Exporting is a popular mode of internationalisation for a variety of reasons. For instance, many enterprises prefer exporting because it permits them to learn from competition with minimum resources committed by the enterprise. However, it is noted in literature that enterprises face various constraints when exporting. Earlier studies, mostly conducted in developed countries, have documented several exporting constraints. The studies do not agree on the grouping of factors constraining exporting and elements that form such groupings. Also, it is acknowledged in literature that generalising findings from developed countries to developing countries would not necessarily be appropriate, hence studies in developing countries such as Lesotho are necessary and, to the researcher’s knowledge, this study is the first to be conducted in Lesotho. This formal study, therefore, was carried out to test the hypotheses developed from literature regarding factors that constrain exporting. Lesotho is land locked, being completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa. It is believed that Lesotho’s setting can bring insights into exporting as the country becomes a popular destination for export-oriented investors. Although enterprises operating in Lesotho had been exporting prior to 2000, there was a major boost of exports at the beginning of 2000 when Lesotho became eligible for exports to the United States, Canada and European markets under the agreement in the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA). The AGOA agreement brought a flow of Asian export-oriented investors into Lesotho. Lesotho’s exports are concentrated in the apparel and textile industries and are destined to a few countries, predominantly South Africa and the United States. The literature review covers the globalisation of the business environment. Further, the international entry modes are discussed along with the theories that explain the decision of the enterprises to initiate the internationalisation process. Finally, the exporting mode of internationalisation is discussed detailing the constraints that enterprises face when engaging in exporting. A questionnaire was used to collect data. The instrument first underwent a rigorous evaluation by experts who are knowledgeable about the subject. The experts proposed changes that were adopted prior to conducting a pilot study. A judgemental sampling approach was used where manufacturing enterprises located in seven of ten industrial areas in Lesotho, who agreed to participate in the study, were issued one questionnaire each. The questionnaires were distributed to key informants who were regarded as managers directly responsible for international operations. Alternatively, chief executive officers were approached in situations where enterprises did not employ international operation’s managers. A response rate of 94.7 percent was obtained. The study revealed that exporting constraints are internal to the enterprises and that three factors, as opposed to the five that were hypothesised, constrain exporting. The study further revealed that perceived exporting constraints varied according to the size of the enterprise as well as the ownership structure thereof. Recommendations were made relating to actions aimed at minimizing exporting constraints. Lastly, future areas of research were identified. The study will be beneficial to enterprises as they will be able to adopt suitable measures to overcome or reduce the impact of exporting constraints. Also, the study will inform policy makers in Lesotho with regards to areas where appropriate assistance should be provided. In addition, the study would inform business educators regarding areas of training for exporters, which will address the training needs of exporters. Lastly, researchers interested in exporting will find other avenues that can be researched in order to build the field of exporting. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / am2013 / Business Management / unrestricted

Thesis (doctoral)--Göteborgs universitet, 1983. / Added t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Six Sigma is one of the most successful improvement strategies of the last 5 decades and has been implemented worldwide by organizations in different sectors and sizes. Despite the popularity, 60% of all Six Sigma initiatives are abandoned or end in failure. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate what factors large manufacturing enterprises in Sweden need to prioritize to introduce Six Sigma successfully. The research was conducted as a holistic multiple-case study where qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews with three companies. A thematic analysis was made to identify patterns between the companies about critical success factors associated with Six Sigma, Change Management, and Organizational culture. It was shown that Company 1 has introduced Six Sigma but has no defined plan on how to move forward with the initiative. Company 2 has fully introduced the method and is actively working with it, while Company 3 has failed with the introduction of Six Sigma. All identified factors were rated as either a success or a failure factor for each case company. The success factors differentiating Company 2 from the other case companies have been evaluated to be the most critical success factors. Top management commitment, Organizational support, Organizational culture, Communication, and Strategic plan have been identified as the most critical success factors that must be prioritized to introduce Six Sigma successfully. Furthermore, cultural factors such as communication between departments, supportive managers, and committed top management have been identified as important to introduce Six Sigma successfully. The results of this study can be applied to successfully introduce change initiatives in large manufacturing enterprises in Sweden.

