Stockholders invest billions of dollars in the purchase of new corporate coffee stock while producers of these commodities exist in poverty of developing nations. Corporate managers may miss the opportunities for offering humanitarian aid if potential stockholders do not know of corporate social change initiatives. Little research in the influence of socially conscious initiatives exists in the coffee sector and none concentrating on socially conscious initiative announcements. If a relationship exists between socially conscious initiative announcements and stock investments, then managers could justify funding social change initiatives. This quantitative study used a 5 day pre and post event study methodology including t tests, ANOVAs, and regressions examining five companies with 138 individual announcements from 5 coffee companies between 2011 and 2015. The independent variables were socially conscious initiative announcements regarding separate initiatives in the Wall Street Journal and differing socially conscious initiatives in the Washington Post. The dependent variables were abnormal changes in the Standard and Poor coffee corporate closing prices. This study used the Weighted Average Cost of Capital, the Capital Asset Pricing Model, and the Fama-French 3 Factors Model to demonstrate abnormal positive stock abnormalities. resulting in statistically significant positive findings pre and post publication in the five companies examined. Further research could use different time periods or media outlets. Similar findings could support advantages for investors and managers for aiding struggling coffee producers enticing other corporations to follow suit leading to beneficial worldwide social good development.

The purpose of this research is to understand factors contributing to successes and challenges in community participation especially in waste minimization initiatives; in order to inform policies and contribute to improve the design of the initiative. The objectives of the research are: firstly, to understand the current state of public participation in waste minimization at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Secondly, it is to determine the extent of willingness of the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives. Thirdly, to determine strategies on how to promote public participation in waste minimization. Fourthly, to identify constraints and challenges of public participation in waste minimization and what kind of support is required for the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Respondents were drawn from fifty households within the community of Bophelong Extension 13, Emfuleni Recycling groups, Waste Management officials, Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment stake holder participation unit and Waste Buyers in Vanderbijlpark. The researcher employed mainly a qualitative research design and data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative study was done on officials and responses were ranked according to the importance of the factors influencing community participation. The findings of this research indicate that the community is willing to participate in waste minimization initiatives. 42% of respondents are currently NOT participating in waste minimization initiatives. It was noted that all community respondents promised and are willing to participate in waste minimization strategies. The research further indicates that there is a considerable number of constraints and challenges prohibiting successful community participation in waste minimization. The constraints include lack of knowledge especially regarding composting initiatives to minimize organic waste and the separation of waste, lack of infrastructure to exchange waste for cash, lack of time, lack of transport, lack of political support, lack of starter packs to initiate own waste minimization plant and lack of financial support to ensure that waste minimization initiatives create opportunities for job creation. This study recommends, amongst others, that the community requires support to participate meaningfully in waste minimization initiatives in the form of: awareness and education, infrastructure for reclaimed waste, waste recycling bins, project funding, community involvement and support from the Emfuleni Local Municipality and the private sector. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

This thesis uses the discourse analysis methods developed by T. Van Dijk and J. P. Gee to examine public debate over the Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 2001 as it arose in testimony before the U. S. House of Representatives and related news articles published in the New York Times and Washington Post. In analyzing the language used in the congressional hearings and news articles printed between January 2001 and December 2004, Van Dijk‘s categories and related questions were methodologically combined with Gee‘s approach to provide a framework and method for analyzing the underlying discourse. While debate participants expressed strong beliefs in complex social ideals, many see America‘s social problems as intractable in nature, where key decisions about distributions of funds are based on political considerations, as opposed to merit or need.

