Co-operatives, particularly worker co-operatives, form an integral part of the social and economic development efforts of the South African government. However, worker co-operatives have not achieved the expected results and have mostly remained survivalist in nature, In the literature study, this research explored the potential of worker co-operatives in terms of social and economic development, the state of worker co-operatives in South Africa according to previous research and the challenges faced by worker co-operatives. The submission is that worker co-operatives can only reach their potential in social development when they achieve business success. Therefore, business success factors were determined and criteria for these co-operatives to be classified as successful established. These criteria were as follows:  Longevity (operating for more than three years).  Profitability (showing a surplus for at least one year).  Financial Independence (operating without external funding for at least one year).  Member Income (at least R955 per member per month). The research population for the research was actively operating worker co-operatives registered as clients with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda). A questionnaire exploring the demographics of members, the financial position of the co-operatives and the way in which they were managed and operated were developed. The questionnaire contained questions with regard to financial practices and management, marketing management and activities, operations management, human resource management, management processes.and the support received from development institutions. In addition to the evaluation of the business performance in terms of the criteria for success, the research evaluates the way in which worker co-operatives are managed and operated in terms of established business practices. It, moreover, explores the impact of support initiatives by government institutions and a framework for future development efforts is suggested. The study‟s results show that worker co-operatives are operating at a level where they are unable to fulfil their expected role in economic and social development. Various management and operational challenges were identified. Moreover, it was found that current support initiatives do not have the desired developmental effect. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Co-operatives, particularly worker co-operatives, form an integral part of the social and economic development efforts of the South African government. However, worker co-operatives have not achieved the expected results and have mostly remained survivalist in nature, In the literature study, this research explored the potential of worker co-operatives in terms of social and economic development, the state of worker co-operatives in South Africa according to previous research and the challenges faced by worker co-operatives. The submission is that worker co-operatives can only reach their potential in social development when they achieve business success. Therefore, business success factors were determined and criteria for these co-operatives to be classified as successful established. These criteria were as follows:  Longevity (operating for more than three years).  Profitability (showing a surplus for at least one year).  Financial Independence (operating without external funding for at least one year).  Member Income (at least R955 per member per month). The research population for the research was actively operating worker co-operatives registered as clients with the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda). A questionnaire exploring the demographics of members, the financial position of the co-operatives and the way in which they were managed and operated were developed. The questionnaire contained questions with regard to financial practices and management, marketing management and activities, operations management, human resource management, management processes.and the support received from development institutions. In addition to the evaluation of the business performance in terms of the criteria for success, the research evaluates the way in which worker co-operatives are managed and operated in terms of established business practices. It, moreover, explores the impact of support initiatives by government institutions and a framework for future development efforts is suggested. The study‟s results show that worker co-operatives are operating at a level where they are unable to fulfil their expected role in economic and social development. Various management and operational challenges were identified. Moreover, it was found that current support initiatives do not have the desired developmental effect. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This research studies project success in the context of decision-makers in young, entrepreneurial companies, namely startups. More precisely the companies are European companies that are independent, active and under 10 years of age, and furthermore identified as startups through a framework created from literature derived from Organizational Life Cycle theory and other pluralistic literature about startups. The main concentration is in the concepts related to project success: Project Success Criteria and Critical Success Factors, based on two research questions: 1. “What success criteria are perceived to be most relevant in the project management of startup firms?” 2. “What critical success factors are perceived to be most relevant in project management of startup firms and why?” Previous studies on project management have been mostly conducted in the context of large organizations and typically in a quantitative form. Studies in project management of startups have been scarce, and in project success, nonexistent. Researchers have called upon project literature that concentrates on particular organizational context. In this study, existing theories are studied to find the most suitable framework for success criteria. This study is conducted as a case study, wherein interviews were conducted with startup founders, partners and CEOs, located in Finland, Sweden and Germany. The data collection in the interviews consisted of both semi-structured questions and rating of importance regarding the elements of aforementioned theoretical frameworks of Project Success Criteria and Critical Success Factors, creating a rich set of data, forming holistic cases of the view of project success. The resulting indicate that the most relevant success criteria for startup decision-makers are connected to customer relations, which dictates also the importance of short-term and long-term goals. The economic goals as well the preparation for future were more polarizing. The concentration on customer criteria is not divergent from previous research, but the importance of team criteria is a noticeable difference and a common theme across cases. It is also noticeable in the statements of interviewees that in the startup context the uncertainty regarding products, customers, and economical factors create certain tensions in project success assessment. In Critical Success Factors, there were also clear themes that mirror the aforementioned results. It furthermore became apparent that startups do not have clearly established tools or methods for their project management, which may distinguish them from larger, more established organizations.