The use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems by small enterprises is proliferating. Traditionally used by large enterprises, ERP systems are now considered important enterprise management aids, which may contribute to the sustainability and growth of small enterprises. Although varying acceptance factors may impact on the acceptance of ERP systems, there is no consolidated list of ERP system acceptance factors specific to small enterprises. In this study, the strategic, business, technical and human factors that influence the acceptance of ERP systems in small manufacturing enterprises in South Africa is presented. These influencing factors may guide future initiatives aiming to ensure the acceptance of ERP systems by small manufacturing enterprise. A combined quantitative and qualitative data analysis approach was used as an analytical lens to interpret responses gathered from small manufacturing enterprises. Recommendations are made for future research on ERP system acceptance and adoption within the broader spectrum of small enterprises. / Information Systems / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

The use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems by small enterprises is proliferating. Traditionally used by large enterprises, ERP systems are now considered important enterprise management aids, which may contribute to the sustainability and growth of small enterprises. Although varying acceptance factors may impact on the acceptance of ERP systems, there is no consolidated list of ERP system acceptance factors specific to small enterprises. In this study, the strategic, business, technical and human factors that influence the acceptance of ERP systems in small manufacturing enterprises in South Africa is presented. These influencing factors may guide future initiatives aiming to ensure the acceptance of ERP systems by small manufacturing enterprise. A combined quantitative and qualitative data analysis approach was used as an analytical lens to interpret responses gathered from small manufacturing enterprises. Recommendations are made for future research on ERP system acceptance and adoption within the broader spectrum of small enterprises. / Information Systems / M. Sc. (Information Systems)

近年來，在中國大陸市場有大量公司進行掛牌上市的同時，也有越來越多的公司出現債務逾期甚至是違約的情況。考慮到目前中國經濟增速放緩，處在轉型發展的複雜階段，銀行信貸等資金供應鏈需要謹慎評估企業出現財務困境的風險。但是我們發現金融機構在平常管理信貸業務的時候會盲目地看重高額利潤的回報而忽略借款者潛在的財務危機，而且投資人在進行投資分析的時候往往也會忽略企業的財務狀況而使自己遭受損失，因此從企業的財務狀況入手對其進行財務困境機率的評估有非常重大的現實意義。 本文通過對企業財務指標進行相關分析以構建公司財務困境機率評估模型。本文選取了不良貸款率最高的製造業作為研究對象，將2015年滬深兩地的124家上市製造業公司的財務資料作為訓練樣本，將2014年120家上市公司的財務資料作為檢驗樣本，將交易所特別處理公司劃分為非正常組公司，其餘為正常組。本文通過篩選得出23個財務指標作為研究變數，引入了 Logistic 模型與 SVM 模型，針對單一模型的預測結果在準確率和穩定性方面不理想的問題引入了基於 Logistic 模型、SVM 模型的組合模型，並用檢驗樣本進行了四個模型的相關實證分析，比較了四個模型之間的準確度。 對四個模型進行實證分析的結果表明：Logistic模型穩健性好、可解釋性強、建模過程簡單易操作，但分類精度略低於 SVM 模型；SVM雖然分類精度高，但缺乏可解釋性和穩定性，且建模過程依賴專家知識和經驗；Logistic -SVM 組合模型則兼具其優點，預測精確度較單一模型均有提高，而且研究發現異態並行結構優於串型結構。通過本文建立的模型可以計算出企業的陷入財務困境的機率，有效評估企業的違約風險，進而為相關金融機構和投資者提供放款或投資的判斷依據。 / At present, more and more companies are listed in the Chinese mainland market. At the same time, more and more companies are frequently at risk of default and overdue. Given the slowdown in China's economic growth and the complex environment of transformation and development, the supply of funds such as bank loans and other capital needs to be cautious, debt default, loan overdue cases are still likely to occur one after another. However, we find that financial institutions blindly value the return of high profits while ignoring the potential financial crisis of borrowers in the normal management of credit business, it is of great significance to start with the financial status of a company to assess the probability of financial distress. This paper builds a company default probability assessment model by analyzing the financial indicators of enterprises. This paper selects the manufacturing industry with the highest NPL as the research object. Taking the financial data of 124 listed manufacturing companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen in 2015 as the training samples, using the financial data of 120 listed companies in 2014 as the test sample, Exchange special treatment companies divided into non-normal group companies, the rest for the normal group. According to the data of its 2015 financial indicators, 23 financial indicators were screened out as research variables, and a comprehensive analysis was carried out. The Logistic model and SVM model were introduced. Combined model was introduced based on the Logistic model and SVM model to solve the problem that the prediction accuracy and stability of the single model were not ideal,. Finally, empirical analysis of the four models is carried out using the sample data of listed companies in 2014, and the accuracy of the four models is compared. The results of empirical analysis of the four models show that Logistic regression model has no strict assumptions on the data, a better stability and interpretation, but the classification accuracy is slightly lower than the SVM model. The SVM model has higher classification accuracy, but the disadvantage is the lack of interpretability and stability, the modeling process depends on expert knowledge and experience. In order to balance the stability of Logistic model and the accuracy of SVM model, this paper introduces a combined model based on Logistic model and SVM model. The analysis shows that the prediction accuracy of combined model is higher than that of single model, the combination of Logistic regression model and SVM model based on Parallel structure has a higher prediction accuracy than Sequential structure. The model established in this paper can calculate the default probability of an enterprise, effectively assess companies’ risk of financial distress, and then provide the judgment basis for the relevant financial institutions and investors to lend or invest.

