When starting a new business, the owner has the vision to grow the business to a large corporate enterprise. In the small business stage, many challenges face the management of such businesses though. The influence of the external environment pushes the business from one side to the other. It is at this point where a true entrepreneur takes control and uses all necessary skills to succeed in generating the expected return on the invested money. One of the skills in the management armour of the small business manager is the ability to use information as a management tool. To gain insight into the dynamics of information management, a detailed literature study was done on all the aspects relevant to the topic. Previous research studies were taken into account to form a broad understanding of the study field. To determine the use of management information in small businesses as a tool in decision–making activities, a qualitative research study was done. The outcome of this study shows that there is a good understanding of the advantages of using management information as a decision–making tool, but that application does not happen to its full extent in practice. The management of data seems to be not very recent in small businesses. The objectives of the study was to determine the use of information, as well as the possibility of creating a communal information bureau, to assist in the availability of relevant data in the information support process. Certain recommendations were made in terms of the direct results and conclusions raised by the empirical study. Future studies can be done to determine the feasibility of communal data warehouses and data bureaus. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

When starting a new business, the owner has the vision to grow the business to a large corporate enterprise. In the small business stage, many challenges face the management of such businesses though. The influence of the external environment pushes the business from one side to the other. It is at this point where a true entrepreneur takes control and uses all necessary skills to succeed in generating the expected return on the invested money. One of the skills in the management armour of the small business manager is the ability to use information as a management tool. To gain insight into the dynamics of information management, a detailed literature study was done on all the aspects relevant to the topic. Previous research studies were taken into account to form a broad understanding of the study field. To determine the use of management information in small businesses as a tool in decision–making activities, a qualitative research study was done. The outcome of this study shows that there is a good understanding of the advantages of using management information as a decision–making tool, but that application does not happen to its full extent in practice. The management of data seems to be not very recent in small businesses. The objectives of the study was to determine the use of information, as well as the possibility of creating a communal information bureau, to assist in the availability of relevant data in the information support process. Certain recommendations were made in terms of the direct results and conclusions raised by the empirical study. Future studies can be done to determine the feasibility of communal data warehouses and data bureaus. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

If construction is about delivering a built asset that is of high quality and efficiency, wouldn t most companies use all the tools and processes available at the highest organizational level possible? A major assumption is made that Prolog Manager is an effective Project Management Information System. Saying Company X will benefit from more module use with Prolog Manager system is not the same as saying they will suffer from lack of module usage. If a company has already attained success using manual systems it successes may continue. To be as successful as possible, maximum utilization of all modules of Prolog Manager at the unique project type organizational level is necessary, and correlations can be made between higher module usage and greater project successes with this type of company size and structure.

Information security technologists and business scholars are motivated by a desire to understand how and to what extent the application of IT within enterprise systems leads to improved and secured organizational performance. An effective relationship between business and IT professionals is a primary determinant of success in gaining business advantage through the enterprise system. As business innovation has relied increasingly on partnerships between business and IT professional, a different perspective of how IT professionals view their organizational contributions was needed for organizations to remain competitive. Business knowledge is essential if IT professionals are to create linkages with other organizational units and have a wider perspective about business objectives, thus achieving fit between IT and organizational strategies. Organizations have started responding to this challenge by demanding more business acumen in their IT staff. The focus of this study is on the knowledge that is beyond that of independent business and IT only domain knowledge of information security. Therefore, technical areas of knowledge, such as hardware and software, all of which are closely associated with IT skills, are not discussed in this thesis. This is not to declare that such knowledge is not important. Clearly technical knowledge is part of the IT professional's overall information security technology expertise, but this study is about the organization proficiency of business and the IT professional, and is therefore interested in what enables business and IT professionals to apply their business domain and technical knowledge in ways that are beneficial to the organization and to act cooperatively with their customers and business partners. The purpose of this study is to employ the triangulation method to identify the theoretical links and empirically examine the association between business and IT perspective of information security. An important contribution of this study is the identification of business and IT perspectives on information security technology. By establishing the link between business and IT, the study focuses and evaluates Virtual Private Network (VPN) as an information security technology to find out if VPN can secure and gain competitive advantage by partisan business process and organization performance. This study articulates distinctive characteristics of Virtual Private Network and management processes that extend the range of applicability across diverse business segments. It distinguishes between business and IT and explains why the exploitation of a complementary set of related information security entities (such as VPN) across multiple functions create competitive vi advantages even across a diverse set of businesses that have limited opportunity to exploit business process and organization performance. The most important direct predictor of this study is a high level of communication between business and IT. However, one cannot mandate meaningful communication between individuals. IT people have to earn the right to play a meaningful role in management forums. Based on the findings from this study, one important way for an IT person to be heard is for him/her to devote the time necessary to create competitive advantage and develop shared domain knowledge, the most influential construct in the research model. An IT person needs to understand the leverage points of the industry, the history and current issues of the business units, and to learn to apply business oriented objectives in the application of technology to business problems. This change in view would help focus their attention on security technology and ideas that could produce the most benefit and create competitive advantage, rather than those that offer the most technical promise.