BIM (Building Information Modelling) är idag ett exponentiellt ökande område inom byggindustrin, som inte visar några tecken att sakta ner. I takt med att BIM som koncept och process används i större omfattning både internationellt och nationellt, dyker problem dock oundvikligen upp vid dess implementering. De faktorer som orsakar dessa problem har i detta examensarbete givits termen CSF, ett begrepp som hittills ej använts inom svensk byggindustri. CSF står för Critical Success Factors, vilket innefattar det som i svenska arbeten annars till exempel kallats ”kritiska faktorer”, ”hindrande faktorer”, ”bromsande faktorer” etc. Syftet med detta arbete är därmed att utforska både begreppet CSF och dessa faktorer, samt deras betydelse och relevans. Utifrån tidigare studier, främst utländska, identifierades och introducerades termen CSF samt 14 sådana punkter, vilka gavs en utförligare beskrivning. För att ge dessa 14 punkter en lokal anknytning, intervjuades fem personer i svensk byggindustri med olika erfarenheter av BIM. Det framträdde då klara likheter mellan tidigare diskussion kring de identifierade punkterna och intervjuresultaten. De centrala tankar som kontinuerligt återkom under arbetets gång var värdet av gemensam och delad förståelse, samt vikten av att ta vara på redan etablerad kunskap inom byggindustrin. Det finns i branschen en ofta påtalad klyfta mellan olika generationer, vilket enligt detta arbete ses som det tydligaste exemplet både på en bristande förståelse och ett dåligt utnyttjande av tidigare kunskaper. Vid ett ineffektivt möte mellan olika erfarenheter och kunskaper så leder detta till friktion istället för utveckling, med bortslösade resurser och kunskaper som resultat. Ett stort fokus med detta arbete blev därför att betona den mänskliga aspekten av BIM-implementering snarare än de tekniska delarna. Slutligen konstaterar detta examensarbete att de 14 utvalda punkterna samt användandet av deras övergripande term CSF har ett mervärde både för framtida studier och framtidens implementeringar av BIM, vilket därmed även uppfyller rapporten syfte. / BIM (Building Information Modeling) is an exponentially growing field within the construction industry, with no signs of slowing down. However, as the process continues to spread on both an international and national scale, issues with implementation inevitably arise due to many different factors, in this work identified as CSF (Critical Success Factors). The purpose of this work is therefore to examine these factors, as well as the term CSF itself, with regards to meaning and relevance. Based on previous studies the term CSF, as well as 14 factors, were established. To correlate these internationally described factors to the Swedish market, five interviews featuring people with experience of BIM in Sweden were conducted, after which similarities and patterns could be recognized. The core concepts continually established throughout the work was the value of mutual and shared understanding, as well as the importance of utilizing previously established knowledge within the construction industry. The report concludes that the identified factors as well as the term CSF are both valid and beneficial for future discussions and implementations of BIM

Organisations have evidently shifted towards the projectification of their activities and operations across the world and across industries by which project management is not only limited to construction and engineering projects anymore. The projectification has shed light on the amount of project success and failure in which both have been noted to have a steep difference between each other. Whilst many factors have been discovered to be a trigger of failure or success one emerging subject that has been gaining attention across management institutions and organisationsis the integration of knowledge management principlesinto the closure stage of a project, by which the term post-project review awakens. Post-project reviewsreceive a lot of attention and strong suggestion from textbooks and other academic literature, however it was found that its application was not as effective as is suggested by the literature. Literature also indicated that cultural operators within the events management have progressively applied project management tools and techniques. At the same time there is debate concerning theproject management rationale, which collide with the prime principles of art. Here art presents itself as the core focus pointforcultural operators. In the light of this argument the author started researching the subject of Post-project reviews within the events management industryand found that the subject has been scarcely researched overall, in the events management sector and especially in the cultural branch, hence the author had identified a research gap. Consequently, this research intends to explore the application of post-project reviews by cultural operators within the events management industry. The study employed a qualitative research design in which semi-structured interviews were conducted across three different organisational size segments; micro, small and medium. The organisational size was determined with the amount of employees per organisation; each size segment had two representatives in which all of the respondents ran a non-profit organisation.The research revealed that medium organisations employed the most formal manner of a PPR by which PPR’s are considered on a strategic level whilst micro organisations still used a simplerecord and report principle, in which none of the recorded numbers were formally analysed. At the same time, the comprehensiveness of a PPR was very much dependent on the size of the project, which denoted on the amount of funding, and external stakeholders there was involved.

