Partnerships have evolved during the last decade from being the 'nice to have' to becoming the 'must have' to survive in all industries across the world. There are many different definitions of 'partnerships' and 'alliances' but most researchers, authors and experts in this field agree that at the core of true partnering or alliance agreements lies shared: benefits, risks and approaches. To avoid market share and profitability deterioration, solutions providers must initiate programs to improve their strategic position in a focused set of partner programs. Microsoft Corporation is the worlds leading software company with 96% of all revenue earned being billed through their partners. The company currently faces poor partner satisfaction ratings and has come to the realisation in that they have to a large extent, ignored the needs of their strategic and 'managed' partners. A blueprint for successful partnering is key to any company looking to differentiate itself, create a competitive advantage and become the industry leader in the offering the 'best of breed' partner experience. This is why the identification and implementation of a defined, successful partnering agreement blueprint is required in order to drive the Microsoft business strategy around the 'Partner' experience forward. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the current Microsoft engagement models in driving partner satisfaction in the managed partner space, to determine what the barriers and best practices are, pertaining to successful partnering in the corporate arena and to establish if it is feasible to identify and implement a blueprint that can be used in the corporate arena that promotes successful alliances/partnerships. Recommendations to implement the said blueprint are also be made in order to guide readers through the process. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2004.

The Swaziland Association of Savings and Credit Cooperatives (S ASCCO) has been the focus of this study. It is envisaged that the research undertaken will be used to benchmark the cooperative's current strategy (reorganization) and help identify factors that will lead to a successful reorganization. SASCCO was officially registered as an apex body for all Savings and Credit Cooperatives (Saccos) in 1988 under the Cooperative Act of 1964. SASCCO is at present constructing a multi-million Emalangeni Cooperative Centre that will be wholly funded by its members. Dividends for members are expected to be not less than 12% a year. The cooperative is at its maturity stage. Its grand strategy is joint venturing with other cooperatives. It has further formed partnerships and strategic alliances with both local and international organizations. Its generic strategy is to create, market unique products and services for varied customer groups through differentiation. Its mission statement is "to be a member controlled and owned financial cooperative that establishes financially strong and sound savings and credit cooperative societies by providing them with quality financial, education and technical services in order to improve the socio-economic needs of their members at grass roots level". The management problem is finding a suitable reorganization strategy that will maximise shareholders' wealth and correctly position the Cooperative for the proposed Cooperative Bank. The Cooperative has serious financial problems, operating a poor balance sheet and lacks some key skills. The main objective of the research is, therefore, to analyze, assess and evaluate suitability of the Cooperative's current strategy based on both strategic and financial management views and then recommend a right way to a successful reorganization. A modified model adapted from (Johnson and Scholes, 1999) was used to map the whole study. The main findings centred on the Cooperative's reorganization's strategy and its suitability. Management is clear with the strategic direction. However, the strategy is not implemented and executed very well. SASCCO is capable and has the opportunity to own the largest market share in the financial arena due to the low interest rates it offers. It was concluded that the cooperative suffers because of its imbalanced capital structure and recommended that a suitable optimal capital structure would be found by gearing the cooperative adequately. However, due to the exploratory nature of the study, it was difficult to empirically investigate some of the issues fully. As a result, a further, more representative sample that will be able to generalize the results to the whole population is recommended. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Despite the predominantly negative perception that resistance adversely affects a change process, understanding it may be used to successfully implement many changes in organisations. This qualitative study identified inhibitors and enhancers, as perceived by employees with respect to the proposed implementation of a Human Resource Information System technology, at the adaptive and high-adaptive change levels. This issue was examined in the context of large-scale manufacturing company Hulett Aluminium. Based on a review of change theory, innovation diffusion and technology adoption models variables known to relate to technology change were identified and used to formulate a research framework. A quantitative computer attitude survey was initially used to identify a more representative sample frame, after which semi-structured interview techniques were utilised to collect data from eleven general employees and seven Human Resource employees. Qualitative data was analysed using content analysis, domain analysis and the constant comparative concept taken from grounded theory. The findings of this study identified clear communication and employee participation as crucial factors in implementing change at any level. The technology characteristics relative advantage, compatibility and complexity were prominent between both samples. Relative advantage was found to mediate time availability and social influence. Respondents believed trialability allowed them to become familiar with the technology. The support factor training was also dominant and found to mediate respondents' anxiety and uncertainty. The theme that computer experience mitigates anxiety was also evident. Owing to experience of poor technical support, respondents' cited it as an important variable in resistance to technology, which is evident of how experience influences perspective. This study allows researchers and change agents to understand the role individual, technological, propagation and external factors have in employees' perceived resistance to adoption of the proposed technology. By accurately gauging resistance in advance, change agents can anticipate the likely response of the organisation and thus implement appropriate strategies. The research also adds to the expanding base of research investigating resistance to technology adoption in general. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

