Thesis (M.A.)--Lancaster Bible College, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-105).

Purpose- It is well-known that small businesses play a pivotal role in creating jobs and this is especially true in the economy of South Africa today. Enough cannot be said concerning the high unemployment rate prevalent in the country which if the right interventions are not put in place, this negative trend will continue. This unfavourable situation inspired the researcher to begin to consider the critical factors that drive entrepreneurship globally and discovered that funding is a major factor to be considered for the sustainability of any business whether the business is large or small. This study investigates the impact, the following funding streams; personal funds, Venture capital, Government funding and Bank loans exert on job creation in small businesses in Gauteng. Methodology- A mixed method approach was implemented with two interviews with experts in the financial sector for the qualitative component and the survey with questionnaires completed by entrepreneurs of start-up enterprises for the quantitative part of the report. Results-From the research findings, the researcher should have a clearer picture of how these funding streams impact the growth of the businesses in terms of job creation.,/p>Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Academic literature on the analysis of value creation in private equity industry is still in its infancy. The approach to value attribution is still a contended subject by both academic and professional writers. The purpose of this research was to determine how South African Private Equity industry generates value in portfolio companies. This was achieved by gathering 24 transactions from institutional investors and private equity firms and disaggregating their returns into value drivers. Identified value drivers were financial leverage, revenue growth, EBITDA multiples and EBITDA margin. Contrary to the common belief that the private equity model is more dependent on cutting costs and less on growing businesses, the findings of the study revealed that revenue growth was the biggest relative driver of value while operational efficiency, the least. Results regarding the importance of financial leverage in value creation in the last 10 years could not confirm the popular argument which states that as the private equity model matures the industry is moving towards other value levers. While descriptive statistics confirmed that the level of gearing and size of companies influence the relative importance of EBITDA margin and revenue growth, results from statistical tests were in several cases inconclusive. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Yes / Purpose This paper aims to explore the drivers of employee motivation to facilitate value co-creation. Specifically, it enhances the understanding of social and contextual elements that contribute towards the co-creation of value. Design/methodology/approach Embracing an interpretive paradigm, the study draws on 57 in-depth interviews together with participant observation field notes. The data were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings The findings identify six key drivers that motivate employees to facilitate value co-creation: rewards and recognition, opportunities for life-long learning, interpersonal engagement, role responsibility and accountability, organisational vision and social purpose. Research limitations/implications This study is undertaken within a traditional organisation setting. Other organisational contexts such as working from home should also be considered. Second, this study focused on the individual relational orientations of employees. Also, there is an opportunity to explore the collective orientation of employees. Originality/value Drawing on service-dominant logic (S-D logic) as a theoretical lens, this study adopts and adapts Lindenberg and Steg’s (2013) goal-framing theory to conceptualise six drivers of employee motivation to facilitate value co-creation within three-goal frames that leads to in-role and extra-role job performance.

This study intended to advance the understanding of brand and value co-creation in sport management. A single exploratory case study of the Ottawa REDBLACKS, the CFL expansion franchise launching in 2014, was conducted. The purpose of the research was to unveil the practices that could lead to brand and value co-creation in the relationships between the Ottawa REDBLACKS and their stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews were performed with 20 participants from the focal organization’s network of stakeholders. The sample was built through a purposeful and snowball sampling method that added to stakeholders identified from the literature. Archival data of media publications, organizational online content, and radio podcasts were also gathered in order to complement the data from the interviews. The deductive and inductive data analysis highlighted five main practices that could lead to brand or value co-creation in the stakeholder-firm relationship performance in a unique sport context: establishing relationships, supporting public relations, sharing resources, enhancing the experience, and driving brand image. The findings explained that joint actions between stakeholders and the REDBLACKS can lead to increases in brand equity and value creation. In the end, the study suggested that future research should investigate the threat of co-destruction.

Title: The future of Real estate lies in the Internet of Things Date: 2018-05-22 Grade: Bachelor Thesis Authors: Fabian Henningsson & Harley Ljungdahl Supervisor: Navid Ghannad Purpose: Understand how IoT can create value when implemented within real estate companies Frame of reference: In this part we will present our frame of reference. Our key concepts when gathering this secondary data was IoT, Value creation. These key concepts formed how our model for Value Creation in IoT for real estate companies would look like. Method: In this chapter we have described the method we used to collect our primary data. We have also presented a discussion about why we have chosen the methods we have used and what relevance they have for our survey. Finally, we present the reliability and validity of our sources and research. Empiric: We have interviewed three companies active on the Swedish real estate market. How they use and how they look at the use of IoT technology in an enterprise perspective. Analysis: We have made both a within and cross case analysis on the empirical findings and this has resulted in our model explaining the primary value drivers of IoT in real estate companies. Conclusion: With the help of our primary value drivers in our model and innovation, it´s suggested that the real estate companies can create value with the help of IoT solutions. Keywords: IoT, IoT and real estate, Smart cities, value creation, IT and value creation, IoT value creation and value chain model. Examiner: Thomas Helgesson

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