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Tackling Wicked Problems : The Development of a New Decision-Making Tool, Applied to the Estonian Oil Shale ConundrumSpaulding, Jeannette January 2014 (has links)
Wicked problems are a special subset of particularly complex issues that current problem-solving tools fail tofully address. Because of this deficiency, a new tool for evaluating and resolving wicked problems must be developed. Theories such as anti-positivism and systems thinking are explored in order to understand the nature of wicked problems, which are often defined by the involvement of multiple stakeholders as well as non-linear interrelations between various elements of the problem. Although traditional problem-solving methods are inadequate for wicked problems, there are certain tools that are more appropriate for handling such problems. These tools include the analytic hierarchy process, positional analysis, mess maps and heat maps. With their organized structures, visual languages and collaborative processes, these methods provide features that are well suited for tackling wicked problems. However, no single tool incorporates all of the necessary features. Therefore, a combination of the tools explored can yield a new and even more effective tool for wicked problems. This new tool, called STORM, is demonstrated through an evaluation of oil shale exploitation in Estonia. With Estonia currently dependent on energy from oil shale despite the environmental drawbacks, the situation is an ideal example of a wicked problem. The Estonian example shows how STORM can provide a greater understanding of wicked problems and allow resolutions to be negotiated. As sustainable development issues are usually considered to be wickedto sustainable development research.
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Entscheidungsproblem Unternehmen - Standort / Decision problem company - location : Comparing normative, behavioural and structural location analysis approachesEisold, Hans-Elmar 19 May 2014 (has links) (PDF)
Die Standortnotwendigkeit ist Problem und Chance für Unternehmen (Standortsuche) und Standorte (Standortmarketing) gleichermaßen.
Unternehmen sind dabei dem Einfluss durch die Gewichtung von Shareholder- und/oder Stakeholderinteressen unterworfen und der Wirkung harter wie weicher Standortfaktoren ausgesetzt. Die klassische Standortlehre allein stellt dabei nur einen unzureichenden Handlungsablauf dar. Ihr gegenüber ist die Annahme eines Standortfaktorenmix mit objektiven wie subjektiven Kriterien sinnvoller. Die Standortanalyse klassischer Ansätze kann durch verhaltens- und strukturorientierte Vorgehensweisen sinnvoll erweitert werden, um dem Situationsgemenge aus ökonomischem Ziel, unternehmerischer Situation und subjetiver Standortentscheidung besser gerecht zu werden. Die Annahme vollständiger Produktionsverlagerung weicht der Verlagerung einzelner Wertschöpfungsstufen innerhalb einer Wertschöpfungskette. Ein vernünftiger Analyse- und Entscheidungprozess muss daher ganzheitlicher erfolgen und führt dann zu besser abgesicherten Antworten auf die Fragen nach dem "was" wird "weshalb" notwendigerweise "wohin" verlagert.
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Shareholder Ownership and the Company as a Social Contract -Bridging the GapSuortti, Ilmari January 2014 (has links)
This thesis will try to combine shareholder ownership of a company with the notion of viewing thecompany as a social contract.Even if viewing the company as a social contract is usually considered to be part of the stakeholdertheory this view is not incompatible with the shareholder centred approaches.Through motivating the social contract view of businesses and discussion the advantages ofadopting a shareholder centred approach to company ownership this thesis will form the basis of asocial contract that would be agreed by the shareholders of the company. A part of this paper will also be dedicated to discussing how the shareholders could change the current companies to reflectmore closely on the contract they would initially have agreed on.
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Employee perceptions of symbolic corporate identity elements and employer-employee relationships at Lonmin Platinum / L. HoltzhausenHoltzhausen, Lida January 2007 (has links)
Large multi-national corporations experience more and more pressure to maintain good
relationships with their stakeholders, including employees. Concurrent with this, the focus
of Corporate Communication management has shifted from pure communication
management to relationship management.
Lonmin Platinum, a mining company within the South African mining and minerals sector is
no exception in this regard. In fact, due to the apartheid legacy and government
regulations that are aimed at safety and equity, it is especially difficult to manage
employee relationships in the mining industry. Apart from historical and environmental
factors, Lonmin Platinum's task is further complicated by its diverse work-force. At the time
of the study the work-force of approximately 20 000 employees consisted of literate, semiliterate
and illiterate employees. In addition, the company comprised five business units,
each with their own corporate identity.
In order to manage relationships effectively, a company needs to understand the nature
and quality of its relationships as well as which factors might influence its stakeholder
relationships. Studies have already indicated that a company's corporate identity can
contribute to the stakeholders' images of the company. Over time, the image impacts on
the company's reputation and consequently on the stakeholders' relationships with the
company. In the case of a company such as Lonmin Platinum, with an endorsed corporate
identity, it can be expected that corporate identity will also play a role in the nature and
quality of relationships, including employee relationships.