The horticultural industry is responsible for approximately half of the invasive plant introductions in North America. To reduce these introductions, voluntary initiatives are preferred over government regulations. This thesis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two types of voluntary initiatives. At the gardener level, I investigated the effectiveness of alternative species promotion campaigns, called “Grow Me Instead” programs. Adult gardeners visiting the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton, Ontario, as well as customers at two garden centres, participated in a conjoint analysis which measured their preferences for various traits of potential ground cover species. Results showed that gardeners generally prefer plant species having invasive characteristics, suggesting these programs may not be as effective as initially believed. At the retailer level, this study aimed to build upon the work done by Burt and colleagues (2007) to obtain further understanding of the relative strength of internal (ethical motivations) and external (legislation, stakeholder pressures and economic opportunities) factors for motivating participation in voluntary initiatives. Telephone interviews were conducted with 30 industry professionals from southern Ontario to assess their adoption of the St. Louis Voluntary Codes of Conduct. Results found that participation rates of industry professionals in southern Ontario were lower for every specific initiative than those interviewed by Burt et al. (2007). Industry professionals presently experience the most pressure to participate from a sense of personal responsibility and the desire to create a green business image. Pressure was significantly higher from these sources than from pressure from employees. Together these two studies identified several barriers to the efficacy of voluntary initiatives as well as some reasons for optimism. To ensure the success of future voluntary initiatives, efforts must be made to encourage these two groups to work together. Understanding how both retailers and gardeners respond to voluntary initiatives will assist in the development of more effective programs and lead to fewer horticultural invasive species introductions in the future.

The last decade has seen the growth of knowledge based industries and knowledge work. It has also witnessed the ever-increasing onslaught of competition and change.Intangibles have become increasingly important factors in determining organizational effectiveness. The changing business scenario and the role of information technology has made it imperative to take a new look at existing business systems, policies and structures. Today we speak of networked innovation, knowledge work and knowledge value added. Stewart (1998) and Barley (1994) reported the increasing content of knowledge in work and increasing numbers of people doing knowledge work.Davenport (1994) and Bhat (1998) spoke of the importance of managing social interactions in the firm to create competitive advantage. The Dow Jones Index and the Fortune list of companies increasingly showed a growth in the knowledge industry.While organizations from the old economy struggled the new fangled knowledge industry was here to stay. Intellectual Capital and Intangibles accounting became a buzzword. Organizations began to demonstrate how effective management of these factors led to increased profits, reduced cycle time and brought about greater innovation. New accounting techniques were being designed and influx of information technology solutions for Knowledge Management found their way into the market. It became imperative to build Knowledge Management into business strategy and to concentrate on human capital. Late 1990’s saw a proliferation of studies and exercises in this direction. Yet, if people were to be recognized and if competitive advantage was dependent upon the effective management of human capital, this was not being done in the realm of understanding knowledge worker perceptions. A need was perceived to conduct a behavioral study of human capital value added. To understand which of the organizational and knowledge management factors were perceived as being essential for Human Capital Value Addition.

This research investigated the impact of Mortgage Originators on the South African financial industry. Mortgage Originators, although an established industry in most western countries is a relatively new concept to South Africa. The study investigates the initial phase of this new industry in comparison to the trends established in countries such as Australia and USA. As this new concept has resulted in financial institutions making drastic changes, it was imperative that the first part of the research concentrated on the theory of strategy. Recent developments in strategy were discussed with strategic models and the development of strategic planning. This formed the framework for the next discussion on international trends and the current South African mortgage origination situation. A comparison between the Australian, USA and South African markets show similar trends in the start-up phase of the mortgage origination industry.A gap analysis was conducted and the findings have led to recommendations to South African financial institutions on how deal with the new mortgage origination concept. The conclusion drawn from the study clearly show that some organisations have ample resources but lack aspirations, on the other hand there are organisations that are driven by high aspiration but have meagre resource bases. On the one hand, strategic intent envisions a desired leadership position and establishes the criterion the organisation will use to chart its progress. The concept also encompasses an active management process that includes focusing the organisations attention on the essence of winning; motivating people by communicating the value of the target; leaving room for individual and team contributions; sustaining enthusiasm by providing new operational definitions as circumstances change and using intent to consistently guide resource allocations. Industry analysis is the key to strategy. The rule breakers know that it is increasingly difficult to define precisely where an industry begins and ends. You should focus on your direct competitors. The rule breakers know that rivalry is not as simple as it used to be. For many companies today it is harder to distinguish competitors from collaborators from suppliers from buyers. In Strategy it is you against the world. Today's smart leaders understand that it's difficult to know where the boundaries of the firm begin and end. / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, 2002.

