M.Tech. Operations Management / The point of departure for this study is that higher education in the United States and the United Kingdom has been using lean thinking and its philosophy to develop a new trend of working in order to increase their competitiveness by cutting their costs and eliminating as much waste as possible. This has provided many successes, and with the support and testimonies from both universities using it and from leaders and experts in lean thinking, its use in the higher education industry is growing ...

M. Tech. (Human Resource, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / The purpose of this study is to investigate the perceptions of employees of their organisation’s CSR activities and their effects on employees’ organisational commitment and intentions to stay. This study advocates that the way employees perceive their organisation’s CSR practices influences the types of attachment they have towards their organisation and reinforces their intentions to stay in their current organisation. The fact that employees play a central role in the realisation of an organisation’s goals makes it critical for any organisation to have employees who are willing to go beyond what is required of them and who are willing to stay in the organisation at least until the completion of their duties or contracts. In this study, a quantitative research paradigm and a descriptive research method were used to investigate a sample size of 350 employees working in one of the telecommunication organisations in Cameroon. In order to minimise the study bias, simple random sampling was used to ensure that the sample accurately reflects the larger population (N=670). Data was collected with the aid of a structured questionnaire and the results of the correlation analysis revealed that all four CSR dimensions are significantly and positively related to organisational commitment variables as well as to employees’ intentions to stay. CSR also showed strong predictive relationships with the various facets of organisational commitment. Organisational commitment in turn also showed strong predictive relationships with intention to stay within an organisation. Findings and recommendations of this study are important to employers as it provides crucial information regarding the types of activities organisations could engage in, and for employees to consider them as socially responsible. Such involvement in CSR activities can improve employees’ organisational commitment and reinforce their intentions to stay in their current organisation.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. 19 September 2016. / High manufacturing competitiveness in South Africa has the potential to contribute towards mitigating the poor economic performance and high unemployment rate prevailing in the country. However, manufacturing competitiveness is lacking, majorly due to labour productivity issues that are idiosyncratic to South Africa. One of the dilemmas is how to increase manufacturing productivity without major capitalisation, as doing so usually leads to redundancy and retrenchment of employees. A possible solution is to implement manufacturing performance improvement programmes without major capital investment (or capital-labour substitution). Although various programmes exist and are successful elsewhere in the world, these have been found to fail in South African firms due to implementation challenges. This study assesses the results from implementing a manufacturing performance improvement programme called Integrated Work Systems (IWS) in a South African factory of a multinational company (ABC). IWS has already proven successful in the multinational’s factories in other parts of the world. The study aims to determine the critical success-factors and develop a framework for the successful implementation of such a programme in South Africa. Implementation of IWS in ABC SA’s factory was found to be successful in delivering breakthrough results in efficiency and throughput. Critical success-factors established through surveying relevant employees and management in ABC SA were related to the timing and planning of the programme, standardisation of work, regular reviewing and use of leading KPIs, having specific implementation resources and the nature of leadership involvement. The critical success-factors found in ABC SA’s implementation were used as a basis for presenting a framework to guide practitioners in implementing manufacturing improvement programmes that aim to deliver higher levels of sustainable performance and improved shop-floor culture. / MT2017

This study investigates the relationship of executive fire officers' use of strategic thinking skills and their proficiency using information and communication technology. A non-experimental quantitative study design was employed. The study consisted of 400 graduates of the National Fire Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program. The use of strategic thinking skills was measured by the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire (STQv6) (Pisapia & Reyes-Guerra, 2007). The use of information and communication technology tools was measured by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Fluency Questionnaire (Hilberg, 2007). The EFOs' strategic thinking capabilities of systems thinking (3.58 +/- .447) and reflecting (3.82 +/- .445) compared to previously reported samples from the literature, both empirically and theoretically. Depending upon the sample, some means were significantly higher and others were significantly lower. The strategic thinking questionnaire and the ICT fluency questionnaire were not directly correlated to one another ; however, there were some strong correlations within their subscales. ICT fluency and ICT comfort were highly correlated (r = .516), as well as systems thinking and reflecting (r = .688) at the 0.05 level. There was a significant correlation between age and ICT comfort (r = -.235), as well as between years of experience and ICT comfort (r = -.203) at the 0.05 level. Age moderated the relationship between systems thinking*reflection, and ICT comfort. Race moderated the relationship between systems thinking*reflection, and ICT education/training. This research was significant because it was the first time that Executive Fire Officers have been studied regarding their strategic thinking capabilities and their information and communications technology fluency. / by Gerri Penney. / Vita. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Esta tese propõe um modelo teórico de alinhamento estratégico interno e defende a hipótese de que o alinhamento interno, a partir do modelo proposto, tem impacto positivo sobre o desempenho organizacional. Define-se a estratégia, com base na tipologia de Miles e Snow, e a incerteza ambiental como variáveis moderadoras. Conceitua-se o alinhamento como o ajuste da organização tanto na dimensão vertical quanto horizontal. O alinhamento vertical refere-se ao conjunto de ações necessárias à implementação da estratégia, desde a estratégia formulada até o seu desdobramento por todos os níveis da organização. Define-se que os fatores envolvidos no alinhamento vertical são a abrangência da formulação da estratégia, capacidades gerenciais para a implementação da estratégia e envolvimento das pessoas com a estratégia. O construto abrangência da formulação é definido como multidimensional, composto pelas variáveis processo formal de planejamento, envolvimento da média gerência na formulação e consenso sobre a estratégia. O alinhamento horizontal envolve a compreensão das necessidades do cliente e o alinhamento dos processos (inter-funcionais) capazes de entregar o que o cliente necessita. As duas dimensões, vertical e horizontal, representam as variáveis a serem alinhadas e a ideia presente é que isoladamente não são suficientes para produzir o alinhamento interno, o que implica que nesta tese adota-se a perspectiva holística do alinhamento, também comumente denominada pela literatura como perspectiva sistêmica ou da covariação. Para a definição dos construtos componentes do modelo realizou-se uma revisão sistematizada da literatura, utilizando a base de dados Web of Science, que resultou em um total de 141 artigos. A revisão também serviu de base para a definição do instrumento de pesquisa que foi submetido à validação de conteúdo por especialistas e executivos. Os dados foram coletados por meio de um link para acesso on line e também em papel. A pesquisa foi conduzida com a média gerência ou profissionais diretamente envolvidos com a implementação da estratégia de negócios, de 125 empresas, de porte médio e grande. Os dados foram processados e validados por meio da técnica de Modelagem de Equações Estruturais com estimação pelo método Partial Least Squares (PLS), utilizando o software SmartPLS 2.0. Os resultados dão validação empírica ao modelo especificado, confirmando-se que a covariação entre o alinhamento vertical e horizontal tem impacto positivo sobre o desempenho organizacional. Contribuições desse estudo e sugestões para outros trabalhos também estão registradas. / This thesis proposes a theoretical model of internal strategic alignment and defends the hypothesis that an internal alignment, from the proposed model, is positively related to organizational performance. It is defined that the strategy, considering Miles and Snow typology, and the environmental uncertainty moderate this relationship. The alignment is conceptualized as an adjustment in both vertical and horizontal dimensions. Vertical alignment refers to the set of actions necessary to the strategy implementation, from the formulated strategy to its deployment at all organizational levels. It is defined that the factors involved in the vertical alignment are strategy formulation comprehensiveness, management capacity to the strategy implementation and employees involvement with the strategy. The construct strategy formulation comprehensiveness is defined as multidimensional composed with the variables formal process planning, middle management involvement in the formulation process and consensus about the strategy. Horizontal alignment involves understanding the customers needs and the alignment of the process (inter-functional) capable of delivering what the customers need. Both dimensions, vertical and horizontal, represent the variables to be aligned and the idea is that isolated they are not sufficient to produce the internal alignment. Therefore, this thesis adopts the alignment in the holistic perspective, also commonly named by the literature as systemic or covariation perspective. In order to define the model constructs it was performed an extensive literature review consulting Web of Science database which resulted in a total of 141 articles. This search also was the start point to the research instrument definition, which was submitted to validation of content by specialists and executives. The data were collected through a link to access the questionnaire on the internet and through paper. The research was conducted with middle managers and professionals directly involved in business strategy implementation, from 125 middle and large companies. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with estimation by partial least squares (PLS), using the software SmartPLS 2.0. The results give empirical and methodological validation to the model specified and confirm that the covariation between vertical and horizontal alignment has positive impact in the organizational performance. Contributions of this study and suggestions for other researches also are recorded.