Twelve participants took part in a clinical trial to investigate whether the office environment quality, specifically the decor and interior design, causes stress in office workers. The stress was measured through psychosomatic responses, to gauge the real subconscious stress, rather than through questionnaires, which measure the conscious response to stress. The participants were office workers from the same administration building, but working in different fields. There were five black, three Indian and four white participants. The gender mix consisted of two female and ten male participants. The age spectrum ranged from 27 years to 55 years of age. Participants were requested to fast from midnight and present themselves early for the tests on two consecutive days. They were divided into two groups. The tests, using two different environment qualities, were presented in a counterbalanced order to the groups, with a control group remaining in the superior environment on both days. A superior environment of four star quality decor and interior design, and an inferior environment of half a star quality were used. From research by Wing et al. (1985), after ingesting a source of glucose, the peak glucose concentration in the plasma is delayed under stress. This was used as the psychosomatic test. Participants drank a solution containing 40 g of polycose, and were then subjected to identical mental stress tests in the different environments. Blood samples were taken at thirty minute intervals for two hours from drinking the polycose, and analysed for changes in glucose concentration. The differences in stress responses were calculated as delays in the time to glucose concentration peak, and analysed. The room factor was highly significant with F(6;15) = 6.620 (p=0.001 at a = 0.05). The day of testing was of much lower significance but still significant at F(6;15) = 3.402 (p=0.025 at a = 0.05). This was due to stress caused by the memory of the pain of repeated jabs with a needle, which would only be observed on the second day. (The time of the peak concentration occurred before the second blood samples were taken, which meant the stress caused by the anticipation of pain remembered was not observed on the first day.) After correcting for the stress effects on the second day due to testing, Tukey's Honestly Significantly Different test yielded two homogeneous subsets (out of a four subsets, which were a combination of the room and day factors). The two subsets were clearly divided by room, and not by day, this time. The subsets (rooms) were both highly significant, ranging from 0.609 to 1.00, for an alpha of 0.05. It was concluded, from causality tests and hypothesis testing, a high quality office environment causes a significantly lower stress response, while a poor quality office environment causes a significantly higher stress response. A model, correlating stress with the office environment, was developed for use by businesses. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

