Magister Commercii - MCom / Product innovation and its efficient diffusion are important to enhance factor productivity, market access, job creation and trade. Innovative firms remain competitive in an increasingly global environment. Product innovation add maximum economic value when the new knowledge and technical know-how are spread through the economy. Standardisation of products is regarded as a vital tool to enable the diffusion of product innovations. The economic rationale for standardisation is based on the theory market failure that requires some sort of correction. Standardisation is regarded as a public good, a form of technical infrastructure. It reduces transaction costs and information asymmetries; increased the willingness of consumers to pay, which in turn increases the success and diffusion of innovation. Lower transaction costs result in reduced production and distribution costs. For consumers it also results in reduced search and testing costs as well as reduced time and effort to evaluate quality. Studies on the impact of standardisation were done for some developed countries, but not for developing countries. Unlike most studies that have a narrow industry-focus, this report has a broader focus on the impact of various types of standards on product innovation, market access and trade. It presented specific case studies for various industries in South Africa as well as studies on the impact of standards internationally. / South Africa

The main aim of this study was to assess the degree of similarity or variation between the two cross-border standardised varieties of the Sena language spoken in Malawi and Mozambique. The study sets out to test the hypothesis that the two varieties are similar enough to be standardised into one common standard Sena. A contrastive analysis was done on the translated Biblical texts of Jonah and Matthew in both varieties on the grammatical, orthographical and lexical level. The findings show that on a grammatical and lexical level there is minimal variation, but on an orthographical level there is a 20% variation partly due to different orthographic conventions used by the translators. These findings suggest that in the light of the current trend of regionalisation, standardisation is desirable and could be achieved by a cross-border language commission. / Linguistics / M.A.

The main aim of this study was to assess the degree of similarity or variation between the two cross-border standardised varieties of the Sena language spoken in Malawi and Mozambique. The study sets out to test the hypothesis that the two varieties are similar enough to be standardised into one common standard Sena. A contrastive analysis was done on the translated Biblical texts of Jonah and Matthew in both varieties on the grammatical, orthographical and lexical level. The findings show that on a grammatical and lexical level there is minimal variation, but on an orthographical level there is a 20% variation partly due to different orthographic conventions used by the translators. These findings suggest that in the light of the current trend of regionalisation, standardisation is desirable and could be achieved by a cross-border language commission. / Linguistics and Modern Languages / M.A.

No description available.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how the standardization of a New Product Development (NPD) process affects creativity and efficiency. The research was conducted on a case company through several interviews with employees connected to the process with various experience within the company. Standardization and creativity have in the past been considered to be mutually exclusive. However, recent research shows a connection between them and suggests that they could complement each other. This thesis is built upon a framework of six factors affecting creativity in NPD and has further explored how these are connected to efficiency as well. The research concludes that creativity and efficiency in NPD can work in harmony, complementing and supporting each other by focusing on the content rather than the process.

published_or_final_version / English / Master / Master of Arts

M.A. (Afrikaans) / Guided by contemporary Afrikaans media, with specific reference to print 'media and television, this study aims to look at certain possible changes to one of the varieties of Afrikaans, known as Standard Afrikaans. Furthermore, it takes a historic and future glance at respectively the origin as well as possible restandardisation of this variety. While language manuals are consulted in the first instance, recent internet and newspaper articles reflect the current attitude of various coloured academics, journalists and writers toward a possible new standard that includes those varieties of Afrikaans that used to be stigmatized. Willemse (2011) suggests that a purposeful process of inclusion and expansion of Standard Afrikaans is necessary for the sake of the legitimisation by the greater majority of Afrikaans speakers. This study makes various suggestions to enrich this variety, without necessarily changing its level of formality. While the dissertation does not over-emphasise the sociopolitical influences on Standard Afrikaans, it does become obvious that politics and skin colour played a significant role in the establishment of written Afrikaans - especially Standard Afrikaans. In the past, the voice of coloured Afrikaans speakers was mostly absent in the standardisation process. Today, however, there are talks of closer cooperation between all of the relevant parties in the possible restandardisation process of Afrikaans. One of the most prominent role players in the standardisation, with specific reference to the possible future restandardisation of Afrikaans, is the media. This study, in other words, wants to look at the role contemporary Afrikaans can play in the restandardisation of Afrikaans by harmonizing different varieties.

Even more novel to the English speaker than the fact that foreign words should represent a problem at all are the frequent, often concerted reactions against them in Germany from the seventeenth century on. These reactions - attempts to eliminate borrowed words and replace them with German expressions - have been relatively little studied and the references in histories of language usually apply to the baroque <u>Sprachgesellschaften</u> and one or two individual purists. No detailed general survey of German purism is available, there is no bibliography on the subject, and the contribution of the purists has not been fully assessed. This study is intended as a preliminary step towards meeting these needs and offers a critical, fully documented account of purism in the hundred years between 1789 and 1889. This period begins with J.H. Campe, the most important German purist, who was the first to approach the question systematically and in great detail, and ends with the Berlin Declaration of 1889 objecting to the policies of the newly founded <u>Allgemeiner Deutscher Sprachverein</u>. The <u>Sprachverein</u> has fully documented its own history and achievements, but for the rest only Campe and F.L. Jahn have been studied critically. I have sought to investigate who the purists were, how they approached language, why they considered purism necessary, what foreign words they rejected, how they tried to replace them, and to give an account of their activity.

No description available.

The purpose of this master thesis is to define the term "dominant position" of an undertaking under the EU Competition Law and to find out, what circumstances are decisive in order to be able to identify existence of a dominant position. The second part of the thesis focuses on actual problems connected with the dominant undertakings, namely the standardization and the effectiveness of the interventions of competition authorities into the actions of dominant undertakings on rapidly developing IT markets. The thesis deals with the concept of dominant position and does not address particular types of abusive behaviour enumerated in Article 102 (a) - (d) TFEU. The first chapter briefly describes the system of EU Competition Law. The focus is directed on agreements distorting competition (Art. 101 TFEU), abuse of dominant position (Art. 102 TFEU) and control of concentrations between undertakings (Council Regulation No. 139/2004). The second chapter looks at the term "dominant position" of an undertaking and its delimitations. The subchapters describe definition of relevant market, market share, market power and other market conditions which shall be taken into account in the dominant position analysis. Space is further devoted to the existing dominant position on the neighbouring market and to the...