A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management: Strategic Marketing Johannesburg, 2017 / State-owned enterprises share many similarities with their purely commercial counterparts. There are however, a number of factors that these organisations are obligated to account for that set them apart from traditional product and service brands. This makes them unique in terms of how and why they build their corporate brands and manage their brand portfolios. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are prolific across the world. Enterprises controlled and funded entirely or partially by governments are involved in a broad spectrum of business ranging from arms manufacture to communications and media. These state-owned enterprises often command marketing budgets and resource their businesses with brand managers for the purposes of building strong corporate brands and managing their brand portfolios effectively. In short, SOEs often behave as brands and yet their objectives differ from the very definition of what building a brand is intended to do; deliver bottom-line value to the business. The main problem in this study then was to identify the decision-making factors in corporate brand building and portfolio management in a South African state-owned organisation. This was in a bid to resolve how these factors are prioritised to achieve organisational objectives and what value there is in building a corporate brand in such a state-owned organisation. To do this a qualitative research strategy was selected as a means of identifying insights from key personnel at a state-owned organisation. A single case study method was utilised and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) was identified as an ideal SOE in which to conduct the study. The key findings indicated a worrying level of confusion regarding the true objectives of the organisation. This was attributed to be due to two factors. Firstly, that there is a conflict between the mandate of an SOE or its altruistic, normative objective to serve the country and its people and the commercial imperative to build consumers (or audiences in the case of the SABC) and attract revenue to be self-sustaining. Secondly, that due to political influence and the nature of state- ownership of the organisation, the objectives documented and approved differ to those that are truly practiced by managers in the organisation. Further to this it was found that there is a lack of clarity regarding the structure of the brand portfolio and relationships between brands, many of which have strong heritage in and of themselves and form key touchpoints for sizeable audiences. It was found that building a strong corporate brand was essential for the SABC’s success and that each brand in the portfolio should fall under the umbrella corporate brand however this again brought forth the conflict between how things should be and how they can practically be done. Due to its SOE nature, and the public context of the SABC, it was found that the portfolio brands tended to distance themselves from the corporate brand due to its instability and negative corporate reputation which impacted on individual brand performances in the portfolio. Based on the findings in this study, this thesis recommends a clear prioritisation of the three areas of influence within the SOE in the order of audiences followed by mandate and then revenue. The thesis recommends a corporate brand audit, taking stock of the heritage elements of the SABC corporate brand and its brand portfolio so as to mine the value in its 80-year-old history and to turn these heritage-based elements into advantages for the organisation upon which its corporate brand can be built. This thesis recommends the building of a strong corporate brand for the SABC with links between each brand in its portfolio leaning to the branded house side of the spectrum of classical brand relationship typology. The study also proposes practical applications to achieve prioritisation of the corporate brand which requires high level management attention. To this end, it calls for the appointment of a Chief Marketing Officer to the executive of the SABC and a core corporate brand management team. The function of this team would be to articulate the objectives and the prioritisation of these objectives to all stakeholder groups, to audit and reorganise the brand portfolio for effective management according to theory-based guidelines, and to establish and implement a corporate brand building strategy that will deliver value to the SABC and all its stakeholders, using the corporate brand and its messaging as a bridge to connect the brand promise of the organisation to the brand reality experienced by those stakeholder groups most especially its audiences as priority. / MT 2017

No description available.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities / Department of Government and Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Politics and Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

This study explored the relationship between management and the union in an Eastern Cape Public Sector Department. The study employed both qualitative and quantitative research tools to collect information from the respondents, who gave a view on their experiences of what the relationship is, and how it could be improved. The sample consisted of members of management and union executives, across employment levels. Both statistical and thematic analysis were used to analyse data from questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The literature review defined the concept of trade unionism, management and trade union relationship in the workplace, and different frames of reference of the labour relations system. From the literature review it is noted that management and union relationships are more of a formal arrangement in the workplace; as such government, has developed tools to assist in this regard. Although that is not the case in the Department it is noted that the informal arrangement in the relationship between management and union is ‘working’ to some extent. Quality and sustainability of that, however, is questionable. The findings indicate that most members of management acknowledge the existence of the relationship between management and the union, but they are dissatisfied, as most members are not part of the engagements with the union. They are also of the view that it is in favour of the union. Unions on the other hand, view the existing relationship as working in favour of one union instead of the union collective. The union which finds favour is satisfied, and the other is not. It is recommended that the management and union engagement be formalized in order for the Department to work with unions in a more structured, professional manner, which would be inclusive of other members of management who feel left out. Not only that, but management would also be able to engage with the union as a collective, and not as an individual union.