Mobile commerce is a product of the convergence of the two fastest growing technologies of the modern era: cellular phones and the Internet (Attwood and Duncan, 2000). It delivers electronic commerce capabilities into a consumer's hand via wireless technology, that is an ability to perform a transaction using a mobile device (cell phone, laptop, PDA), such as the cellphone banking service. The cellphone banking service allows banking customers to perform banking transactions directly on their cellphone, using either WAP or WIG technology. Four big banks in South Africa provide the cell phone banking offering to customers. Nedcor first launch the cell phone banking service and other banks followed. Standard Bank launched the service in 2001 and thus far only 28 000 customers have registered for the cell phone banking service. The level of service adoption is very low, considering that there are 15million cellphone subscribers in South Africa. Banks projected that the take-up would be much higher than it currently is. For the purpose of this research study, the Standard Bank's cell phone banking offering will be evaluated. The problem area is that while Standard Bank launched the cellphone banking service in 2001, the consumer take up has been far lower than expected. Thus far, only 28 000 customers have registered for the service. No analysis has been conducted at Standard Bank to understand the reasons behind the slow rate of adoption by customers. The objectives of the study are to: o identify the factors that contribute to the non-adoption of the cell phone banking service by customers o identify factors that can increase the rate of service adoption and therefore assist the banks in promoting the service to critical mass o Establish the future of m-commerce in the banking industry. - v - A literature review has been conducted, where studies conducted internationally in mobile banking space have been discussed. These are studies conducted in Europe and the United States. The cell phone banking adoption framework model has also been derived. In terms of the research methodology, qualitative and quantitative research methods were both employed to gather the required data. For the qualitative methodology, interviews were conducted with the Standard Bank management team and a questionnaire was administered. For the quantitative methodology a questionnaire was designed and was used to gather the information from Standard Bank customers. The research results reveal that cellphone banking has not been widely adopted, despite the rapid diffusion of cell phones in South Africa and the popularity of cell phone functionality such as SMS. Factors likely to influence adoption include trialability, relative advantage, and the customer need for banking services from a cellphone and lower perceptions of technology risk. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2004.

The systematic dispossession and disempowerment of black people has historically defined South Africa. In response, an equally systematic approach is required to eradicate memories of the past through deliberate and purposeful legislation that reaches across the breadth and width of our nation. One of the driving forces within our nation is the private sector and for this study, the mining industry and the peripheral industries to it were targeted. Against the backdrop of the past, a new future that embraces all South Africans must emerge. Hence, this study investigates the efforts made by suppliers to the mining industry in sincerely incorporating Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) into the very design of their organizations The research methodology used was a survey. The population of this study is suppliers to the mining industry situated in Gauteng. A cross-sectional sample was randomly chosen and a short questionnaire e-mailed to participants. The findings prove many organizations are still at a loss on how to embrace BBBEE and are often confused on implementation. Although strategies are in place, there is very little coordinated effort to execute these strategies in a planned and controlled manner. There appears to be significant misfit between policy and practice. Some recommendations in this paper address the importance of BBBEE being made a defining core value of the organization. Another salient recommendation was for organizations to have enhanced operational execution of strategic policies to realize the desired impact. These key findings will not materialize without dedicated leadership to create meaning throughout the organization on the magnitude of BBBEE to South African, both politically and economically thereby co-creating value for shareholders. In closing, the words of famous Greek philosopher and scientist Aristotle seem most appropriate for all South African with regards to BBBEE. 'We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.' (Valuebasedquotes: 2005) / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

The advent of globalisation and technology has had a profound effect on the business environment. This has changed both the manner and speed with which business is conducted globally. Technology has facilitated the expediency and closure of major business deals at the click of a mouse, to comply with the shift in consumer tastes, values and preferences. This paper will focus specifically on the impact that the World Wide Web, the Internet has had on the print media, the latter being narrowed down to newspapers generally and that specifically published by the Independent Newspaper Holdings stable. The literature review will expound the debates of various acclaimed academics. The works of Michael Porter on competitive advantage, Hamel and Prahalad on core competence, issues of leadership and change management by Kotter will be reviewed and the data collected by way of interviews and surveys will be evaluated in support of the findings. Strategic management tools (SWOT, PEST and Porter's Five Forces) will used to examine the strategic and operational environments in which Independent Newspapers is operating. This will be supported by the research findings, which will attempt to make recommendations of the strategies that must be implemented for the sustainability of the Group. Furthermore, since 1994, South Africa has experienced a change in government and its laws have changed causing global and local competition to intensify. Businesses also have to contend with a service quality revolution between consumers and service providers. Following the introduction of new labour laws, the workplace has become diverse in its composition and culture, resulting in workers, shareholders and customers demanding to be included in the decision - making process. Ethics is another key factor, which pervades almost every aspect of business. This code of ethics evolves with changing societal values. This is a primary dimension, which must be taken into account in charting the way forward. The existing code of ethics must be revisited, given the changes that have taken place. It is imperative that this framework be continuously evaluated. Management of all types of organisations has to rethink their approach with regard to their operations, human resources, marketing and the physical environment. This paradigm shift is causing new organisations to emerge, which are more responsive to both their internal and external environments. (Kasirnoglu 2000). / Thesis (MBA)-University of Kwazulu-Natal, 2004.