This study examined and compared the developmental experiences of leaders who have successfully developed their capacities to engage in and maintain a vision and practice for sustainability over time in themselves and others in business, education and community. Through the application of grounded theory as a systematic comparative method for the analysis of qualitative data, the study generated a substantive theory of leadership called regenerative leadership. This leadership approach is especially relevant at a time when humankind is faced with accelerating change and increasing evidence that numerous natural and social systems at the global level have reached or are rapidly approaching points of overshoot and collapse. Among the major findings, the study revealed that the more evolved sustainability leaders are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the construct of sustainability, and indicate the need for a profound cultural shift towards regenerative human systems. In this framework, regenerative organizations are driven by a sense higher purpose, and leadership is exercised heterarchically. Leaders and followers engage in generative conversations to create desirable futures which are then backcasted to eliminate unanticipated consequences. Throughout, participants emphasized the critical importance of engaging in personal and collective consciousness development or "inner work" in order to make regenerative practices possible. / by Guillermo [John] Hardman. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Addressing the current homeland security challenges requires scholars, practitioners, elected officials, and community partners working in unison to mitigate the hazards confronting first responders. Built on public choice theory, this research addressed a specific component of the emergency preparedness matrix: the most preferred fire service organizational design. The fire department organizational designs in this study included a Florida county, city, and independent special control fire district (ISFCD) that serve residents on a full-time platform. The concurrent embedded methodology used attempted to unearth which organizational design achieves economies of scale based on quarterly emergency service calls: the centralized county model or the decentralized city/ISFCD models. This study was an inquiry into the centralization versus decentralization argument, with emphases on fire service scale economies and inter-local service agreements Using multiple linear regression modeling accompanied by face-to-face interviews with the respective fire chiefs, this research showed that the county and ISFCD achieve scale economies over 44 quarters, fiscal years 2004-2014. Moreover, the interviews uncovered that response times were the driving factor behind instituting voluntary inter-local service agreements between the three fire departments. Other positive benefits from the service agreements include an increase in personnel and scene safety, dispatch center protocol enhancements, multi-company/jurisdictional training, overtime savings on large-scale disaster incidents, and trust building. The implications of this research for the scholarly and practitioner community include a better understanding of the technical and allocative efficiencies within the fire service arena. Melding public choice theory with strands of inter-local service agreement literature provides policymakers and scholars with a template for uncovering the fire service production/provision narrative. Though the centralization-decentralization argument is not solved within the research scope presented, the future narrative as uncovered in the research requires a citizenry inclusion. The future public choice prescriptions regarding fire service consolidation requires not only statistical modeling, but a normative democratic ethos tone incorporating multiple stakeholders with the citizens’ concerns at the forefront. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

The field of nonprofit management education is nascent and little of the research has extended into the area of leadership as a requisite competency for nonprofit leaders. Likewise, the research on leadership has not been widely extended to the nonprofit sector. Prior research suggests a broad range of competencies are necessary to lead in the dynamic, complex environment of nonprofits, the exercise of which differs from that in the for-profit sector. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015 / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Trata-se de uma pesquisa exploratória realizada com os principais executivos de 153 das mil maiores organizações brasileiras, e que buscou ampliar o conhecimento até então existente acerca da contribuição do alinhamento organizacional para a eficácia da implementação das estratégias organizacionais através de uma abordagem sistêmica, cuja proposta metodológica reduziu a complexidade do contexto estratégico em pares de elementos organizacionais a serem alinhados, especificados como combinações de sistemas, as quais foram, então, analisadas de forma integrada em relação à variável dependente eficácia da implementação das estratégias, através da aplicação de técnicas estatísticas multivariadas. As análises quantitativas efetuadas permitiram a elaboração de um ranking de prioridades de alinhamento para o estrategista, a partir da conclusão de que o alinhamento de algumas combinações de sistemas é mais importante do que o alinhamento de outras combinações, no que diz respeito às suas contribuições para a eficácia da implementação das suas estratégias. A comparação deste ranking com aquele extraído a partir da manifestação dos executivos acerca da importância que eles atribuíram a cada uma das combinações de sistemas, evidenciou avaliação divergente em diversos itens, que podem se traduzir em oportunidades para as organizações ampliarem os seus níveis de eficácia na implementação de estratégias. Com relação ao propósito de investigar a possível existência de correlação entre o alinhamento das combinações de sistemas em estudo e a eficácia da implementação das estratégias das organizações, os trabalhos de campo e todas as subseqüentes análises dos dados coletados ratificaram essa hipótese, o que confere duplo valor ao achado. Primeiro por confirmar os conceitos obtidos a partir da base teórica, consolidando-os em um modelo abstrato, e, segundo, por permitir a utilização prática, de tal forma que as organizações podem, baseadas nestas constatações, concentrar os seus esforços de alinhamento naquelas combinações de sistemas que mais contribuem para a eficácia da implementação das estratégias. Essa descoberta é tão importante quanto aquela que esclarece que a eficácia na implementação de estratégias evidenciada hoje decorre mais do alinhamento organizacional presente do que do alinhamento organizacional passado. Ou seja, para o bem e para o mal, os alinhamentos passados não são suficientes para sustentar os níveis de eficácia presente. A boa notícia é a de que, com base nesta tese, as organizações que mantiverem, ao longo do tempo, os alinhamentos capazes de sustentar níveis superiores de eficácia na implementação de suas estratégias, podem usufruir de vantagem competitiva sobre as organizações rivais, neste quesito. / This Thesis consists of an exploratory research carried out with 153 top executives from the largest Brazilian organizations, aiming at expanding current knowledge concerning the contribution of organizational alignment to effectiveness of organizational strategies implementation, by means of a systemic approach, whose methodological proposition reduced strategic context complexity in pairs of organizational elements to be aligned, here specified as systems combinations that were analyzed in an integrated manner in relation to dependent variable strategies implementation effectiveness, with the application of multivariate statistics techniques. The quantitative analyses enabled the elaboration of an alignment priority ranking to the strategist, from the conclusion that the alignment of some systems combinations is more important than the alignment of other combinations, in relation to their contribution to the strategies implementation effectiveness. The comparison between this ranking and that emerged from the manifestation of organization executives about the importance of each systems combinations, has revealed divergent evaluation in several items, which can be translated into opportunities to the organizations to improve their strategies implementation effectiveness level. With respect to the objective of investigating the eventual correlation between the studied systems combinations alignment and the effectiveness of organizational strategies implementation, the field works and subsequent gathered data analyses ratified this hypothesis, which offers double value to the findings. First, confirmed the concepts obtained from the theoretical basis, consolidating them in a conceptual framework and, second, allowed the practical use in a way that organizations can, based on these evidences, concentrate their alignment efforts on these systems combinations that more contribute to the strategies implementation effectiveness. This discovery is as important as that which explains that the strategies implementation effectiveness evidenced today arise more from the present organizational alignment than from the past organizational alignment. Therefore, for better or for worse, the past alignments are not sufficient to support the present effectiveness level. Good news is that, based on this argument, organizations that maintain the appropriate alignment to sustain superior levels of strategies implementation effectiveness over time, can benefit from competitive advantage over rivals, in this matter.

by Sung Chi-Keung, John. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 28-30). / ABSTRACT / TABLE OF CONTENTS / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT / CHAPTER / Chapter I --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter II --- HISTORY OF THE ARCHITECTURAL PROFESSION AND THE BUILDING INDUSTRY --- p.6 / Chapter III --- ANALYSIS OF ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES --- p.14 / Chapter IV --- SURVEY RESEARCH --- p.48 / Chapter V --- STUDIES OF THREE ARCHITECTURAL FIRMS --- p.56 / Chapter VI --- CONCLUSION --- p.82 / APPENDIX / BIBLIOGRAPHY