Although the formulation of organisation strategies is reportedly easier, many organisations struggle when it comes to implementation of their strategies. Given that such strategies are in most cases informed by well researched market data and information, the strategy implementation challenges could then be linked to the role characteristics of strategic leaders, such as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of a CEO personality in strategic leadership in order to contribute to addressing the challenges of strategy implementation. The main methodology used was qualitative through unstructured interviews with 13 incumbent CEOs. A quantitative methodology was also employed to assess the personalities of the CEOs using standard personality test. The research found that strategic leadership practices are biased towards strategy implementation than the envisioning which typically supports the building of more resilient strategies. The research found that CEO Personality has a role in strategic leadership and this was suggested by the integrated analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data. Interviewed CEOs also provided lived experiences that support this suggestion. Organisations need to invest in envisioning and understanding the personalities in work places to build more resilient strategies. Further research is proposed to look at personality roles in different industries. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study examined effect of partnering, infrastructure gaps and currency weakness on the implementation cost of infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy. Limited knowledge on cost of nonmarket strategy existed, leading to absence of meaningful understanding of the business competitive and performance benefits of its implementation. The study was conducted in the mining sector of the South African emerging market, characterized by unavailable or underdeveloped business aiding infrastructure and ageing physical infrastructure. Nonmarket strategy has performance and competitiveness benefits from its implementation as reported in previous studies. Other studies examined its integration with market strategy, taxonomies, antecedents, and internationalization. No studies had examined the implementation cost of nonmarket strategy. To address the gap, hypotheses were developed to answer the research question: what are the effects of strategy option, institutional & economic factors on the cost of infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy implementation? A quantitative method embedded in a cross-sectional survey design using a snowball non-probability sampling technique was used to collect data from 239 participants. Analysis using factor analysis and structural equation modelling showed a positive relationship between a partnering strategy option and cost of implementing infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy likely driven by the absence of: contractual agreements; political ties and networks; project management; regulatory requirement understanding; and capacity building among partners. The relationship with institutional & economic factors was not significant likely driven by the fact that these factors are embedded in the business environment and participants perceived no impact. This study has made significant progress toward the understanding of the cost of implementing nonmarket strategy, as well as providing meaningful understanding of its perceived organizational performance and competitiveness benefits. The study illuminates a surprising observation, where the natural expectation is that partnerships would lower cost of implementing an infrastructure-building nonmarket strategy. Contrary to this expectation the study shows that a partnering relationship increases cost suggesting antecedents that drive the direction of the relationship. Future research can focus on a single set of factors among strategy options, institutional factors, economic factors, as well as examine the antecedents on the relationship with cost of implementing nonmarket strategy. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / PhD / Unrestricted

The main aim of this master’s thesis entitled “Communication strategy of the company” is to develop a new communication strategy for a specific business based on the results of analysis. The thesis consists of three parts, the theoretical that explains the concepts of concerning marketing and marketing communication, analytical, in which the company is introduced and subsequently analyzed and finally implementation part, where the suggestions for improvement of the communication strategy are introduced. Part of the implementation part is also the budget needed for the notions as well as economic evaluation of specific proposals.

This study set out to explore the feasibility of using international based literature theory to formulate emerging market strategies for South African companies looking to expand into Africa’s emerging markets. The level of confidence with which South African companies can base their African emerging market strategies on the literature and studies done on international emerging market strategies is what will be explored in this study. The scope of this study includes methods of identifying emerging markets, optimal strategy choices for emerging markets, effective distribution channel selection methodologies and appropriate diversification options. To ensure the studies relevance across the broader spectrum of both South African companies as well as Africa’s emerging markets, the companies studied were selected for their collective representation. The research design employed for this study was qualitative and exploratory in nature. The findings based on the eight South African companies studied over the period point to the conclusion that the international theory contained in the literature is indeed relevant to both South African companies as well as Africa’s emerging markets and that it can be used effectively and confidently to formulate efficient and sustainable expansion strategies for these markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The lack of successful knowledge management (KM) practices significantly hinders competitive advantage in small businesses. This case study was designed to explore what effective KM strategies convenience foods franchise industry business owners or managers use to increase competitive advantage. The study population consisted of 7 fast food franchise owners or managers in or near the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. The cognitive model of KM was the conceptual framework that grounded the study. Face-to-face interviews were used for the data collection process. Data were organized into nodes and coded for thematic analysis. The 3 major themes that emerged from the data were training as a KM strategy for competitive advantage, people-focused KM strategy for competitive advantage, and a collaborative team environment for KM implementation. The implications for positive social change include assisting in extending the life and dominance of U.S. based franchised businesses through improved competitive advantage strategies. The sustainment of local franchise businesses could also benefit local communities in the form of job opportunities and economic stimuli.

