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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
11

The results of flow efficiency methodology in a labour-intensive, South African operation

Bodill, Chris January 2016 (has links)
A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Science in Industrial Engineering. October 2016 / The research project aimed at determining employees’ experiences of the application of the flow efficiency methodology. The flow efficiency methodology was the selected management methodology from the broader scope of process-focused methodologies. The significance of the flow efficiency approach is that it’s an alternative approach to the traditional management approach of optimising resource efficiency, but rather focuses on improving the flow of the process in which the resources work. The research was conducted in the context of the labour-intensive, South African manufacturing sector using a case study approach. The purpose of the research was to understand front-line employees’ and supervisors’ perceptions during the application of the flow efficiency approach. The assessed perceptions came from four selected change factors that stemmed from the Lean change iceberg model commonly found in literature. The motivation for research was two-fold: (1) prior research of the flow efficiency methodology in the socio-technical environment focused on operational improvement impact, and not on the impact on people; and (2), most research of improvement approaches and methods in South Africa tended to focus on success factors and pre-requisite maturity levels of various methods. The chosen flow efficiency approach required no pre-requisite culture requirements. The researcher was of the view that gaining an insight (through a case study) into employees’ perceptions of change factors during a flow efficiency approach, could lead to benefits of development and empowerment of employees and management in the labour-intensive, manufacturing sector of South Africa. The case study selected was a flow efficiency-based, improvement initiative in a multinational dairy plant in South Africa. The researcher used an unstructured, group-administered questionnaire to assess operational and supervisory employees’ perceptions of the selected change factors after process changes were made in the process where they work. The four selected process-improvement change factors derived from the Lean change iceberg were: Leadership Behaviour; Social System Change; Effectiveness of Change; and Employee Involvement & Empowerment. Content validity was conducted with external and internal experts to refine the questions and sequence of the questionnaire. A trained research assistant facilitated the multiple questionnaire sessions. Thematic content analysis was used to categorise participant’s responses into themes and sub-themes for each question. The occurrence of themes and sub-themes per question was tallied up and discussed for operational and supervisory employees with respect to the research objectives. The research did not yield a broad-based view on the impact of the flow efficiency management approach on employees’ perceptions in the greater industry context. However, it did give an insight, through the case study, into some universally applicable perceptions of changes experienced by South African, front-line and supervisory employees when the flow efficiency management approach was used. Perceptions of: leadership commitment and coaching, improved teamwork, simplification of jobs, improved flow, and improvements in individual performance, and employee empowerment were prevalent perceptions felt by most employees at both levels. / MT2017
12

Strategiese bestuur as bestuursopgawe vir die topbestuur van die sekondêre skool

Van Heerden, Martinus Phillippus 16 August 2012 (has links)
M.Ed. / High demands in education are set by a complicated and rapidly developing society. Due to better techniques and changing circumstances the task of the principal as well as his management team has become more complex. The management team no longer needs to be reactive to changing circumstances. A pro-active approach such as strategic management can be followed. Strategic management demands that the school management team develop a strategic plan. The mission must be formulated in conjunction with all interested parties. Once the main aim has been compiled, an analysis of the internal environment of the school should take place in order to determine strong and weak points. It now becomes the urgent task of the management team to pay attention to the following aspects, namely: structure, culture, climate, resources, manpower and marketing in order to determine the prevailing situation in the school. Analysis of the external environment should guide the management team to pinpoint the opportunities and threats present in the school environment. A clear mission and an awareness of the school's strong and weak points, as well as the opportunities and threats should lead to the development of aims and objectives. This in turn leads to establishing a common ground for meaningful functioning within the school. It becomes the task of the management team to consider alternative strategies for the execution of the school's aims/objectives. After careful consideration of alternative strategies a choice has to be made as to which strategy should be followed. This strategic plan must be changed into a practical plan. It is essential that the objectives of the strategies are carefully formulated. This in turn leads to the implementation of short term functional activities. A policy framework is developed wherein decisions must be taken and this becomes a barometer as to how all the set aims/objectives are to be achieved. The institutionalization of the policy demands a thorough reflection of organisation structure, leadership, culture and the various means of recognition. Strategy and structure should complement each other. Several structures and their suitability should be considered for strategy implementation. Successful strategy implementation demands strong leadership characterized by personal example. Strategic management is a participative management process. The value of visible management can never be overemphasized. Successful implementation demands that there be clarity of present and envisaged school culture. School culture and the chosen strategy must complement each other. Recognition is an important part of strategical implementation and will motivate staff, which will lead to success. The last part of the strategic management model is the evaluation of performance and the control of work activities. Control follows planning. It ensures that the school achieves what it set out to accomplish. Just as planning involves the setting of objectives along with the strategies and programs necessary to accomplish them, the control process compares performance with desired results and provides the feedback necessary for management to evaluate the results and take corrective action, as needed. This process consists of a four-step feedback model, but is not always easily distinguished. The identification of key success factor areas and strategical control points help to facilitate control. One should also consider.
13

A programme based on organisational life cycle theory for a recently established welfare agency.

