Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-117).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1969. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1989. / Also available in print.

Inaug.-diss.--Batavia.

Thesis (M.Phil.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-50). Also available in electronic version.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1905. / Reprinted from the Journal of political economy, June and July, 1906. Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this study is to close the gap between the theory of market orientation and the practice of implementation by determining the critical success factors of one company’s approach, namely De Beers’ ‘Supplier of Choice’, for use by other corporates in similar contexts.The research was undertaken as a single, explanatory case study to gain an understanding of the specifics of De Beers’ approach to market orientation, and was a longitudinal study over a 10 year period. It was completed in two stages, with phase one being qualitative, and comprising documentary research. This was supplemented by a second qualitative phase of three personal, in-depth, and semistructured interviews. Several different sources of data were used to triangulate corroboration of the findings. Implementation occurred in steps which concentrated on communicating top managements’ vision throughout the organisation using internal publicity and operationalising the objectives, improving the interdepartmental effectiveness of key divisions, and finally by redesigning the performance management system using market-based rewards. The theoretical elements of Kohli and Jaworski’s (1990) model are applicable to defining the practice of implementing this type of strategy. Two discrepancies exist between theory and practice. Firstly, that communication of the vision can be on a ‘need to know basis’, and secondly, across the board market-based reward systems are not critical to managing performance during implementation. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The aim of this thesis is to extend the empirical research which has been undertaken using the GNP function approach to measuring export supply and import demand responsiveness. Exports and imports are divided into several components and detailed sets of elasticities produced. In the second part o£ the thesis imperfect adjustment is allowed for in the GNP function model. The GNP function framework treats imports as an input to the domestic technology while exports are an output. The aggregate technology can then be represented by a restricted profit function facilitating the derivation of net output supply elasticities. In this study the aggregate net outputs are exports, imports, labour and domestic sales supply. Capital is treated as a fixed input. Time-series of input-output data for Canada are used covering the period 1961 to 1980. In the first model estimated, four export and four import components are included by the use of aggregator functions and a two-stage estimation process. The recently developed Symmetric Generalised McFadden functional form which permits imposition of the correct curvature conditions while retaining flexibility is used at both the aggregator and GNP function levels. The aggregate export own-price supply elasticity was found to be 1.67 in 1970 while the aggregate import own-price demand elasticity was -1.62. Increases in the prices of both imports and labour were found to decrease the supply of exports while exports were found to be complementary to the output of domestic sales supply. The demand for labour was found to be more elastic than in earlier studies and a general trend towards increasing price responsiveness in the Canadian economy was observed. The own-price elasticities for the four export and four import components were stable and of reasonable magnitude. All the export and import components were found to be complementary. To remove the assumption of separability, modelling was extended to two larger disaggregated Generalised McFadden GNP function models containing four export (import) components, aggregate imports (exports), labour and domestic sales as net outputs. Using this procedure more substitution between the export and import components was found. A planning price model whereby the producers' notional price adjusts gradually to actual price changes indicated that imperfect adjustment is particularly important in the traded goods sector. Exports fully adjusted to price changes only over an extended period. Finally, an adjustment costs model was estimated which indicated that the main effect of allowing for imperfect adjustment was on input use. Differences between long-run and short-run export supply and import demand responsiveness were relatively small. Considerable substitutability between labour and capital in the long-run was observed and since labour was also variable in the short-run this produced overshooting of labour demand. An increase in export prices thus caused a large short-run increase in labour demand but in the long-run the capital stock was increased and substituted for much of the short-run labour increase. / Arts, Faculty of / Vancouver School of Economics / Graduate

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This study presents improved methods for long-term forecasting of mineral demands. Intensity of use, both in its simple, original form and as described by richer economic relations is one such method, particularly when intensity of use is estimated using rigorous statistical methods. Additionally, this dissertation explores the implications of the learning curve for long term forecasting of mineral demands. This study begins by considering the empirical evidence which applies when a learning curve is present. Then, if a learning pattern is present, the learning model is used to examine an economic measure for specified levels of economic activity. This dissertation also provides some empirical results on the learning curve in mineral industries and demonstrates how the learning model can be used as an economic forecasting tool. As an alternative to the intensity of use and learning models, there is a vector model, either using time varying coefficients or expressed as a transcendental function, to capture dynamics. This model estimates the time varying parameters from the vector space instead of the variable space. The major advantage of this model is that it honors correlations between variables. This is especially important in ex ante forecasting in which explanatory variables themselves must be forecast to obtain a forecast of the dependent variable.