Today companies are competing on the basis of what they know, how fast they learn it, and how well they use what they learn. At the heart of this knowledge-based competition lie knowledge and even more important intelligence. Competitive Intelligence, as a discipline, is increasingly being viewed as a critical enabler to reach competitive advantage. Previous research, however, suggest that South African com¬panies showed a general lack of appropriate pro¬cesses or structures for competitive intelligence compared to their international counterparts. The research aims to demonstrate, through a case study, how the theoretical concepts associated with competitive intelligence can be translated into practice so as to ensure efficient and cost effective competitive intelligence practices and thus contribute to the future success of competitive intelligence programmes in South Africa. / Information Science / M. Inf.

The knowledge economy has brought about some new challenges for organisations. Accessing data and information in a logical manner is a critical component of information and knowledge management. Taxonomies are viewed as a solution to facilitate ease of access to information in a logical manner. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of taxonomies within organisations which utilise a knowledge management framework or strategy. An interview process was utilised to gain insight from leading organisations as to the use of taxonomies within the knowledge management environment. Organisations are starting to use taxonomies to manage multi-sourced environments and facilitate the appropriate sourcing of the organisations intellectual capital. Based on the research it is clear that taxonomies will play a central role in the coming years to help manage the complexity of the organisation's environment and ease the access to relevant information. / Information Science / M.Inf.

The researcher used the integration of both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The respondents were drawn from three district, one regional, one academic and two private hospitals. Data was collected by means of questionnaires. The open-ended questions in the questionnaire allowed the respondents to respond in their own words (“etic” description). This enhanced the organisation and reduction of the relevant data for analysis as well as the validity and trustworthiness of the study. The study revealed that even though most of the South African government health policies were very advanced and among the best in the world, some crucial policies appeared to have encountered problems with implementation, from conflicting ideologies and opinions from hospital management, different unions, professional associations, the provincial government, the South African Nursing Council (SANC) and patients. Too many groups appeared to have discussed nurses‟ issues with government and made decisions for nurses, leaving nurses disillusioned. The majority of the respondents attributed this to poor representation at government level. Furthermore, some decisions, resolutions and strategies agreed upon between the unions and bargaining councils appeared to have worked against nurses, further dividing RNs and failing to accomplish the intended purpose. Although most of the respondents had hoped that the Occupational Specific Dispensation (OSD) for nurses would address chronic low salaries for all nurses in the PHS, it favoured certain specialty qualifications (which were based on the description of post-basic courses in R212 and R48, which were not clearly delineated). In addition, RNs were not informed about the meaning and implications of the OSD prior to implementation. The study thus found an information gap between government and RNs at the production level, which appeared not to be with the government and the nurses, but in between. Most importantly, nurses seemed to be represented more by unions to government and bargaining councils, as opposed to nurses, while most of the respondents did not favour the division of nurses between professional associations and unions. Decisions in the PHS appeared to have been dominated by leaders who had no experience with pragmatic issues of health care services (HCS), particularly at the operational level, and the dynamics of the nursing profession. The study therefore concluded that, if the right people (nurses, doctors and systems) were put in place, and nurses were represented by nurses at government level, bargaining councils and parliament, discontent among RNs in the PHS could be reduced significantly. Existing strategies were found to deal with the symptoms and not the root cause of discontent among RNs in the PHS. / Health Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Momentous choices and opportunities have opened up in South Africa since a settlement was successfully negotiated and a new political and constitutional dispensation was created. Events such as the constitutional negotiations and the establishment of reconstruction and development initiatives have placed a renewed emphasis on development management, process facilitation and the development of policy. This study provides an overview of the broad field of policy studies and specifically focuses on policy process models. In particular, this study centres on the further development of the generic process model and provides an overview of the application thereof to the operational environment. From this, simulation exercises and case study material have been developed as policy learning methodologies. Institutional arrangements for policy processes and the institutionalisation of policy and related support capacities at intergovernmental and organisational level receive particular attention. The study demonstrates the application of the generic process model by applying the framework to a case study based on the provincial demarcation exercise. This study concludes that policy management, as a cross-cutting, lateral methodology, in conjunction with similar methodologies, such as strategic planning, research methodology and project management, should be regarded as a critical tool, by the academic community and development practitioners alike, for improving the decision-making capacity of government, the private sector and civil society. / D.Litt. et Phil. (Development Administration)

