M.Comm. / Change is inevitable in today’s world. Multinational companies are constantly being forced to adapt in order to survive. When companies are not able to adjust to the changing environment they run the risk of becoming obsolete. When General Motors (GM) returned to South Africa and bought back Delta Motors Corporation (DMC) in 2004, dealers were faced with new procedures, policies and management styles. This study aimed to establish how GM dealers viewed change, by exploring their views on the Delta Motors takeover in 2004. Five dealerships participated in the study and 15 employees were interviewed. The results were analysed through content analysis. Recommendations are made with regard to addressing the change process and the difficulties that accompany it. The study reinforces the importance of communication, planning and employee development in a change process. By encouraging involvement, people own the change process and do not feel that change is being forced upon them. Although change is critical, research shows that it is a complex process that needs to be planned thoroughly. This research includes lessons learned from the change process that GM went through when it took over from DMC.

The Thesis summarizes development and management of multinational corporation which must deal with the consequences of the financial crisis. It includes theoretical background within international management and strategic analyses which are applied in functional part to General Motors Corporation. The result of the strategic analyses is to map the current situation of the company, its prospective trend and recommendations.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Sociology, December 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Notre mémoire porte sur la fermeture, en 2002, de la seule usine d'assemblage automobile de la province du Québec, à Boisbriand, par la compagnie General Motors. Nous situons ce cas dans un contexte de crise du modèle de régulation fordiste et dans le contexte particulier du modèle québécois. Nous sommes partis du principe que l'industrie automobile étant fortement intégrée, les impacts locaux de la fermeture de l'usine devaient être majeurs: effets directs, les emplois perdus, à l'usine, puis, en cascade, chez les sous-traitants qui avaient des contrats avec l'usine; puis indirects, sur la dynamique économique de la région et de la province, sur l'ensemble de la filière automobile du Québec. Enfin, d'un point de vue spécifiquement territorial, nous nous sommes interrogé sur la capacité du milieu de se restructurer après le départ d'un acteur productif majeur. Pour y arriver, nous avons réalisé une étude documentaire basée sur de nombreuses sources -radio, télévision, Internet, presse écrite -puis nous avons établi le système d'acteurs de la région étudiée. Ensuite, nous avons passé des entrevues avec certains de ces acteurs, qui nous ont permis de recueillir d'autant plus d'informations qu'ils provenaient de milieux institutionnels différents. Nos résultats nous ont surpris, et surprendront certainement le lecteur étranger au cas étudié. En fait, les impacts locaux de la fermeture de l'usine General Motors de Boisbriand sont minimes. Les emplois perdus (1300 licenciements) concernent, pour la plupart, des travailleurs proches de la retraite. Le réseau de sous-traitance automobile québécois était déjà en place avant la venue de GM dans la région, et n'a donc pas eu de problème grave à surmonter son départ. En fait, l'implantation de l'usine n'ayant pas eu d'effet structurant comme nous pouvions l'envisager avant l'étude du cas, la fermeture de Boisbriand pouvait difficilement avoir des effets déstructurants. Notre étude est, à notre connaissance, la première de ce type réalisée au Canada, et donc au Québec, et permet, pensons-nous, de mieux comprendre la spécificité québécoise et la réaction locale face à la mondialisation. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Stratégie, Développement, Local, Territorial, Post-fordisme, Modèle québécois.

Submitted to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2003. / Chair: William R. Moomaw. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-207). Access restricted to members of the Tufts University community. Also available via the World Wide Web;

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2008. Graduate Programme in Geography. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 155-168). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR38828

Recently, organisations have been faced with challenges like never before. Increasing competition from businesses across the world has meant that businesses must be more careful about the choice of strategies to remain competitive. This situation has placed more focus on organizational effectiveness in that systems and processes be applied in the right way to the right things to achieve results. All of the organisational processes must continue to be aligned to achieve the overall results desired by the organisation for it to survive and thrive. Performance management is an ongoing process that should reflect the current and emerging business challenges, as well as the company’s values about performance and careers. As the business and workforce change, the performance management process should be modified to ensure that the process and tools remain congruent with organisational values and priorities. The objective of this study was to identify the influence of the current performance management system, in the Finance department at General Motors South Africa, as a facilitation tool in aiding or assisting management in achieving individual and departmental goals. To achieve this objective a comprehensive literature study was performed to determine the views on performance, and on performance management systems. A questionnaire was designed based on the guidelines in the literature study, in order to establish the extent to which the organisation manages performance. The researcher used the random sampling method of selection and distributed the questionnaire to eighty one potential respondents via mail and electronic e-mail. Forty one completed questionnaires were returned and these were processed and -iiianalysed using Microsoft Office Excel 2003, running on the Windows XP suite of computer packages. The respondent’s opinion obtained from the questionnaires were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature study in order to identify shortcomings of the influence that the performance management system has on the achievement of individual and departmental goals at the selected organisation. It can be concluded from the respondent’s opinions that the greatest shortcomings of the current performance management system are the link between performance and reward, and commitment to the process in its totality. The other areas of concern are the lack of training and development, and the necessary resources required to achieve objectives. The study also indicates there is no overwhelming agreement that feedback, both positive and negative, takes place as the literature suggests. The following were the main recommendations and conclusions made: • Firstly, it is imperative that management undergoes training in the feedback and review process which is a critical element in the performance management cycle. • Secondly, to realise the benefit of increased employee effectiveness, management should undergo training to become more effective career coaches to promote a climate of continuous learning and professional growth. • Thirdly, the reward system should be reviewed, if management is committed to using pay as an incentive for desired levels and directions of performance. • Fourthly, management can set an example and build commitment for effective performance management and be leaders at all levels.

