Value-based management (VBM) is a business philosophy and management system for competing effectively in the global marketplace, based upon the inherent value, dignity and empowerment of each person particularly each employee, customer and supplier. Although VBM has been implemented in an organisation, the difficulty remains that the employees/workers do not necessarily understand the mechanics of VBM, or their actions in value creation. The main objective of this study is to determine if the employees/workers of the mining organisation understand the basic concepts of VBM, where it has been implemented and to determine whether or not VBM has been successfully implemented within a mining organisation. This was done by collecting data using a standardised questionnaire distributed among the mining company‟s employees. The results from the study indicated that VBM in general was successfully implemented but that lower lever employees is less informed on certain aspects of VBM. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Value-based management (VBM) is a business philosophy and management system for competing effectively in the global marketplace, based upon the inherent value, dignity and empowerment of each person particularly each employee, customer and supplier. Although VBM has been implemented in an organisation, the difficulty remains that the employees/workers do not necessarily understand the mechanics of VBM, or their actions in value creation. The main objective of this study is to determine if the employees/workers of the mining organisation understand the basic concepts of VBM, where it has been implemented and to determine whether or not VBM has been successfully implemented within a mining organisation. This was done by collecting data using a standardised questionnaire distributed among the mining company‟s employees. The results from the study indicated that VBM in general was successfully implemented but that lower lever employees is less informed on certain aspects of VBM. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:52:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo3204_1.pdf: 2932974 bytes, checksum: ed70cb5e6dddd387ea04292de409a2f3 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / A fim de melhorar a sua competitividade no mercado global, as organizações de software têm se preocupado cada vez mais com a questão de produtividade na execução de projetos. No entanto, para melhorar a produtividade, as organizações de software devem definir uma forma de medí-la. O problema é que a medição da produtividade apesar de parecer ser simples, sua aplicação concreta se mostra muito complexa. Muitos são os trabalhos de pesquisa sobre o tema, no entanto não há convergência sobre a métrica mais adequada de produtividade para as organizações de software. Baseado nos conceitos fundamentais relacionados à processos de produção, áreas de conhecimento social, evidências coletadas em organizações de software reais e análise do estado da arte em medição de produtividade em software, concluimos que a métrica mais adequada para medir a produtividade é específica para cada contexto organizacional, pois envolve estratégia, cultura organizacional, modus operandi, além de interesse e conhecimento daqueles diretamente envolvidos na medição e avaliação da produtividade. Isto explica porque não existe e nem há a possibilidade de existência de uma métrica de produtividade para projetos de software universalmente aceita. Baseado nestas descobertas, sugerimos a adoção de uma abordagem de medir produtividade baseada em valor. A hipótese central que orienta nossa trabalho de pesquisa é que uma abordagem baseada em valor pra medir a produtividade para medir a produtividade de projetos de software é mais adequada que as medições tradicionais. Uma das consequências da validade desta hipótese é que cada organização deve definir seu próprio modelo para a medição da produtividade. Com o objetivo de ajudar as organizações a definir e implementar um modelo próprio de medição de produtividade, um processo sistemático, com uma seqüência bem definida de etapas, entradas, saídas e diretrizes foi proposto. Ele envolve as atividades relacionadas com a definição, implementação e aperfeiçoamento do modelo de medição de produtividade. Além disso, foi baseado em uma extensa revisão dos principais desenvolvimentos relacionados com a medição da produtividade, além de ser influenciado por modelos de referência em engenharia de software, como IDEAL, CMMI, PSM e ISO/IEC 15939. O resultado da aplicação deste processo em uma organização de software produz um modelo de avaliação da produtividade, que considera a idéia de valor com base na visão dos principais stakeholders da organização. Finalmente, o conceito de medição de produtividade baseado em valor é adotado e avaliado em um estudo de caso, envolvendo em uma organização real de desenvolvimento de projetos de software. Em particular, o processo proposto para definição de modelos de medição de produtividade foi adotado e os benefícios, problemas e desafios foram avaliados com o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia do processo em atendar a o seu propósito. As análises do estudo de caso confirmaram que este tipo de abordagem foi de fato mais adequada para a organização estudada e que potencialmente pode ser aplicado a outras organizações de software

