To compete in the global market, organisations have to ensure that their production is synchronised with their other business activities. To achieve this, companies deploy a variety of solutions known as Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). These systems provide the bridge between control and business systems and are used by a variety of people across many business functions. Typical users range from production and maintenance personnel to engineers, finance and management. Sectors within the manufacturing industry have their own definitions of MES and these are based on their functional requirements and by the offerings of vendors in that sector. Thus, people differ in their understanding and definition of MES. To ensure common understanding of what functionalities or modules constitute MES, the Manufacturing Execution Systems Association (MESA) has defined MES to cover the following eleven areas: Resource Allocation and Status Operations/Detail Scheduling Dispatching Production Units Document Control Data Collection/Acquisition Labour Management Quality Management Process Management Maintenance Management Product Tracking and Genealogy Performance Analysis On examining the Manufacturing Execution Systems literature, it was realised that functionalities and definitions exist but a standard approach and implementation methodology is lacking. Thus, a framework was developed based on a literature study as well as from experience within the MES environment. To ensure that the framework meets the needs of organisations, two questionnaires were developed and sent to people from various functions within large South African companies (and across divisions). The results of the empirical study showed that for large organisations, i.e. organisations with over 200 employees and an annual turnover in excess of R 40 million, some form of manufacturing execution systems were used in all the companies surveyed. The most common functionality deployed was Data Collection1Acquisition and the payback on these systems was greater than two years. The respondents highlighted that MES governance and an overall company wide strategy for MES implementation was non-existent or not enforced across the group of companies. The respondents also indicated that the implementation was time consuming and that the projects usually exceeded the allocated budget and/or were late. The respondents were not unanimous on who was accountable for MES within the organisation and a quarter felt that this was unclear within the organisation. When asked about the process that was followed in the selection of a vendor and solution, the majority felt that the process was not well defined. However, respondents noted that change management is used on all major projects and the outcome is generally successful. All the companies outsource either some or all of their IT services and the relationship with the vendor seems successful, as the rating received for MES support was very good. The benefits of implementing Manufacturing Execution Systems are also being realised by those companies that responded to the questionnaires. The overall impression is that over 75% of the respondents feel positive about the benefits and state that the benefits are realised. The only major shortcoming is that information is not being shared across business units and sites as half of the respondents felt that this was not happening in their companies. The proposed MES Engagement and Implementation Framework that was tested with the empirical study was subsequently updated. The framework suggests that all MES implementations should begin with a review of the business and ICT strategy as these would assist when defining the business requirements and the criteria for the selection of the technology, vendor, and solution The business requirements should be ascertained and a realistic business case should be developed. The project team should re-confirm the requirements once a vendor is selected, and, with the necessary change management, implement a portion of the solution as a pilot project. Once successful, then only should the entire solution be rolled out. Another parallel process should consider the outsourcing for the support phase. The entire process of implementing MES is cyclical as new requirements, additional functionality, and benefits tracking results in new projects. In conclusion adopting this framework would result in better implementation and ensure that the benefits are realised for all MES projects and that the solution is adequately supported after implementation. A model for the implementation has also been proposed and it should be developed and tested further to guide MES implementation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

To compete in the global market, organisations have to ensure that their production is synchronised with their other business activities. To achieve this, companies deploy a variety of solutions known as Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). These systems provide the bridge between control and business systems and are used by a variety of people across many business functions. Typical users range from production and maintenance personnel to engineers, finance and management. Sectors within the manufacturing industry have their own definitions of MES and these are based on their functional requirements and by the offerings of vendors in that sector. Thus, people differ in their understanding and definition of MES. To ensure common understanding of what functionalities or modules constitute MES, the Manufacturing Execution Systems Association (MESA) has defined MES to cover the following eleven areas: Resource Allocation and Status Operations/Detail Scheduling Dispatching Production Units Document Control Data Collection/Acquisition Labour Management Quality Management Process Management Maintenance Management Product Tracking and Genealogy Performance Analysis On examining the Manufacturing Execution Systems literature, it was realised that functionalities and definitions exist but a standard approach and implementation methodology is lacking. Thus, a framework was developed based on a literature study as well as from experience within the MES environment. To ensure that the framework meets the needs of organisations, two questionnaires were developed and sent to people from various functions within large South African companies (and across divisions). The results of the empirical study showed that for large organisations, i.e. organisations with over 200 employees and an annual turnover in excess of R 40 million, some form of manufacturing execution systems were used in all the companies surveyed. The most common functionality deployed was Data Collection1Acquisition and the payback on these systems was greater than two years. The respondents highlighted that MES governance and an overall company wide strategy for MES implementation was non-existent or not enforced across the group of companies. The respondents also indicated that the implementation was time consuming and that the projects usually exceeded the allocated budget and/or were late. The respondents were not unanimous on who was accountable for MES within the organisation and a quarter felt that this was unclear within the organisation. When asked about the process that was followed in the selection of a vendor and solution, the majority felt that the process was not well defined. However, respondents