Labuschagne, D. E. 10 June 2014 (has links)
M.A. (Social Science) / The study was undertaken based on the perception that a recently , established welfare organisation was experiencing stalemate. During the study it became apparent that an organisation can be defined in terms of an organic analogy, that is, that organisations develop in life cycles which are affected by the environment. The environmental influences affect the organisation's culture, strategy, structure, processes and services to the clients. The survival of any organisation depends on its adaptability and ability to design technology to enable it to obtain and to utilize resources more efficiently. In other words, organisations are dependent on their environment. Newly established organisations however, are ill-equipped to make the necessary assessments and forecasts regarding their environment and resources. The newness of the organisation has significance in that structures are not in place or formalised enough to monitor the environment. Additionally, the organisation could be caught up in the euphoria of the 'utopian fantasy' resulting in inferior decision-making. Using the Thomas model of research and development in Grinnell (1982) a technology was designed to facilitate not only the survival but the continued growth of the organisation being studied. The problem was analyzed by a study of the development of the organisation concerned and a comparison to organisational life cycle theory.
14

An evaluation of formal mentoring programmes within two South African organisations

Shelton, Delyse Elizabeth January 2006 (has links)
The benefits of informal mentoring are numerous and organisations have recognised these benefits in terms of organisational development. There has been an attempt to harvest these benefits through the introduction of formal mentoring programmes as a tool to fast track and then ultimately retain internal capability. This research on formal mentoring programmes occurred within a qualitative paradigm and data was obtained through document analysis and interviews from five mentoring pairs in one organisation and four mentoring pairs in another. The data was then presented and analysed in terms of the models proposed in the literature. The aim of this research was to evaluate formal mentoring programmes within South African organisations based on a framework provided by the literature. It was found that the literature proposed no formal evaluation model and thus, one was developed based on models of programme evaluation and formal mentoring implementation models. On the evaluation of the two formal mentoring programmes, it was found that there are some issues raised in the literature that are pertinent to both organisations but that there were also issues that were only relevant to one of the programmes. According to the research the differences in perceived success of the mentoring programme lay in the goals of the programme relating to the broader goals and culture of the organisation. It is recommended that future research investigate the impact of organisational culture on the effectiveness of formal mentoring programmes. The research also identified a need for supportive resources although this study did not assess the appropriateness and sufficiency of the resources. Organisations also need to implement effective evaluative practices in order to implement effective changes to the programme.
15

Exploring managers' experiences of a monitoring and evaluation dashboard in an Eastern Cape hospital complex

Scholl, Joy January 2013 (has links)
Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) are essential tools for businesses, projects and service delivery structures. The majority of managers in health institutions are from a clinical background and do not use business intelligence principles to manage or monitor performances in their domains. Literature has revealed that managers in South African public health institutions do not monitor and evaluate their data regularly; likewise the most important information is not consolidated for easy reference and assessment. A pilot study of the introduction of an M&E dashboard was implemented at the East London Hospital Complex (ELHC) in May 2011 at the request of the Superintendent General of the Eastern Cape Department of Health to address this challenge. The current study explored the experiences of managers in the implementation of an M&E dashboard at the ELHC in the Eastern Cape. To establish managers’ experiences, a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study was undertaken to gain insight, while accurately depicting the experiences and perceptions of managers of the dashboard. A survey questionnaire was developed to undertake a case study with respondents, who were involved in the initial implementation of the dashboard project at the ELHC. The results were analysed and recommendations were made addressing the design of the dashboard, and communication and change management in the introduction of the monitoring and evaluation tool. Further recommendations were made relating to future potential research in this area. An important finding of the research is that thirty-one (31) of the thirty-four (34) managers (91 percent) responded positively about the dashboard, while 9 percent were neutral. None of the respondents encountered negative experiences of utilising the dashboard. This indicates that the implementation of the dashboard was an overwhelming positive experience. The dashboard can be implemented in other healthcare institutions in the Eastern Cape, thereby encouraging more reliable methods to monitor data, improve staff efficiency and above all service delivery to patients.
16

