Univ., Diss.--Marburg, 2002. / Literaturverz. S. 253 - 285.

Abstract China is becoming a powerhouse of the world economy nowadays. Its high economic growth and large domestic market attract many Western companies to invest there. Partnering with local companies is a common way for most Western companies to enter the Chinese market and learn about the new business environment for the first time while implementing their international expansion strategy. However, finding the right impetus for the partnership strategy to achieve the business goals is not easy as, quite commonly and for various reasons, many partnerships are dissolved before they achieve the expected goals. The aim of this study is to identify the key activities of partnership development in the context of Sino-Finnish partnerships. Two types of partnerships appear in this study, i.e. joint ventures and manufacturer-distributor partnerships. A multiple case study methodology is adopted in the empirical study. A framework for partnership development is used to examine the partnership process in China. The key activities are identified in the formation and management stages. In the formation stage of the partnership, three key activities are identified for partnership development: learning and assessing the motives of the partners, partner selection, and choice of type of partnership. In the management stage, four key activities are identified: human resource management, knowledge transfer, risk management, and cultural differences. The framework for partnership analysis is adapted in line with the case study results. The results of the case study are as follows. The motives of partnerships stem from the partners' own needs and their strategies of development. In addition to the motives suiting both partners, the strategies of the Finnish or incoming partners should also suit the contemporary business environment in China. Task and partner-related dimensions feature in the criteria of partner selection. Human resource management is perceived as a fundamental activity in partnership management and happens either by localization or hybridization in the case partnerships. The central issues of human resource management are the recruitment and retention of both management level, and technical, personnel. Complementary knowledge transfer between partners contributes to supporting the operations and joint activities of the partnerships. The risks to partnerships are sourced as twofold by the case partners – from inside the partnerships and the business environment – and are dealt with as they arise. Cultural differences in the partnerships require inter-organizational and interpersonal adaptation. Trust and open communication are two facilitators in the management process of partnerships.

Current innovation literature stress the fact that companies seeking to boost their innovation capabilities should open their boundaries and collaborate with partners for bolder and faster value creation. While correct, and in fact frequently practice among several industries, many companies have failed in their attempt to innovate on ecosystem’s settings due mainly to lack of the appropriate management methodologies. Although co-development alliances have become a common practice in the market place, tools and strategies to manage them are quite behind on real execution. Furthermore, companies currently involved in such scenarios have overlook the new conditions of co-creation, failing to yield return over the cost of capital, and losing credibility on their ecosystems. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify practical managerial strategies, process and tools for orchestrating innovation ecosystems in general, and tailored them into real company current practices, in particular. In this thesis, a theoretical revision has been carried out in order to understand what innovation ecosystems are, why companies involved in innovation should care about them and what are the essential elements for orchestrating projects breed in that setting, being successful at it. Furthermore, a case study was developed with the purpose of connecting empirical findings to theoretical suggestions, and draw conclusions and recommendations. The company chosen for the analysis is one of the larger international players in their industry; having strong motivations to grow their innovation field, clear objectives to do it on partnership basis, and unquestionable position to claim the role of orchestrator. Moreover, management at this company believed that their innovation partnerships are not fulfilling expectations, and wanted to know how they can improve the way those projects are being managed, while keeping the center of the innovation ecosystem. The results show the process to create an orchestration strategy model, and a final proposal for the company under analysis. The case was developed taking into consideration information provided by key processes stakeholders over a series of interviews, and critical observation of the system during a six-month period. Scientific implications contribute in providing a framework for orchestrating innovation ecosystems on a technology-driven industry, while managerial implications contribute in providing the company with a robust model on how to position as a global hub for cross-innovation.

<p>The new Welfare Reform in Norway consists of the establishment of a new welfare office; NAV office. The NAV office will open in all municipalities within 2010 as local partnerships between the state and the municipals as equal partners. The central government will keep responsibility for the national services and the local governments will keep responsibility for the locally provided welfare services. As such the NAV office will consist of two separate public servcelines, with the accountabilities for their individual services intact. The Government wished to keep the separation between the national and local governmental services but needed to ensure the provision of a more holistic, integrated and effective service delivery, more in tune with the public need. The aim was to provide a more joined-up welfare service and to put more effect behind the efforts to achieve the reform goals: increased work participation, more user-friendly services and more effective public administration. The NAV office as such becomes a local one-stop-shop.</p><p>The challenge of this partnership is that two separate, traditionally hierarchic public structures embark on a partnership venture where the more relational and both vertical and horizontal communicational skills are required, true to the spirit of the joined-up government model. Our aim with this study was to investigate how a few early onset NAV offices cope with this partnership stunt. We particularly wished to examine how the partners establish and use the important vertical and horizontal dimensions, and how the partnership manager operate to facilitate the partnership activities.</p><p>We mean that the focus of 4 partnership actors rather than two governmental partners is more correct with respect to depicting the situation in the local NAV partnerships and how the central partnership managerial duties are shared. We have developed a new model of how they divide the partnership responsibilities between them and the operations of an emergent essential partnership driving force. We have also due to the nature of the NAV partnership actors and the way they operate in the partnership, developed a new partnership model. This dialogue model is a more accurate picture of the NAV partnership than the original partnership model.</p><p>The early attempts to provide integrated services has not reached the potential we have hoped for, partially due to the allowance of the two partners to continue service production in the old way while the reform structure and following administrative challenges are ironed out. We believe that an understanding of the particularities of partnership management and the adherence of the relational qualities to the partnership structure is a prerequisite in successfully managing the NAV partnership and thus the reform goals. This needs to be the imminent focus of the reform participants.</p>