Today, organisations are increasingly using project-based activities, as projects can aid organisations to deal with unique and complicated assignments, as well as achieving strategic and operational goals. Two extensive project management methodologies exist, those being Traditional Project Management and Agile Project Management. Agile methods trademark change, adaptability, and flexibility, and are today used across industries and business, as the characteristics of the methodology make it suitable in today’s dynamic business environment. Even though projects are increasingly being used, it is inconsistent with the remarkably low project success rates found. It has been found that only 30 per cent of projects are successful within the technology field. Consequently, this stress the need to understand the inconsistencies found as well as generating suggestions for how to improve them. It is arguable that the inconsistencies may be caused by the difficulty to define project success. Researchers argue that the definition of project success is difficult to pinpoint as it varies depending on both individual perspectives and situational factors such as the organisation and the project type. It is also questionable whether or not appropriate methods have been used to evaluate the success of a project, and that the use of inappropriate methods may have contributed to the low success rates. Researchers argue that the traditional way of evaluating project success, by adhering to schedule, cost, and scope, is outdated and incomplete, and some have therefore developed new models that they consider more accurate for evaluating project success. One of these researchers is Highsmith, one of the founders of the Agile Manifesto. Highsmith has developed the Agile Triangle to better correspond to the agile trademarks of change, adaptability, and flexibility when evaluating success on agile projects. This study aimed to contribute with new insights into theoretical and practical aspects of agile project success by studying agile project success from a project manager perspective. This thesis also aimed to generate an understanding of project managers’ perception of the Agile Triangle as a success criterion. We interviewed seven Swedish project managers who have all worked with agile projects. After thoroughly analysing the results we could create a definition of agile project success as well as develop an Agile Project Success Criteria Model, representing the view of Swedish project managers. Agile project success was defined as a project that generates value in a sustainable manner. The agile project success criteria found important within this study are: Value, Team Success, Quality, Business Benefits, and Constraints. It was also found that Flexibility, even though it should not be included as a success criterion itself, is still a key ingredient when using Agile Project Management methodologies, as it affects all important success criteria. These findings highlight the insufficiency of the Agile Triangle as a success criterion, as Team Success and Business Benefits, criteria additional to those within the Agile Triangle, were found important. It was also found that the project managers question the practical applicability of the Agile Triangle and consider it to be similar to the Iron Triangle.

This study investigated the relationship between Project Management Planning (PMP) practices and project success for preservation projects of historical significance located in an urban context. The planning for these projects was also emphasized because these historic buildings are recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. Yet, when analyzing the performance metrics of these historically significant renovation projects that included budget and time after the project has been completed denote problems in the management and delivery of these projects. The project team members' perceptions of PMP practices and how these practices affect project success were the focus of this research. To ascertain the importance of these questions, the study incorporated three major bodies of knowledge. The first body of literature focused on project management practices associated with project success. The second concentrated on historic preservation with a focus on historic significance and project planning. The third body centered on facility management as it relates to project management issues in the delivery of a construction project. Combining these bodies of knowledge into one literature review contributed to the development of a conceptual model to illustrate how the research variables and hypotheses were established. To test the research questions and its hypothesis, three statistical tools were used: analysis of variance (ANOVA), descriptive data analysis, and ordinary least square regression. The conclusions from these tests indicated that differences in perceptions of success criteria existed between the project team members. The findings also indicated a significant disconnect between the perceptions of project success and actual performance of project delivery. Furthermore, the findings indicated that only a few project management practices tested were perceived to have significant correlation with project success. The project team members felt that the success criteria of performance and the success factors associated with performance -- site analysis, site layout and staging, and a quality assurance plan -- were more important to the success of the renovation project than many of the management practices in this study.