'n Evaluasie van die gebalanseerde telkaartmetodiek as meetinstrument vir doelwitbereiking binne 'n onderneming in die petrochemiese bedryf

Van Heerden, Johannes Hendrik Petrus 14 August 2012 (has links)
M.Comm. / From the literature is it well known that the environment in which companies currently compete, is continuously changing. It is therefore increasingly important for companies to align the energy of all its employees with the strategy of the company. Furthermore it is important that the management team not only receive feedback on whether the company's strategy is implemented, but also on how well it is implemented and executed. Measuring the progress towards the successful execution of the strategy is vital for management in the continuously changing environment. The balanced scorecard methodology enables management to align the energy of the employees to the proper execution of the strategy and measuring the progress towards achieving the strategy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the balanced scorecard as a measuring tool as implemented in a local petrochemical company.
17

The influence of board of director networks and corporate governance on firm performance and CEO compensation

Wang, Yan January 2012 (has links)
This thesis comprises three empirical studies that investigate the effects of director networks and corporate governance mechanisms on firm performance and CEO compensation. The first empirical study (chapter three) describes the extent of board networks among non-financial FTSE 350 firms listed on the London Stock Exchange during 2007-2010. We use the concept of the “centrality” from social network analysis to examine whether board networks are related to firm performance. We find that firms whose directors are more central in a network are associated with better financial performance. Consistent with the “Reputation Hypothesis” (Fama and Jensen, 1983), the number of director connections may proxy for director reputation. Directors are motivated to improve their reputation since they can use their directorships to signal to the market that they are good at decision-making, and at providing advice and monitoring management. The second empirical study (chapter four) investigates the effects of director networks on CEO compensation among non-financial FTSE 350 firms listed on the London Stock Exchange between 2007 and 2010, while controlling for CEO characteristics, corporate governance characteristics and firm characteristics. We first examine the impact of CEO networks (individual level) and second board networks (firm level) comprising all board members. We examine not only the total remuneration of the CEO but also two important components of the remuneration package, i.e. basic salary, and long term incentive plans (LTIPs). At the individual level, we find that a well-connected CEO measured by “centrality” receives higher total compensation. Although we find a positive relationship between basic salary and CEO networks, we do not find evidence of a relationship between LTIP compensation and CEO networks. The relationship between board networks and CEO compensation is also examined at the firm level. The results show that board networks have a positive and significant effect on total compensation and LTIP compensation but not on basic salary compensation. The third empirical study (chapter five) examines the effects of directors’ business networks, directors’ social networks and corporate governance mechanisms on firm performance. Previous studies have considered only business networks (directorships), while this study explores both business networks and social networks, such as current and past employment, education background, and other types of social activities (membership of golf clubs, membership of charity organizations, universities alumni, etc). We find that well-connected directors seem to use their networks to improve firm performance and in line with the interest of their shareholders. We further split the effects of board networks into business and social networks. We find that social networks play a more important role than business networks in improving firm performance, consistent with social capital theory (Coleman, 1990) which argues that networks of social connections can provide firms with valuable resources and information. Overall, this thesis provides empirical evidence that director networks and corporate governance mechanisms play an important role in affecting CEO remuneration and firm financial performance. The findings of this thesis suggest that regulators, firms and individuals should not only pay attention to business networks but also to social networks.
18

Developing a performance measurement system for policing : South African Police Service