noted that change management is used on all major projects and the outcome is generally successful. All the companies outsource either some or all of their IT services and the relationship with the vendor seems successful, as the rating received for MES support was very good. The benefits of implementing Manufacturing Execution Systems are also being realised by those companies that responded to the questionnaires. The overall impression is that over 75% of the respondents feel positive about the benefits and state that the benefits are realised. The only major shortcoming is that information is not being shared across business units and sites as half of the respondents felt that this was not happening in their companies. The proposed MES Engagement and Implementation Framework that was tested with the empirical study was subsequently updated. The framework suggests that all MES implementations should begin with a review of the business and ICT strategy as these would assist when defining the business requirements and the criteria for the selection of the technology, vendor, and solution The business requirements should be ascertained and a realistic business case should be developed. The project team should re-confirm the requirements once a vendor is selected, and, with the necessary change management, implement a portion of the solution as a pilot project. Once successful, then only should the entire solution be rolled out. Another parallel process should consider the outsourcing for the support phase. The entire process of implementing MES is cyclical as new requirements, additional functionality, and benefits tracking results in new projects. In conclusion adopting this framework would result in better implementation and ensure that the benefits are realised for all MES projects and that the solution is adequately supported after implementation. A model for the implementation has also been proposed and it should be developed and tested further to guide MES implementation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The outsourcing of non–core Information and Communication Technology services in the ICT industry has been successfully conducted for many years based on various models and frameworks. Client organisations embark on this for many reasons including cost savings, access to specialised skills and access to global resources to name but a few. This study identified and evaluated the management of outsource agreements between client organisations and suppliers with specific focus on creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. The primary objective of the research study was to provide a comprehensive management guideline for client organisations embarking on outsource initiatives or planning to renew existing agreements. The secondary objective was to assist service providers with guidance on pitfalls and issues experienced in the management of such agreements and to highlight the lessons learned from the industry at large. The research was conducted by means of a literature study and empirical study. The literature study included background information on outsourcing, outsourcing theories as well as outsource management frameworks. Furthermore, it addressed lessons learned and issues and pitfalls to avoid by service providers. The literature review formed the basis for creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. Based on the evaluation of the empirical study, it was concluded that client organisations that are planning to embark on the outsourcing or renewal of services need to follow a management framework with a full lifecycle in order to ensure success. The top issues that suppliers need to address are to ensure that a climate of trust exists between them and the client; they need to be as transparent as possible and ensure that they carry extensive business knowledge of the client being serviced. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The outsourcing of non–core Information and Communication Technology services in the ICT industry has been successfully conducted for many years based on various models and frameworks. Client organisations embark on this for many reasons including cost savings, access to specialised skills and access to global resources to name but a few. This study identified and evaluated the management of outsource agreements between client organisations and suppliers with specific focus on creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. The primary objective of the research study was to provide a comprehensive management guideline for client organisations embarking on outsource initiatives or planning to renew existing agreements. The secondary objective was to assist service providers with guidance on pitfalls and issues experienced in the management of such agreements and to highlight the lessons learned from the industry at large. The research was conducted by means of a literature study and empirical study. The literature study included background information on outsourcing, outsourcing theories as well as outsource management frameworks. Furthermore, it addressed lessons learned and issues and pitfalls to avoid by service providers. The literature review formed the basis for creating an understanding of those factors that has a direct impact on the success of outsource agreements. Based on the evaluation of the empirical study, it was concluded that client organisations that are planning to embark on the outsourcing or renewal of services need to follow a management framework with a full lifecycle in order to ensure success. The top issues that suppliers need to address are to ensure that a climate of trust exists between them and the client; they need to be as transparent as possible and ensure that they carry extensive business knowledge of the client being serviced. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Everyday ideas are born that change the world, ideas that beat the high-risk market of entrepreneurship. Relating to the question, what gives way to an optimal market establishment? The purpose of the thesis is to provide information related to what type of methodologies that contribute to the endeavours of a startup to successfully create a product that serves the markets needs. Achieved through careful and qualitative assessments of relevant sources in an abductive approach. The empirical findings from an observed startup serves as the basis for research, subsequently correlated and defined through scientific findings of the methodologies of the business model canvas, minimum viable product, and Lean Startup Methodology. The foundation of observations revolves around the startup company Swift, whose vision is to eliminate the risk of discrimination in the job-searching process through innovate and technical measures. Furthermore, quantitative data was gathered to assess the applicability of this study to the general startup market. The analyses of the startups utilization of the methodologies indicated flaws revolving human bias factors of interpreting data, and the effects of presenting minimum viable products to the market could effect the market establishment, relating to the customer perception within the innovation- spectrum. Conclusively, by utilizing methods that optimize multi-variable understanding, and continuous feedback by customers to validate market related hypothesises; give way to higher chances of an optimal product-market-fit.

