The goal of the presented thesis is to screen market and to assess the Procurement application solutions provided in cloud with focus on SMB companies. Understanding of Procurement process is base for identification of key functions and requirements on Procurement applications. Market research results in initial high level picture about the Procurement applications available with attention to cloud. Procurement applications assessment determines conclusions on market evolution and trends. The first part of the thesis introduces theoretical background of Procurement process and cloud computing. This part is completed by the list of key functions and requirements, of expected benefits, and of the steps that are important during assessment and selection of Procurement application in business. The second part investigates the Procurement application market and vendors. The screening is oriented on application features, client set, delivery models, and on other characteristics. Eight Procurement application solutions were selected for detailed assessment: Bellwether ePMX, Compleat Spend Control, Coupa, eBid eXchange, Ion Wave Technologies, PurchaseControl, Trade Interchange (ARCUS), and Xtenza. Assessment of the applications results in comparative data that are presented in predefined structure. The primary focus is on application features and Procurement functions supported. Other important evaluation categories are delivery models, security, underlying infrastructure, approval workflows, and commercials. Communication with application vendors contributed to the assessment. This part is finalized with evolution and trend conclusions focusing on cloud proliferation dynamics, and on forecast of new application functions and features that will result in new business benefits.

This Thesis in Military Technology deals with experiences drawn from the forced introduction of Weapons Station 01, 2009. The work aims to identify the experiences regarding the forced procurement of military equipment to see how they can develop normal and fast procurement of equipment. The main conclusions of  this work, is to achieve greater capability and increase the military utility, are:   -          Common objectives and priorities of stakeholders -          Response and joint types shall determine requirements for system -          Ensure an integrated project team also at lower levels -          Engage the integrated logistic support early in the materiel process -          Include Armed Forces staff as early as possible in the testing and validation -          Prioritize work to facilitate the rapid development of decision on use (BOA) -          Provide back up for increased redundancy in the mission area

This thesis deals with procurement. It focuses on the characteristics of public procurement, the procurement and evaluation. It describes the steps in the procurement and identifies risks that threaten the individual phases of the procurement process. The practical part is concerned with comparing the order of candidates established on the basis of two different evaluation methods stanovenýh in the Law on Public Procurement.

As electronic waste and unsustainable Information- and communication product consumption is a growing global problem, more effective tools are required for people and businesses to measure and improve their social and environmental impacts. The Agenda 2030 plan for sustainable development addresses this issue and calls for proper and safer treatment of material extraction, recycling and disposal. TCO Development have created an IT impact assessment tool which addresses this specific problem by giving procurers and purchasers the ability to browse and compare sustainable IT products. To be an effective tool, usability and user engagement attributes have to be considered, as well as the context of the user. The target audience of IT procurement officers are defined and a qualitative study is conducted to evaluate which changes to the design are important to implement to increase the usability and user engagement of the IT sustainability impact assessment tool. The evaluation of the tool shows general positive feedback towards the general layout, design and functionality. Only a few severe errors are discovered which are identified to be in the filtering process. Errors regarding the sensitivity of the slider tool, the excess of options when choosing a TCO certificate version, and confusing terminology while choosing a product type are a few problems which are discovered. A few corrective design alterations were presented based on these discoveries. Moving forward, the iterative design process should continue to address the remaining usability errors. Furthermore, developers and designers should prioritize improving the aspects of data accuracy, transparency as well as system integration to improve corresponding user engagement attributes. / Elektroniskt avfall och ohållbar konsumtion av informations- och kommunikationsprodukter är ett växande problem i världen. Fler och effektivare verktyg behövs för att människor och företag ska kunna mäta och förbättra sin sociala och miljömässiga påverkan. Agenda 2030-planen för hållbar utveckling berör denna fråga genom att efterlysa säkra och hållbara metoder för materialutvinning, återvinning och avfallshantering av produkter. TCO Development har skapat ett verktyg som bedömer IT-produkters klimatavtryck vilket tillåter inköpare och upphandlare att gå igenom och jämföra hållbara IT-produkter med varandra. För att fungera effektivt behöver verktygets attribut för användbarhet och användarengagemang tillgodoses. Vidare behöver kontexten för verktygets användning analyseras. Målgruppen för verktyget definierades och en kvalitativ studie genomfördes därefter för att identifiera vilka designförändringar som är viktiga att implementera för att öka användbarheten och engagemanget hos användarna. Resultatet av studien visar att det finns en generell positiv attityd gentemot den allmänna layouten, designen och funktionaliteten hos  verktyget. Endast ett fåtal allvarliga avvikelser upptäcktes och kunde isoleras till filtreringsprocessen. Känsligheten av skjutreglaget, ett överflöd av certifieringsalternativ att välja bland, samt missvisande terminologi vid val av produkttyp är några problem som upptäcktes. Utifrån dessa, kunde förslag på åtgärdande designförändringar presenteras. I framtiden bör TCO Development fortsätta arbeta iterativt med designprocessen och fokusera på de kvarvarande användbarhetsavvikelserna. Vidare bör utvecklare och designers prioritera verktygets förmåga att presentera korrekt och transparent data, såväl som integrationen med externa system. På så vis kan de tillhörande attributen för användarengagemang förbättras.

