This thesis describes in depth what the steps for a successful business project are: from an idea to its implementation. Every business project may be regarded as an investment. I followed the institutions involved and then the instruments needed, but the next logical step in order to complete the picture would be the human factor. Because all the knowledge base on how to support the mission (idea and its goal), how to manage the project, and what kind of players to involve in the end is executed by people. Humans are incapable of predicting the future, but are perfect in adapting to new realities. Similarly, no capital budget can be perfectly coinciding with expected performance. No matter how many times the facts are checked the perfect balance is lost with time. My goal with this topic was to show that in order to bring business value and competitive advantage, good knowledge of the processes and methods is paramount. Careful planning and execution can bring in synchrony idea, raising capital, risk management, capital budgeting and execution close enough, so that in the end a business project may be titled successful.

The diploma thesis in its theoretical part describes importance and requirements of the cross-border cooperation, history and facts about Euroregion Nisa, Next part briefly describes programs supporting cross-border cooperation, that where in Czech Republic implemented before was Czech Republic accepted as a member of the European Union and after that from the perspective of the Euroregion Nisa. Practical part analysis and compares structures of applicants and their projects within the Small Projects Fund between program Interreg IIIA Czech Republic -- Saxony and program Cíl 3/Ziel 3 Czech Republic -- Saxony from the perspective of the Euroregion Nisa. Next part here contains evaluation of those two programs by applicants and their opinions were obtained by prepared questionnaire. The main goal of the thesis is thus to analyze Euroregion Nisa and its cooperation with Saxony, find out whether submitting of an application and project implementation within the time has simplified or vice versa and suggest own recommendations for the future of this kind of cooperation.

This thesis deals with an evaluation of a project which was financed from public funds. All of the theoretical bases were analyzed in detail focusing on a project management in a small and medium sized companies, management of soft projects and financing from EU funds. A practical part of this thesis is based on this theoretical knowledge. There is described and evaluated a project in a company Gravograf Ostrava, s.r.o. in the practical part. This project dealed with organizing retraining course called Commercial advertising designer - graphic designer and using cutting and engraving plotters. This project is described and evaluated from different points of view and includes suggestions to improve the processes within project management.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / The generation of large volumes of solid and liquid wastes in urban and periurban areas of Ghana is a big problem for the people and government of Ghana. It contributes to the outbreak of many diseases in the country such as malaria, diarrhoea and typhoid fever. In managing the situation, a new concept called ecological sanitation (ecosan), which focuses on reuse of waste, has been introduced in the country. The objectives of the thesis were to criticise the environmental sanitation policy by analysing its content in relation to policy implementation arrangements, to discuss programmes and projects identified under the policy, to critically examine the implementation of an ecosan project as a way of achieving the goal and objectives by outlining its implementation processes, prospects and challenges, and to make appropriate recommendations. The analysis and discussion of the thesis were based on both primary and secondary data. The primary data, on one hand, were collected on the prospects and challenges that exist in the implementation of ecosan projects from Kumasi metropolis. The secondary data, on the other hand, were from books, journals and websites. From the research analysis, it emerged that the policy allows the implementation of many sanitation projects including ecosan. Secondly, stakeholders see ecosanto be a good approach to reduce waste generation in the country. However, the main challenges that exist in promoting the concept are inadequate financial support, unavailability of implementation guidelines and lack of knowledge about concept details. It is therefore argued that financial support, implementation guidelines and awareness-creation activities should be available in the implementation of ecosan in the metropolis. Government, private organisations, companies and individuals should each contribute their quota in the support and processes. / South Africa

