Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 260-274).

M.Comm. / South Africa as a country continues to rank low in the world of competitiveness. The research done for this dissertation focused on the need for South African organisations to perceive Competitive Intelligence (CI) as one of the most important tools to improve their competitiveness through a systematic, practical approach to make the CI cycle worth while, especially through skills development. This study intends to identify the skills CI professionals in South Africa need in order to conduct the CI process in organisations effectively, thereby improving the country’s competitive position. However, the difficulty of this task lies with organisations in general not acknowledging the necessity of CI in the workplace. Only a limited number of organisations recognise the importance of such a unit. A survey was therefore conducted, by questionnaire, among organisations with existing CI units in which the respondents had to identify the skills they deemed necessary for the CI professional to run the CI process effectively. Findings suggested that the majority of respondents were 40 years and older, in the top structure of larger organisations and had been using CI for longer than five years. The overwhelming result is thus that there are skills inequalities between what skills respondents view as crucial and those that rated highest in their self-evaluation. Skills identified as most important include, among others, networking and research skills analytical abilities. The research also indicated that where CI had been established in certain organisations for at least five years, it did not reflect positively overall on South Africa’s current competitive situation. However, where there is a systematic CI approach, problem-solving is easier to address and negatives could be turned around. With this in mind and a proper “buy-in” into skills development, it will have a very positive outcome for all the organisations that wish to improve their competitiveness.

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No description available.

This thesis examines the factors which have influenced the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Bulgaria and Hungary since 1989, in the course of their transitions from centrallyplanned to market economies. It compares two countries that are similar in terms of their market size, industrial structure and openness of the economy (although different in other aspects). In so doing, the thesis seeks explanations of the marked divergence in their FDI patterns. It argues that the timing and scope of inward FDI in Bulgaria and Hungary, and central and eastern Europe more generally, depend upon the progress of transition. More specifically, the pattern of FDI depends upon the changes that transition introduces in the recipient countries' locational advantages. Moreover, the path and pace of transition are also influenced by the scale and characteristics ofFDI inflows. Dunning's eclectic paradigm of international production is used as the conceptual framework underlying the work. The comparison between Bulgaria and Hungary is done both through analysing macro statistical data on their actual FDI patterns, and by means of a survey and interviews with companies which have invested in the two countries. The survey researches a set of location-specific advantages, investors' strategic motivations, the investment process and the impact of the investment on the host economy. The results of the survey and the interviews highlight the importance of location-specific advantages moulded in the process of transition, in relation to the long-term strategies of foreign investors. The thesis argues that Hungary has attracted a much higher level ofFDI than Bulgaria because it has moved faster, and more effectively, towards an economic system based on a market economy. This argument is supported through an analysis of the two countries' legislative frameworks for FDI, their privatisation programmes and competition policies. The thesis also draws contrasts between their macro-economic and business environments, their political climates, and the conditions influencing the formation of investors' perceptions. These comparisons highlight shortcomings in the Bulgarian FDI environment relative to that of Hungary, in particular in the areas of privatisation, competition and general business conditions.

Modern competitive swimming is a highly structured, organized, codified and regulated sport. This has not always been the case. The aim of this thesis has been to examine the long-term development of competitive forms of swimming throughout the periods between the late sixteenth and early twentieth centuries. Despite some recent historical analyses, the emergence of swimming as a modern competitive sport is an under-researched topic. There are no sociological analyses relating to the development of competitive swimming and significant gaps within much historical research. This thesis has been conducted from a sociological perspective in order to test the relative adequacy of Norbert Elias’s concept of sportization. Figurational sociologists have often examined the concept of sportization in relation to the development of contact sports such as boxing and rugby. Some authors have sought to criticize figurational sociologists for over-emphasizing issues relating to the increasing control of violence when examining the development of such activities. In this manner, there is scope to contribute to existing empirical and theoretical knowledge by testing the relative adequacy of the concept of sportization in relation to the long-term development of the predominantly non-contact sport of competitive swimming. To this end, data have been examined from a range of documentary sources. Various swimming-based texts, treatises, periodicals and magazines were examined at the British Library and Colindale Newspaper Library in London. The original minute books of the Amateur Swimming Association and its predecessor bodies have also been analyzed. In addition, a range of digitized source material has been examined from several electronic databases. It has been argued that the development of modern competitive swimming was an unplanned and unintended outcome resulting from the complex interweaving of wider social processes in England throughout the periods between the Middle-Ages and the early twentieth century. The earliest reported swimming contests took place in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in the form of a cash wager between two or more individuals. These events were less structured and regulated than modern forms of competitive swimming. Betting upon the outcome of such events was deemed to be an appropriate means to experience heightened levels of tension-excitement within the context of an emerging society in which people were increasingly expected to demonstrate greater self-control over their behaviour and emotions. More organized forms of competitive swimming gradually emerged during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The emergence of an increasingly complex network of clubs, societies and associations at local, county, district and national levels facilitated such developments and contributed to the emergence of standardized rules and regulations within the emerging sport of swimming. Such developments have been explained in relation to ongoing processes of state-formation, pacification, lengthening chains of interdependence and a gradual lowering in the threshold of repugnance within England in the period between the Middle-Ages and the early twentieth century. In this manner, it has been argued that the concept of sportization is an appropriate theoretical framework for explaining the long-term development of the modern non-contact sport of competitive swimming.

