Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pittsburgh, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-177).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Georgia, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 343-359).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1966. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 204-207).

M.B.A. / The steel industry worldwide is undergoing rapid transformation and this presents an unprecedented opportunity for manufacturers of steel products in South Africa to take advantage of their improved global competitiveness, which has arisen principally as a result of the fall in the value of the South African currency. With global competition at its peek, steel manufacturers in South Africa find it important to reduce costs whilst improving their responsiveness to their clients, especially the foreign export markets. For steel manufacturers such as Iscor Steel, global competitiveness means sharpening the logistics of servicing these complex foreign markets with their intricate demands. This in turn puts pressure on transport suppliers such as Spoornet to provide speedy and efficient movement of cargo through the inland network down to the ports for exports to meet time demands. It is crucial that steel manufacturers, such as Iscor Steel work hand in glove in a collaborative manner with the rail operator Spoornet to achieve superior service delivery levels which consequently will reduce costs of providing such service due to maximum utilization of equipment and infrastructure. The reduction of costs in the provision of logistics services will result in a reduction of operating costs, which will have a positive effect on the operating profits of each steel manufacturer. Consequently the improvement in operating profits will result in improve shareholder value. The following areas of improvement have been identified and form part the recommendations, which will influence positive growth in shareholder value: Iscor Logistics should find ways to work on and improve relationships with Spoornet and other such service providers it makes use of; Iscor Logistics should implement the cost saving initiatives it has identified, such as adopting centralized distribution as in the case of Newcastle Steel as a matter of urgency — there is value in doing so; Iscor Logistics must start proving to its clients that it is adding meaningful value by showing value-add as this will differentiate them from the rest of similar service providers in the market. High level of logistics integration between stakeholders is critical to reduce cost of rendering logistics solutions. This will go a long way in improving shareholder value in organizations such as Iscor Steel.

M. Eng. (Engineering Management) / Total Quality Management (TQM) is a managerial approach that views quality to be a result of integrating all organisational activities e.g. engineering, manufacturing, marketing and administration work. It aims broadly at maintaining and improving quality standards and to achieve customer satisfaction. TQM’s major components are quality planning, quality control and quality improvement. Quality control is responsible for transforming quality planning and quality improvement outcomes into daily routine work. However, quality control can be implemented by systematically going around the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) control cycle, with which organisation may achieve continuous small steps of improvement. An entire enterprise can be better controlled when it is regarded as a set of processes. Process is controlled by the same systematic way of implementing PDCA cycle. Some tools are suggested in this dissertation to control processes. These are statistical process control (SPC), root cause analysis (RCA) and the Feedback Loop. Beyond information gleaned from literature on quality control a case study of a steel manufacturing and construction firm is also presented. Some areas for improvement in the quality arena of this firm are identified based on the results of quality management gained from literature.

This study examines the Uralian iron and steel industry distribution, its changes through time and the reasons for these changes. At present, this is one of the important iron and steel producing regions in the world. At one time it was the most important. In order to obtain the information on which to base this study, it was necessary to resort mainly to published materials, largely Soviet. The American Iron and Steel Institute also supplied some non-published material. In order to collect the published materials it was necessary to make use of the libraries of the University of British Columbia the University of Washington and the Geographical Branch of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys in Ottawa. Other Ottawa libraries, the personal collections of Dr. Hooson and Dr. Jackson, various bookstores, notably Kamkin's bookstore in Washington, D. C, the bookstore at the United Nations in New York and Davis bookstore in Montreal, were also very useful. The primary problem when conducting a study of this nature is the collecting of sufficient relevant materials for a balanced appraisal of the phenomena being examined. A knowledge of Russian is mandatory and an acquaintance with French is also useful. The information gathered was organized into tables and plotted on maps. These bodies of data were then described and analyzed. Analysis of the Uralian iron and steel industry indicated that this industry was initially essentially located on the iron ore supply. But none of the major plants are at present located on iron ore resources that are large enough to amortize the plant. Also the major plants are on the whole, based on low quality ores. The major economic advantage of the Uralian iron and steel industry production is its association with the Eastern coal supplies. But this advantage is common to all Eastern plants. Expansion at Magnitogorsk will result in more expensive production than the construction of new plants would, even though Magnitogorsk is the most efficient Uralian plant. The Urals is well located for the introduction of natural gas into its metallurgy. This is proceeding. Nevertheless, the use of natural gas is only a partial solution to the fuel problem because it can not completely replace coke. Therefore, the Urals will have to continue bringing in coking coal over great distances. The de-emphasis of iron and steel announced in 1962 will help the Urals to perpetuate its present status as a producer (it supplies about one-third of the Soviet production). On the other hand, no significant increase in its relative importance can be expected. The bulk of the Uralian iron and steel production is located in the Eastern Urals, more particularly in the South Eastern Urals. In 1956, the three largest plants: Magnitogorsk and Chelyabinsk in the South Eastern Urals, and Nizhne Tagil'sk in the Central Urals produced 77 per cent of the Uralian pig iron and 67 per cent of the steel smelted. This has not significantly changed subsequently. Considerable expansion, based on Kachkanar ores, is planned for Nizhne Tagil'sk. But, all things considered, most of the expansion will be located at the major South Uralian plants. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

M.Comm. / The goal of this study is to investigate the causes for conflict within the distribution channel currently used by a major manufacturer and exporter of steel products. This manufacturer is currently using six South African based agents. These agents are responsible for the marketing of the manufacturer's products in foreign markets. This channel of indirect exports was chosen due to the lack of a proper infra-structure within the export division of the manufacturer. Conflict between manufacturer and agents can cause foreign end-users to get a distorted image of the manufacturer and its products. Therefore it is necessary to investigate the causes for conflict. Plans can then be made to identify what can be done to switch a conflict situation to a situation of co-operation within the distribution channel. The first part of this study provides a theoretical framework, based on literature from many sources, on the different international distribution channels that are available. Special attention is given to indirect exports and the different forms that are available. Thereafter the causes of conflict and co-operation in the channel are discussed, as well as the different types of conflict and how to manage conflict. The second part of the study is practical, with interviews being held with the six agents to get their view on what causes conflict between them and the manufacturer. Thereafter the personnel of the manufacturer is interviewed to get their perception of the cause of conflict. The two different views are combined in order to make recommendations and conclusions regarding the causes of conflict within the distribution channel. The major cause of conflict in this channel is due to poor communication between the manufacturer and agents. This, problem can only be resolved if most of the information flow is computerised. This will ensure that 'information is reliable and on time. If this can be achieved, conflict situations can be switched to a situation of co-operation.

Thesis (M.Com. (Development Theory and Policy))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2016. / Aims and objectives: The objective of this study is to unpack the processes that the South African government has embarked upon with a view to averting a deepening crisis in the ailing steel sector. This study specifically investigates the parts of the package that have been launched to date, namely the tariff support requested by the steel industry and designation of the steel industry for government procurement. [No actual abstract provided] / MT2017

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