Previous studies have investigated the link between corporate identity and relationships
focussing on communication, and on behaviour elements of identity. Up until now, no
examples of research of the possible influence of symbolic corporate identity elements on
relationships in the South African mining industry could be traced. Against this
background, the following research question was asked: What is the relationship between
employees' perceptions of symbolic corporate identity elements and employer-employee
relationships at Lonmin Platinum?
Semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews and quantitative questionnaires were
applied as data collection methods. The results confirmed that Lonmin Platinum did not
have a good relationship with its employees in general. The lack of trust was seen as one
of the most apparent problems. It also seemed that the employees did not understand the
company's endorsed corporate identity. They, for example, did not understand the
company structure and identified themselves more with the symbolic corporate identity of
their respective business units than with the company itself.
With regard to the correlation between symbolic corporate identity and relationships, this
study indicated a relationship between employees' perceptions of how effective the
company reached it objectives and the quality of its employee relationships. Company
objectives, such as a safe working environment, a healthy working environment, socioeconomic
empowerment and accountability, as well as a company that unites its workforce
and creates a family feeling amongst the employees impacted most on employee
relationships. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.
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The role of the Intranet at Lonmin Platinum : the perceptions of middle management / Nicola TheunissenTheunissen, Nicola January 2007 (has links)
The rapid changes in the world of online technology during the last two decades
brought along new challenges and opportunities for public relations practitioners.
Literature has proven that the interactive capabilities of web-based technology have
the possibility to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders and create two-way
symmetrical communication opportunities. One such technology is an intranet,
which could have an immense impact on an organisation's internal communication
environment. If managed and applied correctly the intranet has the possibility to build
two-way symmetrical relationships with an organisation's internal stakeholders -
often described as one of the organisation's most strategic stakeholder groups.
In this applied research study, the contribution of an international mining
organisation's intranet to internal two-way symmetrical communication was explored
and described. An extensive literature study was conducted to determine how an
intranet could contribute theoretically to two-way symmetrical communication. The
empirical findings were obtained by means of two main research methods: a
qualitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews with middle management
employees. The content analysis described how the basic principles of two-way
symmetrical communication were applied on the Lonmin Platinum intranet. The semistructured
interviews with middle management explored and described how they
perceived and used the intranet with regard to two-way symmetrical communication.
It was concluded that the Lonmin intranet did not contribute to two-way symmetrical
communication. A critical conclusion is that an intranet as a mediated communication
medium could not contribute to two-way symmetrical communication if the internal
communication climate does not facilitate the specific values related to the
Excellence Theory and two-way symmetrical communication principles. Another
conclusion is that Lonmin's intranet was too technologically focussed. There was no
management of strategic communication or ownership, and as a result the intranet
did not contribute to two-way symmetrical communication in the organisation.
It is suggested that future studies describe the contribution of the Lonmin intranet to
two-way symmetrical communication after the communication department had
commenced with strategic intranet management. The relation between the
contribution of the intranet to two-way symmetrical communication in the organisation
and the general communication climate could also be explored in future research
studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.
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Verantwoordbare verslaggewing oor korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid aan gemeenskappe / M. LiebenbergLiebenberg, Marilie January 2010 (has links)
Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.
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Stakeholder engagement and business performance for selected SMEs in Gauteng / Gerinda JoosteJooste, Gerinda January 2010 (has links)
Stakeholder engagement, and specifically employee engagement has proven to have
an influence on how companies perform and how value is created in organisations.
Within the competitive world where Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are
functioning, employee engagement can be the master key that unlocks better
organisational performance.
The objective of this study is to research the influence of stakeholder engagement on
business performance and value creation, and to identify factors that impact on
stakeholder engagement. The processes that are in place to engage with employees
and how value are created through employee engagement, are also investigated.
Studies have proven that successful employee engagement can have a positive
influence on how businesses perform. The various factors that have an influence on
employee engagement, are identified, including:
• People.
• Communication.
• Work.
• Rewards.
• Opportunities.
• Quality of life; and
• Company practices.
The study found that engagement levels in selected SMEs in Gauteng are high and the
results, as discussed in Chapter 3, are positive. It proves that a significant percentage of
employees are engaged on the following levels:
1. Rational - this indicates how well employees understand their roles and
responsibilities in their various companies.
2. Emotional - this level indicates with how much passion employees work
and how passionate they are about their organisation.
