Goal-setting procedures have been employed in many different sports, and have been shown to be a beneficial component for enhancing sports performance. For this study, a changing-criterion within multiple-baseline design was used to evaluate a multi-component intervention for increasing running distance for five healthy adults. The intervention consisted of goal setting with performance feedback. Participants set a short-term goal each week and a long-term goal to achieve upon completion of the study. The study incorporated the use of the NikeTM + SportKit for automated recording of the distance of each run. Results of the current study demonstrated for all participants that goal setting and performance feedback was an effective method to enhance sports performance for individuals wanting to increase their running distance.

This research reports a case study conducted to determine whether the application of Simplicity as a military principle can assist a geographically dispersed organisation in executing strategy more effectively. An investigation was conducted into the main reasons why strategy execution is not fully effective in an identified geographical dispersed organisation. A survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted to identify these inhibitors. A comparison with existing literature identified the 4 main requirements to effective strategy execution in this organisation. A review of the application of Simplicity in the military context was completed. A comprehensive literature review, integrated with semi-structured interviews with general staff in the South African Army identified military approaches to Simplicity and its impact on execution successes. A conceptual content analysis matched successful military approaches to Simplicity with the main drivers of ineffective strategy execution in the organisation. The output was strategy execution inhibitors in the organisation, with matched approaches to Simplicity from interviews with military professionals. The compilation of a specific model and tools for simplification was proposed for the organisation. The output was a model for strategy execution at all levels, with tools and techniques discussed to ensure the simplification of strategic objectives in execution. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted