Outsourcing has been a way for firms to reduce their cost of production and enabling them to focus on their core competencies for decades. As the total costs for manufacturing in China – the most prominent outsourcing location, are increasing due to unfavourable mar-ket changes, which in turn leads to loss of the competitive advantage, European companies are more and more often realizing and pursuing the benefits of ‘near-sourcing’ their manu-facturing operations to Eastern European countries. This paper is a study of outsourcing decisions related to specific products in the Swedish manufacturing industry, how the product characteristics identified through the Portfolio Model of Supplier Relationships, and how the dimensions of the CAGE Dimensions Framework affects such decisions. Primary data was collected through three qualitative, semi-structured interviews with re-spondents from Swedish manufacturers currently outsourcing to China and/or Eastern Europe. The data was analysed through categories obtained from thorough literature re-view, where theoretical models were found as a foundation for the research questions that were established. The research revealed that companies do follow the advised sourcing strategies for specific product characteristics. It serves as a good starting step, but can be developed into different directions. The leverage products were outsourced to China and Eastern Europe, while strategic items were also outsourced to Eastern Europe. However, some leverage items outsourced to both countries had some of the characteristics of a strategic item. The bene-fits from economic distance were the main advantage of production in China, whereas cul-tural and administrative distance had a negative impact. The economic distance for Eastern Europe provided benefits as well, even though these benefits were not as substantial as in China. The political distance served as both a positive and negative factor in Eastern Europe – positive due to its membership in European Union (for some of the countries) and negative due to high levels of corruption.

A literature study was done on the concepts of purchasing and supply management to develop a framework of purchasing and supply management in a mine. A questionnaire was designed, based on the findings in the literature, and to assist to develop a framework of sustainable purchasing and supply management process and procedure towards value creation in a mine. The state of the internal purchasing and supply management process and procedures was assessed through a survey questionnaire to extract the data. The elements of procurement and supply management were broken down into clear activities towards the creation of value in a mine. The key area of concern is to ensure adherence to proper processes and procedures to create an environment that is conducive towards the objectives of the mine and install a mechanism that is measurable. The focus on procurement and supply management towards value creation has became the key determining factor in the mine. A practical development framework of sustainable purchasing and supply management manage towards value is proposed for a mine and to address the gaps found after analysing the questionnaires. The findings of the empirical study and the literature review were used as the basis of the framework. In this thesis the main focus was Purchasing and Supply Management process and procedures, and Contract Management. The relationship between procurement in the supply chain management process and its functional departments is critical towards sustainable development and value creation. Purchasing and Supply Management are one of the key value drivers in a mine and in particular assisting with governance of purchasing activities which contribute significance towards value adding and cost. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are drawn and rendered in order to develop a framework of purchasing and supply management in a mine. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

A literature study was done on the concepts of purchasing and supply management to develop a framework of purchasing and supply management in a mine. A questionnaire was designed, based on the findings in the literature, and to assist to develop a framework of sustainable purchasing and supply management process and procedure towards value creation in a mine. The state of the internal purchasing and supply management process and procedures was assessed through a survey questionnaire to extract the data. The elements of procurement and supply management were broken down into clear activities towards the creation of value in a mine. The key area of concern is to ensure adherence to proper processes and procedures to create an environment that is conducive towards the objectives of the mine and install a mechanism that is measurable. The focus on procurement and supply management towards value creation has became the key determining factor in the mine. A practical development framework of sustainable purchasing and supply management manage towards value is proposed for a mine and to address the gaps found after analysing the questionnaires. The findings of the empirical study and the literature review were used as the basis of the framework. In this thesis the main focus was Purchasing and Supply Management process and procedures, and Contract Management. The relationship between procurement in the supply chain management process and its functional departments is critical towards sustainable development and value creation. Purchasing and Supply Management are one of the key value drivers in a mine and in particular assisting with governance of purchasing activities which contribute significance towards value adding and cost. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are drawn and rendered in order to develop a framework of purchasing and supply management in a mine. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This thesis presents the design and evaluation of the location of a cell phone user, to enable more effective performance monitoring. One of the end-uses I propose is in emergency management, by means of a framework that distributes its functionality between establishing data-set characteristics that are relevant to the problem and a visual tool to evaluate resource-scheduling proposals. Manikarnika is a modular framework, which finds translation in a prototype for Reverse 111. The first steps in the process were to establish whether the parameters I hypothesized as useful, indeed were. Using a statistically significant amount of traces, obtained from real calls placed on the network, the utility of the location metric was established. In order to investigate utilizing a second metric of reputation, a benchmark for evaluating ideas from Social Networks research was proposed, in order to move from arbitrary testing to a more systematic environment. This dissertation details the measurement, design and evaluation of an end-to-end and modular framework for Emergency Management, where the functionality is distributed in order to easily incorporate the changing parameters of sources of information, emergency events, resource requirements of these events and identifying callers that might be able to provide better insight into a situation that is essentially very dynamic. The chasm between research proposals for various end-uses and the application of the same to real life is one that I have tried to bridge in my work. By incorporating pieces from core Electrical Engineering measurements and simulation and extending the use of what was originally a tool built for training Emergency Responders to analyze various resource scheduling agents, which take into account a diversity of administrative domains, I lay the ground work for one possible solution, Reverse 111, which proposes the use of proactive crowd-sourcing for emergency response, with easy extensions to commercial location-based applications.

The research addresses the emergent nature of culture in global Information Systems / Information Technology (IS/IT) outsourcing relationships. Considering the broadly recognized role of culture in Global Outsourcing (GLOS), it builds on existing literature and it identifies three research issues that support the need to address culture in a global IS/IT relationship as emergent. These issues involve: a. A literature “gap” and low research granularity of existing research, b. The tendency to examine culture in IS/IT as either national or organizational, with no adequate research examining the dynamic nature of culture in GLOS collaboration, and c. The unique nature of GLOS culture, which is not stable but emergent. In order to address emergence, the thesis applies a cultural systems perspective, which is used to describe the emergent GLOS culture as related to a GLOS cultural system. An initial model is thus developed, according to which GLOS culture emerges from a GLOS cultural system, and the GLOS cultural system results from the combination of cultural characteristics of separate organizations within the GLOS context. This GLOS cultural system is related to Attitudes and Behaviors (A&B), the Environment, Interactivity, and Control. Using the philosophical perspective of interpretivism and a qualitative methodology, two pilot studies and a series of case studies were conducted. Due to its increasing reliance on outsourcing strategies, the automotive industry was used as the industry-based setting of the research and, more specifically, the phases related to the production of Electronic System (ES) of coaches and buses. Each phase involves the relationship between the client (AC) and one of its three suppliers (AS1, AS2, AS3), all residing in different countries (three across Europe and one in Asia). The analysis of the two pilot cases (GC, DS) helped finalize the interview agenda, which was then used in the four in-depth case studies that describe the relationship between AC and each individual supplier (AC-AS1, AC-AS2, AC-AS3). A thematic analysis was applied to the interview data, leading to an extended version of the initial model. According to the new extended model, the GLOS cultural system, through Mechanisms and Processes, expresses an emergent GLOS culture, which is related to extended versions of the concepts discussed in the initial model. More specifically, in the extended model, emergent GLOS culture is related to Attitudes, Behaviors, and Cognition (ABC), Context, Interactivity, and Regulation. The extended model also extends the concept of the initial model, further reflecting the emergent nature of emergence of the GLOS culture. Therefore, it associates Attitudes, Behaviors, and Cognition (ABC) with the dimensions of we-they and abstract-expressed, Context with the dimensions of environment and definition, Interactivity with the dimensions of relationship and exchange, and Regulation with the dimensions of control and feedback. The contribution of the extended model is demonstrated through validation by professionals and original participants in the study. The model also expresses the uniqueness of each GLOS collaboration and analyzes emergent GLOS culture in terms of specific cultural attributes, as they emerge within the GLOS relationship. Furthermore, it provides an in-depth description of the nature of emergent culture in global collaboration, and its contribution is discussed from a theoretical, practical, and methodological perspective. The thesis also addresses lessons learned, research limitations, and proposals for further research. Overall, the thesis offers an in-depth approach to understanding culture in GLOS relationships. Building on the concept of emergence, as addressed in existing literature, the study extends the discussion of culture beyond the national – organizational level and it offers a list of cultural attributes (themes) related to emergence. Using empirical industry-based evidence from countries selected across various economic and sociopolitical level, and an industry (automotive) that demonstrates a growing interest in outsourcing strategies, it discusses an emergent approach to culture, focusing exclusively on IS/IT GLOS. The emergent GLOS culture extends beyond mere summation of cultural characteristics of collaborating organizations. It allows for dynamism and adjustability, and, at the same time, it offers a new way of capturing, addressing, and explaining the uniqueness of the culture of every GLOS relationship.

