published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / The focus of this study was to examine the relationship between information sharing, information quality, strategic partnership and internal lean practices among Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in South Africa. It is essential to understand practitioners’ and entrepreneurs’ current knowledge towards the topic at hand in order to determine what interventions would be most beneficial in helping to curb the problem of the lack of knowledge in this area and to understand the underlying causes behind the problem, while creating awareness and giving new insight to those who are already aware of this topic. Data was collected from a sample of 350 Small to Medium Enterprises and the measurement items in the measuring instrument were measured using a 5-point likert scale. Thereafter the collected data was coded and analysed by means of structural equation modelling using the AMOS 21 software package. The results indicate that supplier information sharing and information quality have a strong influence on strategic partnership and in turn strategic partnership has a strong influence on internal lean practices among Small to Medium Enterprises. This indicates that the level and quality of information shared between Small to Medium Enterprises and their suppliers has a positive effect on the strength of their partnerships as well as on the internal practices of each Small to Medium Enterprise. Based on these results, conclusions were drawn and recommendations were put forward on how internal lean practices in Small to Medium Enterprises can be improved by means of information sharing, information quality and strategic partnerships.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Economics / Philip G. Gayle / This dissertation constitutes two essays in the field of industrial organization. Specifically, the research focuses on empirically assessing the market effects of airline alliances. The first essay examines how codesharing, a form of strategic alliances, by airlines affects market entry decisions of potential competitors. Researchers have written extensively on the impact that strategic alliances between airlines have on airfare, but little is known of the market entry deterrent impact of strategic alliances. Using a structural econometric model, this essay examines the market entry deterrent impact of codesharing between incumbent carriers in U.S. domestic air travel markets. We find that a specific type of codesharing between market incumbents has a market entry deterrent effect to Southwest Airlines, but not other potential entrants. Furthermore, we quantify the extent to which market incumbents’ codesharing influences market entry cost of potential entrants. The second essay examines the effects of granting Antitrust Immunity (ATI) to a group of airlines. Airline alliance partners often want to extend cooperation to revenue sharing, which effectively implies joint pricing of their products (explicit price collusion). To explicitly collude on price, airlines must apply to the relevant government authorities for ATI (U.S. Department of Justice and Department of Transportation in the case of air travel markets that have a U.S. airport as an endpoint), which effectively means an exemption from prosecution under the relevant antitrust laws. Whether consumers, on net, benefit from a grant of ATI to partner airlines has caused much public debate. This essay specifically investigates the impact of granting ATI to oneworld alliance members on their price, markup, and various measures of cost. The evidence suggests that the grant of ATI facilitated a decrease in partner carriers’ marginal cost, and increased (decreased) their markup in markets where their service do (do not) overlap. Furthermore, member carriers’ price did not change (decreased) in markets where their services do (do not) overlap, implying that consumers, on net, benefit in terms of price changes.

As competitive advantage is becoming more difficult to reach in the intense business world of today, many companies are turning towards cooperation to enhance their performance. A common way to achieve cooperation between firms has been through strategic alliances, where firms can fill their gaps in terms of resources and create common strategies for success. When creating a common legal organization, it is usually done through a joint venture. Joint ventures are often used as a way for private firms to expand internationally. However, lately it is not only the private organizations that are facing this competitive business climate, but the historical view on the public sector as being inefficient and rather bureaucratic in its coordination of business development, has also put an emphasis on markets and competition in the public sector. This has lately resulted in joining forces with the private sector, to create public-private joint ventures. As the literature published on the nature of these public-joint venture is still limited to few studies and cases, this called for further exploration of the phenomena. Thus, this study aimed at exploring the dynamics of strategic alliances in a public-private joint venture. More specifically, this was done by looking at a public-private joint venture consisting of a municipality and the enterprise, using the case of Tillväxt Lidköping AB. By exploring these dynamics, the research wished to gain insight into the motives and objectives of why firms enter, stay and leave a public-private joint venture, as well as success factors and risk of failures. This was done through answering the following research question: How do the dynamics of strategic alliances unfold in a public-private joint venture? Through a qualitative case study with data collected from semi-structured interviews, this study operated inductively but in constant comparison with existent literature to formulate a model of the dynamics of strategic alliance in a public-private joint venture. The model includes a process starting with the motives and objectives to why companies and individuals engage in a public-private joint venture. After, influenced by the motives and objectives, the actual operation of the public-private joint venture including membership, strategies and management is presented, to end the process with impact of growth and cooperation. The practical contributions of this study will help managers of public-private joint venture with tools, such as how to avoid certain pitfalls and fill crucial positions. In term of theoretical contributions, this study added in exploring the gap of public-private joint venture by providing a conceptual model, as well as gave additional insights to how public-private joint ventures relates with social network theory. Moreover, the study provides policy implications, foremost for municipal and governmental bodies on how better access to centralized services can be implemented. Providing one place where all services can be accessed, can if successful facilitate smoother information sharing and enhanced competitive advantage.