There are an estimated 300 state-owned enterprises in South Africa with nine reporting to the Department of Public Enterprises (Chabane, 2010). The remaining institutions report to various national ministries, provinces and municipalities. The problem faced by these institutions is related to performance management practices that do not assist these institutions to be effective, efficient, responsive and accountable service delivery arms as per the guiding principle of their establishment. The current performance management practices in these institutions prevent the institutions from achieving set goals and targets and being able to operate efficiently in a highly competitive environment. Performance management is a broad field and includes any activity that organisational leaders may undertake which is designed to ensure that personal and organisational goals are consistently achieved. In reality, most of the day-to-day activities of individual employees, teams, and business units make some contribution to the performance management effort. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of performance management system in state development agencies in the Eastern Cape Province and recommend a framework for performance management that can be implemented to improve productivity. The empirical study was conducted, using a questionnaire with a semi-structured question design. The results of this study suggest that performance management is still a top down approach that results in sub-units and individual employees (not) taking ownership of the process. Another shortcoming in the implementation of performance management is related to the unavailability of easy-to-use technology for collecting performance information. Furthermore, a majority of the agencies do not use a strategy map which is an additional procedural framework through which the score card can be applied as a system to strengthen the management of the organisation’s strategy. State development agencies should find ways to improve their performance management systems to ensure that these are effective, efficient, responsive and accountable service delivery arms as per the guiding principle of their establishment. Despite all the shortcomings identified, the majority of the respondents agreed that performance management is a method of management designed to ensure that organisations and all its components work together in order to optimise the organisational goals. It is recommended that in order for the institutions to be effective and efficient delivery arms of government, a lot of work needs to be done to reengineer the implementation of performance management as a day-to-day management tool to drive the strategy of the organisations. This includes:  Taking advantage of technology and adopt easy-to-use computer-based programmes to collect performance data. These systems can be linked to the company intranet and allow all employees to update performance information in an effective and efficient manner.  Focus on their reward and recognition process. The reward and recognition should be linked directly to performance not a status, job grade or seniority. Reward and recognition should be given as soon as possible after outstanding performance. In doing so, institutions should move away from secrecy about performance evaluation results and remuneration, and towards an environment of more openness (transparency).  Lastly, institutions should make strategic management a core competency. This new management discipline has been adopted by the local government sphere. This means organisations should look at creating a position of strategic manager at a senior management level in their organograms.

Thesis M.COM. (Accounting)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / The apparent weaknesses in corporate governance of state-owned enterprises and poor audit reports have heightened the concern of investors and the state as the major shareholder of these enterprises returns. Audit committees as a mechanism for good corporate governance plays a major role in enterprise performance. These state-owned enterprises play a vital role in the economy of South Africa. This study examines the effect of audit committee composition (independence, gender diversity, financial expertise and size) on financial performance measured by return on assets using major state-owned enterprises listed on Schedule 2 of PFMA. The results show that the audit committee size, gender diversity and financial expertise has an insignificant positive relationship with ROA, whereas the independence of audit committee members has an insignificant negative association. The result of the study may be beneficial to various stakeholders and boards of enterprises to make some proper decisions on audit committee composition to attract more investors and at the same time safeguarding the investments of shareholders.

PhD. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / State owned enterprises (SOEs) form one of the largest sectors within the economy in many countries and are important contributors to national development. They globally make up a greater part of the national gross domestic product (GDP). However, the performance of most SOEs in developing countries, such as South Africa, is substandard, prompting practitioners and researchers to continue searching for lasting solutions. The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of innovation capabilities to market and business performance in SOEs in South Africa. The study followed a quantitative survey research method. A self-completion questionnaire was distributed to a purposive sample of 278 professional employees and managers in a selected South African SOE who were based in three provinces, namely, Gauteng, North-West and the Free State provinces. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 25.0) and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS version 25.0). The techniques used to analyse the data include descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and structural equation modelling to test the hypotheses. Out of the seven hypotheses tested in this study, six were accepted. Innovative strategy, market innovation and technological innovation all significantly predicted market competitiveness. Market competitiveness significantly predicted three business performance dimensions, namely, environmental, financial, and operational. The study proposes a unique model for managing the contribution of innovation capabilities to business performance in SOEs in South Africa. Theoretically, the study contributes to the existing body of knowledge since it is an addition to the available literature on innovation capabilities and performance of SOEs. Practically, in the study for the optimisation of market competitiveness and business performance, in SOEs, emphasis should be placed on understanding and considering the appropriate innovation capabilities as input factors.

