Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Irvine, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-143).

M.Com. (Business Management) / After years of international isolation, South Africa has been re-admitted to the international fold. For the country's business community this entails new opportunities, as well as threats. International markets and finance opened up during the past year. It also led to South Africa signing the latest GAIT agreement. This will, enable foreign exporters to have access to the local market in the future, it will also encourage competition amongst local companies that previously mainly produced for domestic consumption. New markets will have to be exploited. These new opportunities and threats create new risks for companies entering these new markets. An important component of these new risks is the volatility in the foreign exchange market. Import and export companies receive and make payments in foreign. currencies. Unexpected movements in exchange rates can influence a company's profitability and competitiveness. Due to the size of the foreign exchange market, it is the most liquid and volatile market in the world. To minimise the risk and seize opportunities in adverse foreign exchange movements, currency exposure must be managed properly. Although integrated treasury management proves to be a successful approach in most industrial countries, it is a relatively new science, in South Africa. A large number of financial instruments exist for the hedging of foreign currency exposure. In South Africa' these options are limited, due to exchange. control regulations and this also hampers the number of hedging possibilities. Under different market conditions different hedging strategies and instruments can provide different results. There is one guarantee that a given instrument or strategy will result in the optimal hedge. It might even result in more inherent risks. Risk management is a dynamic activity within an organisation and calls for educated decisions to minimise risk and utilise opportunities.

The objectives of this research project are threefold: (1) to identify the key marketing innovation factors which drive successful export marketing strategy in Thai manufacturing companies, (2) to test the proposed model 'The Full Model of Export Performance' on Thai export manufacturing companies, and (3) to suggest recommendations to Thai export manufacturing companies in order to improve their export performance. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2008.

Despite the importance of SMEs and increased knowledge in the area of strategic management, empirical research on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in this area of management has not only been limited but also neglected. In an attempt to investigate the strategic factors that can influence the performance of SMEs, this study focuses on Malaysian exporting SMEs. This study adopts the conceptual framework in the context of strategic management. The conceptual framework is developed based on the strategic management variables; business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance of Malyasian exporting SMEs. The study was based on a sample survey consisting of 150 Malaysian exporting SMEs, which is based on the listing provided by MATRADE. Using structured questionnaires, the data were collected through mailed questionnaires to the managers and owners of exporting SMEs throughout Malaysia. There were statistically significant differences in the performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs that adopted different business strategies, and there is a relationship between distinctive capabilities and performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs. / In general, all of the strategic variables used in this study significantly influence the performance of the exporting SMEs in Malaysia. Although there are different impacts of strategic factors on the various performance measures, in general the strategic factors used in this study seem to significantly influence the business performance of the Malaysian exporting SMEs studied. / Thesis (DoctorateofBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Despite the importance of SMEs and increased knowledge in the area of strategic management, empirical research on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in this area of management has not only been limited but also neglected. In an attempt to investigate the strategic factors that can influence the performance of SMEs, this study focuses on Malaysian exporting SMEs. This study adopts the conceptual framework in the context of strategic management. The conceptual framework is developed based on the strategic management variables; business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance of Malyasian exporting SMEs. The study was based on a sample survey consisting of 150 Malaysian exporting SMEs, which is based on the listing provided by MATRADE. Using structured questionnaires, the data were collected through mailed questionnaires to the managers and owners of exporting SMEs throughout Malaysia. There were statistically significant differences in the performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs that adopted different business strategies, and there is a relationship between distinctive capabilities and performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs. / In general, all of the strategic variables used in this study significantly influence the performance of the exporting SMEs in Malaysia. Although there are different impacts of strategic factors on the various performance measures, in general the strategic factors used in this study seem to significantly influence the business performance of the Malaysian exporting SMEs studied. / Thesis (DoctorateofBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Despite the importance of SMEs and increased knowledge in the area of strategic management, empirical research on small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in this area of management has not only been limited but also neglected. In an attempt to investigate the strategic factors that can influence the performance of SMEs, this study focuses on Malaysian exporting SMEs. This study adopts the conceptual framework in the context of strategic management. The conceptual framework is developed based on the strategic management variables; business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the business strategy, distinctive capabilities and performance of Malyasian exporting SMEs. The study was based on a sample survey consisting of 150 Malaysian exporting SMEs, which is based on the listing provided by MATRADE. Using structured questionnaires, the data were collected through mailed questionnaires to the managers and owners of exporting SMEs throughout Malaysia. There were statistically significant differences in the performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs that adopted different business strategies, and there is a relationship between distinctive capabilities and performance of Malaysian exporting SMEs. / In general, all of the strategic variables used in this study significantly influence the performance of the exporting SMEs in Malaysia. Although there are different impacts of strategic factors on the various performance measures, in general the strategic factors used in this study seem to significantly influence the business performance of the Malaysian exporting SMEs studied. / Thesis (DoctorateofBusinessAdministration)--University of South Australia, 2005.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Stanford University, 1986. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-141).

Broadly stated, the major objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which South African export companies exhibited characteristics of strategic flexibility, which is seen to be the most viable strategic option for a firm operating within a turbulent environment. This entailed:- (1) Determining the degree of environmental turbulence as perceived by South African export companies and identifying the most important elements of the external environment as perceived by these companies. (2) Identifying the nature and strength of the various components of strategic flexibility possessed by South African export companies facing environments of either low, medium or high turbulence. (3) Identifying the nature and strength of the various components of strategic flexibility possessed by South African export companies of different size. In order to elicit this information, 1361 questionnaires were posted to the managing directors of export firms who were members of the South African Foreign Trade Organization. The major findings of this study indicate that:- (1) Political elements of the remote environment contribute most to environmental turbulence. (2) Respondents identified economic elements as being the most important in terms of their potential impact on the long term profitability of the firm. (3) Although at present the majority of the firms surveyed were classified as operatIng in medium levels of turbulence, in the future they perceive the external environment as becoming very turbulent. (4) Generally speaking, the firms surveyed are ill-equipped to operate in a turbulent environment as they displayed signs of inflexibility in certain key aspects of their business. In this regard, particular mention must be made of their decision-making processes, the extent to which they had specialist planners, the techniques used to identify future trends in the environment, the extent to which computer technology was utilised in the firm and their structure. (5) Finally, the results do not generally support the view that a relationship exists between the perceived degree of turbulence in the environment and the extent to which strategic flexibility exists in the firm. Often, however, the size of tne firm was more of a determining factor on the components of strategic flexibility than the degree of turbulence in the environment. In this regard, particular mention must be made of the impact of size on the planning processes of the firm, the techniques used to monitor trends in the environment and the emphasis placed on management development and training.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-262). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 256-262). Also available on the Internet.