The new Welfare Reform in Norway consists of the establishment of a new welfare office; NAV office. The NAV office will open in all municipalities within 2010 as local partnerships between the state and the municipals as equal partners. The central government will keep responsibility for the national services and the local governments will keep responsibility for the locally provided welfare services. As such the NAV office will consist of two separate public servcelines, with the accountabilities for their individual services intact. The Government wished to keep the separation between the national and local governmental services but needed to ensure the provision of a more holistic, integrated and effective service delivery, more in tune with the public need. The aim was to provide a more joined-up welfare service and to put more effect behind the efforts to achieve the reform goals: increased work participation, more user-friendly services and more effective public administration. The NAV office as such becomes a local one-stop-shop. The challenge of this partnership is that two separate, traditionally hierarchic public structures embark on a partnership venture where the more relational and both vertical and horizontal communicational skills are required, true to the spirit of the joined-up government model. Our aim with this study was to investigate how a few early onset NAV offices cope with this partnership stunt. We particularly wished to examine how the partners establish and use the important vertical and horizontal dimensions, and how the partnership manager operate to facilitate the partnership activities. We mean that the focus of 4 partnership actors rather than two governmental partners is more correct with respect to depicting the situation in the local NAV partnerships and how the central partnership managerial duties are shared. We have developed a new model of how they divide the partnership responsibilities between them and the operations of an emergent essential partnership driving force. We have also due to the nature of the NAV partnership actors and the way they operate in the partnership, developed a new partnership model. This dialogue model is a more accurate picture of the NAV partnership than the original partnership model. The early attempts to provide integrated services has not reached the potential we have hoped for, partially due to the allowance of the two partners to continue service production in the old way while the reform structure and following administrative challenges are ironed out. We believe that an understanding of the particularities of partnership management and the adherence of the relational qualities to the partnership structure is a prerequisite in successfully managing the NAV partnership and thus the reform goals. This needs to be the imminent focus of the reform participants.

The concept of parental involvement has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged parental involvement as enhancing active involvement of parents and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which parents contribute towards education of their children. This study involved transformative case study as a research design at one rural school in Waterberg district in South Africa. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis. When formal education was introduced in South Africa schools it was regarded as exceptional environment for teachers, school administrators and learners. To a large extent, parents and the communities regarded themselves as something outside of the education system. The main findings of this study revealed that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Governing Body. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. It highlighted some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents. The study has also revealed challenges and consequences of non-parental involvement in school governance. The conclusion that could be drawn from the study is that in schools where parent-community involvement is highly visible, teacher effectiveness is apparent and this contributed significantly to the improvement of learner performance while in schools where parent-community involvement is non-existent or minimal, the result is the opposite. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The concept of parental involvement has been viewed as an ideal style of leadership and management for school development purposes. In South Africa’s case, it is an educational policy which is expected to reign in all school management bodies. Many theorists envisaged parental involvement as enhancing active involvement of parents and it has been advocated by many scholars who believe it is the best leadership style in implementing democratic values to education, particularly South African rural education, which is still in a transitional stage. The primary purpose of this research was to investigate the extent to which parents contribute towards education of their children. This study involved transformative case study as a research design at one rural school in Waterberg district in South Africa. This research employed three data collection techniques, namely semi-structured interviews, focus groups and document analysis. When formal education was introduced in South Africa schools it was regarded as exceptional environment for teachers, school administrators and learners. To a large extent, parents and the communities regarded themselves as something outside of the education system. The main findings of this study revealed that there is a lack of joint understanding and shared vision between educators and parents in the School Governing Body. This problem underpins other more symptomatic problems, such as lack of accountability in the matter of school finances, differences in understanding the roles of School Board members and lack of parents’ motivation from the school management. It highlighted some of the challenges that hinder the effective involvement of parents in rural school governance, such as poor educational background among parents. The study has also revealed challenges and consequences of non-parental involvement in school governance. The conclusion that could be drawn from the study is that in schools where parent-community involvement is highly visible, teacher effectiveness is apparent and this contributed significantly to the improvement of learner performance while in schools where parent-community involvement is non-existent or minimal, the result is the opposite. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)