Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Continuous improvement is a consensus theme used by many industries for improving product quality and service. In the last decade a new quality philosophy known as Six Sigma has become well established in many companies, e.g., Motorola, General Electric, Ford, Honda, Sony, Hitachi, Texas Instruments, American Express, etc. Some have suggested that the Six Sigma quality improvement philosophy is not only impacting the global business sector, but will also re-shape the discipline of statistics. The Six Sigma philosophy for improving product and service quality is based upon existing principles established by other well-recognised quality experts, (Le. Deming, Juran, and Ishikawa). The significant departure of the Six Sigma philosophy from existing quality philosophies is that it promotes a stronger emphasis on monitOring production yield and manufacturing costs associated with any quality improvement effort. The other significant contribution that Six Sigma makes to the quality movement is the detailed structure for continuous improvement and the step-by-step statistical methodology. The goal of any Six Sigma improvement effort is to obtain a long-term defect rate of only 3.4 defective parts per million manufactured. Lean and Six Sigma are recent developments in continuous improvement methodology that have been popularised by several high-profile companies. The success and complementary nature of these methodologies has led to their combination into a single methodology, commonly called Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Although there is considerable literature available and many implementations of LSS, very little published research addresses the practical experiences of companies that have implemented LSS. To formalise a Lean Six Sigma implementation strategy for MeG Industries the focus of this research was to answer the research question: "How and why are certain implementations of LSS successful or unsuccessful?" To answer this question, this research investigates the implementation processes of organisations by addressing the following investigative questions: .:. How has LSS been deployed and implemented in organisations? .:. What are barriers to LSS deployment and how are they overcome? .:. What are challenges experienced during a LSS implementation and how are they overcome? The investigative questions further focused the research question and identified several factors that appeared to significantly contribute to implementation success; these factors are: .:. Fusing business strategy with continuous improvement strategy .:. Leadership commitment and involvement in the deployment and implementation processes .:. The use of consultants that are proficient and experienced .:. A defined organisational model and infrastructure which links the continuous improvement efforts with the performance measurement system and senior leadership .:. Defined and standardised personnel selection criteria This research's purpose is to assist MeG Industries to structure a continuous improvement program that abates or eliminates the negative effects caused by deployment barriers and implementation challenges. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Deurlopende verbetering is 'n eenstemminge tema gebruik deur menige nywerhede vir die verbetering van produkgehalte en diens. Gedurende die afgelope dekade is 'n nuwe kwaliteitsfilosofie, bekend as Six Sigma, goed gevestig in verskeie maatskappye, bv. Motorola, General Electric, Ford, Honda, Sony, Hitachi, Texas Instruments, American Express ens. Sommige het voorgestel dat die Six Sigma kwaliteit verbeteringfilosofie nie alleenlik impak maak op die globale besigheidsekor nie maar sal ook die disipline van statistiek herskep. Die Six Sigma filosofie vir die verbetering van produk en dienskwaliteit is gebasseer op bestaande beginsels gevestig deur welbekende kwaliteitdeskundiges (bv. Deming, Juran en Ishikawa). Die betekenisvolle afwyking van die Six Sigma filosofie vanaf die bestaande kwaliteitfilosofie is die bevordering van 'n sterk klem op die moniteering van produksieopbrengs en vervaardigingskostes verbind met enige kwaliteitverbeterings inspanning. Die ander betekenisvolle bydrae wat Six Sigma aan kwaliteitbeweging maak is die struktuur vir deurlopende verbetering en die stap vir stap statistiese metodiek. Die doel van enige Six Sigma verbeterings inspanning, is om 'n langtermyn defekgraad van net 3.4 defektiewe parte per miljoen vervaardig, te verkry. Lean en Six Sigma is onlangse ontwikkelings in deurlopende verbeteringsmetodiek, wat populer gemaak is deur verskeie hoe profiel maatskappye. Die sukses en komplimerende karakter van hierdie metodiekke het gelei tot die kombinasie van 'n enkel metodiek, algemeen bekend as Lean Six Sigma (LSS). Alhoewel daar aansienlike literatuur beskikbaar is, bestaan daar min gepubliseerde navorsingstukke wat die praktiese implementering van LSS deur maatskappye aanspreek. Om 'n Lean Six Sigma implementering strategie vir MCG Industries te formuleer is gefokus op navorsing wat die navorsingvraagstuk: Hoekom en waarom is sekere implementerings van LSS suksesvol of onsuksesvol?". Om hierdie vraag te beantwoord ondersoek die navorser die implementeringsprosesse van organisasies deur middel van die volgende navorsingvraagstukke: - Hoe is LSS ontplooi en geimplementeer in organisasies? - Wat is die hindernisse tot LSS ontplooiing en hoe word dit oorbrug? - Watter uitdagings word ondervind met die implementering van LSS en hoe word dit oorbrug? Die ondersoek bevraagteken verdere gefokusde navorsingvraagstukke en identifiseer verskeie faktore wat skynbaar 'n betekenisvolle bydrae lewer tot suksesvolle implementering; hierdie faktore is: -Samesmelting van besigheidstrategie met deurlopende verbeteringstrategie -Leierskapvertroue en betrokkenheid in die ontplooiing en implementerings prosesse -Die gebruik van bekwame en ervare konsultante -'n Gedefineerde organisasiemodel en infrastruktuur wat gekoppel word aan deurlopende verbeteringsinstelling deur middel van 'n prestasiemetingstelsel en senior leierskap -Bepaalde en gestandaardiseerde personeel seleksie kriteria. Die navorsing doel is om MCG Industries behulpsaam te wees met die struktuur van 'n deurlopende verbeteringsprogram wat vermindering of eliminasie van negatiewe uitwerkings, veroorsaak deur ontplooiings hindernisse en implementerings uitdagings.

