This thesis examines the relationship between methods of privatization of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), organizational change and performance.  It explores the organizational “black box” between privatization and performance to look at the way privatization affects firm performance through the internal changes within organizations in a developing country (Egypt) context. This thesis develops an integrated theoretical model and examines the impact of privatization methods on a subset of the organizational variables in the Model of Organizational Performance and Change (Burke and Litwin, 1992), namely: management practices, organizational climate, and organizational performance, which are believed to affect the way privatization impacts upon either positively, or negatively, the internal environment of the firm. The theoretical model was validated in a single cross-sectional empirical study of 199 participants. Of the 15 hypotheses in this study, 12 were supported and 3 were not. There were statistical differences among the post-privatization performance of former SOEs according to their method of privatization.  The thesis adds knowledge about the reasons why privatization can produce mixed outcomes and how post-privatization performance is complex and depends on factors outside and inside organizations.  It is reasonable to suggest that privatization success of failure is a function of the method of privatization used, the degree of concentration of ownership, the degree of restructuring, and the deregulation and liberalization of the economic environment. Results add further evidence to support the view that the benefits of privatization are not merely a consequence of transferring ownership of SOEs to private parties.  Privatization is most effective when followed by a major internal transformation. The simplest and most effective way to facilitate post-privatization organizational changes is to replace the top management team. This tends to create new management practices that the SOEs did not have.

This study explores how the Egyptian socioeconomic factors impacted the implementation of International Accounting Standards (IASs) in Egypt. Prior research concluded that developing nations have special needs when it comes to accounting and financial reporting and recommended nation-specific analysis. The author adapts Gray's (1988) model, which connects Hofstede's cultural dimensions with accounting practice, to fit the Egyptian environment.