Quality drives customer satisfaction, improved business performance, and safer products. Reducing waste and variation is critical to the financial success of organizations. Today, it is common to see Lean and Six Sigma used as the two main strategies in improving Quality. As advancements in information technologies enable the use of big data, defect reduction and continuous improvement philosophies will benefit and even prosper. Predictive Quality Analytics (PQA) is a framework where risk assessment and Machine Learning technology can help detect anomalies in the entire ecosystem, and not just in the manufacturing facility. PQA serves as an early warning system that directs resources to where help and mitigation actions are most needed. In a world where limited resources are the norm, focused actions on the significant few defect drivers can be the difference between success and failure

Целью работы является разработка методики, позволяющей оценить экономическую эффективность инвестиций в обучение сотрудников на этапе принятия решения о повышении уровня цифровой грамотности. Методика обоснования принятия решения об обучении сотрудников, позволяет оценить экономическую эффективность вложений в обучение сотрудников на этапе принятия решения о повышении уровня цифровой грамотности и основанная на взаимосвязи между уровнем цифровых компетенций сотрудников и их экономической эффективностью. / The aim of the work is to develop a methods that allows to evaluate the economic efficiency of investments in employee training at the stage of making a decision to increase the level of digital literacy. The methods for substantiating the decision to train employees makes it possible to evaluate the economic efficiency of investments in employee training at the stage of making a decision to increase the level of digital literacy and is based on the relationship between the level of digital competencies of employees and their economic efficiency.