Procurement 4.0 is the integration of Industry 4.0 related technologies into the procurement process, making tasks automated, information gathering and communication more effective, while establishing interconnected networks. After noticing a lack of studies done on the implementation of Procurement 4.0, the purpose of this article became to close the theoretical gap and extend the understanding of the implementation of Procurement 4.0. The study is done as a systematic content analysis, with the basis in a systematic literature review. Two areas of interest were studied and evaluated, identified effects on the procurement process by implementing Procurement 4.0, and identified Industry 4.0 implementation factors. Altogether, 14 studies were analyzed and evaluated and later put against each other to conclude Procurement 4.0 implementation factors. This study identified the need for managerial support and interaction with the employees, as an important part of the implementation phase. There are also a few factors that are not affected, regardless of if the implementation is concerning Industry 4.0 or Procurement 4.0.

Background: This study describes the incentives and barriers of public procurement ofcellulose-based and locally produced textiles in the Swedish healthcaresector governed by the county councils and regions. The size of the publicprocurement market is substantial which makes it imperative to analyse theprocurement decisions taken by this large customer from asustainability perspective. To understand these decisions better the publicprocurement is also analysed from an organisational perspective discussingpressures from global, regional and local stakeholders and governingauthorities.Methods: Empirical and primary data was collected from three semi-structuredinterviews with procurement officers, strategic buyers and heads ofprocurement departments in three county councils and regions in Sweden.The qualitative data was supplemented with quantitative data from a surveytargeting the additional 18 county councils and regions in Sweden. All 21county councils and regions in Sweden participated in or responded to theinterview and survey study. Six (33 %) complete responses were submitted,while five (28 %) surveys were partially responded to. Seven (39 %) countycouncils and regions did not participate in the study. The quantitative surveydata was analysed through the Fisher’s exact test and a thematic analysis wasapplied jointly on the interview and survey data due to the identicalinterview and survey questions.Results: The four themes found in the empirical data were concluded to be thedecision-making in these procurement processes being affected by manystakeholders, a high trust on suppliers for information updates andsustainable responsibility, an existing knowledge gap on cellulose-based andlocally produced textiles and the challenges and opportunities surroundingthe regulation of sustainability in the contract terms in the publicprocurement of textiles. The procurement officials being in a leading or nonleadingposition did not show any statistically significant effect on theperception of the clarity in the relevant political directives and how thisinfluences the possibility to take sustainable action in the procurementprocess, nor on whether the short-term (lowest) price has a higher prioritythan the long-term (e.g. long-term societal and environmental costs) in theprocurement of textiles.Conclusion: The sustainable public procurement of textiles within the Swedish healthcaresector governed by the county councils and regions is characterized by ahigh level of organisational complexity including many global, regional andlocal stakeholders. The governing authorities as well as the procuringorganizations and suppliers show interest in implementing sustainableprocurement processes which is however aggravated by static contract terms,limited knowledge on novel textile materials and the perceived costs relatedto the procurement.