ABSTRACT Hotels and the hotel sector is one of the most uprising sector on the market and individuals travels more and in Sweden the capacity of logy and hotels continue to grow. The development of the industry increases the need to more capacity of hotel room in Sweden and in the destination in this study area Örnsköldsvik. The effects of higher competition along actors is an important subject to study because it is one industry that seams to grow with time. The results lead to guidance for similar destinations to see the effect of a changed market. Hotels is important for a destination to offer the potential tourist somewhere to stay and that leads to higher finance for the local area. Recent studies have shown that hotels can be a sign for a destinations welfare and economic stability and is one way for municipality to increase the interested for This thesis aims to describe and analyze the effect of a change market and what this means for the existing actors. Also what+ higher capacity of rooms make for a destination to reach some types of events and conference. To get the results for this study statistic from different database has been collected and is supplemented with interview with the municipality of Örnsköldsvik. It is proven in this study that hotel is important for the development of tourism and is one key factor to attract different events. Keywords: Interactions, Competition, Changed market

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

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During the last decade, the theory of competence-based competition has drawn a considerable amount of attention from the academic and practitioners alike. The theory asserts that corporate and business strategies should be built upon the strengths of the core competencies of a firm. The aim of this research is to construct a structured and practical framework for core competence evaluation. The thesis begins with the introduction of the basic concept of core competencies through presenting three core competence-based approaches. Research methodology is described in detail. Two data collection methods are used for this study: case study and questionnaire survey. By reviewing the literature, six competence identification models are identified and analysed. The strengths and limitations of these models are discussed. Having provided working definitions for firm tangible and intangible assets, a relationship between resource and capability is developed and examined. Using financial and non-financial performance measures, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique is employed to determine the key capabilities of firms. Subsequently using "C llecti enc s" and "uniqueness" attributes, a comprehensive method for evaluating competencies is provided. The attribute 'collectiveness' is introduced for determining the 'universal usefulness' of these candidates in the scope of a business. The attribute 'uniqueness' is employed for assessing the distinctiveness of the potential competence candidates in competition. Competencies are evaluated by subjectively assigning relevant scores to these characteristics. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through to case studies The author believes that being unique in competition is not sufficient for core competencies to keep their strategic values in dynamic competitive environment. A true core competence should be able to continuously create new business options for the firm Therefore, this thesis emphases that to be core competence, the candidates must be strategically flexible. By employing "strategic flexibility" as the main criterion, this study has presented a distinctive mechanism to differentiate core competencies from the competencies. The dynamic nature of the core competencies is evaluated using characteristics such as resource re-deployment and routine re-organisation. The generic nature of this framework is tested through conducting two case studies and a questionnaire survey This thesis makes three main contributions to the existing body of knowledge. Firstly the thesis provides a systematic and practical core competence architecture which can be used for firms to accurately understand the concept of core competence. Secondly the thesis gives a detailed and structured core competence evaluation framework which can be used for firms to identify their business strengths and weaknesses systematically. Thirdly by conducting a questionnaire survey, the thesis presents a snapshot of the UK manufacturing and service industry core competencies, and bridges the gap between theory and practice The framework may be viewed as a practical, robust and generic tool to benchmark a service, manufacturing or public sector organisation. The outcome of this study would help companies in strategic decision-making with regards to diversification, focusing and investment in competence building activities.