Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1994. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-154).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1995. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 135-137).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112). Also available in print.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-110). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 325-336).

Thesis (MMil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Organisations need assurance that strategy is executed as planned and objectives are met, when matching organisational capabilities with the opportunities in the market. Control can give management such an assurance and is ultimately the responsibility of management. It is not however only management that may be interested with proper control in an organisation, all stakeholders wants some degree and form of control to safeguard their interest in an organisation. Management has a daunting task on their hands to ensure an organisation achieve its objectives as effectively, efficiently and economically as possible, while keeping all stakeholders informed and happy. Vast amounts of resources will be used to achieve objectives and management needs to strike a balance between protection of these resources and empowering employees to utilise these resources. A balance between the control systems over the different resources must also be in place. Management needs to have a balanced focus regarding the measurement of activities and behaviour relating to specific objectives, due to the time, cost, quality and innovation effects of control systems. A balance between costs and benefits of control systems must also be obtained. Control needs to be integrated as part of the management process to ensure optimal achievement of objectives. A holistic approach towards control and the usage of a sound control environment combined with relevant, organisational specific control systems that are flexible can ensure balance of control. All employees of an organisation have control responsibilities and must give inputs in the control process. Employees must view control as an aid and not as a stumbling block, when trying to achieve objectives. Management must be empowered and empower employees to have the relevant knowledge regarding control and control systems that can be used, when to use them and how to use them. These control systems must be continuously improved to ensure sustained, optimal achievement of objectives. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Organisasies benodig versekering dat strategie uitgevoer word soos beplan en dat doelwitte bereik word, wanneer die organisasie se vermoë gepas word teen geleenthede in die mark. Beheer kan vir bestuur so 'n versekering gee en is eintlik bestuur se verantwoordelikheid. Dit is egter nie net bestuur wat belang kan stel in voldoende beheer nie, maar alle belanghebbers soek 'n mate en vorm van beheer oor 'n organisasie, om hul belange te beskerm. Bestuur het 'n uitdagende taak op hande om te verseker dat doelwitte doeltreffend, doelmatig en ekonomies bereik word, terwyl alle belanghebbers ingelig en gelukkig gehou word. Groot hoeveelhede hulpbronne word gebruik om doelwitte te bereik en bestuur moet 'n balans verkry tussen die beskerming van hulpbronne en die bemagtiging van werkers in die aanwending van die hulpbronne. 'n Balans tussen die beheer stelsels oor die verskillende hulpbronne moet ook in plek wees. Weens die tyd, koste, kwaliteit en innovasie effek van beheer moet bestuur 'n gebalanseerde fokus hê rakende die meting van aktiwiteite en gedrag betreffende spesifieke doelwitte. 'n Balans tussen die kostes en voordele van beheerstelsels moet ook verkry word. Beheer moet 'n ge-integreerde deel van die bestuursproses wees om optimale doelwit bereiking te verseker. 'n Holistiese benadering rakende beheer en die gebruik van 'n voldoende beheer omgewing, gekombineer met relevante, organisasie spesifieke beheer stelsels wat buigsaam is, kan balans van beheer verseker. Alle werkers in 'n organisasie het beheer verantwoordelikhede en moet insette verskaf in die beheer proses. Werkers moet beheer as 'n hulpmiddel ag en nie 'n struikelblok nie, wanneer doelwit bereiking nagestreef word. Bestuur moet bemagtig wees en werkers bemagtig om oor die nodige kennis rakende beheer en beheer stelsels te beskik, watter beheer stelsel gebruik kan word, wanneer om dit te gebruik en hoe om dit te gebruik. Die beheer stelsels moet aaneenlopend verbeter word om volgehoue, optimale doelwit bereiking te verseker.