Pricing is a complex yet important process that has a large influence on profitability; however few managers utilize pricing as a strategy to increase competitive advantage. The potential of pricing based on specific customer’s needs should be acknowledged, since it is beneficial for the customers by allowing them to recognize the true value of a product. It is also beneficial for marketers since they can present the price in the content of a total solution tailored for those customer needs. Even though a value-based pricing strategy is considered superior to alternative pricing strategies, few companies practice it. The limited amount of researches that has been conducted in the field of value-based pricing strategies has revealed various obstacles in the implementation phase. However, it is still not proved that these obstacles can be found in all industries. The purpose of this thesis is to present research in the field of pricing, by adding to prior research, practical observations on obstacles when implementing a value-based pricing strategy. A qualitative case study at Volvo Construction Equipment in Sweden was conducted and the results show similarities with prior researches. However additional obstacles were identified and further evidence from this study stresses the importance of possessing fundamental knowledge about value-based pricing strategies; as it impacts a company’s ability to implement it successfully and entirely. Therefore this thesis includes the fundamental knowledge and describes how obstacles connected to the concept are perceived in practice. Further a managerial framework is provided to help companies interested in implementing value-based pricing strategies.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to explore and identify activities that contributes to the abilities that are necessary in order to enable the transformation towards a value-based business model. The purpose will be answered through the development of a transformation framework that can guide organisations and aid in order to succeed with the transformation process. Method –  A qualitative approach was found to be optimal for answering the purpose of the study. A single case study was performed  and the data was collected through interviews at a market leading Swedish IT-company. The chosen research approach was inductive which meant that the theoretical background was developed within the area and acted as a pillar for the following interviews. In total 25 interviews, divided in three interview waves were conducted and further analysed with a thematical analysis. Findings – The case study resulted in a transformation framework that consists of ten abilities that are distributed across three transformation stages. The abilities are divided into the three main themes value-based selling, value-based pricing and organisational change that is needed within the process of the transformation towards a value-based business model. 33 activities were identified to develop the abilities.  Theoretical and Managerial Implications – The case study contribute to the clearly limited research in the area of value-based business models within the IT-industry by empirically building on previous research from other industries and further developing it. Through the identification of activities and abilities and further compiling the transformation framework organisations have received a tool that will be able to aid the process of transforming the business model towards a value-based. Limitations and Future Research – The case study is limited to a single company within the IT-industry. Therefor further research is recommended with a wider data collection to examine the degree of generalisability of the case study to both confirm the identified activities and abilities but also further exploration. / Syfte – IT-branschen är en snabbt föränderlig bransch med en hög innovationshastighet. Organisationer söker nya teknologier för att utöka sin konkurrenskraft, men nya digitala förutsättningar leder ofta till förändring av nyckelaktiviteter vilket medför ett behov av att utveckla ledningsmetoder för att styra dessa komplexa omvandlingar. Fallstudiens syfte är att utforska och identifiera aktiviteter som bidrar till de förmågor som är nödvändiga för att möjliggöra transformationen mot en värdebaserad affärsmodell inom IT-branschen. Fallstudiens syfte besvarades genom utvecklingen av ett transformationsramverk som vägleder organisationer att lyckas i transformationsprocessen. Metod – Studien utfördes som en explorativ fallstudie med en kvalitativ forskningsansats. Fallstudieföretaget är ett marknadsledande IT-bolag i Sverige. Den kvalitativa forskningsansatsen ledde till att 25 intervjuer genomfördes i tre intervjuvågor och resultatet utvecklades med hjälp av tematisk analys. Resultat – Fallstudien resulterade i ett transformationsramverk som består av tio förmågor utspridda i tre transformationsfaser. Förmågorna berör värdebaserad försäljning, värdebaserad prissättning och den organisationella förändringen som krävs för att transformeras till en värdebaserad affärsmodell. Förmågorna genererades genom den tematiska analysen där 33 aktiviteter identifierades som bidrar till förmågorna nödvändiga för att möjliggöra transformationen. Teoretiskt och praktiskt bidrag – Fallstudien bidrar till den tydligt begränsade forskningen inom värdebaserade affärsmodeller inom IT-branschen genom att empiriskt byggt vidare på tidigare forskning inom andra branscher och utvecklat den vidare. Genom identifiering av aktiviteter och förmågor nödvändiga för transformationen mot en värdebaserad affärsmodell och sammanställt dessa i ett vägledande transformationsramverk har organisationer fått ett vägledande verktyg som underlättar transformationsprocessen. Begränsningar och framtida forskning – Fallstudien är begränsad till ett enskilt fallstudieföretag inom IT-branschen. Därav rekommenderas framtida forskning med en bredare datainsamling för att undersöka generaliserbarheten av fallstudien samt för att bekräfta de identifierade aktiviteterna och förmågorna, men även för att möjligtvis identifiera ytterligare aktiviteter och förmågor.

The Aviation Industry in South Africa is considered to be a budding industry with an expected growth rate of 14% for each of the next three years. Considering that, plenty investment and expansion possibilities are probably available in this industry. Nonetheless, given the current economic situation, challenges may exist that necessitates the development of a decision framework. The aim of this framework should thus be to assist with informed decision-making; whether to invest in, or utilize opportunities that may occur within a given prospective “high” growth situation. In the light of all of this, a specific aviation entity desires to exploit possible business opportunities that may occur. Provided the relative high growth situation in the Aviation Industry, as mentioned above, the entity has a specific need for a decision tool which could determine whether to invest in new projects or not. In order to meet this need, a decision framework has been developed during this study. Considering the emphasis currently placed on wealth creation in the business environment, it is considered appropriate to utilize the value-based management approach in this study, with specific reference to capital budgeting techniques in developing a decision framework. Data for the study has been obtained from the participating aviation entity, who was considering investment in a specific project, given the previously referred to prospective high growth situation in the Aviation Industry. The decision framework or model was developed using Microsoft Excel as the development platform. Based on the input data, as received from the aviation entity, the results from the decision model indicated that the considered project was indeed financially viable. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