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Riskhanteringsprocessen utformas på olika sätt i olika företag och den behöver anpassas till både interna och externa förändringar eftersom företag verkar i olika miljöer och utsätts därmed för olika sorters risk. Förutom detta blir även riskhanteringsprocessen en särskilt betydelsefull process för företag som bedriver samhällsviktiga verksamheter eftersom de är av yttersta vikt för samhällets funktion. Idag existerar det en stor mängd litteratur om ämnet riskhantering men vi fann en frånvaro av forskning som studerar den praktiska tillämpningen av riskhanteringsprocessen och styrningen genom hela processen. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur riskhanteringsprocessen är utformad och hur den styrs för att bidra med ökad kunskap om vilka element som är av kritisk karaktär i processen. Studien avser även att undersöka hur hela organisationen och dess intressenter inkluderas i riskarbetet. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte har vi utfört en kvalitativ enfallsstudie på företaget E.ON Sverige. För att samla in det empiriska materialet har intervjuer tillämpats, både personliga och telefonintervjuer. Totalt genomfördes fem intervjuer vilka även har kompletterats med återkommande samtal med våra huvudkontakter på E.ON under hela studiens gång. Slutsats: De kritiska momenten i en riskhanteringsprocess är intern kommunikation samt att företag måste beakta sina intressentgruppers krav och intressen och ta hänsyn till dessa vid utformandet av företagets riskhanteringsprocess. / Background and problem discussion: The risk management process needs to be designed based on the specific company, and adapted to both internal and external circumstances and changes since every company operates in different environments and is therefore subject to different types of risks. Meanwhile, the risk management process is especially crucial for companies whose activities have a major impact on the function of the society. Today’s literature within the subject risk management covers a vast range, however, we identified an absence of research that focuses on the practical implementation of risk management and the control throughout its whole process. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine how the risk management process is designed and how it is governed in order to contribute with increased insights regarding what elements are critical in the process. Moreover, the study aims to investigate how the organization as a whole, including its stakeholders, is involved in its work with risk management. Method: In order to fulfill the purpose of the study, a qualitative single case study was applied at the company E.ON Sweden. Both personal interviews as well as phone interviews were carried out with the intention of gathering empirical material. In total, five interviews were held, and they have been supplemented with recurring conversations with the main contacts at E.ON throughout the stages of the research. Conclusion: The critical elements in the risk management process lie within the internal communication and in respecting the stakeholders’ demands as well as considering these while formulating the risk management process for the company.

Submitted by Neusa Fagundes (neusa.fagundes@unioeste.br) on 2018-02-27T12:42:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Leila_Weiss2017.pdf: 950778 bytes, checksum: 2c055e75324fbc6b593a480ded26a958 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-02-27T12:42:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Leila_Weiss2017.pdf: 950778 bytes, checksum: 2c055e75324fbc6b593a480ded26a958 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-10 / Among the investment options available on the market, there is highlight to the real estate investment funds, which allow small investors to invest in projects previously restricted to large investors and large developers, thus representing an interesting alternative of long-term financing, making it accessible to all investors. However, performance assessment of these funds, which would take into consideration their management, as well as a comparison with for rental real state investment, is an area of study still underexplored, which requires more investigation. Therefore, the overall objective of this study is to identify how management influences the performance of IFIs, compared to direct leaseholds in the period from 2010 to 2016. The theoretical framework contemplates the aspects inherent in the Modern Theory of Portfolio and Agency Theory. The study also includes real estate investments with emphasis on Real Estate Investment Funds, types, advantages, and risks of investment. The methodology used is the hypothetical-deductive, and it is classified, regarding the research problem as, quantitative; as for the objectives, it is exploratory and descriptive and as for the procedures, it is bibliographical and documentary. The results indicate that the performance of the funds is directly linked to the management of these funds, due to the policies adopted by each of the managers. It is also noteworthy that, in comparison to direct investment in real estate, real estate investment funds present higher returns for investors. / Dentre as diversas opções de investimentos existentes no mercado, destacam-se os fundos de investimento imobiliários, que possibilitam ao pequeno investidor o acesso a projetos de investimentos, antes restritos aos grandes investidores e grandes incorporadoras, representando, assim, uma alternativa interessante de financiamento no longo prazo, tornando-se assim acessível a todos os investidores. No entanto, a avaliação de desempenhos destes fundos, que leve em consideração a gestão destes, bem como a comparação com investimentos em imóveis para locação, é uma área pouco explorada no Brasil, exigindo maiores estudos. Assim, este estudo tem por objetivo identificar como a gestão influencia o desempenho dos FIIs se comparados aos imóveis de locação direta no período de 2010 a 2016. O marco teórico contempla os aspectos inerentes à Moderna Teoria do Portfólio e a Teoria da Agência. O estudo contempla ainda os investimentos imobiliários, com destaque para os Fundos de Investimento Imobiliário, tipos, vantagens e riscos de investimento. A metodologia utilizada é a hipotética-dedutiva, e quanto ao problema de pesquisa, quantitativa; quanto aos objetivos, exploratória e descritiva; e quanto aos procedimentos, bibliográfica e documental. Os resultados apontam que o desempenho dos fundos está diretamente ligado à gestão destes, devido às políticas adotadas por cada um dos gestores. Destaca-se, ainda, que, em comparação com o investimento direto em imóveis, os fundos de investimento imobiliário apresentam maiores retornos para os investidores.