Due to confirming characteristics, events can be considered to be specification of projects. Large events are particularly described by their complexity and the many stakeholders involved. Because of these characteristics, the achievement as well as the evaluation of project success are extremely difficult. This is aggravated by the diverse perspectives on success by the many different stakeholders involved. A key stakeholders in large events are destination management/ marketing organization (DMO) of the host community. Rationale is the tremendous impact events have on the destination. Particularly, the enhanced tourism development, the increase of tourist arrivals as well as the improvement of the destination’s image and brand awareness can be highlighted. By marketing a destination to potential tourists, establishing a destination’s image and managing an increasing international attention, DMOs play a primary role in handling these major impacts. Nevertheless, managing the major impacts as well as leveraging them into sustainable benefits for the host destination is extremely difficult. Like any other stakeholder, DMOs have certain expectations for large evens and may determine success based on whether these expectations were met. Identifying certain success criteria allows the stakeholders involved to evaluate whether a project was successful and whether it met ones expectations. This thesis shall increase the understanding on the evaluation of project success from the DMOs’ perspective as a key stakeholder in large events. In order to identify the role of DMOs in large event as well as their perception of project success and the success criteria used for evaluation, eight semi-structured interviews were conducted. By doing so, managers of particular DMOs were interviewed, while each DMO represents another large event. It was found that DMOs of a host destination are usually neither involved in the organization of large events nor in managerial tasks. In fact, the large event is used for marketing purposes and is further included in marketing activities to promote a destination to the specified target markets. In order to draw the potential benefits from a large event, it needs to be implemented in a DMOs long-term strategy. At the same time, cooperation between a DMO and a large event is crucial. This underlines the important role DMOs have in large events. DMOs perceive large events as successful if the related marketing activities fulfill the previous set expectations for amount and content of media coverage. In addition, success is perceived by the DMOs if a sustainable destination development can be recognized. Within the distinct task areas of a DMO, different perspectives on success become apparent. Multiple different success criteria used by the DMO to evaluate success are identified, which can be allocated to three different success concepts. First, event success is marked by the impact on the tourist and impact on the DMO. Moreover, destination success can be recognized, while organizational success is specified by preparing for the future and for future large events. In addition, the success concepts can be allocated to medium- and long-term dimensions. It becomes apparent that a short-term dimension and a success concept related to project management success can be neglected, as DMOs are less involved in project management tasks related to the event. From the empirical material collected and the existing theoretical matters, a framework is developed accordingly.

Cross sector social partnerships have been increasingly used as vehicles to address societal issues. However the practices are poorly understood and lacking transferability. One of the challenges relates to evaluating the success of cross sector social partnership projects through a stakeholder perspective. This thesis aims to examine how the different stakeholders perceive and assess project success by examining a case in a tripartite cross sector social partnership project named Umeå Interactive Recycling Room. Seven interviews with representatives from five participating organisations and project archival documents were analysed for the purpose of this thesis. The study reveals that stakeholders assessed success in multiple dimensions using short and long-term perspectives. The success criteria tend to be related to the value creation concept of the project which can be categorised into outcome, organisational benefits, product, and learning perspectives. The study also reveals that the stakeholders did not assess success using the traditional project management measures of time, cost, and scope. Furthermore, project success was assessed multiple times, both during the project life and post the project life with the evaluation means that can differ from informal ways to more formal ways. Overall, the findings suggest that connections exist between the success criteria, the timing of the project being assessed, and the role of the stakeholders in the partnership.

