Acquisitions have become an increasingly used tool for corporate growth during the lastdecade. Even so, most acquisitions fail, due to a lack of focus on the human elements of the integration process. This research sheds light on the human integration process of acquisitions and more specifically, three of its critical elements; culture, structure and humanresources management. However, when investigating acquisitions at Atlas Copco it becomesapparent that these elements are emphasized and prioritized differently in differentacquisitions. By conducting 22 interviews with managers from both Atlas Copco and managers and employees from three of its acquired organizations, this paper seeks tounderstand how the acquirer should choose an appropriate human integration strategy and what factors that determine that choice. Furthermore, it examines how the acquirer should manage the employees of the acquired firm to facilitate the implementation of changes duringthe integration process. The results shows that the acquirer choose to emphasize and prioritize the aspects that are most important to reform in order to allow the implementationof future changes in the integration process. In these cases, the prioritized aspects are alsoconsidered critical to improve by the employees, therefore the prioritization creates a perception of the acquirer’s good intentions with the integration as a whole. Furthermore, the results reveals that it is important that the acquirer invest in resources for communication,trainings and additional personnel to help the employees understand and support the changesduring the entire process.

The thesis explores middle managers sensemaking processes of a University’s social responsibility and sustainability (SRS) strategy during a period of change. Overall the thesis establishes links between middle managers simultaneous sensemaking processes, dynamics of loosely coupled organizational contexts and organizational responses to unexpected outcomes as they impact strategy creation processes in organisations. Three main issues evolve. Firstly, middle managers in loosely coupled organisations consist of two different sets (administrators and academics). Based on their nature of work in particular, administrators and academics select different sets of dominant and subtle sensemaking frames to make sense of organizational strategies. Generally, while administrators select sensemaking frames which emanate from existing strategic processes, academics select autonomous cues which exist outside strategic processes. Administrators and academics sensemaking processes are therefore not a single level or consecutive processes as typically researched, but rather occur as simultaneous sensemaking processes. Six dominant simultaneous sensemaking frames are identified and described. Secondly, the thesis examines less explored aspects of debates on loosely coupled systems. It investigates specific patterns of coupledness in middle managers strategic work and relationships. It identified and described patterns of administrative work which are tightly coupled and patterns in academic work which are loosely coupled. Thirdly, distinct links are identified between middle managers simultaneous sensemaking processes and unexpected strategy outcomes. This further led to exploring how organizations respond to unexpected sustainability initiatives, especially in light of integrating them into already existing strategy outcomes. Three integration strategies are identified and described.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Town and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Much has been written about the desperate need to seek alternative solutions to the urban traffic congestion problems we face today. To manage these problems, three main streams of intervention have evolved from supply, demand and land-use management paradigms. Whilst their underlying measures all have the ability to reduce traffic congestion one way or another, little has been done to integrate the measures of each stream using a qualitative decision framework or process enabling the selection of site specific measures appropriate to local traffic and transport conditions. To this end the study reports the results of an empirical investigation by which a Multi-Criteria Analysis based Dynamic Adaptive Decision Framework (D.A.D.F.) were developed. This screens selected measures identifying those that have the potential to alleviate site specific road based traffic congestion. The product of the screening process is a set of sustainable measures transposed into an integrated strategy tailored to address local traffic congestion issues. Once the D.A.D.F. was developed, its usefulness and workability was tested by applying it to a case study. The case study results demonstrated that the D.A.D.F. is capable of producing integrated strategies with the ability to manage traffic congestion, encourage sustainable development and alleviate some site specific development challenges within the context of the study areas. Going beyond developing the decision framework, the study recommends positioning the D.A.D.F. within the South African planning system as part of a Traffic Congestion Management Plan (T.C.M.P.), setting out its likely components within the local context. It is concluded that the main innovation of the study is the development of the D.A.D.F., the T.C.M.P., the recommendations to situate both in the planning system and the comprehensive, but still transparent, approach undertaken to create integrated strategies for specific local conditions consisting of elements that work together to produce cumulative short to long term effects that attain a balanced set of environmental, social and economic goals - all imperative for sustainable development. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Town and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Much has been written about the desperate need to seek alternative solutions to the urban traffic congestion problems we face today. To manage these problems, three main streams of intervention have evolved from supply, demand and land-use management paradigms. Whilst their underlying measures all have the ability to reduce traffic congestion one way or another, little has been done to integrate the measures of each stream using a qualitative decision framework or process enabling the selection of site specific measures appropriate to local traffic and transport conditions. To this end the study reports the results of an empirical investigation by which a Multi-Criteria Analysis based Dynamic Adaptive Decision Framework (D.A.D.F.) were developed. This screens selected measures identifying those that have the potential to alleviate site specific road based traffic congestion. The product of the screening process is a set of sustainable measures transposed into an integrated strategy tailored to address local traffic congestion issues. Once the D.A.D.F. was developed, its usefulness and workability was tested by applying it to a case study. The case study results demonstrated that the D.A.D.F. is capable of producing integrated strategies with the ability to manage traffic congestion, encourage sustainable development and alleviate some site specific development challenges within the context of the study areas. Going beyond developing the decision framework, the study recommends positioning the D.A.D.F. within the South African planning system as part of a Traffic Congestion Management Plan (T.C.M.P.), setting out its likely components within the local context. It is concluded that the main innovation of the study is the development of the D.A.D.F., the T.C.M.P., the recommendations to situate both in the planning system and the comprehensive, but still transparent, approach undertaken to create integrated strategies for specific local conditions consisting of elements that work together to produce cumulative short to long term effects that attain a balanced set of environmental, social and economic goals - all imperative for sustainable development. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Town and Regional Planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The priority shift from community policing to homeland security in local police departments in the United States has threatened the relationships and successes established by community policing, though little empirical research explored the relationship between funding and implementation of homeland security versus community policing objectives among local law enforcement agencies. Using Karl Popper's conceptualization of the liberal democracy as the framework, the purpose of this descriptive study was to examine how trends in funding and implementation of both community policing and homeland security objectives changed among American law enforcement agencies between 1993 and 2013. Data were acquired from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics dataset held by the Bureau of Justice Statistics for the years 1993 to 2013. The data included information from sample sizes that varied by year: 950 to 2,503 American law enforcement agencies with over 100 sworn officers and a stratified random sample of 831 to 2,145 American law enforcement agencies with fewer than 100 sworn officers. Data were examined using descriptive statistics and findings indicate community policing began as the priority, was scaled back after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, when homeland security became the priority, and today local police departments are using strategy integration to maintain national security, public safety, and community relations simultaneously. Positive social change implications stemming from this study include the conveyance that communities are still the priority in policing and recommendations to local police agencies to utilize strategy integration to maintain community policing, regardless of the priority.