Jansen van Vuuren, Eugene 12 1900 (has links)
Thesis (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Although terms such as input, output, outcomes, productivity, quality, efficiency and effectiveness represent measures of performance, they also measure different aspects of performance. The question of the relevance of the measurement of performance for the South African Police Service (SAPS) invariably arises. The following three questions have, therefore, been formulated: • What is the relevance of performance measurement for the SAPS? • Which performance measurement determinants must be addressed and integrated into the process of performance measurement in the SAPS? • How could performance measurement improve the rendering of service? The purpose of the exploratory study was to provide a conceptual framework for performance measurement by developing a systematic and comprehensive performance measurement system (model) for the SAPS which will have longterm advantages for both the SAPS and the customers and/or communities they serve. The key aims were, "therefore, threefold: • To ensure that the SAPS is fulfilling its mission and accomplishing targeted results. • To measure police performance (successes) in respect of input, output, outcomes, effectiveness and efficiency which will have a direct impact on the combating of crime and is of value to customers and/or communi ties served by the police. • To compare a newly developed and pilot-tested model with the present performance measurement initiative used by the SAPS to prove that the new model has promise. Face-to-face and focus group interviews were conducted with 16 English and Welsh individuals. In addition, face-to-face and focus group interviews were also conducted with 12 police officials of the SAPS in order to determine the current state of affairs regarding police performance measurement. As part of the inductive study and to focus on the formulated questions and purpose, as well as to account for the data, three hypotheses were formulated for this study. The newly developed model will, therefore, enable the establishment of the extent to which: • Resources (human and physical) could be used effectively and efficiently by focussing on performance measurement. • Police operations and activities could be improved on an ongoing basis by focussing on targeted results. • Police operations and activities will have a positive impact on the combating of crime. A conceptual performance measurement framework was developed which reflects the fulfilment of the SAPS's mission and the accomplishment of targeted results. This model also measures the performance (successes) of the SAPS in respect of input, output, outcomes, effectiveness, and efficiency. Twenty police stations of one police area in the Western Cape were selected for the pilot-testing of the newly developed performance measurement system for the SAPS. After the model had been successfully piloted, it was compared with the performance measurement system used by the SAPS at present. The proposed model achieved a substantial higher mark in comparison with the present process/system used in the SAPS. Finally, the new performance measurement system for the SAPS that consists of the following performance measurement determinants namely, strategic direction, performance framework, performance measures, strategy-institutionalizing and performance assessment provides an important building block in the process of analysing the quality of service. In conclusion, according to this exploratory study the newly developed performance measurement system for the SAPS shows that the SAPS can apply the model, in its current format, fully and optimally. However, some shortcomings connected to the model, have been identified. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Alhoewel terme soos insette, produksie (uitsette), gevolge (resultate), produktiwiteit, 'kwaliteit, doelmatigheid en doeltreffendheid maatstawwe van werkverrigting verteenwoordig, meet dit ook verskillende aspekte van werkverrigting. Die vraag na die toepaslikheid van die meet van werkverrigting vir die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens (SAPD) tree telkens na vore. Die volgende drie vrae is derhalwe geformuleer: • In watter mate is die meet van werkverrigting op die SAPD van toepassing? • Aan watter beslissende faktore vir die meet van werkverrigting moet aandag geskenk word en watter van hierdie faktore moet in die proses van die meet van werkverrigting in die SAPD geïntegreer word? • Hoe kan die meet van werkverrigting dienslewering verbeter? Die doel met die verkenningstudie was om 'n voorstellingsraamwerk vir die meet van werkverrigting te verskaf deur 'n stelselmatige en omvattende stelsel (model) vir die meet van werkverrigting vir die SAPD te ontwikkel wat langtermynvoordele sal inhou vir die SAPD, sowel as die kliënte en/of gemeenskappe wat dit bedien. Die sleuteldoelwitte is daarom drievoudig: • Om te verseker dat die SAPD sy missie ten uitvoer bring en die beoogde resultate bereik. • Om die werkverrigting (suksesse) van die Polisie met betrekking tot insette, produksie, resultate, doelmatigheid en doeltreffendheid te meet wat 'n direkte invloed op die bekamping van misdaad sal hê en ook van waarde is vir kliënte en/of gemeenskappe wat die Polisie bedien. • Om die nuutontwikkelde en voorafgetoetse model te vergelyk met die metode wat die SAPD tans gebruik om werkverrigting te meet om te bewys dat die nuwe model belofte inhou. Persoonlike onderhoude is met 16 Engelse en Walliese persone gevoer en fokusgroepsbesprel<.ings is gehou. Persoonlike onderhoude is ook met 12 polisiebeamptes van die SAPD gevoer en fokusgroepsbesprekings is gehou om die huidige stand van sake oor die meet van werkverrigting in die Polisie te bepaal. As deel van die verkenningstudie en om op die gestelde vrae en doel te fokus, asook om 'n verldaringvir die data te gee, is drie hipoteses vir hierdie studie geformuleer. Die nuut ontwikkelde model sal dus die mate van die volgende kan bepaal: • Hulpbronne (menslik en fisies) doeltreffend en doelmatig benut word deur op werkverrigting te fokus. • Polisie-operasies en -aktiwiteite op 'n deurlopende grondslag verbeter kan word deur op die beoogde resultate te fokus. • Polisie-operasies en -aktiwiteite 'n positiewe invloed op die bekamping van misdaad sal hê. 'n Voorstellingsraamwerk vir die meet van werkverrigting is ontwikkel wat die uitvoeringvan die missie van die SAPD en die bereikingvan beoogde resultate weerspieël. Hierdie model meet ook die werkverrigting (suksesse) van die SAPD met betrekking tot insette, produksie, gevolge, doeltreffendheid en doelmatigheid. Twintig polisiestasies van een polisie-area in die Wes-Kaap is gekies vir die vooraftoetsing van die nuutontwikkelde stelsel vir die meet van die werkverrigting vir die SAPD. Nadat die model suksesvol getoets is, is dit vergelyk met die stelsel wat tans deur die SAPD gebruik word om werkverrigting te meet. Die voorgestelde model het 'n aansienlike hoër punt behaal in vergelyking met die stelsel wat tans in die SAPD gebruik word. Laastens bied die nuwe stelsel wat werkverrigting in die SAPD meet en wat bestaan uit die volgende bepalings vir die meet van werkverrigting, naamlik strategiese rigting, raamwerk vir werkverrigting, maatstawvve vir werkverrigting, strategiese institusionalisering en waardebepaling van werkverrigting 'n belangrike bousteen in die ontledingsproses van kwaliteit diens. Sammevattend toon die nuutontwikkelde stelsel VIr die meet van werkverrigting in die SAPD volgens hierdie verkenningstudie dat die SAPD die model in sy huidige formaat ten volle en optimaal kan toepas. 'n Paar tekortkomings met betrekking tot die model is egter geïdentifiseer.
19