Tout d’abord, nous abordons les problématiques liées à l’organisation et à la gestion des connaissances ainsi que les principes présidant à l’élaboration des classifications à facettes. Nous proposons ensuite une synthèse des méthodes existantes d’élaboration de classifications à facettes. Nous poursuivons en réalisant une analyse de l’impact des types de Systèmes d’Information sur l’activité de gestion de l’information. Ce faisant, nous produisons une analyse de l’activité inspirée de la Théorie de l’Activité, et influencée par les travaux de la psychologie du travail et de l’ergonomie cognitive. Le prototype Hypertagging développé dans le cadre du projet Miipa-Doc fondé sur le tagging des utilisateurs et structuré par les principes de la classification à facettes est présenté. Notre expérimentation sur l’élaboration de classifications à facettes pour la gestion des documents de travail est détaillée. Enfin, nous exposons notre méthodologie d’élaboration de FolkClassifications à facettes pour la gestion des connaissances métier. Elle vise à appuyer une démarche de gestion des connaissances sur la gestion personnelle de l’information / We address Knowledge Organization and Knowldege Management general issues and we present the basic principles for the development of faceted classifications. Then we introduce a synthesis of existing methods to develop this kind of classification. Next we propose an analysis of effects of Information Systems on information management activities. By doing this, we produce an analysis of the concept of activity inspired by Activity Theory, occupational psychology and french ergonomics. A presentation of Hypertagging prototype developed in the frame of Miipa-Doc research project, based on users tagging and structured by faceted classification principles, is provided. Our experiment about generating faceted classification for document management activities is detailed. Finally, we expose our method for the development of faceted classification for Knowledge Management purposes in the context of specific trades. This Knowledge Management approach is incorporated in Knowledge Organization activities.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / No organisation has an endless and unlimited supply of money, especially in a recessive economy, and therefore decisions have to be made as to which areas an organisation will invest in. As organisations, such as YZ1 financial services organisation, are focused on seeing returns on investment (ROI), implementing software that is not being used will not render any benefits to the organisation. Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation’s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as defined in their centralised repository. PMs need to use Financial and Planning Software (FPS)2 software to perform certain project management activities, as required by their job function. However, it was found that MPP3 software, another tool, was used for more detailed project schedules, as well as activities that were not strictly enforced by management, the Project Office or the Quality Assurance team. Therefore, from this discovery, it was not clear whether the intended benefit of implementing this mandatory software (FPS) was being realised – since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj & Kohli 2003), even if the software is termed ‘mandatory’. Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective implementation of mandatory software in a department, in order to derive the intended business benefits. Literature Review: Literature was reviewed in the search for models or theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge (IMBOK) was selected as this framework defines the relationship between IT and the realisation of business benefits, and ultimately the achievement of any business strategy. The literature review focused predominantly on the level of user involvement, change management, as well as factors that influence the usage of mandatory software by individuals. 1. The name of the organisation utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration 2. The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms 3. The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms. Focus was given to organisational factors affecting usage, such as top management support and organisational processes. A model was compiled using unique constructs in the Technology Acceptance Model (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) – in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software. The literature study concludes with a review of an approach to benefits management including five stages, namely: identifying and structuring benefits, planning for the realisation of benefits, executing the plan, in addition to the evaluation and the review. Research design and methodology: A case study was used in this research, as it examined the phenomenon in its natural setting, employing multiple methods of data collection to gather information from a few entities (groups and data sources). In this way, it was not limited to only qualitative or quantitative approaches, but utilised mixed methods instead. A mixed methods approach was used in order to elaborate, enhance and clarify the results from the qualitative research through the results of the quantitative analysis. Findings: The main finding, based on the compilation of three models of user acceptance, proved that FPS was not being utilised as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were dentified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor, as respondents believed that they had sufficient IT skills in order to learn how to use FPS software. Change management was rated negatively; and as a result, it impacted the usage of FPS, as users were not involved in the decision to implement, and had limited interaction in the implementation process. In addition, there was no evidence found that benefits management was conducted in the IT department; and therefore, the impact of using alternative software could not be quantitatively assessed. Recommendations: In concluding this research, it is recommended that the “best practice”, derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management’s support of FPS (second most important organisational factor influencing use) was lacking, despite the literature suggestion that senior management involvement in changing technology is crucial for organisational commitment. It is suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted – in order to explore the applicability of the Japanese framing (achieving benefits from IT software through the concept of strategic instinct, rather than strategic alignment) in the context of a developing country (such as South Africa). / South Africa

