Thesis (D. Min.)--Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2003. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-228).

Thesis (M. Hous. M.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Management, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Soumen Ghosh, Committee Chair ; Lawrence James, Committee Member ; Vinod Singhal, Committee Member ; Ravi Subramanian, Committee Member ; Jeff Stratman, Committee Member.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Western Conservative Baptist Seminary. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-125).

No description available.

M.Com. (Business Management) / The global economy has over the past decades undergone radical changes. The South African economy has not been immune to the changes taking place globally. The pressures on competitiveness add urgency to the search for greater effectiveness. Most managers know that few decisions, such as operational strategy, problem solving and performing core competencies are more critical decisions than the selection of the customers to be served. In today's competitive world, successful outsourcing is a powerful tool for organizations of different sizes to be cost-efficient, increase flexibility, services and productivity, to focus on core competencies and rely on outsourcing vendors/partners to supply the non-competencies, to gain monetary benefits, add value and gain competitive advantage over rivals. Therefore outsourcing Is one of many business tools that may also be available and applicable to small businesses to gain a competitive advantage over rivals. The primary motivation for this study stems from the relevancy of outsourcing as a management tool, and whether outsourcing could also be applied in small business management, and hence this study attempts to examine the possible merits for small businesses to consider outsourcing as a management tool. Further, the researcher hopes to show in this study the principles on which good outsourcing decisions may be taken to benefit the small businesses and the Involved parties in the outsourcing arrangement. Hence the primary objective of the study is to determine the merits of the small business sector to utilise outsourcing as a business tool, and the supporting secondary objectives are to research the concept of outsourcing: to explain the rationale in outsourcing and all its manifestations, to research the concept of the small business sector, its major needs, challenges and threats, and to deduce from the results achieved In the above mentioned areas, possible merits for small businesses to consider outsourcing as a management tool.

Abstract Although the genetic sex of an embryo is determined at conception by the presence or absence of the Y chromosome, both females and males have bipotential, undifferentiated gonads early in their development. Genes and testicular hormones direct differentiation into either testes or ovaries. The first relevant gene to be identified was the Y-linked master regulatory gene, SRY, since when several other genes have been found to be of importance for sex determination. The primary aim here was to identify the role of Wnt-4 in the development of the gonad and adrenal gland. Wnt-4 was found to be expressed in the developing gonad, the Müllerian duct and the adrenal gland, in addition to the kidney, pituitary gland and mammary gland as observed earlier. Expression in the gonad was found to be regulated in a sex-specific manner. After sex determination Wnt-4 was downregulated in the testis, but the expression persisted until birth in the ovary. Wnt-4-deficient female mice demonstrated a partial female-to-male sex reversal and a reduction in the number of oocytes, while the Müllerian duct was absent from both sexes. Lack of Wnt-4 in the adrenal gland led to reduced aldosterone production, indicating abnormal development of the zona glomerulosa. Flutamide administration to pregnant Wnt-4 heterozygote females was shown to partially restore the sex reversal. The results suggest that female development is not a default pathway but needs active signalling, in which Wnt-4 plays an essential role.

M.Comm. (Computer Auditing) / It is undeniable that over the last couple of years information technology outsourcing has witnessed considerable success and growth in South Africa and the world at large. However, there have been a number of IT outsourcing failures as evidenced by the substantial number of organizations that outsourced their IT systems and then moved them back in-house, or outsourced to another service provider. This is proof that some of the practices inherent in IT outsourcing are flawed. In order to find out why IT outsourcing was failing in South Africa, the study investigated the current practices in IT outsourcing against the best practices. A comprehensive literature study on IT outsourcing best practices and an empirical study on outsourcing organizations employing the services of top IT outsourcing service providers in South Africa was done. The research study revealed strong evidence that organizations are experimenting with different types of IT outsourcing that consequently have different benefits and risks. The empirical findings also proved that there was no ‘one size fits all’ when it came to the reasons for justifying outsourcing IT by organizations. It was also clear that no organization would openly admit to having hidden agendas that informed why and how they outsourced their IT. The study also found strong evidence of critical success factors that are significant and are embraced by IT outsourcing organizations. Also revealed, there were control considerations in IT outsourcing that showed strong evidence of applicable risks and the governance mechanisms employed.

M.Comm. / In order to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage in the present global trade environment, companies need to find ways to distinguish themselves from their opposition. One way by which this advantage can be gained, is by exercising superior supply chain management. Shortening product life cycles and multiple possible suppliers per product make it even more important to provide excellent customer service. Once again, these events imply the need for superior supply chain management. The question of how to improve supply chain management now arises. The aim of this study is to determine whether the outsourcing of certain supply chain activities can lead to the desired result. A secondary aim is to give an overview on supply chain management, as knowledge on this topic is often lacking or poorly understood, while it is seen as highly important for the reasons stated above. A key step in the process of determining whether or not a company should make use of a third-party supply chain provider, is in determining the strategic objectives of the company. During this step the company needs to determine its key competencies, which in turn helps the company to establish its goals. Once the above process has taken place, a decision can be made on whether to consider the outsourcing of supply chain activities. Companies that are considering the outsource of their supply chain activities, are looking for benefits such as reduced costs and increased service, reduced capital investment, increased flexibility to fluctuating demand, and a focus on core competencies. There are however, possible disadvantages associated with the outsourcing decision. Examples include, negative effects on workforce morale, a fear for loss of control by some supply chain professionals, breaches of confidentiality, and a loss of customer contact.

M.A. / This study investigates the role that art plays in the lives of lay counselors in identifying and coping with burnout. This study was executed within the framework of a community psychological context. Art is not used solely as therapy neither is it only used in therapy. This author accepts Mills and Crowley's (1986) living benefits approach. This approach states that art can be used pragmatically to visually represent a problem area in a persons live as well as the solution to the problem. With regards to burnout art can be used to identify burnout symptoms on an individual, interpersonal and organizational level and in the five areas of affect, behaviour, cognition, physical and motivation. The living benefits approach goes one step further by stating that individuals have the intrinsic ability to use art to identify mechanisms that will help them to resolve problem areas in their lives. Art is used as an intermedium between therapy and art to facilitate conversation. Art is the main changing agent that motivates individuals to change their perceptions en later on their coping mechanisms in response to a problem. The results of this study can be used to create a primary prevention program. This program can focus on teaching individuals interpersonal cognitive coping mechanisms as will be seen in the literature study on competence building.