The objective of strategic management is to enable an organisation to assess its strategic position. This study is concerned with identifying the strategic position of Branaa South Africa, and to determine the most suitable expansion strategy in order for the company to increase the current level of monetary benefits offered to Original Equipment Manufacturers under the Motor Industry Development Program. An in-depth literature review is conducted and the relevant business management tools are identified. These tools are used to analyse the position of the company and to evaluate how the current benefits offered, compare to those of competitors. An analysis is carried out regarding the influence and value of the Motor Industry Development Program benefits. A costing model is then applied to determine how competitive Branaa South Africa is in the automotive leather seat market. The study determines how the benefits offered under the current Motor Industry Development Program structure could be increased in the South African Automotive market, and concludes with proposals on how to achieve new targets. This study aims to prove that the strategic direction that Branaa South Africa is envisaging is correct. The company should continue to gain a competitive advantage under the current strategic goals which are reviewed annually. Through the effective use of strategic management principles, and applying these to Branaa South Africa, the company would retain its competitive advantage in the South African Automotive market. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The aim of this dissertation is to carry out an evaluation of the Kigali Institute of Science, Technology and Management's organisational strategy using the criteria of suitability and feasibility. Specifically, this dissertation sets out to evaluate the suitability of KIST's growth strategy by assessing whether it addresses the circumstances in which the organisation is operating and to establish the feasibility of the strategy by assessing whether the Institute possesses the resources and competences to match the chosen growth strategy. In conducting this evaluation it is recognised that, although it is impossible to demonstrate conclusively whether a particular strategy is optimal or even guaranteed to work, one can nevertheless, test it for critical flaws using the above-mentioned criteria. The findings from the case study and analysis show that the main strategic issues facing KIST are: - inadequate funding for vital, urgent capacity building; inadequate infrastructure and facilities for KIST's growth and sustainability; inadequate strategic planning; low employee motivation and high staff turnover. From the suitability analysis, it was revealed that KIST's growth strategy is not suitable since it does not address the circumstances in which it is operating due to its internal weaknesses. However, the strategy is attainable if the management of KIST puts in place mechanisms to address the strategic issues identified. The feasibility analysis revealed that, as a result of KIST staff not being motivated, the Institute's capabilities of technology transfer would not be adequately harnessed. In addition, the Institute may fail to effectively and efficiently run and sustain its programs. Finally the financial feasibility analysis established that the Institute has a weak financial base as a result of inadequate government and reducing donor funding which renders the growth strategy unfeasible. The last chapter provides recommendations that will serve as guidelines for the Institute, in order for it to address the strategic issues identified, and also successfully implement the chosen growth strategy. Further research by KIST has also been proposed in areas identified at the end of chapter six. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The present landscape presents numerous challenges for the firms operating in this 21 st century arena, as it is quite volatile. This landscape is global in nature, as the barriers to competition have been broken down between countries. The challenges of the global economy are immense. Strategic leadership emerges as the most effective way through which firms can achieve satisfactory performance in this competitive landscape. As companies attempt to sustain competitive advantage so as to maintain strategic competitiveness and earn above average returns, they need to practice effective strategic leadership. The aim of this paper is to establish how firms could use effective leadership to ensure that they are able to deal with the challenging situations facing them. Only through this, can they respond appropriately and quickly in the complex global competitive environment. The challenges facing companies of the 21 st century will be identified. Namibia Breweries Limited will be used as a case study of a firm in the developing world currently facing enormous challenges due to globalisation. Various analytical tools will be used to determine the company's competitive position. Also, the company's competitiveness will be evaluated against that of its major competitor, South African Breweries. The role strategic leadership could play to enable Namibia Breweries Limited to maintain competitiveness while facing the challenges of globalization will be established. The model by Hitt, Ireland, and Hoskisson will be adopted. These authors have come up with a model that highlights six critical components for effective strategic leadership. When a company's leadership effectively complete the activities called for by these components, they can become a source of competitive advantage. Furthermore, strategic leadership can be a source of competitive advantage for firms when competitors find it difficult to understand and imitate the processes involved with it. This advantage is significant, as it would enable firms to achieve strategic competitiveness. The study will establish how Namibia Breweries Limited could implement these components to achieve effective leadership, given their particular environment and the particular challenges facing them. Recommendations are made on how Namibia Breweries Limited can implement the components to improve on its competitiveness, using the proposed model. Suggestions are made with regard to what the company could do to ensure they maintain a good strategic position. The analysis indicates that the company, Namibia Breweries Limited, faces a giant in the industry. The South African Breweries presents major competition to the Namibian breweries and the leadership has a big role to play to ensure that the company maintains strategic competitiveness and is able to earn above average returns despite the major challenges it faces. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.

