M. Comm. / South Africa finds itself in the midst of a turbulent environment. Organisations are seeking ways and methods to achieve better results for its stakeholders by being more competitive through for example addressing customer needs. Furthermore, organisations are focusing on adapting to the changing economic and social environment. Suddenly, after many years where the political dispensation only provided protection and benefits to certain groups, organisations now have to comply with the requirements of new legislation such as the Labour Relations Act, the Basic Condition of Employment Act, the Skills Development Act and the Employment Equity Act. Although the influence of these Acts are not under the discussion their existence do have an impact on the way South African organisations do business. Words and phrases such as empowerment, transparency and equal opportunity have quickly and almost unnoticeably become part of the South African vocabulary. Furthermore, South Africa has now also become part of the global arena. Its global competitiveness therefore might be the single most important factor in ensuring South Africa's survival. Information technology has opened up a world of e-commerce and a large number of foreign companies have now moved their focus to the so-called emerging markets of which South Africa is one, bringing along more companies to compete with in the limited local market. Organisations in South Africa therefore have to empower themselves in adapting to the new challenges and the changing environment. Possibly the best way will be to gear itself for continuous change. However, South Africa's top management teams will have to take cognisance of factors that will ensure successful strategic organisational transformation. Here, the role of leadership, learning and culture will proof significant to enable strategic organisational transformation in the South African organisation. With this study it is hoped that some findings will assist organisations faced with the reality of change, to understand the important determinants in organisational change.

M.Com. (Business Management) / In articles, research papers and books, the concept of managing logistics as an intergral part of total business - an interconnected pipeline of information, activities and materials from source to final destination - has been widely touted as an idea whose time has come. Integrated logistics management, provides senior executives with the tool to supervise and manage the logistics activities as an intergrated system that spans traditional organisational lines. This study provides an overview of logistics with emphasis on the intergrated logistics management concept and how to administer it. It concludes with a case study, using the concept to optimize an export logistics chain.

A framework for information services strategy using the application of strategic planning processes to library information services is described in this study. A survey was carried out in Thailand in order to examine the internal and external environments of the Thai library and information society. From the survey findings, it was found that misunderstanding of the full implication of information services by library and information professionals is the major obstacle to service provision in Thailand. The lack of relationship between user surveys and service provision create the missing link in effective information service provision and use. Improved interpersonal communication skills and the application of strategic thinking are needed in the information services process. A proper understanding of the communication chain relating to service elements is essential for future planning of information services. The development of an information society in Thailand depends on library and information professionals understanding their role better and appreciating the full potential for access to infonnation. The study of the application of strategic planning processes to one function of the library / information system, information services, is an early attempt to reflect its potential to improve the whole system.

There is considerable evidence that the strategic use of Information Systems can lead to a competitive advantage. There is however, a marked lack of understanding of the options available, as well as the smooth coordination of Information Systems strategy with Business strategy. This paper provides insight into the role of Information Systems and its link with business strategy. It focuses on Information Systems strategy options, and explores the criteria needed for successful Information Systems strategy and Business strategy alignment. The paper presents and examines the results of a study of strategic alignment at Volkswagen of South Africa. Data was obtained from business and Information Technology executives. The result of the study enables Volkswagen not only to benchmark themselves, but also provides direction to enable successful business/IT alignment. It identifies specific actions necessary to ensure that IT is being used to appropriately enable or drive the business strategy.

This research investigated the development of a balanced scorecard for a frozen vegetable processing plant. The balanced scorecard can be utilised as a strategic management and performance measurement system. First, an overview of the balanced scorecard concept was presented. Its four perspectives, namely financial, customer, internal business process, and learning and growth were explained. Thereafter, the process of developing a balanced scorecard was outlined and the translation of a firm’s vision into measurable objectives and targets was discussed. Finally, the literature study evaluated the development of balanced scorecards by means of selected case studies. This included an analysis of the successes and failures of balanced scorecards in practice. The research methodology consisted of: (a) A literature study to determine a framework for developing a balanced scorecard. (b) Interviews and workshops to gather the primary data required to develop a balanced scorecard. The development of a balanced scorecard for a frozen vegetable processing plant using the findings from (a) and (b) above. The following recommendations were made: · Targets and action plans should be developed for the outstanding strategic objectives of the plant, and all key performance measurements should be formalised on key performance area documents. All role players should be involved in this process. · All employees must be exposed to, and understand the plant’s vision, mission statement and the purpose of the balanced scorecard. · All employees need to understand how their actions impact on other employees and the well-being of the plant. They must have set objectives and targets that can be measured. · To increase the chance of a successful scorecard implementation, regular feedback must be provided to all employees, and managers must hold people accountable for using the system.