Tall fescue grasslands are the dominant form of grasslands in the North American transition zone, however, warm-season forages provide necessary forage for livestock in the summer. Pollinators require steady forage availability in the same fashion as cattle. Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) and wildflowers (WF) could be incorporated into tall fescue (TF) grasslands to improve pollinator resources within agricultural landscapes without sacrificing livestock production. This balance of ecosystem services can be considered bee-friendly beef. Previous establishment experiments suggests that bee-friendly beef is a possibility, although establishment and persistence of NWSG-WF stands warrants additional research. Three small plot experiments were conducted to evaluate different planting methods designed to optimize establishment of NWSG-WF stands. Additionally, a grazing study examined whether NWSG-WF pasture enhancement could improve animal performance in TF grazing systems. The small plot experiments experienced extreme weed competition in the establishment year, although plots with higher NWSG content had fewer weeds over time. Floral production was comparable across treatment, which suggests lower WF seeding rates can generate comparable pollinator resources. Major findings from these experiments suggested that spatial or temporal separation of NWSGWF was unnecessary to generate successful establishment, varying the ratio of NWSG-WF in seed mixtures produced similar establishment outcomes, and that adding companion crops to NWSG-WF mixtures did not improve establishment success appreciably. In the grazing experiment, animal performance was improved in the biodiverse grazing systems when heifers 3 had access to the NWSG. Biodiverse and shaded grazing systems modified animal behavior and reduced body temperature relative to control grazing systems, although only biodiverse grazing systems improved animal performance. Native WF species failed to establish within the biodiverse grazing system, but white clover provided all subsequent floral production. Establishing WF in pastures is challenging and warrants additional study on more effective weed control strategies and systems to ensure establishment success. Selecting WF for agronomic performance or breeding such plant material will be necessary to improve emergence and establishment dynamics. Ideally trait data can identify the optimal WF species for specific grazing systems. Biodiverse NWSG-WF can be highly effective at improving summer weight gain in beef cattle. Future studies should focus on finding a more optimal balance of NWSG, WF, and TF that can benefit beef cattle production, pollinator services, and ecosystem services regarding soil and water quality, as well as pasture resiliency to dynamic conditions. / Doctor of Philosophy / Tall fescue grasslands are the dominant form of grasslands in the North American transition zone, however, warm-season forages provide necessary forage for livestock in the summer. Pollinators require steady forage availability in the same fashion as cattle. Native warm-season grasses (NWSG) and wildflowers (WF) could be incorporated into tall fescue (TF) grasslands to improve pollinator resources within agricultural landscapes without sacrificing livestock production. This balance of ecosystem services can be considered bee-friendly beef. Previous establishment experiments suggests that bee-friendly beef is a possibility, although establishment and persistence of NWSG-WF stands warrants additional research. Three small plot experiments were conducted to evaluate different planting methods designed to optimize establishment of NWSG-WF stands. Additionally, a grazing study examined whether NWSG-WF pasture enhancement could improve animal performance in TF grazing systems. The small plot experiments experienced extreme weed competition in the establishment year, although plots with higher NWSG content had fewer weeds over time. Floral production was comparable across treatment, which suggests lower WF seeding rates can generate comparable pollinator resources. Major findings from these experiments suggested that spatial or temporal separation of NWSGWF was unnecessary to generate successful establishment, varying the ratio of NWSG-WF in seed mixtures produced similar establishment outcomes, and that adding companion crops to NWSG-WF mixtures did not improve establishment success appreciably. In the grazing experiment, animal performance was improved in the biodiverse grazing systems when heifers 3 had access to the NWSG. Biodiverse and shaded grazing systems modified animal behavior and reduced body temperature relative to control grazing systems, although only biodiverse grazing systems improved animal performance. Native WF species failed to establish within the biodiverse grazing system, but white clover provided all subsequent floral production. Establishing WF in pastures is challenging and warrants additional study on more effective weed control strategies and systems to ensure establishment success. Selecting WF for agronomic performance or breeding such plant material will be necessary to improve emergence and establishment dynamics. Ideally trait data can identify the optimal WF species for specific grazing systems. Biodiverse NWSG-WF can be highly effective at improving summer weight gain in beef cattle. Future studies should focus on finding a more optimal balance of NWSG, WF, and TF that can benefit beef cattle production, pollinator services, and ecosystem services regarding soil and water quality, as well as pasture resiliency to dynamic conditions.