The research is on the assessment of municipalities within the Eastern Cape Province to determine the capacity they have towards implementing the Municipal Finance Management Act No 56 of 2003 (MFMA). The research targeted Municipal Managers and Chief Financial Officers as these are the people charged by the Act with the responsibility of ensuring proper implementation and compliance by the Municipalities with the Act. The project was conducted at the level of the district municipality. This level of municipalities was considered sufficient as it would ensure a broad and in depth coverage of the assessment throughout the Province. This project aims to uncover strengths and weaknesses of municipalities. Municipalities with strong features are appraised of their strengths and recommendations are given towards the end of the dissertation to change the negatives into positives. The prime source used in developing the questionnaire is the MFMA. The questionnaire looks at various aspects of the Act and assesses capacity in terms of fourteen specific areas. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

Procurement is the acquisition of goods or services at the best possible total cost of ownership, in the correct quantity, at the correct time, in the correct place for the direct benefit or use of corporations, governments or individuals (Procurement 2005). Electronic procurement is the fulfillment of the procurement function by use of the Internet and new technologies to facilitate a seamless, end-to-end stream of strategic procurement activities enabling improved responsiveness and analysis within the procurement organisation (Wheatley 2003). The aim of the study was to identify the effectiveness and efficiency of the current procurement processes in place at UTi Domestic and to investigate the feasibility of using Electronic Procurement as a possible mechanism for Business Process Re-Engineering within UTi Domestic, to streamline and add value to the overall procurement function. This study was undertaken at UTi domestic in Johannesburg. Questionnaires were used to collect data. In total, twenty-eight procurement staff members and six management members completed separate questionnaires. One hundred percent response rate was achieved for both groups. The procurement staff completed a structured questionnaire while management were asked unstructured questions. Data obtained from the questionnaires were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings of the study indicated that the procurement process at UTi Domestic was inefficient and ineffective. The procurement process was in need of redesign. Controversy existed between management and procurement staff over whether e-procurement would be the solution to the procurement problem. The researcher recommended the implementation of an e-procurement solution as a resolution to the procurement problem, based on the value potential of the solution and the ability of the solution to positively satisfy all of the aims of the study. As supported by the literature, e-procurement can make a significant difference to UTi Domestic. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2006.

The Masters in Business Administration (MBA) degree has seen a steady rise in popularity and proliferation in the past four decades. Critics have had plenty to say as well, sometimes from within the ranks of the MBA programme itself. The degree is widely publicized in the media, by way of advertisements, criticisms and featured press in business magazines and other such correspondence. Numerous studies have been conducted, globally and nationally to ascertain the benefits of such a qualification to the graduate and the extent of such benefit, if at all any exists. In this study, research was conducted to assess the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits of the MBA degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) post merger, and to identify any significant demographic relationships between these perceived benefits. To obtain this information, the researcher utilised a questionnaire, which was completed by 44 UKZN MBA alumni. The study had identified the weaknesses in previous studies on the perceived benefits of the MBA degree, in that the focus was solely on extrinsic benefits – clearly, in a changing economic landscape, the intrinsic benefits need to be considered as equally. The researcher introduced the viewpoints of critics of the MBA degree, and also looked at gender issues relevant to the UKZN MBA. The study also looked into the South African perspective of the MBA market, and the extent of benchmarking based on those MBA degrees with a history of excellence – hence the need to study the newer UKZN MBA degree benefits and identify the views of these specific graduates. Several recommendations were made through the course of this study, including guidelines for future research on the topic. The implications of this study are widespread, as the potential exists for the UKZN GSB to consider some of the findings in future curriculum development. Further, the study can also assist in either dispelling or supporting the constant media tendency (Furlonger, 2008) to quote pre merger graduates, in the context of a newer, updated degree. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009.