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / No organisation has an endless and unlimited supply of money, especially in a recessive economy, and therefore decisions have to be made as to which areas an organisation will invest in. As organisations, such as YZ1 financial services organisation, are focused on seeing returns on investment (ROI), implementing software that is not being used will not render any benefits to the organisation.Research problem: Project Managers (PMs) in YZ organisation’s IT department need to perform mandated processes, as defined in their centralised repository. PMs need to use Financial and Planning Software (FPS)2 software to perform certain project management activities, as required by their job function. However, it was found that MPP3 software, another tool, was used for more detailed project schedules, as well as activities that were not strictly enforced by management, the Project Office or the Quality Assurance team.Therefore, from this discovery, it was not clear whether the intended benefit of implementing this mandatory software (FPS) was being realised – since implementing software that is not being utilised fully would not deliver the intended benefits to the IT department (Devaraj & Kohli 2003), even if the software is termed ‘mandatory’.Objective: The primary objective of this research was to explore and optimise the key success factors for an effective implementation of mandatory software in a department, in order to derive the intended business benefits.Literature Review: Literature was reviewed in the search for models or theories that explore the relationship between the use of mandatory software and the achievement of business benefits. The Information Management Body of Knowledge (IMBOK) was selected as this framework defines the relationship between IT and the realisation of business benefits, and ultimately the achievement of any business strategy.The literature review focused predominantly on the level of user involvement, change management, as well as factors that influence the usage of mandatory software by individuals.1 The name of the organisation utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration 2 The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms 3 The name of the tools utilised has been changed. Refer to Ethical Consideration and list of acronyms Focus was given to organisational factors affecting usage, such as top management support and organisational processes. A model was compiled using unique constructs in the Technology Acceptance Model (and TAM2), the Motivational Model (MM) and the Model of PC Utilisation (MPCU) – in order to test user acceptance of mandatory software.The literature study concludes with a review of an approach to benefits management including five stages, namely: identifying and structuring benefits, planning for the realisation of benefits, executing the plan, in addition to the evaluation and the review.Research design and methodology: A case study was used in this research, as it examined the phenomenon in its natural setting, employing multiple methods of data collection to gather information from a few entities (groups and data sources). In this way, it was not limited to only qualitative or quantitative approaches, but utilised mixed methods instead. A mixed methods approach was used in order to elaborate, enhance and clarify the results from the qualitative research through the results of the quantitative analysis.Findings: The main finding, based on the compilation of three models of user acceptance, proved that FPS was not being utilised as intended. There was also no evidence of an improvement in business operations. Therefore, benefits management was negatively impacted. Organisational processes were identified as the most important organisational factor, influencing the usage of FPS software. Own technological capability was considered to be the least important factor, as respondents believed that they had sufficient IT skills in order to learn how to use FPS software.Change management was rated negatively; and as a result, it impacted the usage of FPS, as users were not involved in the decision to implement, and had limited interaction in the implementation process. In addition, there was no evidence found that benefits management was conducted in the IT department; and therefore, the impact of using alternative software could not be quantitatively assessed.Recommendations: In concluding this research, it is recommended that the “best practice”,derived from the pertinent literate should be followed more diligently if YZ organisation is to benefit from the implementation of mandatory software. For example, in this research, it was found that top management’s support of FPS (second most important organisational factor influencing use) was lacking, despite the literature suggestion that senior management involvement in changing technology is crucial for organisational commitment.It is suggested that a more formal approach to benefits management should be implemented. It is also recommended that further study should be conducted – in order to explore the applicability of the Japanese framing (achieving benefits from IT software through the concept of strategic instinct, rather than strategic alignment) in the context of a developing country (such as South Africa).

The exceeding supply over demand and very hard competitive conditions are nowadays the main features of the majority of sectors. A successful company is the one that is able to satisfy specific customers' needs, the one that has efficient cooperation with its suppliers throughout the whole supply chain and also the one that is able to speed up the in-house information exchange. Thus the company has to seek constantly new and innovative solutions. This is not possible without standardization and automatization of business processes. This master's thesis is dedicated to one of the possible solutions -- the Product Information Management (PIM). Since it is intended for business managers (without deep IT knowledge), at the beginning it answers the question why it is so important to know master data and to manage it. It specializes in managing product data, brings its comprehensive overview and identifies the advantages and drawbacks of the implementation as well as financial and organizational impacts. The consecutive chapter deals with simplified yet applicable approach to data management analysis (with emphasis on the PIM) and based on research, it mentions main mistakes of the implementation. In addition to the overview of main vendors of the PIM solution, it presents the latest trends in the PIM. Besides internal data synchronization, the thesis analyses several product standards -- the fundamental step towards external data synchronization, the key topic of the practical part. The whole thesis is conceived to provide an organization with a simple yet compact and therefore very effective tool for master product data insight and thus to help it to gain a competitive advantage.

Transparency and information disclosure are important elements in the building strong and confiding relationships between core stakeholders of the hospital, including patients, physicians and hospital management, and allow improving hospital performance on the market. Effects of transparent information environment existence in the medical institution can be wide but the most compelling and attractive are those, which are connected with motivation to improve and change of patients and physicians attitudes towards organisation. On the base of non-for-profit hospital in one of the regions in the Russian Federation, this study examined information flows between hospital, physicians and patients, and their perspectives towards transparency. In order to achieve aims of the research, surveys and interview were conducted in the hospital, according to which results inferences and recommendations were developed.

This diploma thesis focuses on the topic of posthumous user data management concerning social media platforms. This topic is rarely discussed from the viewpoint of new media studies in academic literature. My thesis endeavours to unveil, contextualize, and critically assess the development of the posthumous data policies in order to uncover the level of control users and survivors have over the deceased users' data. Thus, three case studies of chronological posthumous policy development of major social media (Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) were conducted and results were compared. The analysis has shown that platforms are rather reluctant to change their posthumous policies. One of the primary triggers for change comes from the users' feedback. Across all three cases every platform provided limited or no information about these policies in their terms of use or privacy policies. The case studies demonstrated that users have very limited choices regarding their data after death directly on the examined social media platforms. Individuals who were close to the deceased account users have the ability to request account deletion or have limited access to the account granted by the platform. The level of data preservation demanded by platforms seems dependent on a given social media's communication specificity...