Os Sistemas de Informação do Gerenciamento de Projetos (SIGP) tem se destacado no ambiente de Gerenciamento de Projetos por suas vantagens e benefícios. Apesar de não ser suficiente para garantir o sucesso do projeto, fornece aos gerentes de projetos o apoio na aplicação das técnicas de planejamento, controle das atividades e suporte na tomada de decisão. Os SIGP não impõem limites às empresas, pelo contrário, criam alternativas de modo que o desafio passa a ser a escolha adequada que é oposta à escolha correta da solução tecnológica. Quando uma solução tecnológica é adequada, supõe-se que ela tem alguma utilidade real para a empresa. Este trabalho tem como objetivo estudar empiricamente como as empresas selecionam os SIGP por meio de estudo multicaso, utilizando-se de pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter descritivo e exploratório. O estudo envolveu três empresas com mais de 10 anos de experiência em GP, as informações foram coletados por meio das entrevistas e questionários. Os resultados do estudo mostram que a lógica da seleção de SIGP proposta pela literatura diverge com as práticas das empresas estudadas e estes entre elas. Uma das explicações das divergências entre as empresas, tanto no processo de seleção como no uso dos SIGP encontra-se no grau de maturidade da empresa, características do projeto e necessidade dos usuários. A filosofia de seleção do SIGP nas empresas com maior nível de maturidade é mais de prevenção do problema, já nas empresas com baixa maturidade é mais focado nos sintomas de problema (funcionalidades). Empresa com maior grau maturidade usa SIGP high-end e empresas com baixa maturidade usam SIGP low-end. No entanto, o grau da importância do SIGP é menor nas empresas com maior nível de maturidade. O nível da maturidade e a complexidade dos projetos influenciam a forma como é feita a seleção de SIGP e o uso das funcionalidades de SIGP é limitado em função das necessidades da empresa. / Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) has been highlighted in project management environment for its advantages and benefits. While not enough to ensure success of the project, provide project managers with decision making support for planning, control activities, applying techniques and decision making. The PMIS do not impose limits on companies. By contrast, create alternatives so the challenge becomes the right choice, as opposed to choosing the correct technology solution. When a technological solution is appropriate, it is assumed that it has any real use for the company. This paper aims to examine empirically how companies select the PMIS through multicase study, using qualitative research, descriptive and exploratory. The study involved three companies with over 10 years experience in Project Management, information was collected through interviews and questionnaires. The study results show that the logic of selection of PMIS proposed by literature differs with the practices of the companies studied and these between them. One explanation of the differences between the companies, both in the selection process as the use of PMIS is the maturity of the company, project characteristics and needs of users. Philosophy selection of PMIS in companies with higher maturity level is more than preventing the problem, since the companies with low maturity is more focused on symptoms of problem (features). Company with high maturity uses high-end PMIS and low maturity companies use low-end PMIS. However, the degree of importance of PMIS is shorter in businesses with a high level of maturity. The level of maturity and complexity of projects influence how the selection of PMIS is made and use the features of PMIS is limited depending on the needs of the company.

Magister Public Health - MPH / The Zimbabwean government recognizes the critical role laboratories play in ensuring the health of the nation. Well-resourced and functioning laboratories are the sine qua non of effective diagnosis, treatment and clinical monitoring of medical problems such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In Zimbabwe, frequent unavailability of essential laboratory reagents and consumables have been reported but less well-reported are the factors associated with these "stockouts" at medical laboratories. Applying qualitative research methodologies, this study sought to explore the bottlenecks to the availability of laboratory consumables at state-owned medical laboratories in Harare Province. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit stakeholders' perspectives and experiences with regard to the availability of laboratory consumables. These were complemented by observation of procurement, supply and distribution processes and individual follow-up interviews in 7 facilities where medical laboratory scientists were purposively selected. Rigour was ensured through data-source triangulation, provision of thick descriptions of the setting, maintaining an audit trail and transcribing data verbatim. Data analysis identified recurring themes and key suggestions made by respondents. A complex web of economic, human resources and supply chain factors affect laboratory commodity availability in Harare. Salient factors negatively affecting commodity availability included inadequate funding, human resources, poor communication and coordination among stakeholders, lack of transport, long lead times and limited inventory management skills. A comprehensive approach to resolving the challenge is warranted through advocating for more funding, complementing donor efforts on staff retention, improved coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and re-designing the laboratory supply chain. Further research would assist in determining ways of efficiently utilizing the limited available resources.

The purpose of this diploma thesis was to build a management information system for a given microenterprise and to implement it successfully. This thesis aims to assess the risks, costs and benefits of the information system and to provide recommendations for analogous projects of the information system implementation in the future. The thesis is divided into two parts, theory and case study. The former summarises the most important fact on management information systems in general, the latter introduces the given microenterprise and pursues the process from building of the system to its implementation in the enterprise. Microsoft Access, database management system, proved to be a good solution for building an information system for the enterprise. The thesis delivers the following results: the information system itself, costs and benefits evaluation and the set of recommendations for similar projects. The main contribution of this thesis consists in the focus on microenterprises and in the real example pursued in the second part of the thesis.

This diploma thesis deals with the assessment of the information system of the company SAbis Logistics s.r.o. The current system is analyzed using various analyzes and based on the results of the analyzes, changes to the information system are proposed, which should lead to streamlining the company's processes.

This diploma thesis deals with the analysis of the current state of company. Subsequently, based on the obtained data, it designs and implements a software development management system. The diploma thesis describes the theoretical basis of the work, the requirements of the company. When choosing a system, it takes into account the individual needs of the selected company. Part of the diploma thesis is a description of the implementation and deployment of the system in the company together with the time analysis.

The diploma thesis deals with the area of reporting in the company quick-mix k.s. In the introduction of the theoretical part I introduce the term and the meaning of reporting. Next I describe the current way of carrying out reports in this company. The aim of the thesis is to evaluate information resulting from the current way of presenting reports for the company management. The next aim is to make effective use of information relating to the proposed changes.