During the last ten years the small manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) sector has become firmly established at the top of the development agenda for many countries, hence, marking this sector's increasingly acknowledged economic importance. Evidence from various parts of the world has shown clear signs of the growth of SMEs. Despite this, little attention has been given to understanding the environmental impacts these enterprises produce or to defining the role these entities play in terms of sustainable regional development. This thesis sets out to contribute to a better understanding of the influence of SMEs on sustainable regional development, as well as the contribution of SMEs to the economy in terms of job creation in the context of developing countries using Egypt and its Ismailia region as the basis for case study. Three main hypotheses were formulated relevant to the role of SMEs in sustainable regional development. In general, these hypotheses relate to the following: 1) The contribution of SMEs to the regional economy; 2) Problems and barriers SMEs face in achieving sustainable development; and 3) The potential for SMEs to utilize available existing resources to enhance their role in achieving sustainable regional development. In order to test these three hypotheses and to answer related questions, an analysis was undertaken within the framework of two spatial tiers: national and regional, that is Egypt and Ismailia, respectively. Two types of data were used - primary and secondary. A sample of 101 entrepreneurs and 100 workers were interviewed from the Ismailia region. The results of these interviews were analyzed in the empirical portions of this thesis. Chapter one pertains to the justification of the thesis; its objectives; the development of related research questions and hypotheses; the methodology used for data analysis; data sources used; questionnaire design; survey methods; and problems of data collection. Chapter two discusses the concept of SMEs worldwide and in Egypt as a basis from which to provide a concrete definition of SMEs that is used in the empirical portion of this study. In addition, the potential of SMEs and the problems facing SMEs in terms of sustainable regional development, the differences between SMEs and larger enterprises, as well as the importance of SMEs for the Egyptian economy are discussed in this chapter. The relationship between SMEs and sustainable urban and regional development is highlighted in more detail in chapter three. This relationship is discussed within the context of the notions of the overall concept of sustainable development, the sustainable regional development agenda in Egypt and related regulations, and the positive characteristics SMEs need in order to bring sustainable urban and regional development to fruition. Chapter four examines the first hypothesis of this study; this hypothesis states that, in general, SMEs have a positive effect on the economic and social development of a region. This chapter evaluates the ability of SMEs to drive the regional and national chains of economic added value; the capability of SMEs to create job opportunities at the regional level; and the effects of SMEs in terms of improved life-style and standard of living of workers and their families. Chapter five tests the second hypothesis in this thesis which states that the affects of a variety of types and sizes of SMEs on regional sustainable development is limited, at least for the time being. This chapter provides an analysis of economic, social and environmental obstacles and constraints that SMEs must face on a daily basis to achieve sustainable development in the region. In chapter six the potential by which SMEs can utilize their assets to enhance their contribution to sustainable regional development is evaluated; the potential opportunities available to SMEs to make better use of local raw materials and to drive the chain of economic activity within the Ismailia region were examined. The ability of SMEs to work more efficiently through the use of clusters and networks as a potential strategy is clarified. Chapter Seven presents a compilation of the detailed findings of this thesis along with the lessons that have emerged as a result of the research conducted. A series of policies and recommendations are provided as a means from which to create favourable conditions to encourage SMEs to play a more significant role in the national economy and in subsequent sustainable regional development. From a national perspective, the activities of SMEs are not usually the most serious source of environmental degradation, but, collectively, their sheer numbers may translate into substantial impacts on the eco-system. While the individual SME has financial problems related to the treatment and disposal of its waste, the adoption of an industrial cluster strategy for SMEs can provide an efficient solution to this problem. A cluster should consist of several single enterprises located in close proximity to one another, thereby, improving the ease of and costs associated with the treatment and disposal of environmental wastes. This study advocates the necessity of raising the degree of environmental awareness for organizations, syndicates, unions and societies related to SMEs, as well as entrepreneurs and labourers in their respective domains. Opportunities for raising environmental awareness can be implemented through a series of organized seminars, meetings and workshops designed to motivate individuals and small businesses within the society of SMEs to incorporate an ecological sense and approach into their daily behaviour and practices. A national policy must be adopted in Egypt in order for the SMEs sector to be successful in its contribution to sustainable development. Such policy must be all-inclusive and provide for the technical support of SMEs, financial support to SMEs, environmental support to SMEs, as well as provide overarching legislative support relevant to this particular sector of the business environment.