Consent from the family of a possible donor directly influences organ donation rates. The process of obtaining consent, however, is often addressed during a time in which the family’s ability to make decisions is affected by the psychological trauma related to the sudden and unexpected reality of death. This research study implemented a qualitative interpretive descriptive design to gain insight into the way family members of brain-dead patients try make sense of the conflict they experience while faced with a compelling decision about organ donation. Data was collected during in-depth, unstructured, individual interviews with family members (n=8), representing the diverse population of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Digitally voice-recorded interviews were transcribed, followed by thematic data analysis. Seven common themes emanated from the data, which clarified the family’s decisional conflict regarding organ donating to a certain degree. Although the findings of the study resonate with several similar international studies, it also brings new insight to the role played by the so-called key decision maker(s) in the family. The key decision maker carries the greatest weight in the family’s final decision, and must acquire an informed understanding of both brain death and organ donation. Understanding the role of the key decision maker may well be crucial to the supporting transplant coordinator during the time of decision-making. Recommendations were formulated for education, policy, practice and further research. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Consent from the family of a possible donor directly influences organ donation rates. The process of obtaining consent, however, is often addressed during a time in which the family’s ability to make decisions is affected by the psychological trauma related to the sudden and unexpected reality of death. This research study implemented a qualitative interpretive descriptive design to gain insight into the way family members of brain-dead patients try make sense of the conflict they experience while faced with a compelling decision about organ donation. Data was collected during in-depth, unstructured, individual interviews with family members (n=8), representing the diverse population of the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Digitally voice-recorded interviews were transcribed, followed by thematic data analysis. Seven common themes emanated from the data, which clarified the family’s decisional conflict regarding organ donating to a certain degree. Although the findings of the study resonate with several similar international studies, it also brings new insight to the role played by the so-called key decision maker(s) in the family. The key decision maker carries the greatest weight in the family’s final decision, and must acquire an informed understanding of both brain death and organ donation. Understanding the role of the key decision maker may well be crucial to the supporting transplant coordinator during the time of decision-making. Recommendations were formulated for education, policy, practice and further research. / MCur, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters of Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, 2008. / Industrial buying stands for more than half the whole economic activity in industrialised countries. Therefore, it is important to understand how customers of Afrox perform buying activities. The fabrication industry is a fast growing industry and is, therefore, interesting to study. The understanding of the buying behaviour of industrial organisations is of paramount importance to the industrial marketer. The study is a quantitative, cross sectional and descriptive investigation into buyer behaviour in the fabrication industry of Afrox. It highlights that industrial buyer behaviour has an extensive area, both for the practical marketer as well as from an academic perspective. As the fabrication industry is once again expanding, it is of essence to understand the buying behaviour in this industry. This report has the intention of highlighting how industrial buyer behaviour can be described in the fabrication industry. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the characteristics of industrial buying behaviour of fabrication customers at Afrox. The purpose has been further developed in forms of research questions dealing with the buying process, buyer behaviour, buying centre and buyer choice criteria. The sample studied is from a current company data base. With regard to the buying process, the most significant factors are price, quality, and technical capability.

Public sectors in the developed and emerging economies have been witnessing a period of intense change over the past three decades as a result of the development of free-market economy across the globe. In the UK, the public sector in 1970s (that comprised of nationalised industries) was severely criticised for being wasteful, and subject to political intervention, thereby making them inefficient systems for delivering public services. To put matters right, successive governments from the late 1970s embarked on public sector reforms. These reforms centred on increasing the role of private sector in delivering public services. Privatisation, the implementation of accruals-based accounting and application of compulsory competitive tendering in the public sector were some of these reforms. Public-private partnerships, including private finance initiatives (PFIs), introduced in the 1990s, were a continuation of these reforms. In the defence sector, various reforms carried out prior to 1990s failed to completely remove cost and time overruns in defence projects. PFIs were introduced to further rectify the failures of previous reforms in the defence sector because they were purported to provide better value for money. Defence PFIs are long-term agreements whereby the Ministry of Defence, MoD, contracts to purchase quality services on a long-term basis from the private sector (through the special purpose vehicle, SPV) in which the private sector provides all the finance required in constructing the asset that is used to provide the services. Value for money of PFIs is about economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The question, though is whether, Defence PFIs provide value for money as claimed by the MoD? The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of three categories: 1) accommodation, 2) equipment and 3) training of Defence PFIs by assessing the financial robustness (over a six-year period) of the SPVs engaged in their delivery. This research employs a multi-method methodological approach to gather data. Qualitative research methods were employed in exploring and understanding customer-supplier relationships and included, PPPs, PFIs in general (and Defence PFIs in particular), the public sector reforms that brought about private sector integration, 4 defence reforms, and Defence PFI policies. Quantitative research was used to collect and evaluate financial data on SPVs (used in Defence PFIs). Research analysis provided mixed results regarding the financial robustness of SPVs employed in the delivery of Defence PFIs. The profit margins of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to the category of accommodation were the highest. This is followed by SPVs in the category of Defence equipment and then by SPVs in the category of Defence training. Interestingly, the majority of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to accommodation have sound financial health. On the other hand, most SPVs relating to the other two categories have serious financial problems and therefore show cause for concern. Based on research findings of this study, a number of important policy recommendations are advanced to raise the effectiveness of PFIs in the defence sector and the wider public sector.