Den här fallstudien undersöker utmaningar med projekt som arbetsform. Fallstudien är gjord på ett större företag som har arbetat i projektform under många år, som har problem med att kostnaderna drar iväg okontrollerat under projektens gång och det är svårt att hålla tider i projekten. Studien är inriktad på projektets första faser eftersom det är där det går att påverka resurs- och tidsåtgång och således hela utgången för projektet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur en projektorganisation skulle kunna arbeta i de tidiga faserna av projekt, för att projekten ska hålla sig inom angivna ramar för tid och kostnad. En kvalitativ metod valdes för att få en djupare förståelse för fallföretagets nuvarande situation. Sekundärdata insamlades genom vetenskapliga artiklar och litteratur inom området projektarbete. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med 12 personer som arbetar i olika roller i fallföretagets projekt. Det empiriska materialet bearbetades sedan och skapade på så vis studiens resultat. Studiens analys och diskussion skapades genom att ställa resultatet mot teorin. Studien visar att det är viktigt att fokusera på arbetet i de tidiga faserna av projekt för att lyckas med projekten som helhet. Studien bidrar med en systematisk genomgång av de problem som kan uppstå i tidiga faser av projekt samt förslag på lösningar av dessa problem. Den här fallstudien undersöker utmaningar med projekt som arbetsform. Fallstudien är gjord på ett större företag som har arbetat i projektform under många år, som har problem med att kostnaderna drar iväg okontrollerat under projektens gång och det är svårt att hålla tider i projekten. Studien är inriktad på projektets första faser eftersom det är där det går att påverka resurs- och tidsåtgång och således hela utgången för projektet. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur en projektorganisation skulle kunna arbeta i de tidiga faserna av projekt, för att projekten ska hålla sig inom angivna ramar för tid och kostnad. En kvalitativ metod valdes för att få en djupare förståelse för fallföretagets nuvarande situation. Sekundärdata insamlades genom vetenskapliga artiklar och litteratur inom området projektarbete. Det empiriska materialet samlades in genom semi-strukturerade intervjuer med 12 personer som arbetar i olika roller i fallföretagets projekt. Det empiriska materialet bearbetades sedan och skapade på så vis studiens resultat. Studiens analys och diskussion skapades genom att ställa resultatet mot teorin. Studien visar att det är viktigt att fokusera på arbetet i de tidiga faserna av projekt för att lyckas med projekten som helhet. Studien bidrar med en systematisk genomgång av de problem som kan uppstå i tidiga faser av projekt samt förslag på lösningar av dessa problem. / This case study investigates the challenges with project as a form of work. The case study is done at a larger company which has been working with project as a work form through many years, facing issues with keeping within time limits and over limited costs. The study is fo-cused upon the first phases of the project, because that is where impact can be made on the time- and resource- limits and therefore has an impact on the outcome of the project. The purpose of the study is to investigate how a project organisation could work in the early phases of a project, for the projects to be able to stay within the time frame and to keep costs down. A qualitative method was chosen to get a deeper understanding of the current situation of the case company's situation. Secondary data was brought together by scientific papers and litera-ture within the fields of the current project case. The empirical material was brought together through semi-structured interviews with 12 different people who all had different working fields within the project. Thereafter the empirical material was processed and created the re-sult of the study. Analyse and discussion of the study was created by putting the result to-wards the theory. The study shows that it is important to focus on the work in the early phases of a project for the success of the projects as a whole. The study provides a systematic review of the problems that can occur in the early phases of a project and propose solutions to these problems.