3. Motivational - this indicates how willing employees are to give more than
is expected of them, and how hard they work to perform well on their roles
and responsibilities. The results of the study can be used by companies to improve employee engagement
and create value in their organisations - it can assist them in building a sustainable,
competitive organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011
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Improving SME access to finance in the North-West Province of South Africa / Imraan G.H. Bakhas.Bakhas, Imraan Goolam Hoosen January 2009 (has links)
The purpose of this study is to provide empirical, qualitative evidence concerning the factors within the supply, demand and institutional support environments that hinder SME access to finance as well as the interventions necessary to improve access to finance for SMEs in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa. The semi-structured interview technique was used to collect data from a sample of 25 organisations. A response rate of 56% comprising two financial institutions and 12 SME support and development organisations currently operating in or providing financial and/or non-financial services to SMEs in the NWP, participated in the study. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency counts and percentages and a qualitative data analysis software package (Weft QDA) were used to analyse the data and interpret the results. The findings of this study are consistent with and support the findings of previous studies investigating SME access to finance. The findings indicate that the SME sector is characterized by a dearth of entrepreneurs, highly risk averse financial institutions and a poorly functional support and development environment. The findings of this study further indicate that formal and structured collaboration initiatives between financial institutions and SME support organisations are vital to improving SME access to finance in the NWP. The study will be of interest to policy makers, financial institutions and SME support and development organisations interested in SME financing and economic development. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the current financing challenges facing SMEs and will assist financial institutions, SME support organisations and SMEs to better understand the role and importance of effective stakeholder collaboration in improving SME access to finance. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.
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Improving SME access to finance in the North-West Province of South Africa / Imraan G.H. Bakhas.Bakhas, Imraan Goolam Hoosen January 2009 (has links)
The purpose of this study is to provide empirical, qualitative evidence concerning the factors within the supply, demand and institutional support environments that hinder SME access to finance as well as the interventions necessary to improve access to finance for SMEs in the North West Province (NWP) of South Africa. The semi-structured interview technique was used to collect data from a sample of 25 organisations. A response rate of 56% comprising two financial institutions and 12 SME support and development organisations currently operating in or providing financial and/or non-financial services to SMEs in the NWP, participated in the study. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency counts and percentages and a qualitative data analysis software package (Weft QDA) were used to analyse the data and interpret the results. The findings of this study are consistent with and support the findings of previous studies investigating SME access to finance. The findings indicate that the SME sector is characterized by a dearth of entrepreneurs, highly risk averse financial institutions and a poorly functional support and development environment. The findings of this study further indicate that formal and structured collaboration initiatives between financial institutions and SME support organisations are vital to improving SME access to finance in the NWP. The study will be of interest to policy makers, financial institutions and SME support and development organisations interested in SME financing and economic development. The results of the study contribute to the understanding of the current financing challenges facing SMEs and will assist financial institutions, SME support organisations and SMEs to better understand the role and importance of effective stakeholder collaboration in improving SME access to finance. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.
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The role of the Intranet at Lonmin Platinum : the perceptions of middle management / Nicola TheunissenTheunissen, Nicola January 2007 (has links)
The rapid changes in the world of online technology during the last two decades
brought along new challenges and opportunities for public relations practitioners.
Literature has proven that the interactive capabilities of web-based technology have
the possibility to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders and create two-way
symmetrical communication opportunities. One such technology is an intranet,
which could have an immense impact on an organisation's internal communication
environment. If managed and applied correctly the intranet has the possibility to build
two-way symmetrical relationships with an organisation's internal stakeholders -
often described as one of the organisation's most strategic stakeholder groups.
In this applied research study, the contribution of an international mining
organisation's intranet to internal two-way symmetrical communication was explored
and described. An extensive literature study was conducted to determine how an
intranet could contribute theoretically to two-way symmetrical communication. The
empirical findings were obtained by means of two main research methods: a
qualitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews with middle management
employees. The content analysis described how the basic principles of two-way
symmetrical communication were applied on the Lonmin Platinum intranet. The semistructured
interviews with middle management explored and described how they
perceived and used the intranet with regard to two-way symmetrical communication.
It was concluded that the Lonmin intranet did not contribute to two-way symmetrical
communication. A critical conclusion is that an intranet as a mediated communication
medium could not contribute to two-way symmetrical communication if the internal
communication climate does not facilitate the specific values related to the
Excellence Theory and two-way symmetrical communication principles. Another
conclusion is that Lonmin's intranet was too technologically focussed. There was no
management of strategic communication or ownership, and as a result the intranet
did not contribute to two-way symmetrical communication in the organisation.
It is suggested that future studies describe the contribution of the Lonmin intranet to
two-way symmetrical communication after the communication department had
commenced with strategic intranet management. The relation between the
contribution of the intranet to two-way symmetrical communication in the organisation
and the general communication climate could also be explored in future research
studies. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.
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