by Cheung, Wing Hang, Sakaguchi, Hitoshi. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-87). / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENT --- p.iii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.vi / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / CHAPTER / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter I.I. --- Why do we study H-share companies? --- p.1 / Chapter I.II. --- Why do PRC state-owned enterprises need to raise capital overseas? --- p.3 / Chapter I.II.I. --- Capacity of PRC equity market --- p.3 / Chapter I.II.II. --- Foreign Currency --- p.3 / Chapter I.II.III. --- Accumulate experience for future SOEs reform --- p.4 / Chapter I.II.IV. --- Promotion --- p.4 / Chapter I.III. --- Why do most SOEs prefer listing in Hong Kong to listing in other places? --- p.5 / Chapter I.III.I --- IPO P/E ratio in overseas market --- p.5 / Chapter I.III.II. --- Cost of listing: IPO & annual operation cost --- p.6 / Chapter I.III.III. --- Understanding of the overseas market by SOEs management --- p.6 / Chapter I.IV. --- Background of SOEs reform --- p.6 / Chapter I.IV.I. --- First stage (1979 to 1983) --- p.6 / Chapter I.IV.II. --- Second stage (1984 to 1988) --- p.7 / Chapter I.IV.III. --- Third stage (1989 to before 15th Communist Party Congress) --- p.7 / Chapter I.V. --- Profile and Development of H-share companies --- p.8 / Chapter I.VI. --- PRC SOES equity shareholding structure --- p.10 / Chapter II. --- METHODOLOGIES --- p.11 / Chapter II.I. --- Agency cost problems --- p.13 / Chapter II.II. --- Government control --- p.15 / Chapter II.III. --- Asymmetric Information --- p.15 / Chapter II.IV. --- Industry --- p.16 / Chapter II.V. --- Strategy --- p.17 / Chapter III. --- CASE STUDY: YIZHENG CHEMICAL FIBRE COMPANY LTD --- p.18 / Chapter III.I. --- Background --- p.18 / Chapter III.II. --- Agency Cost --- p.21 / Chapter III.II.I. --- Management Structure --- p.21 / Chapter III.II.II. --- Remuneration --- p.24 / Chapter III.II.III. --- Management Ownership --- p.26 / Chapter III.III. --- Government Control --- p.27 / Chapter III.III.I --- Product and raw material prices --- p.27 / Chapter III.III.II. --- Taxation --- p.27 / Chapter III.III.III. --- Import custom --- p.27 / Chapter III.III.IV. --- Product mix --- p.28 / Chapter III.III.V. --- Mergers & Acquisition under Government Policies --- p.28 / Chapter III.III.VI. --- Government intervention on capital raising decisions --- p.29 / Chapter III.IV. --- Asymmetric Information --- p.31 / Chapter III.IV.I. --- Analyst coverage --- p.37 / Chapter III.IV.II. --- Investment of Institutional Investors --- p.31 / Chapter III.IV.III. --- Incorrect forecast on product prices and profit margin --- p.31 / Chapter III.IV.IV. --- Acquisition of Foshan Chemical Fibre Complex --- p.31 / Chapter III.V. --- Industry Analysis --- p.31 / Chapter III.V.I. --- Background of the industry: 21 --- p.31 / Chapter III.V.II. --- Porter Five's Forces Analysis - Polyester industry in the PRC --- p.31 / Chapter III.VI. --- Strategy --- p.31 / Chapter IV. --- CASE STUDY: HARBIN POWER EQUIPMENT COMPANY LIMITED --- p.31 / Chapter IV.I. --- Background --- p.31 / Chapter IV.II. --- Agency Cost --- p.31 / Chapter IV.II.I --- Management Structure --- p.3] / Chapter IV.II.II. --- Remuneration --- p.31 / Chapter IV.II.III. --- Management Ownership --- p.53 / Chapter IV.III. --- Government Regulation --- p.53 / Chapter IV.III.I. --- Product and Raw Material Price --- p.53 / Chapter IV.III.II. --- Taxation --- p.54 / Chapter IV.III.III. --- Monetary Policy --- p.54 / Chapter IV.IV. --- Asymmetric Information --- p.56 / Chapter IV.IV.I. --- Analyst Coverage --- p.56 / Chapter IV.IV.II. --- Investment of Institutional Investors --- p.56 / Chapter IV.IV.III. --- Information disclosure --- p.57 / Chapter IV.V. --- Industry --- p.57 / Chapter IV.V.I. --- Industry Growth --- p.57 / Chapter IV.V.II. --- Porter Five's Forces Analysis ´ؤ Power Equipment Industry in the PRC --- p.58 / Chapter IV.VI. --- Strategy --- p.63 / Chapter V. --- DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION --- p.66 / Chapter V.I. --- Agency Cost --- p.66 / Chapter V.II. --- Government Control --- p.66 / Chapter V.III. --- Asymmetric Information --- p.67 / Chapter V.IV. --- Industry --- p.68 / Chapter V.V. --- Strategy --- p.68 / Chapter V.VI. --- Explanations for the first year price performance of Yizheng and HPEC --- p.68 / Chapter V.VII. --- Conclusion --- p.72 / Appendix I - List of Capital Raising of H-shares companies (up to 3 1st December 1997) --- p.74 / Appendix II ´ؤ Results of companies selection methodology --- p.82 / Appendix III - History of Yizheng Chemical --- p.85 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.86