A biotecnologia tem como uma de suas principais aplicações a área agrícola, especialmente no contexto da geração de sementes geneticamente modificadas (GM). Apesar da importância econômica dos produtos dessa natureza, poucas fontes trazem informações a fundo sobre a gestão de projetos, desenvolvimento de produtos, e geração de inovações a partir de cooperação tecnológica entre empresas. Esse estudo visa mitigar esta lacuna apresentando, informações relativas aos temas citados, com um mapeamento dos stakeholders de empresas de sementes GM pela ótica das mesmas, além de estudar a cooperação tecnológica dessas empresas com base em dados de patentes. Entre as ferramentas metodológicas utilizadas nesse estudo, se optou por entrevistas semi-estruturadas para a parte de projetos e stakeholders, e análise de redes sociais na parte de stakeholders e de cooperação tecnológica. Os resultados obtidos, além de enriquecer o arcabouço teórico do tema ligado a essa indústria, indicam que, em relação ao gerenciamento dos projetos, a definição de objetivos em um projeto é tanto um recurso crítico como um dos principais problemas encontrados pelos entrevistados, sendo que má comunicação e falta de recursos também entraram na lista de problemas encontrados neste tipo de projeto. A análise de stakeholders mapeou os relacionamentos quanto aos critérios de urgência, legitimidade, poder, e as demandas dos stakeholders entre os critérios de simplicidade e compatibilidade, sendo que ao final em um modelo de redes indicou que possíveis alterações nos relacionamentos poderiam ser positivas para o relacionamento das empresas com os clientes. Por fim, a análise de inovações e cooperações indicou que a rede de cooperações tem ficado progressivamente mais centralizada, com novas iniciativas partindo de empresas menores, institutos e universidades, de países de origem asiática / Genetically modified (GM) seeds are among of the main applications related to agricultural biotechnology. Despite the economic importance of products of this nature, few sources provide in-depth information on project management, product development, and the generation of innovations through technological cooperation between companies. This study aims to mitigate this gap by presenting, in addition to information related to the themes mentioned, a multi-approach mapping of the stakeholders of GM seed companies. Among the tools used in this study, for the projects and stakeholders were chosen semi-structured interviews, and also for the stakeholders analysis and for study of innovation in the form of joint patenting network analysis were chosen. The results obtained, besides enriching the theoretical framework of this industry, indicate that the definition of objectives is both a critical resource and one of the main problems encountered by the interviewees, as well as poor communication and lack of resources, which also entered the list of problems encountered in this type of project. Stakeholder analysis mapped relationships relating to the criteria of urgency, legitimacy, power, to the stakeholder demands which were classified through their simplicity and compatibility to the company´s. Then, a stakeholder network indicated which possible change in the relationships could be positive for the relationship with customers. Finally, through the analysis of innovations and cooperation, it was indicated that the cooperation network became progressively more centralized, with new initiatives from smaller companies, institutes and universities, from countries of Asian origin

[pt] Na literatura disponível hoje, encontram-se exemplos da utilização do Scrum em projetos e times pequenos, deixando um questionamento sobre a possibilidade de utilização desta metodologia em projetos e/ou times grandes. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo examinar casos práticos de empresas conhecidas onde foi utilizado Scrum em projetos grandes, enfatizando as dificuldades encontradas ao longo de todo processo e as soluções adotadas, destacando as práticas que levaram os projetos a obter sucesso. / [en] In today s writings, there are many examples of using Scrum in small teams and projects, leaving a knowledge gap about the possibility of applying Scrum in big teams and large projects. This work aims at presenting case studies in known companies where Scrum has been applied in large projects, emphasizing the roadblocks found throughout the process, and the solutions adopted, highlighting the practices that lead the projects to success.