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Volatility, globalisation, turbulence and constant change are some of the challenges facing the business environment today. Companies have proposed and tested many strategies to cope with the unpredictable world of business. In this thesis, a project by an anonymous South African company (The Company) to respond by improving organisational excellence is analysed and evaluated against its success in fostering organisational learning. The Company initiated a project in which Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and Clear Leadership Engagement were combined in search of operational excellence. In Chapter 1, the context is set out. The research question is formulated as follows: to what extent does organisational learning depend on organisational excellence? Chapter 2 discusses and defines key process concepts. These are: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma and Clear Leadership Engagement Models. The chapter also outlines the key practices and the shortcomings of each process. Chapter 3 discusses and defines the conceptual building blocks of the thesis. These are the notions of organisational learning and learning organisation. Tools used to diagnose whether an organisation is learning are introduced together with an Organisational Learning model to be used to assess the relationship between Organisational Learning and Operational Excellence. Chapter 4 focuses on the project of the Company – the Operational Excellence “journey”. How the journey was conceived, the players were involved and steps taken to drive it are described. In Chapter 5, the combination of Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and the engagement models that the Company used, is assessed. The chapter attempts to unravel the reasons behind this combination and determine how this combination worked in practice. It is through this chapter that an attempt is made to explain the logic of this unusual combination. Other businesses have implemented different forms of improvement in isolation, but it is rare to find a company that combines operational improvement methodologies with an engagement model. In Chapter 6, all the theories and empirical evidence come together. In this chapter, the relationship between Pursuing Operational Excellence (POE) and Organisational Learning is tested. The author uses the seven salient characteristics of learning organisations, distilled by the researcher, to prove the positive relationship between Organisational Learning and Operational Excellence. Through this chapter, the researcher answers the question whether a positive link exists between POE and Organisational Learning. It was clear from the research that there is indeed a positive link between POE and Organisational Learning. What the research could not determine is the degree or the rate of learning linked to POE, or what percentage of learning the organisation achieved over a period of time. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Volatiliteit, globalisering, turbulensie en konstante verandering is ‘n uitdaging waarmee die sake-omgewing deesdae te doen kry. Baie strategieë is voorgestel en getoets deur maatskappye ten einde by te bly in die onvoorspelbare sake-wêreld. In hierdie tesis word ‘n projek wat in ‘n anonieme Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappy (The Company) uitgevoer is om op die uitdagings te reageer, by wyse van ‘n dryf na operasionele uitnemendheid, geanaliseer en geëvalueer aan die hand van die mate waarin sodanige aksies organisatoriese leer bevorder het. The Company het ‘n projek geloods waarin Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma en Clear Leadership Engagement gekombineer is op soek na operasionele uitnemendheid. In Hoofstuk 1 word die konteks uiteengesit en die navorsingsvraag geformuleer as die vraag in watter mate organisatoriese leer deur operasionele uitnemendheid bepaal word. In Hoofstuk 2 word die kern prosesbegrippe bespreek en gedefinieer. Dit is: Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma en Clear Leadership Engagement models. Die hoofstuk gee ook ’n oorsig oor die hoofpraktyke en tekortkominge van elke model. Hoofstuk 3 bespreek die konseptuele basis van die navorsing. Dit is die konsepte: Organisatoriese Leer en Lerende Organisasie. Instrumente om te diagnoseer of ’n organisasie leer, word voorgestel, asook ’n model van Organisatoriese Leer wat gebruik sal word om die verband tussen Organisatoriese Leer en Operasionele Uitmuntendheid te bepaal. Hoofstuk 4 fokus op die projek wat The Company onderneem het. In hierdie hoofstuk word die “reis” na operasionele uitnemendheid beskryf; hoe dit ontstaan het, die rolspelers wat betrokke was en die stappe wat op die reis geneem is. In Hoofstuk 5 beoordeel die kombinasie van Lean Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing en die engagement modelle wat deur die Company gebruik is. Die hoofstuk probeer ontrafel wat die motivering vir hierdie kombinasie is en hoe dit in die praktyk uitgewerk het. In die hoofstuk word gepoog om die logika van hierdie ongewone kombinasie te peil. Ander ondernemings het verskillende vorms van verbetering in isolasie geïmplementeer, maar dit is selde dat ’n mens ’n maatskappy vind wat operasionele verbeteringsmetodologieë kombineer met ’n engagement model. In Hoofstuk 6 kom al die teorieë en empiriese gegewens bymekaar. Dit is in hierdie hoofstuk waar die verhouding tussen die nastrewing van Operasionele Uitnemendheid en Organisatoriese Leer getoets word. Die navorser gebruik die sewe kenmerke van Lerende Organisasies wat tevore geïdentifiseer is om ’n positiewe verband tussen Organisatoriese Leer en Operasionele Uitnemendheid aan te toon. Uit die navorsing was dit duidelik dat daar ’n positiewe verband is tussen die nastrewing van Operasionele Uitnemendheid en Organisatoriese Leer. Maar, wat die navorsing nie kon beantwoord nie, is die graad of spoed van leer wat met die nastrewing van Operasionele Uitnemendheid verbind kan word, of watter persentasie leer die organisasie oor ’n gegewe tydperk bereik het.