<p>The aim was to identify diagnostic difficulties for acute abdominal pain at the emergency department and during hospital stay. A total of 3349 patients admitted to Mora Hospital with acute abdominal pain of up to seven days duration, were registered prospectively for history and clinical signs according to a structured schedule. The preliminary diagnosis from the attending physician at the emergency department, any investigations or surgery and final diagnosis were registered at a follow-up after at least one year. </p><p>There were no differences in diagnostic performance between physicians with 0.5 to 5 years of medical experience. The information collected and a careful examination of the patient was more important than formal competence. The main differential diagnostic problem was non-specific abdominal pain; this was the same for diagnoses requiring surgery. Patients originally diagnosed as not needing surgery had a median delay before operation of 22 hours (mean 40 hours, with 95% confidence interval of 30-50 hours), compared to 8 hours (mean 15 hours, 95% confidence interval of 12-28 hours) for patients with the same final follow-up diagnosis as the preliminary diagnosis. Constipation was a diagnostic pitfall, as 9% of the patients considered constipated required surgery for potentially life threatening reasons and 8% were later found to have an abdominal malignancy. Both the preliminary diagnosis and the discharge diagnosis were less reliable for elderly patients than for younger patients. Elderly patients often had specific organ disease and arrived at the emergency department after a longer history of abdominal pain. </p><p>This study confirms that assessment of suspected appendicitis can still be based on clinical judgements combined with laboratory tests. Classical clinical findings indicating localised inflammation, such as isolated pain in the right iliac fossa, rebound tenderness, right-sided rectal tenderness, pain migration to the right iliac fossa, local guarding and aggravation of pain when moving, were reliable for predicting acute appendicitis. A CT scan can be saved for the more equivocal cases of acute abdominal pain. A generous strategy regarding CT scan among elderly patients with acute abdominal pain, even in the absence of pronounced signs of an inflammatory intra-abdominal process, is recommended.</p>

The aim was to identify diagnostic difficulties for acute abdominal pain at the emergency department and during hospital stay. A total of 3349 patients admitted to Mora Hospital with acute abdominal pain of up to seven days duration, were registered prospectively for history and clinical signs according to a structured schedule. The preliminary diagnosis from the attending physician at the emergency department, any investigations or surgery and final diagnosis were registered at a follow-up after at least one year. There were no differences in diagnostic performance between physicians with 0.5 to 5 years of medical experience. The information collected and a careful examination of the patient was more important than formal competence. The main differential diagnostic problem was non-specific abdominal pain; this was the same for diagnoses requiring surgery. Patients originally diagnosed as not needing surgery had a median delay before operation of 22 hours (mean 40 hours, with 95% confidence interval of 30-50 hours), compared to 8 hours (mean 15 hours, 95% confidence interval of 12-28 hours) for patients with the same final follow-up diagnosis as the preliminary diagnosis. Constipation was a diagnostic pitfall, as 9% of the patients considered constipated required surgery for potentially life threatening reasons and 8% were later found to have an abdominal malignancy. Both the preliminary diagnosis and the discharge diagnosis were less reliable for elderly patients than for younger patients. Elderly patients often had specific organ disease and arrived at the emergency department after a longer history of abdominal pain. This study confirms that assessment of suspected appendicitis can still be based on clinical judgements combined with laboratory tests. Classical clinical findings indicating localised inflammation, such as isolated pain in the right iliac fossa, rebound tenderness, right-sided rectal tenderness, pain migration to the right iliac fossa, local guarding and aggravation of pain when moving, were reliable for predicting acute appendicitis. A CT scan can be saved for the more equivocal cases of acute abdominal pain. A generous strategy regarding CT scan among elderly patients with acute abdominal pain, even in the absence of pronounced signs of an inflammatory intra-abdominal process, is recommended.