Text in English / This research study aimed to investigate and provide a comprehensive analysis of Zambia’s whole-of-government monitoring and evaluation system (WoGM&ES) in the context of national development plans (NDPs) within the broader agenda of good governance and poverty reduction. The study considered the period 1964 to 2021—a period covering all the seven (7) NDPs for Zambia since independence. The study focused on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) arrangements in the public sector as articulated in these NDPs and other government policies as well as structural operations. The research was centred on five (5) secondary objectives, namely a) justifying the theoretical significance of Zambia's WoGM&ES to improve public-sector good governance and poverty reduction agenda through the theory of change; b) presenting Zambia as a case study in terms of the results-based WoGM&ES; c) identifying gaps inhibiting the implementation of a results-focused WoGM&ES for Zambia’s public sector; d) establishing cornerstones necessary for building a results-based WoGM&ES for Zambia’s public sector; and e) proposing a new model for the enhanced WoGM&ES for Zambia’s public sector. Striving for functional M&E systems is a global phenomenon that requires commitment by all stakeholders and M&E of development interventions has become a vehicle that assists development agencies globally to demonstrate results to show to their stakeholders and beneficiaries. Thus, the starting point was to contend that M&E had increasingly become a useful tool towards good governance and that more institutions and governments had adopted it. The study then demonstrates how an M&E system, and, more so, a WoGM&ES, was crucial to implementing a thriving M&E culture for any country or organisation. In terms of scope, the study drew respondents from across government functionaries at national, line ministry, province and district level. Respondents from non-state institutions and M&E practitioners were also part of the study. The research was exploratory and investigatory and used the qualitative research approach to guide its design, data collection, collation and analysis, conclusion, recommendations and presentation. Further, purposive sampling was used to select respondents from these various institutions. Data collection benefited through the use of closed and open-ended questions from both secondary and primary sources. Nvivo software, text analysis as well as the analytical tool called LEADS comprised of a 5-point scoring scale were adopted and used for discussion and analysis of field data and information. The analytical instrument adopted to guide the research comprises of six components, namely: i) policy, ii) methodology, iii) organisation, iv) capacity, v) participation of actors outside government, and vi) the use of information from M&E. These components form the diagnostic checklist (analytical framework) used to assess the current status of Zambia’s WoGM&ES. In many ways, Zambia’s public sector system for M&E was found to be weak. At all levels—national, line ministry, provincial and district, M&E arrangements and practice were found to be poor. Both the supply side and the demand side of Zambia’s country level M&E system were unable to provide stakeholders with required and adequate information to inform critical development processes, such as policy-making, decision-making, planning, budgeting, resource allocation and advocacy. Gaps were identified in all the six components of the diagnostic checklist and improvements will be necessary as suggested and recommended under each one of them to make the WoGM&ES viable to meet the expectations of stakeholders. While the supply side of the system was relatively found to be well developed, the demand side was worse off. On the supply side, the study found that the policy and methodology components were fairly well developed. However, the component on the use of information by stakeholders, on the demand side, was found to be poorly developed. Further, various capacities in M&E were acknowledged as lacking across the WoGM&ES. The participation of actors outside government in strengthening the country system for M&E was also found to be weak, in many cases presented with lots of parallel and fragmented stand-alone systems. The policy environment in support of M&E strengthening and expansion was equally reported as one of the key areas that required attention from both political and technical powers that be. Although Zambia’s WoGM&ES was found to be weak in many aspects, it is noteworthy to mention that it has the necessary features for success. The study established that at national level, there were currently efforts to make M&E work in government. Such activities as creating a structure responsible for coordinating M&E across government, automating data management and information flows as well as developing a national M&E policy were reported to be ongoing efforts. To improve and enhance Zambia’s WoGM&ES, this study has proposed a model. Firstly, the new model recommends a structural shift in the manner M&E is coordinated at national level. The presidency was identified as the most appropriate location or entity to hold the responsibility of overseeing the WoGM&ES and in constantly as well as dedicatedly demanding for development results. The model is proposed as a transformational and long term strife and commitment by the current and successive governments. It was established that the current arrangement where the Ministry of National Development Planning (MNDP) was overseeing the WoGM&ES had led to operational gaps related to weak funding to M&E activities and high level policy clout. Generally, there is lack of influence (both political and technical) to spur an M&E transformational agenda for the country, let alone within the public sector. Therefore, the proposed model advances that the presidency will have the motivation and capacity to resolve these weaknesses a great deal. Specifically, the model suggests the establishment of an evaluation structure under the presidency to work as an apex institution to drive and champion the cause for a robust results-based WoGM&ES for the Zambian public sector. To formalise this arrangement, a well-defined M&E legislation will be needed. In addition, the proposed model has made salient recommendations on how to build and strengthen both the supply side and demand side of Zambia’s WoGM&ES. These two sides are considered vital for success of the country system for M&E and government and its stakeholders and partners will do well to invest in building and sustaining the supply and demand sides. In proposing a new architecture for Zambia’s WoGM&ES, the proposed model has acknowledged and incorporated the current positive practices and arrangements. Finally, the study has among others recommended that all government levels should create formal structures mandated to undertake M&E functions. These entities should be equipped with skilled staff in M&E, funding, technologies and relevant equipment. This research has also enriched literature on M&E and its relationship with good governance. Equally, a number of M&E issues such as political, technical and international best practices have been raised to prompt future research and development. / Development Studies / Ph.D. (Development Studies)