Thesis (MEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Performance management systems are integral to many organisations. On all levels of management such performance measurements are used to drive a desired behaviour and business units, departments, as well as individuals are rewarded for meeting or exceeding set targets. In large silo-structured organisations, divisions are particularly focused on their own targets and responsibilities. This may result in a diminished view of the effect their strategies and processes may have on overall stakeholder value. These divisions execute strategies to enhance the achievement of their own goal. The execution of these strategies sometimes hampers other divisions in meeting their goals. The net effect of this hampering may result in reduced stakeholder value. A mechanism is needed through which organisational divisions can evaluate the systemic environment, in order to identify hampering processes. The case may be that their processes are hampering other divisions, or that their processes as such are being hampered. The main objective of this research study was to develop such a mechanism. This mechanism emerged through a framework which can be used during investigations of hampering processes. Such investigation is conducted by following six predefined steps to guide the investigator in identifying the hampering factors. This framework was developed by combining primarily three disciplines: Systems thinking, Performance evaluation and Supplier perceived value. The evaluation framework was validated through three case studies. In all of the cases the framework delivered the expected result. It is thus concluded that organisations can apply the framework to help identify systemic environmental factors that may hamper business processes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Prestasiebestuurstelsels maak ʼn integrale deel uit van die meeste organisasies. Prestasiebeoordeling word op alle vlakke van bestuur ingespan om die verlangde gedrag aan te moedig. Sake-eenhede, departemente en individue word vergoed indien hulle die gestelde doelwitte haal of oorskry. In groot silo-gedrewe organisasies is afdelings grootliks gefokus op hulle eie verantwoordelikhede en om hulle eie doelwitte te bereik. Gevolglik verminder dit soms die uitwerking wat die uitkomste van hulle strategieë en prosesse het op die belanghebbendes van die organisasie. Hierdie afdelings voer dus strategieë uit om hulle eie doelwitte te behaal. Soms verhinder hierdie strategieë ander afdelings om hulle doelwitte te bereik. Die basiese effek hiervan kan wees dat minder waarde aan die belanghebbendes deurgegee word. ‘n Organisasie het dus ʼn meganisme nodig om die sistemiese omgewing mee te evalueer en sodoende prosesse te identifiseer wat belemmer is of wat belemmering kan veroorsaak. Die hoofdoel van hierdie navorsingstudie was om so ʼn meganisme te ontwikkel. Hierdie meganisme het na vore gekom in ʼn raamwerk wat tydens ondersoeke gebruik kan word om belemmering te identifiseer. Die raamwerk is ontwikkel deur hoofsaaklik drie dissiplines in gedagte te hou: Sistemiese Benadering, Prestasie-beoordeling en die Begrip van verskafferwaarde. Die raamwerk is aan die hand van drie gevallestudies getoets en in al drie gevalle het die raamwerk die verwagte resultate opgelewer. Die gevolgtrekking is dus gemaak dat organisasies wel die raamwerk kan toegepas kan om die sistemiese omgewing te evalueer en sodoende die belemmering van prosesse op mikrovlak uit te wys.