The Aviation Industry in South Africa is considered to be a budding industry with an expected growth rate of 14% for each of the next three years. Considering that, plenty investment and expansion possibilities are probably available in this industry. Nonetheless, given the current economic situation, challenges may exist that necessitates the development of a decision framework. The aim of this framework should thus be to assist with informed decision-making; whether to invest in, or utilize opportunities that may occur within a given prospective “high” growth situation. In the light of all of this, a specific aviation entity desires to exploit possible business opportunities that may occur. Provided the relative high growth situation in the Aviation Industry, as mentioned above, the entity has a specific need for a decision tool which could determine whether to invest in new projects or not. In order to meet this need, a decision framework has been developed during this study. Considering the emphasis currently placed on wealth creation in the business environment, it is considered appropriate to utilize the value-based management approach in this study, with specific reference to capital budgeting techniques in developing a decision framework. Data for the study has been obtained from the participating aviation entity, who was considering investment in a specific project, given the previously referred to prospective high growth situation in the Aviation Industry. The decision framework or model was developed using Microsoft Excel as the development platform. Based on the input data, as received from the aviation entity, the results from the decision model indicated that the considered project was indeed financially viable. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Failure to collect reimbursement because of changing regulations negatively impacts hospital profitability. A multiple case study approach was used to explore the successful strategies billing managers employed to collect reimbursement for all legitimate Medicare claims. The target population for this study included 5 hospital billing managers from 3 organizations in the Northern New Jersey region. The complexity theory was used as a framework for assessing changing Medicare regulations and how the managers adapted to them. The data collection process for this study involved gathering data from participant interviews, documentation from the organizations of the participants, and government documented regulations and manuals. The logical and sequential order of data analysis for this study embraced Yin's 5-steps data analysis that includes compiling data, disassembling data, reassembling data, interpreting the data, and concluding. The successful strategies billing managers used that emerged as themes were remaining up to date with Medicare changing compliance regulations; enhancing communication with staff, multiple departments, and Medicare; and adopting a robust billing system and other systems that compliment billing. The implications of this study for social change include the potential to ensure access to patient care for benefiting families and communities through the sharing of successful strategies for Medicare claims.

During recent years corporations have been focusing on revenues rather than profits. This led to decreased margins and unstable financial performances. To increase profits, new pricing strategies have emerged. One promising pricing strategy that focuses on increasing profits is value-based pricing, which constitutes the monetising of customer perceived value. The purpose of this paper is to identify what factors influence customer perceived value in the global high-tech service industry. With this knowledge corporations can draw precise evaluations of customer perceived value and hence utilise value-based pricing in the best possible way. A qualitative method was used to study the case of MB Services, the service division of the Meyer Burger Technology Group, and the global high-tech service industry represented at the Hannovermesse 2011, an industrial exhibition in Hanover, Germany. The empirical data collected was analysed together with the theoretical framework. The findings are that customer perceived value of high-tech services is influenced by the overall benefits the customer can obtain from the service, the sacrifices in terms of costs the customer has to pay for the service, competitors’ offerings, different segments, subjective judgments of distinctive people within a corporation, and the industries’ and customers’ level of maturity. Customer perceived value is an underresearched subject, which requires further investigation.

With the rapid development of IT and broadband network, voice, data and video services are gradually integrated. IPTV is one of the popular products, which can deliver and provide consumers a variety of digitized content over the internet. Despite of the advantages mentioned above, IPTV in Taiwan is still not a threat to traditional TV. Therefore, many interesting issues were coming up. One of the interesting issues is looking into the factors of influencing continuance intention. This study explores the factors through the literature reviewing and the data collected from practitioners and participants. Moreover, we try to explain and verify the factors affecting the continuance intention by proposing a new model derived from Value-based Adoption Model (VAM) and Exception-Confirmation Model (ECM). In this research, an empirical survey methodology with 7 hypotheses was applied to verify this model. Partial Least Squares (PLS) was used to analyze the data and evaluate the model. The results not only identify the effective factors of perceived benefit and perceived sacrifice to IPTV services, but also showed that perceived value was influenced by the trade-off between perceived benefit and sacrifice, as well as by the consumers¡¦ confirmation level. The value that consumers perceive from IPTV services will have a significant effect on satisfaction and the continuance intention. In sum, the study explores the factors of perceived benefit and perceived sacrifice, and proposes a more comprehensive framework to explain the ¡§continuing using behavior¡¨. This study also provides a reference model for the value-based or IPTV research and some suggestions for the IPTV practitioners.