M.Ing. / This study proposed to evaluate decision methods for R&D projects to assist managers to choose the appropriate type of model for their organization. In order to enhance the understanding of selection of R&D projects, general characteristics of project selection models have been explained with their advantages and disadvantages. For this purpose, model groups, criteria for models and usage of models have been addressed in detail. For better understanding of project selection models, the general characteristics of R&D projects, which are uncertainty, sequentiality and project interactions have been explained. It has been found by literature survey that the most used models are scoring models, economic models and optimization models. Among these models scoring models have more advantages than the others. However, there is not a perfect model for all types of projects and organizations. The criteria for selection of projects and models have been introduced. It has been found that criteria for selection of projects differ according to the type of projects under consideration, to the managers' view of project selection and to the size of the organizations. Research projects are often selected by using scoring models, which allow subjective estimation. On the other hand development or new product projects are selected mostly by using economic models. It has also been found that realism, flexibility, cost, ease of use, and capability were the most accepted criteria for selection of models. In order to make the discussed subjects clearer the project selection practice of Premet R&D has been explained in a step by step fashion. The model used by Premet R&D in the project selection process has also been addressed. Premet R&D's model has been compared with other models and weighted factor scoring model, which is a better version of their model, has been recommended for Premet R&D.

Any company operating in the developing world must view Aids as a threat and have response mechanisms in place (Rosen, Simon, Vincent, MacLeod, Fox and Thea, 2003). The objective of this research was to discover how South African professional services companies are responding to HIV/Aids. The research further sought to confirm whether the response of the professional services sector can be considered ‘rational’ or ‘reasonable.’ Twenty interviews were undertaken across professional services companies to understand how the sector is responding to HIV/Aids from the perspective of their employee base, client base and surrounding communities. The findings showed that most professional services companies have neither felt nor measured the impact of HIV/Aids on their business. Most companies have implemented some sort of measure to respond to HIV/Aids internally, even if only a policy to safeguard them. Some companies view HIV/Aids as an opportunity, in that it enables the provision of additional products and services to clients. More than half of the companies interviewed are contributing to HIV/Aids causes outside of their workplace. As a result of this study, a model has been developed to classify companies according to their response to HIV/Aids. Based on the classification, companies surveyed fell into one of 4 types: shrew, responsible, uninformed or saviour. Twelve companies fell within the ‘shrew’ category, indicating a primarily rational response to HIV/Aids. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Globalisation has become a common topic of discussion and research. This treatise focuses on its role as part of the business of Architectural practice. It investigates the reasons why selected South African Architectural practices decided to globalise, how this decision was reached, implemented and how successful the decisions were. Based on the findings of a literature study it uses the case study methodology to confirm the findings that the strategic position of South African Architectural practices is one where practical and historical reasons exist for the profession to embark on a globalisation strategy. The studies confirm that a globalisation strategy presents a suitable, feasible and acceptable strategy for South African Architectural practices. However, a disconcerting element of the findings was the fact that there are strong indications that South African Architectural practices do not realise the potential benefits inherent in regular strategic planning. Thus it recommends that such a strategy should be based on specialist knowledge or experience, that opening an office in the area to which firms wish to expand will greatly enhance the chances of success, that formal strategic planning processes should be used to ensure that such a strategy is an appropriate one and to identify the countries to which the firm plans to expand its services. Furthermore, it recommends that Government should recognise that firms expanding in this manner hold specific advantages for the national economy and introduce steps to support the profession so that it may build the capacity and skills required therefore. In addition it recommends that the relevant professional bodies should ensure that their members have the business and managerial skills required to ensure the achievement of these objectives.