Higher education institutions in South Africa are under pressure on account of changes in their environment so those institutions which can adapt to the changes and continue to carry out their purposes will be the most successful. According to Wellins, Byham and Wilson (1991:21) the employee empowerment and energy that comes with a feeling of ownership, are necessary prerequisites for continuous improvement. When organisational values, leadership actions and human resources systems, for example, rewards, training, and organisational structures are focused on empowerment, continuous improvement actions result. These, in turn, could lead to competitive quality, increased productivity and improved customer service. This dissertation aims to assess what would be an appropriate strategic control model when implementing an empowerment strategy. To this end an empowerment process management model is presented, as well as an investigation into the most effective environment where empowerment can be implemented and the management style needed. Secondly, the characteristics of strategic control are considered and lastly, the particular circumstances of a tertiary education institution are discussed. The findings of this study are that the concept of strategic control and empowerment and the reality which exists at the selected higher education institution concur in certain instances, from the managers’ perspective. Further research to investigate the role of strategic control in implementing an empowerment strategy at the selected higher education institution when all role players are included, is recommended.

Electrical and electronic equipment waste (e-waste) is growing fast. Due to its potential economic value as well as its possible negative impacts on the environment, tracing e-waste flow is a major concern for stakeholders of e-waste management. Especially, whether or not adequate amounts of electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) flow into the designed recycling systems is a fundamental issue for sustainable operations. In this paper, we analyze how technical, market, and legislative factors influence the total amount of e-waste that is collected, recycled, exported and (legally and illegally) disposed off. We formulate the e-waste network flow model as a variational inequality problem. The results of the numerical examples highlight the importance of considering the interaction between the supply and the demand side for precious materials in policy-decisions. Low collection rates of e-waste lead to low profits for stakeholders and make it difficult to establish sustainable recycling operations. Increasing WEEE collection rates increases recyclers' profits; however, it only increases smelters' profits up to a certain limit, after which smelters cannot benefit further due to limited demand for precious materials. Furthermore, the results emphasize the importance of establishing international control regimes for WEEE flows and reveal possible negative consequences of the recent trend of dematerialization. More precisely, product dematerialization tends to decrease recyles' and smelters' profits as well as to increase the outflow of e-waste from the designated recycling system. (authors' abstract)

Effective leaders who can solve complex, strategic business problems are the key differentiator in the new world of work. As external environmental changes converge with internal organisational shifts, the need for a strong bench of leaders becomes critical in driving profitable growth. This study explores the relationship between personality and the ability to manage the complexity of the emerging environment. Based on the CPI and CPA assessments of 256 managers and executives, correlations and multiple regressions were performed to identify the new strategic leadership profile. Anchored in Complexity Leadership Theory (CLT), this research builds on the leadership functions of CLT to provide new insight into the role of individual characteristics in the ability to think strategically. The consolidated findings identified Dominance, Flexibility, Achievement via Independence, Psychological Mindedness and Self-Acceptance as key constructs in the ability to think strategically. These outcomes sharpen the new leadership profile and enable the development of tools that can directly improve the organisation’s ability to identify, attract, select and develop leaders who are proficient in the emergent, complex context. Further research can enhance the robustness of this leadership profile through supplementary exploration of the remaining constructs that determine the ability to think strategically. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / pagibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

M.Comm. (Strategic Management) / The turbulent and swiftly changing business environment assigns very big requirements and challenges to managers of all enterprises. Because of the current political and constitutional process of reform, local authorities find themselves on the verge of dramatical structural change. Traditionally local authorities operated in a relatively predictable and inert environment. The turbulent and swiftly changing environment, together with the expected structural changes, assign unprecedented demands and challenges to the managers of local government. To enable managers to handle these requirements and challenges to the optimal benefit of their residents and businessmen, the advancement of strategic management is of utmost importance. This study is directed at the distinguishing of potential requirements and challenges that could be assigned to managers in local government and to local government's pressing need of strategic management. A discussion of the use of computerbased management simulation as support to strategic mana~ment training in local government is included in the study. The central purpose of the study is to distinguish different applications of management simulation as an aid to the promotion of strategic management in local government and to indicate the value thereof. Management simulation can successfully be used to provide managers in local authority with simulated experience of the practical application of strategic management theory. Managers get the opportunity of strategically directing a simulated local authority and in this way they can make decisions without the need to fear for the consequences of erroneous decisions. There is no doubt that management simulation can make a worthwhile contribution to the advancement of strategic management in local government.

M.B.A. / The last decade has been a period of great transformation in South Africa and many companies have found themselves facing many challenges. Prospering in this environment have lead many companies to embark on programmes of restructuring and refocusing their companies in order to face the new challenges locally and globally. For this reason the purpose of this study is to determine if management in non-listed companies based in Gauteng have a formalised business plan in place to achieve its short-term objectives and a formalised strategy that would synergise the company's short-term objectives with its long-term vision. The reason for undertaking this research was to enable the researcher to provide an in-depth analysis of the strategic planning process used by nonlisted companies in Gauteng when in developing its business strategy in a transformational environment. The researcher relied on quantitative research techniques and the following data collection method was utilised. Email survey questionnaires produced by the researcher on a proprietary software programme to respondents of the sample group. In assessing the research data and the literature review, the researcher provides a wealth of knowledge on strategic planning in non-listed companies in Gauteng and globally. With this insight strategy consultants will be ideally positioned to facilitate a strategic planning session or the development of a strategic business plan/strategy for a non-listed company in Gauteng. The researcher is confident that the literature review, the research data and the recommendations will provide excellent insight into the strategic planning process in non-listed companies based in Gauteng, South Africa.