M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

D.Com. (Business Management) / The South African Rail Commuter Corporation Limited was established on1 April 1990 according to the Legal Succession Act of the South African Transport Services (9/1989). The newly established Corporation was faced by a lack of focus with reference to strategic direction. A duplication of activities prevailed which resulted in conflict between organisational units and individuals. The gap between the actual and desired organisational climate profile of the Corporation was also unacceptably wide. The need for a strategic management model in order to focus all activities of the Corporation became crucial and resulted in the undertaking of this study...

M.Phil. / Three test and certification bodies in the explosion prevention field currently exist in South Africa. One of these bodies was started in 2003 and faced a significant number of challenges in competition with the two other wellestablished bodies / institutions. This dissertation covers some of the internal and external challenges especially with respect to strategic marketing in a small and specialized industrial market, but also in the global market. The dissertation is based on the basic requirements, analysis and implementation of a marketing strategy and marketing plan, covering both the theoretical aspects and the specific challenges as experienced by the body in the case study. Market research, market segmentation, industry analysis, competitive analysis, aspects of industrial marketing and SWOT Analysis are topics included in the development of the strategic and marketing plan for the business in the case study.

In this research paper, the effectiveness of Strategic Planning in Blood Transfusion Services in South Africa was investigated. A brief general overview of relevant aspects that specifically relate to the strategic planning of Services and not-for-gain organisations was presented. The literature study included an explanation of the steps involved in the strategic planning process and the guidelines to develop and implement each of these effectively. The research methodology consisted of three phases: Phase 1 - A literature study to determine the most effective strategic plan for a not-for-gain organisation. Phase 2 - An empirical study to determine the effectiveness of the strategic planning processes in practice by means of a survey among the Blood Transfusion Services in South Africa. Phase 3 - The findings from the literature study and empirical study were used to evaluate whether effective strategic planning is implemented in the Blood Transfusion Services in South Africa. The following recommendations and conclusions were made: The Blood Transfusion Services that have not yet started seeking the opinion of all the stakeholders involved in the organisation should strongly consider implementing this strategy as part of the services provided to the community. The services operate as individual organisations, but clearly influence each other within the industry and the changes within the external environment form part of the elements that are considered by the services when determining the strategic direction of the services. All the services identify the major areas for which objectives need to be set to assist the organisations in achieving long-term prosperity, but they do not all set objectives in these areas. When it comes to strategic issues, all the services state that they identify these, but not all pre-determine criteria for evaluating the strategic issues. Guidelines for the effective implementation of the strategies of choice by lower managers or supervisors are not developed by all the services, nor do most of the services have control mechanisms in place to assist in effective implementation of the strategic planning process.

D.Comm. / Strategic management is a concept that is interpreted in many different ways in business. Banks have all subscribed to the process, but to various levels of application. In a highly competitive market and with the ever changing needs of customers, top management of banks have to utilise all resources optimally through their strategic management processes. What has made the task of banks more complex and difficult is that they have to take risk into account, more particularly interest rate risk. The risk concept has to be integrated into a bank's activities to form an integral part of the strategic management process. How to practically deal with the strategic management process of a bank by taking risk into account, was dealt with. An insight was given into the important role that risk focused strategic management can play in a bank to gain a competitive advantage. The study was limited to the four major bank players within the banks and financial services industry in South Africa, being ABSA, FNB, Nedcor and SBIC. Risk management has had many shifts in focus during modern day banking. On the threshold of the twenty-first century the banking and financial services industry is faced with even greater challenges than before. The industry is in an ever larger global arena which is very competitive and highly regulated. Many large non-bank competitors, that are well equipped with similar products and services, are entering this market. They have low barriers to entry as they have real advantages in that they have substantially less capital requirements and fewer regulatory constraints than those of the banking industry. A risk-based strategic business model was devised and developed by following a top-down approach to a firm. Models and theories were incorporated in this process. An organisation was broken down into activities, inherent risks identified, the levels of risk determined through the assessment of risk factors and elements, with the extent of control being determined. After having conceptually modelled the risk-based SBM, it was put to practice, more specifically for a bank. The risk-based strategic management model was then applied to a bank's strategic management process. The four different phases of the strategic management process, namely strategic information gathering, planning with formulation, implementation and control, were all dealt with. It was ascertained through interviews that all four of the major local banks had subscribed to strategic management, but applied it with different intensities. Strategic management, however, was still in an infant or start-up phase within the banking industry. In conclusion, the assessment of a bank's internal situation, by taking risk into account, will provide it with an objective view on its own capabilities. A competitive edge over its rivals can be obtained by taking calculated business risks and outcontrolling rivals.

