction. Finally, auditors' self-reported performance was affected by the interaction between auditors' locus of control and audit firm structure. At relatively unstructured firms, internals reported higher performance than externals; at relatively structured firms, internals and externals reported similar performance levels. The interaction also reveals that internals reported higher performance at unstructured firms than at structured firms and that externals reported higher performance at structured firms than at unstructured firms.

<p> This study examined the effect of locus of control on the relationship between school psychologists' perception of school climate and their overall level of job satisfaction. Public schools can be a difficult working environment. The climate in public schools has long been a topic of interest among researchers (Collie, Shapka &amp; Perry, 2012), as has the resulting job dissatisfaction of teachers (Cohen et al., 2009; Skaalvik &amp; Skaalvik, 2009). Unfortunately, there is a void in previous research to examine this relationship amongst school psychology professionals, who play an invaluable role in today's educational system. Personal characteristics, (i.e.- locus of control, age, degree, etc.), in combination with the perceived environment (i.e. school climate) have an impact on emotions (i.e. job satisfaction). In this study, participants' job satisfaction, perception of school climate and locus of control were assessed using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, short form (MSQ-sf), the School Climate Survey, Staff Version Revised (SCS), and Rotter's Internal External Scale (I-E). The relationship between the resulting scores were examined and compared.</p>

<p> Vehicle Routing Problems (VRP) deal with the delivery of vehicles to multiple destinations (or customers). The objective of VRP is to minimize the total travel cost (e.g., time). This thesis investigates and develops algorithms to solve VRP in time-dependent large road networks. An efficient and effective time-dependent shortest path algorithm is developed. Experiment results show that the arc labeling algorithm is more space efficient compared to the classic node labeling algorithm. This thesis also develops assignment algorithms in order to minimize the maximum travel cost while minimizing the total travel cost. Several methods are implemented to investigate the factors that affect computation efficiency of VRP, including road network size and structure, and computer programming. The applicability of Genetic Algorithms is also studied. Computer programs of algorithms are developed in several software environments including General Algebraic Modeling System (GAMS; GAMS Development Corporation, 2013), MATLAB, Microsoft Excel 2013, and Microsoft Visual Studio 2013. The results show that VRP in a time-dependent large road network can be solved efficiently and effectively using the algorithms and methods developed in this thesis.</p>

<p> This dissertation studies two important problems in the field of biomass supply chain network. In the first part of the dissertation, we study the pre-disaster planning problem that seeks to strengthen the links between the multi-modal facilities of a biomass supply chain network. A mixed-integer nonlinear programming model is developed to determine the optimal locations for multi-modal facilities and bio-refineries, offer suggestions on reliability improvement at vulnerable links, production at bio-refineries, and make transportation decision under both normal and disrupted scenarios. The aim is to assist investors in determining which links&rsquo; reliability can be improved under specific budget limitations so that the bio-fuel supply chain network can prevent possible losses when transportation links are disrupted because of natural disasters. We used states Mississippi and Alabama as a testing ground for our model. As part of numerical experimentation, some realistic hurricane scenarios are presented to determine the potential impact that pre-investing may have on improving the bio-mass supply chain network&rsquo;s reliability on vulnerable transportation links considering limited budget availability. </p><p> In the second part of the dissertation, we study the impact of feedstock supply uncertainty on the design and management of an inbound biomass co-firing supply chain network. A two-stage stochastic mixed integer linear programming model is developed to determine the optimal use of multi-modal facilities, biomass storage and processing plants, and shipment routes for delivering biomass to coal plants under feedstock supply uncertainty while considering congestion into account. To represent a more realistic case, we generated a scenario tree based on the prediction errors obtained from historical and forecasted feedstock supply availability. We linearized the nonlinear problem and solved with high quality and in a time efficient manner by using a hybrid decomposition algorithm that connects a Constraint generation algorithm with Sample average approximation algorithm and enhanced Progressive hedging algorithm. We used states Mississippi and Alabama as a testing ground for our study and conducted thorough computational experiments to test our model and to draw managerial insights.</p>

<p> Most of the hospitals in the USA carry out their purchasing of supplies, including pharmaceuticals, through Group Purchasing Organizations (GPO). GPO is an organization, which aggregates procuring volumes of their member hospitals and negotiates low prices from manufacturers or vendors. According to 2013 statistics, 98% of hospitals in U.S. are purchasing their bulk health care products through GPOs, and it saves U.S. health care industry approximately $36 billion annually. Through these hospitals enjoy advantages by purchasing through their GPOs, there are some disadvantages such as paying membership fees to their GPOs, restricting the purchasing power of the hospitals outside their GPOs, making it more complicated to buy better or advanced products from new vendors. As various political and economic factors are forcing hospitals merge into large hospital associations, the concept of self-contracting or managing supplies directly, comes into the picture.</p><p> In this research, the concepts of healthcare supply chains with GPOs are described in detail. Purchasing systems under self- contracting are then discussed. Three possible options for the hospitals are then examined, namely, continuing current purchasing through their GPOs, direct purchasing from manufacturers (self &ndash;contracting), and finally, forming an association with other hospitals and purchasing through this association. The preferable options are discussed under the concepts of Game Theory. This research also examines the changes needed in the supply chain if any of the above new options is selected.</p><p> A regular supply-chain consists of Hospital, GPO, and vendor or manufacturer. As healthcare delivery systems are merging into one group or forming hospital associations, they have an additional option of carrying out their purchasing through these associations. In this work, it is assumed that the individual hospitals take their decisions based on total costs of supplies, and they chose the supplier by comparing the various options available. In this research, these questions are answered by following a game-theoretic model, by making some assumptions. Concepts of game theory such as Nash equilibrium, Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibrium (MSNE), etc. are discussed.</p>