Maintenance has traditionally been viewed as an unavoidable part of the manufacturing function. It is often identified as an opportunity to wantonly reduce costs, whenever the need to reduce manufacturing cost arises. Its potential to contribute to an organisation’s competitive advantage and business sustainability, has not received significant attention, and consequently formulation and execution of maintenance strategies have been poor, inconsistent or unfocused. Alignment of business strategy and maintenance strategy should help an organization to achieve or improve upon its business performance. Likewise, maintenance performance measures should be linked to an organization’s strategy, in order to provide useful information for making effective decisions. This fit or alignment, can only be achieved when maintenance is viewed as a critical business function, integrated with other business functions in support of business strategy. The impact of alignment between maintenance strategy and business strategy - on business strategy - is studied empirically in this thesis. The results confirm that alignment between maintenance and business strategy is strongly positively correlated with business performance. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Research in the area of multimedia instruction has yielded results that indicate that learning is better when verbal information is presented auditorily instead of visually (i.e. modality effect) and when redundant on-screen text is removed from the instructional environment (i.e. redundancy effect). The present study aimed to extend these findings by exploring the effects of presentation modality and redundancy of verbal information on students' ability to apply and recall a historical inquiry strategy. Fifty-six students were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, which differed according to the presentation mode combination used to present the strategy instruction. Specifically, students received the instruction either as animation and narration, animation and text, or animation, narration, and text. The students were engaged in a multimedia strategy intervention for a total of five days, for approximately 25 minutes a day. Three strategy application tests (i.e., pre-test, post-test, maintenance test) and a recall test were used to measure the students' learning. Data attained through the strategy application tests and recall tests were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) procedures. The results of the study revealed significant differences in the training main effects analysis indicating that strategy instruction can be effectively provided in a multimedia learning environment. However, no significant differences were found for the modality and redundancy main effects indicating that there was no difference in strategy application or recall between the groups. Although the results did not provide the statistical significance that supports the literature on the modality and redundancy effects, the implications of the findings of the research provide several viable areas for future research. / Ph. D.

No / Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the various mechanisms that can be used to integrate new technology into existing products, and to determine some of the conditions under which specific integration mechanisms are most appropriate. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted an exploratory theory¿building approach based on analysis of data from 12 case studies, each representing companies with varying levels of: technological maturity of the organization and technological advancement of their products. Informants were managers and engineers who had responsibility for, or a significant role in, the integration of software and hardware. At least three interviews were conducted in each company and all interviews were of at least two hours duration. In total, 41 interviews were conducted. The different approaches used for technology integration were examined and subsequently mapped using the twin dimensions outlined above. Findings Cross¿case pattern analysis indicates that for technologically mature organizations, mechanisms based on processes are most appropriate, while for less mature organizations an approach based on structural mechanisms may be more suitable. Similarly, in cases involving high levels of technology advancement in the products, integration mechanisms based on processes and culture are preferable, whereas for low technology products the mechanisms are clustered around resource¿based approaches. Research limitations/implications Multiple cases do not permit as much depth as the classic single case study and tend to yield ¿modest¿ rather than ¿grand¿ theoretical development. The use of scaling to convert qualitative data into quantitative data, and the identification of patterns in cross¿case analysis are both based on interpretive judgements. Future research should examine the proposed model and its constructs in different settings and using alternative research methods. There is also an opportunity to explore the relationships between the integration mechanisms and the outcomes of integration projects, and finally, it would be useful to extend the work to service settings and to integration of process technology. Practical implications The findings provide guidance to managers in selecting alternative approaches to managing the process of technology integration in different contexts. Examples are given of practices associated with each integration mechanism, together with some of the tensions and challenges which arise during implementation. Originality/value The paper provides clear guidance on the approaches that can be used for technology integration for product development. It classifies these according to the level of maturity and experience in the organization and the level of advancement of the product offered by the technology.