M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Com. (Business Management) / Change is no longer only an option but a necessity in the changing socio-economic environment in which businesses have found themselves in the new democratic South Africa. Businesses are confronted with so many new challenges every day (for instance affirmative action) that the need for transformation and change have become an integral component of strategic management and planning. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of affirmative action on organisational culture. A positive and supportive organisational culture is needed for successful implementation of affirmative action. Substantial consensus has been reached by researchers that each enterprise has its own identifiable culture and that this culture has a powerful influence on the management process and performance of the enterprise. Within the context of strategic management the shared values and beliefs of the employees are a major determinant in aligning organisational culture and a strategy of affirmative action. Managers have an important task to manage the interactive role of strategy and organisational culture and have to be role models of non-discriminative and non-racist behaviour in businesses that promote equal opportunities for all, irrespective of race or gender.

M.Comm. / Die hoofprobleemstellings behels die volgende : Sal 'n handhawing van die Heropbou en Ontwikkelingsprogram oor die algemeen as katalisator of stremmer van ekonomiese welvaart in Suid-Afrika dien? Water aspekte of onderafdelings van die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram se toepassing sal as katalisators en water sal as stremmers van ekonomiese groei dien? Ook, met inagneming van die opinies verkry van ondernemingsbestuurders, ekonome en ander gesaghebbendes op die bogemelde probleemvrae, word die volgende van hulle bepaal : Word daar nog ruimte gelaat of sal daar nog duidelik omskrewe parameters bestaan waarbinne bestuurslui effektief strategies kan beplan vir hul ekonomiese voortbestaan? Sal Suid-Afrikaanse ondernemings dit nog moontlik vind om in terme van hul strategiese planne steeds te kan dien as die ekonomiese ontwikkelaars van Suid-Afrika? Sal handhawing van die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram ondernemings se strategied om groeiende winste te lewer teenwerk of belemmer, en indien wel, tot water mate? Die vraag mag nou waarskynlik gevra word wat die doel daarvan is om te bepaal hoe die Heropbou- en Ontwikkelingsprogram die strategiese beplanning van ondernemings sal beinvloed?

D.Comm. (Strategic Management) / In South Africa, civil society, supported by local government, plays an important role in transformation processes that affect a variety of existing and newly developing South African community environments. The ultimate community challenge is to ensure sustainable community development within a community environment, and to efficiently manage a variety of sourced and allocated resources. To achieve the desired results more efficiently, this research concentrates on the best Strategic Management practices needed to assist community leaders with tools for facilitating community development in South Africa. Many South African communities are not applying best practices for sourcing, allocating and managing the variety of available resources efficiently in their respective community environments and as a result, the desired sustainable community development objectives are not being achieved. The research undertaken is to provide, community leaders with a clearer understanding of how Strategic Management principles and processes can assist community leaders. The research will provide leaders with a tool how to apply efficient management to community resources. This process, if applied well, can assist achieving sustainable development in South African communities for generations to come...

M.Com. (Financial Management) / Ontbondeling kan met reg as die sake-onderwerp van 1993 in SA beskryf word. Die siening word gesteun deur Clarke (1994) in sy artikel "Year of unbundling", waarin hy ontbondeling as die grootste kenmerk van die korporatiewe finansieringsakiwiteite van die groot banke in SA gedurende 1993 beskryf. In die voorwoord van die 1993-weergawe van "The Giants" (bylae by Financial Mail) word ontbondeling as die hoofrede vir "the most significant shake-up of corporate SA's shareholding structure" sedert die eerste publikasie van die bylae beskryf (Anon., 1993j:3). Indien ontbondeling as die sake-onderwerp van 1993 in SA beskou word, kan swart ekonomiese bemagtiging as die sake-onderwerp van 1994 in SA beskou word. Ontbondeling en swart ekonomiese bemagtiging was nie net die twee belangrikste onderwerpe van korporatiewe finansieringsaktiwiteite in SA gedurende die afgelope twee jaar nie, maar moontlik ook die twee onderwerpe wat die meeste gedurende die periode in die SA sakewereld bespreek is. Daar het in die proses verskeie wanindrukke oar die twee begrippe ontstaan en die hoofredes daarvoor was waarskynlik eerstens dat beide onderwerpe op een of ander wyse aan die politieke en ekonomiese transformasie in die land gekoppel is, en tweedens dat dieselfde name, byvoorbeeld Sanlam, Barlow Rand en Anglo American, telkens tydens 'n bespreking van die twee onderwerpe opgeduik het. Hierdie dokument poog onder andere om die twee begrippe, wat beide ook as "prosesse" beskryf kan word, duidelik te definieer en te onderskei, onder andere aan die hand van voorbeelde, in perspektief te stel, van die wanindrukke uit die weg te ruim en die gebeure rondom beide onderwerpe gedurende die afgelope twee jaar aan 'n paar gemene faktore, byvoorbeeld die politieke en ekonomiese veranderinge in die land en die rol van die konglomerate in beide prosesse, te koppel.