An analysis of the leadership competencies of specialized nonprofit management degree programs

Unknown Date (has links)
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
20

The role of CEO compensation in the cost of debt, expectations management, and the investment policy of UK firms

Li, Hao January 2010 (has links)
In this thesis, I explore the topic of chief executive officer (CEO) compensation in UK publicly traded firms. My objective is threefold. First of all, I investigate debt-holders‟ reaction to CEO compensation in terms of the cost of debt financing. Secondly, I examine the possible link between CEO compensation and expectation management. Thirdly, I examine whether and how the interactive relation between CEO career horizon and compensation package affects a firm‟s research and development spending. Multiple regression is employed in this thesis to investigate the causal relationship between these above mentioned aspects I‟m interested (the cost of debt, expectation management and research and development spending) and CEO compensation. I consider all major compensation components for a typical CEO in UK publicly traded firms: defined benefit pension, bonus, restricted shares, traditional stock options and performance-vested stock options. The accumulated equity incentives, such as ownership, are also examined. My major findings are as follows. First of all, I find that an increase in defined benefit pension and bonus in CEO compensation are associated with a lower bond yield spread, while an increase in stock options and ownership intensifies it. Secondly, I document that CEO equity incentives that will be vested in the following year are positively associated with the probability of employing expectation management to meet or beat financial analysts‟ forecasts about a firm‟s reporting earnings. Thirdly, I demonstrate that older CEOs will not spend less in research and development expenditures in general. However, older CEOs with more defined benefit pensions and ownership are reluctant to engage in such an investment. iii My results generate several implications for CEO compensation research. First of all, I show that debt-holders rationally incorporate the information of CEO compensation about risk-taking and risk-avoiding incentives when pricing a firm‟s publicly traded debts. Secondly, I provide the evidence that CEO compensation motivates top managers to manipulate information disclosure by employing expectation management for personal gains. Thirdly, the joint influence of CEO career horizon and compensation package on a firm‟s research and development spending is highlighted. CEO compensation motivates a short-sighed and risk-averse investment policy when top managers have a short career horizon. The first novel contribution in this thesis is the coverage of CEO pension, which is overlooked by the most of previous literature on compensation studies. Secondly, I provide the evidence that the popularity of expectation management in the UK, which is well documented in the literature, can be partly explained by CEO compensation. Finally, the interactive relation between CEO compensation and career horizon on a firm‟s investment policy is re-examined. It provides further material in the debate of career horizon problem, which has no consensus in the previous literature. Overall, this thesis generates some empirical evidence about the influence of CEO compensation on managerial behaviour. Some adverse effects of CEO compensation highlighted in this thesis may help remuneration committee to design a better pay package for top managers in the future.

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