This tourism strategy provides an overview of the DMA tourism product, an analysis of the strategic influences affecting the region and recommendations to achieve our vision 2010, of making the DMA a "must-see" destination in Africa. It provides a cohesive framework for the development of tourism in the region, bringing together key players including local tourism agencies, the city council, hotels, visitor attractions, retailers and transport providers. The regions strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats were evaluated and this led to identification of the key issues that will affect the future success of tourism in the DMA. The impact of tourism is much wider than the purely economic. Tourism initiatives also support local businesses, culture and craft. The need to maintain attractive, high quality visitor destinations has meant that tourism contributes to the protection and upkeep of the regions built and natural environments. There are a number of key issues and challenges that face the tourism sector of the DMA. These were addressed with recommendations in order to achieve our Vision 2010: • Market segmentation • Image-and branding • Developing market intelligence • Communication and information technology • Partnership and co-ordination • Competing through quality • Business support • Development of "Must-Sees" • Major sporting events • Monitoring and Evaluation An aggressive competitive strategy to outsmart our competitors and make the DMA a "must-see" destination in Africa has been clearly outlined. There is a need for strategic leadership to bring all the relevant parties together to drive the strategy to success. The DMA is on the threshold of becoming one of the major tourism destinations in the world and it is up to every resident in our region to make this dream come true. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

In this study the effect of mergers and acquisitions on the wealth of shareholders is investigated by a case study method. The merger between Abraxas Investment Holdings and AST Ltd to form AST Group Ltd is investigated to establish any form of gains accruing to the shareholders whether abnormal or otherwise as a result ofthis merger. Two methods have been used to undertake this exercise namely the Stock Price Analysis and the Accounting data method. The accounting data method depicts an improvement in the post merger performance of AST Group Ltd as indicated by increases on the ratios such as Revenue; ROE; NAV and EPS. Improvement on these ratios has been interpreted as inferring an improvement on the "alue of the shareholders wealth. On the other hand the stock price performance analysis depicts two scenarios. Shareholders do experience some abnormal gains in the period leading to the merger as measured by increases in the share prices ofmerger companies. In the post merger period the price of AST Group Ltd Share declines unabated thus signaling a drop in the value of shareholders wealth. This has also resulted in incessant decline in PIE ratios in the post merger period. It has been concluded from this study that ifthe results of the investigation as outlined above are anything to go by then shareholders have not reaped the best possible results from this merger. AST Group Ltd has huge potential and capacity to afford its shareholders the best returns both in terms ofbook value and market value returns. A review ofthe integration strategy and appraisal of corporate objectives is required for this company to regain the confidence ofthe markets. AST Group Ltd needs to urgently arrest the decline in its share price or it will be exposed to a takeover bid soon / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.

In this investigation, I assessed the underlying reasons for the revolution that succeeded a conventional merger proposal, which then degenerated into a hostile takeover bid. To my astonishment, I discovered that both banks were not diametrically opposed to an amalgamation. In fact, they both agreed on the strategic importance and business wisdom thereof. The fundamental differences arose from Standard's perception of Nedcor's deep-rooted arrogant intents, which were to gain its assets at bargain basement prices. These views were extended to Nedcor's principal Old Mutual as well, who were accused of harbouring sinister beliefs to actualise the obsessions of Nedcor's CEO, who sought to preside over the largest bank in the country, if not in the sub-continent. In the final analysis, a significant fortune and precious time were wasted in waging and defending a fruitless effort. This culminated in enriching the consultants and professional advisors, at the expense of both Standard and Nedcor shareholders, and their legitimate stakeholders alike. Conversely, it has since been acknowledged that this case study was a classical illustration of the potential pitfalls of hostile mergers and acquisitions. These lessons will undoubtedly enlighten other institutions and industry sectors that may be secretly entertaining similar desires. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2003.