Over the past couple of decades traditional manufacturing techniques have been replaced by lean production around the world. This change in production methodology brought about the opportunity for numerous companies to reduce costs and customer lead time through the application of this lean philosophy. The worldwide shift from traditional manufacturing to lean manufacturing can be ascribed to the success of Toyota Motor Company. Lean manufacturing refers to a manufacturing improvement process in order to minimize or eliminate waste while maximizing production flow (Tapping, et al., 2002:30). A value stream includes all the operations and processes to transform raw material into finished products or services. Value stream is a management tool used for the planning of a production process involving lean techniques through systematic data capturing and analysis (Tapping 2002 et al., 41). Value stream is a proven process for planning the improvements that will allow companies to develop lean practices. One key to Toyota’s success that GMSA and many other South African companies have not been able to emulate is the transformation of their suppliers to apply the lean philosophy. This lack of supplier transformation is due to various reasons including supplier proximity, supplier relationships, supplier performance levels, and the ordering policies used for supplied parts. Even though many manufacturing organizations realize the importance of practicing lean manufacturing techniques, few organizations apply lean techniques with the required knowledge and tools to transform their organization from traditional manufacturing to lean manufacturing. This research project is based purely on the lean manufacturing principles and philosophies. The aim of the study is to make GMSA’s suppliers aware of the principles and processes of lean manufacturing and to develop a lean implementation strategy to assist organizations with the successful implementation of lean practices. In order to correctly implement and sustain lean manufacturing practices this study will also focus on supplier support and development and the behavior an organization must exhibit to make this transformation a success. The research methodology comprised the following steps: • A literature study was performed by the researcher to get a better understanding of the principles and philosophies of lean manufacturing; • A second literature study was also performed to get a better understanding of the continuous improvement philosophies of lean manufacturing including supplier support & development; and • To accomplish the objectives of this study, interview sessions were conducted with four senior managers of General Motors South Africa. The researcher selected the interviewees from the following departments within General Motors South Africa: Global Purchasing and Supply Chain; Supplier Quality and Development; Vehicle Assembly Operations and Material Supply. The interviewees from General Motors South Africa were identified as qualified data sources for this research project, as their professional opinions and viewpoints could best address the research questions.

There is a consensus globally that climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing operations. Immediate actions are required to reduce the carbon footprint in order for the environment to endure future logistics processes and activities (The National Treasury department of South Africa, 2010). Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are emissions generated from manufacturing processes, distribution networks and treatments processes (Verfaillie and Bidwell, 2000). Companies globally are expected to monitor pollution and focus on reducing the discharge of pollutants. Logistics Managers are therefore pressured to reduce the carbon footprint as it affects the environment and our health. Companies are becoming more concerned with the impact of various activities and processes on the environment. Traditional logistics models, primarily focuses on minimising cost with little focus on the environmental impact and sustaining operations for the future (Sbihi and Eglese, 2009) General Motors (GM) is a multi-national vehicle manufacturer with operations in various countries. GM filed for bankruptcy in 2009 resulting in the formation of the new GM; one of the focus areas was to ensure sustainability which resulted in the introduction of the ‘Sustainability in motion’ program in 2009 (New York Times, 2009). General Motors South Africa (GMSAf) is a vehicle assembler with manufacturing facilities and head offices located in Port Elizabeth. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the multinational General Motors Company. The aim of the research is to determine whether a culture that promotes environmentally conscious behaviour exists within employees and their relationships within a team, with management, stakeholders and suppliers. The study will assist in highlighting areas which need improvement to enable the creation of environmentally sustainable initiatives and implementation thereof. The empirical study revealed that the following management commitment, education and training, performance management and participation and involvement were important factors in the effective implementation of an environmental sustainability program.

Insolvency law is a progressive and dynamic legal discipline closely interrelated with economics and business. A quality legal framework of insolvency is indispensable for modern market economies: it helps to identify companies or individuals in financial distress and to restructure their debts, or liquidate their assets in an efficient and transparent way. The main purpose of the insolvency law is to provide creditors and debtors with a ground for negotiations and to help them reach qualified decisions based on the available information. In the Czech Republic, the insolvency law had long been criticized for its insufficient protection of creditors and for the loopholes that made extensive property frauds possible without having the wrongdoers punished. The current Czech Insolvency Act which took effect in 2008 was broadly inspired by the U.S. Bankruptcy Code Chapter 11 and eliminated most of the weaknesses of the earlier law. This thesis shows that valuable inspiration can be found not only in texts of statutes but also in the real life. On the example of reorganizations of Kordárna and GM described here, main principles of insolvency law are being discussed.