No / The adoption of mineral pigments for artistic expression can be traced back to the paintings of the Magdalenian and Cro-Magnon cultures of about 25 000 years BCE, wherein a limited range of oxides such as pyrolusite, goethite, and hematite were utilized along with the first synthetic pigment, carbon, to decorate cave dwellings with surprisingly lifelike images. The growth of chemistry created a new palette of colors, culminating in the preparation of organic dyes and pigments in the mid-nineteenth century. The historical usage of mineral pigments largely based on metal sulfides, oxides, carbonates, sulfates, and nitrates followed by early natural organic extracts from botanical and insect species such as dragon's blood, indigo, gamboge, and cochineal that were later partially superseded by a wide range of synthetic azo dyes is described, where possible alongside their accepted date of first adoption in artworks; while this is relatively easy to define in the case of synthetic materials, it is rather more conjectural for the establishment of an historical timeline for naturally occurring minerals. The characterization of pigments using analytical chemical techniques applied to artworks and artifacts can therefore be used to identify an out-of-context material in an otherwise perfectly acceptable work of art sufficient to render an appellation of ‘fake’ being applied to the object. However, unrecorded later restoration whereby an artwork has been retouched using modern, more stable pigments replacing their more fugitive analogues can cause problems in this respect. In this article, the mineral pigments used are tabulated along with their synthetic counterparts that frequently have precise dates for their appearance in the chemical literature giving rise to a contextual and chronological aspect to analytical science applied to artworks – a forensic art theme. Much work has recently been discussed in the analytical discrimination between natural mineral pigments used historically and their more recent synthetic counterparts: here, terminological differences are critically important and often lacking – hence, the confused usage of terms such as cinnabar and vermilion, lapis lazuli and ultramarine, which are to be found in artists' manuals and contemporary texts.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning har till viss del visat att psykologi och känslor influerar människors finansiella beslut och att dagens bostadspriser kan påverkas av beteendefinansens fallgropar. Tidigare empiriska studier har utgått från en kvantitativ- eller experimentell ansats och det saknas därför forskning med en kvalitativ utgångspunkt gällande bostadsköpares beteende samt bostadsprisernas bakomliggande faktorer på bostadsrättsmarknaden i Linköping. Med tanke på att fastighetsmäklare indirekt har möjlighet att observera hur bostadsrättsköpare agerar på bostadsrättsmarknaden, finns intresse att undersöka vad de har noterat. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att, utifrån fastighetsmäklares erfarenheter, identifiera eventuella psykologiska bias vid köp av bostadsrätter och analysera effekter av bostadsköpares beteende vid bostadsrättsköp. Genomförande: I denna kvalitativa studie har åtta intervjuer genomförts med fastighetsmäklare från Linköpings marknadsledande byråer. Samtliga fastighetsmäklare besitter erfarenheter kring huruvida bostadsrättsköpare beter sig på bostadsrättsmarknaden i Linköping. Den insamlade empirin har analyserats utifrån tidigare empirisk forskning inom forskningsområdet, i syfte att analysera effekterna av bostadrättsköpares beteende. Slutsats: Studiens resultat har till viss del kunnat konfirmera att fastighetsmäklare kan utnyttja psykologiska bias, på grund av att människor inte agerar rationellt, med förhoppning om att höja slutpriset på en bostadsrätt i Linköping. Resultatet indikerar även att den befintliga teorin om kalendereffekter går att ifrågasätta. / Background: Previous research has shown, partially, that psychology and emotions can influence peoples’ financial decisions and that current housing prices are a result of biases. Previous empirical studies have taken a quantitative- or experimental approach and there is therefore no research with a qualitative perspective regarding homebuyers’ behavior and house prices underlying factors at the co-operative apartment market in Linköping. Given that real estate agents’ indirectly, are able to identify and interpret how homebuyers act on the co-operative apartment market we find it interesting to scrutinize what they have observed. Aim: The aim of this thesis is to, according to real estate agents’ experiences, identify biases on the co-operative apartment market and analyze the effects of homebuyers’ behavior when buying co-operative apartments. Completion: In this qualitative study, eight interviews where conducted with real estate agents from real estate agencies in Linköping. All real estate agents possess experience about how homebuyers behave at the co-operative apartment market in Linköping. The collected empirical data have been analyzed on the basis of previous empirical research in the field of this research area, in order to analyze the effects of homebuyers’ behavior. Conclusion: This paper can partially verify that real estate agents can use biases, because of the fact that homebuyers don’t act according to the rational model, with the intension to raise the closing price. The study also indicated that the theory about calendar effects can be questioned.