O estudo aborda as características de relacionamento entre empresas montadoras e operadores logísticos no Brasil, tendo em vista o caráter estratégico da prestação de serviços de logística integrada na indústria automobilística, setor que vem apresentando uma transformação muito grande em suas práticas e organização. O foco de análise é a logística de suprimento em montadoras de automóveis, não se abordando a distribuição de veículos prontos. O processo de globalização tem exigido a reestruturação das empresas para sua sobrevivência e desenvolvimento, a busca de vantagem competitiva, pela incorporação a seus produtos, da cadeia de valor dos clientes, e, no relacionamento interempresarial, novas formas de administração de suas cadeias de suprimentos. Os serviços de logística se mostram mais abrangentes, na estratégia e processo produtivos, numa nova caracterização da atuação de operadores logísticos. Na sua terceirização, tendência firme que se constatou, teoricamente, poderiam se apresentar alianças estratégicas entre empresas. As características de relacionamento nessa direção são abordadas nesta tese. O estudo foi conduzido com base em fontes secundárias e pela realização de entrevistas junto a montadoras e operadores logísticos. Metodologicamente, adotou-se o estudo de multicasos na identificação de arranjos institucionais da operação da logística por operadores especializados. Foi identificado um ambiente em transição, em que a terceirização é um fato, com operadores logísticos, assumindo, cada vez mais, parcelas importantes das atividades dos contratantes. No entanto, o relacionamento está longe de caracterizar verdadeiras alianças estratégicas, apresentando-se uma interação dinâmica e, muitas vezes contraditória, entre as empresas. A consciência mútua das interdependências, aceitação e entendimento de interesses individuais, a serem conciliados em alianças estratégicas, com o objetivo comum de melhor condição competitiva e compartilhamento justo de riscos, custos e recompensas, podem ser fundamentais na implantação de novas formas de produção na indústria e na adoção de operadores logísticos únicos. / This study analyses the relationship among automotive industries and third party logistics (3PL) providers in Brazil, regarding the strategic aspect of the integrated logistics service in that industry, which is showing a remarkable changing in its organization and production practices. This analysis focuses the inbound logistic in car assembling plants. The globalization process requires firms restructure to enable survival and development, the search for competitive advantages, reflecting in their products their clients value chain and, in the relationship among firms, innovative ways of supply chain management. Logistics services assume a broader scope in the production process and in the company strategy, reflecting their providing by 3PL firms in a new way. In this outsourcing, theoretically, strategic alliances among firms could take place. The relationships characteristics towards this direction are analyzed in this thesis. The study used secondary sources and interviews were conducted with automotive and logistic services providers executives. For identifying institutional arrangements in logistics services providing industry, the basic methodology adopted was multicase studies. This work identifies a transition environment with outsourcing as a fact and logistics providers increasingly assuming relevant portions of the automotive industry activities. Nevertheless, their relationships are far from actual strategic alliances, occurring a dynamic and, many times, contradictory interaction among the firms. Consciousness of mutual interdependence, agreement and understanding of individual interests to be conciliated for the achievement of the common objective of better competitive condition and fair risks, costs and rewards sharing are needed. This could be a sound basis for the new production ways and define solids fundamentals for the new trend of full logistic provider implementations, already seen in the industry.