Background This thesis explores processes involved in stakeholders’ attempts to secure sustainability of three short-term funded community health initiatives known as healthy living centres (HLCs). The overall aim was to identify and examine development of sustainability strategies in Scottish HLC organisations. In contrast to retrospective accounts examining influences on extent of sustainability little is known about how this concept is considered by organisations approaching the end of funding. Organisational development theorising has focused on organisational change, with no attention given to sustainability processes in short-term funded organisations. Building on a concurrent longitudinal evaluation of a larger sample of HLCs, the temporal nature of this PhD study offered scope to explore development of, influences on and changes to stakeholders’ sustainability strategies over time. Methods The study used a qualitative evaluation methodology. A case study approach framed the HLCs, permitting comparison between sites. An ethnographic approach using observations and in-depth interviews was employed. Interviews were undertaken with stakeholders (comprising managers, staff, partners and board members) from each HLC. Managers were interviewed on several occasions. Latterly, interviews were undertaken with respondents holding policy, practice and funding posts. A thematic analysis, informed by grounded theory, was carried out. This used a constant comparative methodology to understand the data against the backdrop of the PhD study aims and wider literature. Findings Findings examine stakeholders’ accounts of the impact of a range of issues on HLC sustainability strategies. These are located in the context of health and community sector restructuring. Especially challenging were: efforts to secure local partners and further lottery funding; consideration of new funding criteria and models of service delivery; and limitations in demonstrating effectiveness. Addressing such challenges, managers’ strategic positioning signified attempts to influence HLCs’ fit within local health structures. Stakeholders’ accounts highlighted attempts to secure continuation of HLCs’ original identity; ensuring continued accessibility of Centres to local communities; and, seeking continuation of developmental methods of work. External respondents’ perspectives illuminated how policy-driven changes restricted system-wide attention to HLC sustainability. Latterly, Government-provided funding offered a short-term fix, enabling continuation of attempts to secure sustainability. Conclusions and implications This study offers new perspectives on the temporal exploration of sustainability of shortterm funded health initiatives. Analysis of stakeholders’ accounts over time provides insight into the effects of restructuring and ways in which system-wide flux impacted on influences known to enhance the likelihood of sustainability. Recommendations address programme design and wider responsibilities of health system actors in positioning and considering a future for such organisations after short-term funding ends.

The objective of the present study was to examine the perceptions of employees who have participated in workplace health promotion (WHP) initiatives, more specifically, whether the employees perceived the WHP initiatives to have an impact on their well-being, general health or work. Furthermore, the effect of WHP initiatives on the relationship between job demands-resources and positive work outcomes, namely employee resilience, engagement, well-being and affective organisational commitment, was investigated. This study collected perceptions from 107 employees, all of whom were employed in organisations which had engaged in WHP initiatives. MultipleThe objective of the present study was to examine the perceptions of employees who have participated in workplace health promotion (WHP) initiatives, more specifically, whether the employees perceived the WHP initiatives to have an impact on their well-being, general health or work. Furthermore, the effect of WHP initiatives on the relationship between job demands-resources and positive work outcomes, namely employee resilience, engagement, well-being and affective organisational commitment, was investigated. This study collected perceptions from 107 employees, all of whom were employed in organisations which had engaged in WHP initiatives. Multiple hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Two significant interactions were found – the perception the WHP initiative had an impact on well-being and work had a moderating effect on the relationship between work overload and employee resilience. These findings have implications for organisations developing WHP initiatives targeted at improving the health and well-being. Further investigation of a wider span of perceived impacts and a more targeted examination, such as the type of WHP initiative completed, or the time that the employee spent doing the initiative is warranted. hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Two significant interactions were found – the perception the WHP initiative had an impact on well-being and work had a moderating effect on the relationship between work overload and employee resilience. These findings have implications for organisations developing WHP initiatives targeted at improving the health and well-being. Further investigation of a wider span of perceived impacts and a more targeted examination, such as the type of WHP initiative completed, or the time that the employee spent doing the initiative is warranted.

The purpose of this research is to understand factors contributing to successes and challenges in community participation especially in waste minimization initiatives; in order to inform policies and contribute to improve the design of the initiative. The objectives of the research are: firstly, to understand the current state of public participation in waste minimization at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Secondly, it is to determine the extent of willingness of the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives. Thirdly, to determine strategies on how to promote public participation in waste minimization. Fourthly, to identify constraints and challenges of public participation in waste minimization and what kind of support is required for the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Respondents were drawn from fifty households within the community of Bophelong Extension 13, Emfuleni Recycling groups, Waste Management officials, Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment stake holder participation unit and Waste Buyers in Vanderbijlpark. The researcher employed mainly a qualitative research design and data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative study was done on officials and responses were ranked according to the importance of the factors influencing community participation. The findings of this research indicate that the community is willing to participate in waste minimization initiatives. 42% of respondents are currently NOT participating in waste minimization initiatives. It was noted that all community respondents promised and are willing to participate in waste minimization strategies. The research further indicates that there is a considerable number of constraints and challenges prohibiting successful community participation in waste minimization. The constraints include lack of knowledge especially regarding composting initiatives to minimize organic waste and the separation of waste, lack of infrastructure to exchange waste for cash, lack of time, lack of transport, lack of political support, lack of starter packs to initiate own waste minimization plant and lack of financial support to ensure that waste minimization initiatives create opportunities for job creation. This study recommends, amongst others, that the community requires support to participate meaningfully in waste minimization initiatives in the form of: awareness and education, infrastructure for reclaimed waste, waste recycling bins, project funding, community involvement and support from the Emfuleni Local Municipality and the private sector. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.

The purpose of this research is to understand factors contributing to successes and challenges in community participation especially in waste minimization initiatives; in order to inform policies and contribute to improve the design of the initiative. The objectives of the research are: firstly, to understand the current state of public participation in waste minimization at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Secondly, it is to determine the extent of willingness of the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives. Thirdly, to determine strategies on how to promote public participation in waste minimization. Fourthly, to identify constraints and challenges of public participation in waste minimization and what kind of support is required for the community to participate in waste minimization initiatives at Emfuleni Local Municipality. Respondents were drawn from fifty households within the community of Bophelong Extension 13, Emfuleni Recycling groups, Waste Management officials, Gauteng Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment stake holder participation unit and Waste Buyers in Vanderbijlpark. The researcher employed mainly a qualitative research design and data was collected through questionnaires and interviews. Quantitative study was done on officials and responses were ranked according to the importance of the factors influencing community participation. The findings of this research indicate that the community is willing to participate in waste minimization initiatives. 42% of respondents are currently NOT participating in waste minimization initiatives. It was noted that all community respondents promised and are willing to participate in waste minimization strategies. The research further indicates that there is a considerable number of constraints and challenges prohibiting successful community participation in waste minimization. The constraints include lack of knowledge especially regarding composting initiatives to minimize organic waste and the separation of waste, lack of infrastructure to exchange waste for cash, lack of time, lack of transport, lack of political support, lack of starter packs to initiate own waste minimization plant and lack of financial support to ensure that waste minimization initiatives create opportunities for job creation. This study recommends, amongst others, that the community requires support to participate meaningfully in waste minimization initiatives in the form of: awareness and education, infrastructure for reclaimed waste, waste recycling bins, project funding, community involvement and support from the Emfuleni Local Municipality and the private sector. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2009.