<p>SAMMANDRAG: Jag har använt mig av deduktiv teori vilket betyder att jag har skapat en egen modell genom en sammansättning av existerande teorier. Denna modell har se-dan använts i intervjuerna. Modellen visar att ett framgångsrikt sourcingföretag bör ha en bakgrund i en eller ett flertal branscher samt ett väl etablerat nätverk på marknaden. Modellen visar även värdet av erfarenhet på den kinesiska marknaden. Det vill säga att om per-sonerna bakom sourcingföretaget har erfarenhet av att arbeta på den kinesiska marknaden ökar dess chanser att lyckas. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att modellen har varierande framgång. Mo-dellen passar in i branscher där produkterna ar komplexa, där små detaljer i en order kan ha en stor betydelse for slutprodukten, såsom till exempel i klädindu-strin. I dessa branscher ar det fördelaktigt med ett nätverk och djupa bransch-kunskaper som skapar förtroende. I andra branscher med mer standardiserade produkter, som t ex inom sourcing av industriartiklar, ar det viktigare med andra egenskaper som snabbhet och flex-ibilitet. Undersökningen visade också att sourcingföretag inte längre behöver fokusera på de kulturella hindren. Först och främst, för att incitament hos de säljande ki-nesiska firmorna gör att de ar villiga att anpassa sig till västerländska företag. Men också for att det kinesiska samhället i takt med den ekonomiska tillväxten har moderniserats och blivit mer flexibla inför samarbete med västerländska kulturer.</p>

SAMMANDRAG: Jag har använt mig av deduktiv teori vilket betyder att jag har skapat en egen modell genom en sammansättning av existerande teorier. Denna modell har se-dan använts i intervjuerna. Modellen visar att ett framgångsrikt sourcingföretag bör ha en bakgrund i en eller ett flertal branscher samt ett väl etablerat nätverk på marknaden. Modellen visar även värdet av erfarenhet på den kinesiska marknaden. Det vill säga att om per-sonerna bakom sourcingföretaget har erfarenhet av att arbeta på den kinesiska marknaden ökar dess chanser att lyckas. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att modellen har varierande framgång. Mo-dellen passar in i branscher där produkterna ar komplexa, där små detaljer i en order kan ha en stor betydelse for slutprodukten, såsom till exempel i klädindu-strin. I dessa branscher ar det fördelaktigt med ett nätverk och djupa bransch-kunskaper som skapar förtroende. I andra branscher med mer standardiserade produkter, som t ex inom sourcing av industriartiklar, ar det viktigare med andra egenskaper som snabbhet och flex-ibilitet. Undersökningen visade också att sourcingföretag inte längre behöver fokusera på de kulturella hindren. Först och främst, för att incitament hos de säljande ki-nesiska firmorna gör att de ar villiga att anpassa sig till västerländska företag. Men också for att det kinesiska samhället i takt med den ekonomiska tillväxten har moderniserats och blivit mer flexibla inför samarbete med västerländska kulturer.

During the last decade offshore sourcing has emerged as a rapidly growing trend, making offshore-based consultants rule rather than exception in IT consulting projects. This offshore context introduces challenges in knowledge management; something of particular interest in IT consulting, being a knowledge intensive industry where a firm’s ability to leverage knowledge determines its ability to gain competitive advantage. This study adds to the understanding of how these challenges to knowledge management in an offshore context are managed, as well as how project-specific knowledge is managed in such a context. Eight semi-structured interviews have been conducted in two different consulting projects at Accenture. The results suggest that even though Accenture in general uses a distinct codifying strategy, the challenges introduced to knowledge management in an offshore context were mainly handled through personalisation strategy.