Este estudo analisou duas experiências de alianças estratégicas intersetoriais realizadas entre empresas e comunidades na Amazônia no início do século XXI, com o intuito de identificar contribuições para as práticas de desenvolvimento sustentável a serem propostas por organizações privadas e públicas. Concluiu-se que, à despeito das necessidades de adaptação encontradas nos casos estudados, o aprendizado obtido com as práticas de alianças que vêm sendo realizadas na Amazônia, podem contribuir para o desenvolvimento socioambiental desta região. Percebeu-se um potencial imenso de alcançar resultados econômicos, sociais e ambientais se as alianças intersetoriais forem estimuladas e se elas passarem a fazer parte de fóruns de discussão mais amplos, superando preconceitos quanto ao papel de cada ator social e partindo de regras do jogo mais claras. Para chegar a esta conclusão foi montado um quadro teórico composto pela análise da dinâmica dos laços sociais em comunidades com pessoas provenientes de diversas regiões, e de algumas das formas possíveis de organização e participação comunitária. Também foi verificado se tais aspectos facilitavam ou dificultavam a criação e o respeito a regras formais e informais de convivência e o uso sustentável de recursos naturais. Além do papel do ambiente institucional e dos custos de transação em uma visão crítica do desenvolvimento sustentável. A motivação para este estudo se tornou evidente a partir do agravamento das conseqüências dos problemas ambientais e da urgência de se apontar alternativas que envolvessem os diversos atores sociais para lidar com os complexos desafios inerentes a uma região que triplicou sua população desde a década de 1970, e que, apesar da inexistência de um modelo de desenvolvimento adequado às suas especificidades, ainda concentra uma parcela importante das riquezas naturais disponíveis no planeta. Tornando-se o foco da observação internacional e da busca de alternativas de geração de renda que se equilibrassem à manutenção da riqueza dos conhecimentos tradicionais sobre os recursos naturais. Passou-se a exigir das atividades econômicas empresariais uma convivência tranqüila com o extrativismo e a agricultura familiar, além do respeito às normas para que todos pudessem, efetivamente, contribuir para a redução da pressão sobre a floresta gerada pela extração de recursos superior à capacidade de reposição natural. A partir dos anos 1990, iniciou-se uma convergência de opiniões sobre a necessidade de integrar diversos agentes econômicos no esforço de promover o desenvolvimento, que devia ser entendido como o processo de transformação da sociedade não só em relação aos meios, mas também aos fins, produzindo benefícios comuns. Ampliando este conceito, o desenvolvimento sustentável passou a ser entendido como a utilização de recursos para atender às necessidades do presente sem comprometer a capacidade das gerações futuras em atender as suas próprias necessidades. Dar o salto dos modelos tradicionais para uma proposição de desenvolvimento sustentável vem exigindo mudanças de estratégias públicas e privadas e de atitudes individuais e coletivas. Diante disso, optou-se pela modelagem de uma pesquisa do tipo exploratório-descritiva com abordagem qualitativa, empregando o método de estudo comparativo de casos, o que propiciou a inferência de variáveis a serem testadas em posteriores pesquisas hipotético-dedutivas: imagem, estratégia de negócios, transparência, confiança mútua, atração de talentos e regularização fundiária. Procurou-se controlar as limitações e os vieses inerentes a este tipo de pesquisa utilizando ferramentais metodológicos como a criação de protocolos de pesquisa e a triangulação de técnicas. / This research analyzed two experiences of inter-sector strategic alliances between companies and communities in Amazonia in the starts of the 21th century, to identify contributions to public and private organizations to put into practice the concept of sustainable development. The main conclusion is despite problems found in the cases studied; that their learning can contribute to the social and environmental development of Amazonia. There are a huge potential to find economic, social and environmental results if society stimulate inter-sector alliances and if this kind of arrange become part of ample discussion forums, taking care with biases about role of each social actor and based in clear \"rules of the game\". To find this conclusion was designed a theoretical frame composed of an analysis of social relations in communities with people that came from other places besides conceptual references about organization and community participation, used to verify if its aspects can make easier or more difficult to create and to respect formal and social rules to preserve natural resources. To complete this analysis were studied concepts of institutional environment and costs of transaction based in a critical vision of sustainable development. The motivation to do this research starts with a preoccupation with the growing consequences of environmental problems and the urgency to connect several social actors to find alternatives to the inherent challenges of a region that has three times more people than in 1970. In spite of there aren\'t a development model created specially for the region, it still has a important part of natural wealth of the world. Amazonia becomes the focus of international observation and of the search for alternatives that put together income generation and traditional knowledge. Now, companies have to pay attention in communities\' activities like agriculture in small areas and respect rules that could contribute to reduce pressure over the forest. Since 1990 started a convergence about need of join several economic agent to promote development or transforming society producing common benefits. Sustainable development was defined like the using resources to attend actual necessities without make difficult to future generations to attend their own necessities. This urgent necessity has asked mind changes in public and private strategies and in individual and collective attitudes. To analyze it complex scenery, was designed a exploratory-descriptive qualitative research, using comparative case studies method, that gave the inference of variables to be tested in the hypothetical-deductive researches: image, business strategy, transparency, mutual confidence, talent attraction and land use rules. It was tried to control inherent limitations and biases using methodological instruments like research protocols and triangulation of techniques.