South Africa, like most developing countries, has one of the highest levels of unemployment. Within South Africa’s borders the highest levels of unemployment are found in areas of the Eastern Cape Province, which is one of the poorest provinces. In these areas, Small Medium Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) have grown out of the necessity for employment. For these SMMEs to succeed, good support programmes from development agencies is vital. It is also important that the recipients of the support perceive this support to be meeting their needs. This research surveyed the perceptions of Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) supported SMMEs regarding the support services they received in the OR Tambo District municipality. The findings confirmed that the SMME entrepreneurs surveyed perceive the ECDC’s financial and non-financial support as particularly instrumental in helping them start up their businesses. The biggest perceived challenge is that ECDC does not have enough programmes to help SMMEs to grow beyond start-up stage. Furthermore, the SMME entrepreneurs are dissatisfied with the quality of service they receive from ECDC employees. The lessons of this study are that the SMME entrepreneurs realise the important role that ECDC plays in contributing to their business success. They also believe that ECDC has to evolve constantly with the times by having programmes targeted at start-up businesses, strengthening existing businesses, and growing established businesses to higher levels. The study results suggest that ECDC needs to improve on the quality of their programmes to meet the needs of all types of SMMEs, create more awareness about its programmes, but most importantly, ECDC needs to equip its employees with the skills to support SMMEs of various backgrounds.

The launch of the Expanded Public Works Programme has led to preferential use of labour-intensive construction methods over conventional methods in construction and maintenance of public infrastructure assets. This report evaluated five bulk water infrastructure projects in Madibeng Municipality where labour-intensive construction methods were used. The research found that factors which adversely affected construction progress included: inability to transfer experience and lessons learnt from one project to the next, skills and experience shortcomings, administrative and management realities, negative interventions from stakeholders and failure of the Municipality to set specific objectives and monitor project achievements with respect to intended objectives. Appropriate training and support from local communities were found to enhance success during construction. It was concluded that labour-intensive construction methods are feasible for bulk water provision projects and can generate productive significant employment provided certain basic requirements were in place. Ultimately the findings led to the compilation of lessons learnt from the projects.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2016. / This report examines the potential for private in commercial land-use activities to yield a positive return to capital as well as ecosystem infrastructure in South Africa. Intact ecosystem infrastructure in South Africa is concentrated in the Eastern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mpumalanga, all of which have a high prevalence of communal land-ownership and small-scale farmers. These areas are under threat of rapid degradation from poor land-use practices including over-grazing, over-harvesting of forestry products, alien encroachment and over-frequent burning resulting in soil erosion and degradation, decreased water retention and quality as well as denudation and biodiversity loss. As such developing effective strategies to respond to the drivers of land degradation is a critical task for ecosystem goods and services preservation. While the majority of existing state led strategies around sustainable land-use, land-reform and rural development in these areas have proven ineffective there are notable exceptions emanating from the state, NGOs and the private sector. This report analyses these examples in case study format, pointing out the key features of each case with regards to the enabling environment and primary outcomes from both a financial and ecosystem infrastructure returns perspective. Specific attention is also given to the development of effective social processes that have a proven track-record improving the social base that underlies effective socio-ecological systems. The end goal of the report is to provide a theoretical model designed for real-world application / LG2017