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Economia, Administração, Contabilidade e Gestão de Políticas Públicas, Programa de Pós-graduação em Administração, 2017. / Submitted by Fernanda Percia França (fernandafranca@bce.unb.br) on 2017-05-08T16:22:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_GabrieldeDeusFerreira.pdf: 1366004 bytes, checksum: 5ae62edb3ba40f91d098e26451145114 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Raquel Viana (raquelviana@bce.unb.br) on 2017-05-08T18:47:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_GabrieldeDeusFerreira.pdf: 1366004 bytes, checksum: 5ae62edb3ba40f91d098e26451145114 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-08T18:47:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017_GabrieldeDeusFerreira.pdf: 1366004 bytes, checksum: 5ae62edb3ba40f91d098e26451145114 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-08 / O Hackathon é uma estratégia de citizen-sourcing que convida hackers a criar projetos que transformem informações de interesse público em soluções digitais, acessíveis a todos os cidadãos. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral investigar as iniciativas de Hackathons utilizadas como estratégia de citizen-sourcing para inovação aberta no setor público brasileiro, considerando-se a perspectiva de agentes públicos promotores das iniciativas e a motivação de cidadãos participantes. A pesquisa tem natureza exploratório-descritiva e abordagem mista. O método utilizado foi estudo de múltiplos casos (20 Hackathons) e teve como procedimento de coleta de dados pesquisa documental, entrevistas semi-estruturadas com nove agentes públicos promotores de Hackathons e levantamento de opinião com participantes desse tipo de iniciativa no setor público. Como técnica de análise dos dados, foram utilizadas análise documental, análise de conteúdo com categorização a priori e a posteriori, testes de diferenças entre grupos, análises correlacionais, análise fatorial confirmatória, modelo de regressão de Poisson e Modelo de Equações Estruturais. Foram identificados 47 Hackathons realizados no período de 2012 a 2016 pelo setor público. Os principais objetivos desses eventos, sob a ótica de agentes públicos promotores, são: geração de inovações, promoção da participação social e aumento da transparência. Foi aplicado um levantamento de opinião com 308 participantes de Hackathons no setor público e os resultados demonstraram que aprendizado, recompensas financeiras e divertimento influenciam a atitude do sujeito relativa à sua participação em Hackathons (R2 = 67,5%). Entretanto, a atitude pouco explica a variabilidade do número de participações (R2 = 2,1%). Propõe-se, ainda, um framework com fases para o processo decisório para promoção de Hackathons com a finalidade de potencializar o alcance dos objetivos das iniciativas. Este trabalho aprofunda os conhecimentos a respeito de citizensourcing ao discutir os objetivos e resultados de Hackathons sob a ótica de agentes públicos e ao construir uma escala (instrumento psicométrico) de motivação de participantes de citizensourcing utilizando os casos de Hackathons. / The Hackathon is a citizen-sourcing strategy that invites hackers to create projects that transform public-interest information into digital solutions accessible to all citizens. This research aimed to investigate the Hackathon initiatives, used as a citizen-sourcing strategy for open innovation in the Brazilian public sector, considering the perspective of public agents that promoted the initiatives and the motivation of participating citizens. The research has exploratory-descriptive nature and mixed approach. The method used was a multiple case study (20 Hackathons) and had procedures of data collection: documental research, semi-structured interviews with nine public agents promoters of Hackathons and survey with participants of this type of initiative in the public sector. The data analysis techniques were document analysis, content analysis using a priori and a posteriori classification, group differences testes, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, Poisson regression model and Structural Equations Model. It was identified 47 Hackathons conducted in the period from 2012 to 2016 by the public sector. The main objectives of these events, from the perspective of public promoters, are: generation of innovations, promotion of social participation and increase of transparency. A survey with 308 Hackathons participants in the public sector demonstrated that learning, financial rewards and fun influence the attitude relative to subjects participation in Hackathons (R2 = 67,5%). However, the attitude weakly explains the variability of the number of participations (R2 = 2,1%). It was proposed a framework with decision-making process for promotion of Hackathons in order to maximize the achievement of the objectives of the initiatives. This work deepens the knowledge regarding citizen-sourcing discussing the objectives and results of Hackathons under an optics of public agents and builds a motivational scale (psychometric instrument) of citizen-sourcing participants using cases of Hackathons.

The thesis start from general introduction to globalization but its focus is on the following areas: global buying of company inputs (sourcing), expanding on the foreign/global markets (output) and managing the risks associated with globalization (increased competition, foreign currency and raw material/inputs hedge). Overall the thesis is practical in its approach and thus it provides the real applicable approaches in terms of the management in the global economy. Despite these practicalities the thesis also aims at analyzing the more general business environment for global activities of a firm. This is realized in section on economic assessment of the market and evaluation of foreign currency fundamentals.