O setor supermercadista sofreu grandes alterações nos últimos anos, principalmente com o avanço das tecnologias, a competição, a concentração e algumas insuficiências em seus processos. Estes e outros fatores favoreceram ao surgimento do movimento de ECR (Resposta de Consumidor Eficiente) que procura criar um relacionamento mais forte entre indústria e varejo através de novas visões para suas estratégias operacionais. A evolução das tecnologias de informação permitiram ao setor varejista gerar uma maior volume de dados a partir, principalmente, de seus check-outs. Entretanto, estes dados nem sempre são armazenados de forma correta ou utilizados de forma a se aproveitar a plenitude das informações neles contidas. O processo de transformar os dados em informação e conhecimento vem evoluindo constantemente. Uma das atuais metodologias de trabalhar dados é o Data Mining ou Mineração de Dados, que pode ser descrito como sendo uma variedade de ferramentas e estratégias que processam dados aumentando a utilidade destes em bancos de dados. Este trabalho analisa através de um estudo multicaso exploratório na região de Ribeirão Preto, no interior de São Paulo, a avaliação da capacidade do uso da tecnologia Data Mining para o fortalecimento do movimento ECR, principalmente em pequenos e médios varejistas e indústrias alimentícias, no sentido de oferecer a estes um diferencial de negociação para formação de alianças estratégias. / The Supermarket sector suffered great changes in the last years, mainly with the development of technologies, competition, concentration and some inefficiency in its processes. These and other factors had emerged the sprouting of ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) that creates a stronger relationship between the industry and the retail, through new vision for its operational strategies. The information technology evolution allowed the retail sector to generate a lager volume of data from, mainly, its checkouts. However, this data is not always stored in a correct form or used in a way to be completely profited. The process to transform the data in information and knowledge is developing constantly. One of the actual methodologies to work the data is the Data Mining, which can be described as a variety of tools and strategies that process data, maximizing the utility of these data base. This report analyzes through an exploratory multicase study in the Ribeirão Preto region, in the interior of São Paulo state, the capacity evaluation of Data Mining technology for the strengthening of ECR, especially in small and medium retail and food industries, in the direction to offer a differential of negotiation for the formation of strategic alliances.

Alliance portfolios, or a firm collection of simultaneous alliances, have become common phenomena particularly in technology industries. These portfolios have been found to have a significant impact on firms’ financial performance. At the same time, there is little consensus regarding the direction of this effect. Findings have shown positive, negative, curvilinear, and non-significant relationships. In this dissertation, I employed an organizational learning perspective to investigate the effect of alliance portfolio size on firm financial performance. Using a sample of 343 firm-year observations in the U.S. software industry, I explored portfolio- and firm-level characteristics as moderators of this relationship. Findings provide evidence for a curvilinear, inverted U-shaped relationship between portfolio size and firm performance that is moderated by the timing of the alliances within the portfolio and by the firms’ Top Management Team (TMT) turnover. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2017. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

O presente trabalho tem como foco o estudo e análise das alianças estratégicas realizadas entre empresas do setor do real estate, no período entre 2006 e 2010, enfatizando as alianças realizadas entre empresas atuantes predominantemente nas cidades de São Paulo e Rio de Janeiro com empresas atuantes nas regiões Norte e Nordeste do Brasil, cujo objetivo por parte das empresas paulistas foi o espalhamento geográfico. Considerando o volume representativo de alianças estratégicas verificado no setor no período em questão e a geração de resultados dos empreendimentos objetos de tais parcerias inferiores às expectativas estabelecidas, o objetivo do trabalho é a apresentação de um conjunto de diretrizes que possa contribuir para o planejamento, realização e condução de futuras parcerias entre empresas do setor, visando a mitigar dificuldades e a explorar da melhor forma possível os benefícios que as alianças estratégicas podem proporcionar. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa por meio de um estudo de casos múltiplos abrangendo o estudo de empresas de capital aberto que atuavam predominantemente nas capitais do eixo Rio-São Paulo, empresas atuantes em nível regional no Norte e Nordeste brasileiro que realizaram parcerias com as empresas do Sudeste, além de empresas de consultoria que estiveram envolvidas nas parcerias por meio de prestação de serviços. Tal pesquisa permitiu identificar as principais dificuldades, vantagens e desvantagens decorrentes das parcerias em questão, cujos dados foram analisados e discutidos à luz da revisão bibliográfica, embasando assim o conjunto de diretrizes proposto. As diretrizes apresentadas visam a contribuir com todo o processo que envolve a realização de uma parceria, contemplando desde aspectos de planejamento, gestão até aspectos operacionais e são complementadas por recomendações que somadas às diretrizes podem elevar a probabilidade de êxito das parcerias. / This work focuses on the study and analysis of strategic alliances made between companies in the real estate sector in the period between 2006 and 2010, emphasizing the alliances made between companies operating predominantly in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with companies operating in North and Northeast of Brazil, whose goal by the São Paulo companies was the geographical spread. Whereas the representative volume of strategic alliances observed in the sector in the period, and the generation of results of the objects of such developments partnerships lower than the set expectations, the main goal is to present a set of guidelines that can contribute to the planning, achievement and conduct of future partnerships between companies in order to mitigate difficulties and to explore the best possible way the benefits that strategic alliances can provide. Therefore, a research had been carried out through a multiple case study covering the study of publicly traded companies operating predominantly in the capitals of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, companies operating at the regional level in the North and Northeast Brazil who underwent partnerships with companies in the Southeast, and consulting firms that were involved in partnerships through service. This research identified the main difficulties, advantages and disadvantages of partnerships in question and the data was analyzed and discussed based on the bibliography review, so basing the set of suggested guidelines. The guidelines presented are intended to contribute to the process that involves the pursuit of a partnership, covering aspects from planning, management, and operational aspects and are complemented by recommendations that added to the guidelines can increase the probability of success of partnerships.

O setor supermercadista sofreu grandes alterações nos últimos anos, principalmente com o avanço das tecnologias, a competição, a concentração e algumas insuficiências em seus processos. Estes e outros fatores favoreceram ao surgimento do movimento de ECR (Resposta de Consumidor Eficiente) que procura criar um relacionamento mais forte entre indústria e varejo através de novas visões para suas estratégias operacionais. A evolução das tecnologias de informação permitiram ao setor varejista gerar uma maior volume de dados a partir, principalmente, de seus check-outs. Entretanto, estes dados nem sempre são armazenados de forma correta ou utilizados de forma a se aproveitar a plenitude das informações neles contidas. O processo de transformar os dados em informação e conhecimento vem evoluindo constantemente. Uma das atuais metodologias de trabalhar dados é o Data Mining ou Mineração de Dados, que pode ser descrito como sendo uma variedade de ferramentas e estratégias que processam dados aumentando a utilidade destes em bancos de dados. Este trabalho analisa através de um estudo multicaso exploratório na região de Ribeirão Preto, no interior de São Paulo, a avaliação da capacidade do uso da tecnologia Data Mining para o fortalecimento do movimento ECR, principalmente em pequenos e médios varejistas e indústrias alimentícias, no sentido de oferecer a estes um diferencial de negociação para formação de alianças estratégias. / The Supermarket sector suffered great changes in the last years, mainly with the development of technologies, competition, concentration and some inefficiency in its processes. These and other factors had emerged the sprouting of ECR (Efficient Consumer Response) that creates a stronger relationship between the industry and the retail, through new vision for its operational strategies. The information technology evolution allowed the retail sector to generate a lager volume of data from, mainly, its checkouts. However, this data is not always stored in a correct form or used in a way to be completely profited. The process to transform the data in information and knowledge is developing constantly. One of the actual methodologies to work the data is the Data Mining, which can be described as a variety of tools and strategies that process data, maximizing the utility of these data base. This report analyzes through an exploratory multicase study in the Ribeirão Preto region, in the interior of São Paulo state, the capacity evaluation of Data Mining technology for the strengthening of ECR, especially in small and medium retail and food industries, in the direction to offer a differential of negotiation for the formation of strategic alliances.