The value of the RMB, China's currency has become a contentious issue. China's RMB exchange rate regime has moved from a fixed exchange rate before July 2005, to a managed floating change rate regime. There has been external pressure on China to agree to the RMB's appreciation to the US dollar. There is a common view that the RMB is considerably undervalued at this moment, with some quarrelling that this is an issue of global concern. This study has two objectives. First, to review and critically comment on China's exchange rate regime over the period 1994 to 2008. Second, to review and critically comment on whether the RMB was undervalued over the period 1994 to 2008. This study shows that the evidence is mixed. The popular Big Mac Index shows that the RMB was significantly undervalued from 1994 to 2008. In contrast, this study reviewed research that provides evidence for alternative perspectives on the valuation of RMB. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Wesville, 2009.

This study was conducted within the Retail Credit Evaluation and Assessment (RCEA) units at one of the big four banks within South Africa. The aim of this study was to assess stress amongst employees that were employed within the credit evaluation and assessment unit of a financial institution and then evaluate the factors that contributed to these employees stress levels with an option of implementing stress management programmes and employee assistance programmes within the organisation. The objectives of this study was to determine the overall stress levels of employees working within this environment based on demographics, length of service and qualification levels. The questionnaire was designed around obtaining data on the objectives of the study and respondents were requested to give information on the stress levels, their qualification levels, and length of service, race and gender. Respondents were also requested to rate the items that they believed contributed to their stress levels using a five point Likert-scale measurement tool. The medical information of respondents was assessed and respondents were to identify the medical conditions that they suffered from and if it was stress related. Employees were also asked about whether they would be willing to participate in stress management programmes and interventions to assist in managing their stress levels. The RCEA environment is a relatively small business unit within the chosen bank and is based across the major cities of South Africa. The decision was taken to obtain information from as many staff as possible through a web based survey using the on-line software programme QuestionPro, in order for the survey to be accessible to all respondents. The results of the survey found that 47.3% of respondents identified their current stress levels as very high to high and a further 44.7% of respondents experienced moderate stress levels as opposed to 7.9% of respondents who rated their stress levels as low and very low. A salient feature of this study is that the majority of respondents were prepared to accept assistance in managing their stress levels in that 65.5% of respondents revealed that they would participate in a healthy lifestyle programme and that 67.6% of respondents would attend monthly physical checks by medical practioners if provided by the employer. The study can benefit the organization in identifying the factors that cause employees to experience stress and then develop and implement strategies to manage stress levels of employees. A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2010.

A company without proper strategy is like a person without sight. The research deals with identifying the lost market that the company could not yet replace due to border conflict with Ethiopia, and with recommending future actions. The main goal of this research is to assess and analyze the external and internal situations of Dahlak Share Company. In order to formulate the best strategy, the company resources must correlate with the macro and microenvironment situation. Dahlak Share Company operates in Asmara, capital of Eritrea and it sells its products in local market and foreign countries, mainly in the Great Lakes region of Africa. Therefore, assessing and analyzing Eritrean and relevant other countries' situation, information regarding the footwear industry, stakeholder's interest and the company's capacity lends significance to the quality of the formulated strategy. The discussion on the research objective is based on the strategy formulation process. This research is a case study and is qualitative in nature. Therefore, financial reports, and other relevant company documents are used to collect the secondary data. Interviews have also been conducted with the company's management body to collect the primary data. According to the study findings the company has the opportunity to increase the demand of the Great Lakes region of African market and consciousness of Eritrean customers insistence on best quality products. The company is well branded in the region and it is known for its long time experience in shoe production. Moreover, the company has a strong management staff. Though there is tough competition in local and international market, Dahlak Share Company is able to succeed by minimizing unnecessary cost and improving the quality of its products. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

No abstract available. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2002.