Thesis advisor: Ryan Chahrour / Thesis advisor: Fabio Schiantarelli / This dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter, "The Supply-Side Effects of India's Demonetization", investigates the supply-side effects of a unique monetary shock – the 2016 Indian demonetization – that made 86% of currency in circulation illegal overnight. Exploiting cross-sectional variation in firm and industry characteristics that correlate with cash usage and exposure to the informal sector, I find that firms that use cash more and obtain larger shares of labor or material inputs from the informal sector, experienced declines in their labor and material shares after demonetization. I also show that casual laborers were more likely to report being unemployed in the months following demonetization. These findings document a supply channel for demonetization and also show that cash plays an essential role in India's informal sector. Crucially, given that India's formal sector is highly dependent on the informal sector for labor and materials, any shock to the supply of cash is likely to have affected the economy as a whole. In the second chapter, "Directed Lending and Misallocation: Evidence from India", joint with Deeksha Kale, we leverage a natural experiment to study whether targeted credit policy can help reduce misallocation. In 2006, the Government of India modified the definition of small firms thereby expanding eligibility to a directed credit program. We show that the credit policy changed eligible firms' input wedges and thereby reduced misallocation. For firms with initially higher MRPK, the policy resulted in relatively larger increases in physical capital and decreased the MRPK. This policy moderately reduced within-industry dispersion of MRPK and increased aggregate productivity. Finally, in the third chapter, "Victims of Consequence: Evidence on Child Outcomes using Microdata from a Civil War", joint with Sajala Pandey, we study the short-run impacts of violent events on child time allocation, curative health-care, and education. Exploiting spatial and temporal variation in exposure to local-level armed conflict, we find that an increase in violent events: (i) leads to an increase in contemporaneous hours worked by children, with the effect being substantial for agricultural work; (ii) decreases the likelihood of parents taking their children to visit a health-care facility to seek curative care; and (iii) results in a reduced likelihood of attending school, along with a decline in years of education. Overall, the results indicate that the war affected schooling and time allocation of boys whereas girls were less likely to get curative health-care. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 C53 / Master of Landscape Architecture

The integrative chapter of this thesis explains how the nominated papers, when combined, meet the University of Exeter’s assessment criteria for the award of PhD by Publication. It argues that a coherent contribution to knowledge emerges from the three strands of research discussed, namely: (i) examinations of research and innovation policy, notably via the work of tourism academics and the knowledge exchange practices of practitioners; (ii) investigations into the practices of small businesses in tourism, particularly in relation to their articulation with public policy at a local level; (iii) an assessment of the professionalization of tourism, via the conceptual lens of corporate professionalization. Collectively, these publications explain important aspects of business, notably small business, dynamics in tourism; my contribution has been to provide new conceptualisations of tourism organisations and explanations for their behaviour that advance existing academic accounts. The theoretical contributions made offer public policy-makers greater scope for developing interventions to more effectively influence business behaviour than at present. The chapter also reviews, briefly, the range of methods of enquiry used in my research and my philosophical position in relation to knowledge construction. Finally, the limitations of my work and my current research agenda are discussed.

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

No description available.

This study is concerned with the integration of young Omanis into the labour market. The aim is identify the factors that hamper their efforts to gain access into the labour market. The year 1970 marked the beginning of a new era in the history of Oman. This hitherto backward and undeveloped country embarked on an ambitious development programme and within a span of twenty five years achieved rapid economic growth and social change. The pace of economic development has been determined by the revenues generated from oil which are the main source of income for the government. In its transformation the country relied on an expatriate labour force to meet the demand for a competent work force needed to carry out and run various plans and projects. Their size increased from few hundreds in 1970 to constitute two thirds of the country's workforce which was estimated at around 625,000 in 1995. Until 1970, most young Omanis were seeking employment in the public sector. The fall of oil prices from 1986 onwards and the advent of the Gulf crises in 1990, weakened the economy of Oman and the Government's role as the leading employer of school-leavers was reduced. Accordingly, a growing number of young Omanis began to approach the private sector for employment. The private sector employers were, however, more enthusiastic to recruit expatriate workers than to employ young Omanis. The result was growing unemployment amongst young school-leavers. This situation coincided with the majority of jobs being occupied by non-Omanis. This situation raised question marks about the efficiency of the human resource policies of the country. The changes brought about by this new pattern of employment and the difficulties faced by the young schoolleavers is the central focus of this study. To provide an adequate explanation for the impact of this issue, the study drew on the experiences of several countries and covered different issues under different disciplines, in order to formulate a set of assumptions. These assumptions were developed to reflect the perspectives of the principle groups of stakeholders concerned with labour market issues - young Omanis, private sector employers, and Omani society as a whole. In gathering data and generating knowledge, the study employed a triangulation of methods comprising quantitative and qualitative research methods. The employment of multiple methods was essential, on the grounds that not much research has been carried out in Oman. Respondents, many of them expatriates with little motivation to support the objective of the study, often questioned the intention and motivation of the researcher. Therefore, to obtain an accurate picture from them, it was important to intensify the efforts in the field to ensure the veracity of their responses. Based on these investigations the study has sought to conceptualise a theoretical approach to youth transition from school to the labour market, based on two types of factors: endogenous and exogenous. The study also offered a set of suggestions to policy makers to alleviate the problem of youth unemployment in the country.

No description available.