Enterprise-wide planning process, comparing the plan with reality, evaluating deviations and reporting are the most important aspects of corporate governance in the current period. Controller assigned irreplaceable function of initiator, coordinator and methodology in the entire planning process. Part of planning is the preparation of operational plans and budgets, which are the central theme of this work. This work covers applications controlling methods and tools for portfolio of managed projects (companies providing rental of commercial space). The nature and importance of controlling, controlling selected methods and analysis is explained in the theoretical part. In the second, practical part was, after the analysis of costs and revenues, prepared a model of corporate budget and its component parts

Successful attacks on critical infrastructure have increased in occurrence and sophistication. Many cybersecurity strategies incorporate conventional best practices but often do not consider organizational circumstances and nonstandard critical infrastructure protection needs. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore cybersecurity strategies used by information technology (IT) managers and compliance officers to mitigate cyber threats to critical infrastructure. The population for this study comprised IT managers and compliance officers of 4 case organizations in the Pacific Northwest United States. The routine activity theory developed by criminologist Cohen and Felson in 1979 was used as the conceptual framework. Data collection consisted of interviews with 2 IT managers, 3 compliance officers, and 25 documents related to cybersecurity and associated policy governance. A software tool was used in a thematic analysis approach against the data collected from the interviews and documentation. Data triangulation revealed 4 major themes: a robust workforce training program is crucial, make infrastructure resiliency a priority, importance of security awareness, and importance of organizational leadership support and investment. This study revealed key strategies that may help improve cybersecurity strategies used by IT and compliance professionals, which can mitigate successful attacks against critical infrastructure. The study findings will contribute to positive social change through an exploration and contextual analysis of cybersecurity strategy with situational awareness of IT practices to enhance cyber threat mitigation and inform business processes.

Master of Science

An expert elicitation is a method of eliciting subjective probability distributions over key parameters from experts. Traditionally an expert elicitation has taken the form of a face-to-face interview; however, interest in using online methods has been growing. This thesis compares two elicitation modes and examines the effectiveness of an interactive online survey compared to a face-to-face interview. Differences in central values, overconfidence, accuracy and satisficing were considered. The results of our analysis indicated that, in instances where the online and face-to-face elicitations were directly comparable, the differences between the modes was not significant. Consequently, a carefully designed online elicitation may be used successfully to obtain accurate forecasts.

This master’s thesis deals with the design and the realization of a laboratory teaching device, which includes two-port parts with nonlinear transmission characteristics corresponding to quadratic, inverse quadratic and cubic functions. It also includes a more complicated design of a polynomial function converter that offers students a practical view of functions mathematically designed while verifying their accuracy in laboratory exercises. The whole concept is supported by the design of the power supply circuit and the harmonic signal generator. The individual features of this project are feasible from components commercially available.

This graduation project deals with the analysis of the actual state of the eLearning, teaching aids available and the proposal of the proper teaching aid for subject The Operations and System Analysis. The whole project is divided into the five parts. The first one is the introduction, the second part defines and concretises the main goal and used methods of this thesis. Further chapter contains theoretical explications of the given topic from the point of view of several authors and other resources. The fourth part pursues the comparison and analysis of the existing software. The results of this analysis, their presentation and evaluation you can find, together with the proper teaching aid prototype, in the last chapter.

During cooperation with the Bender Robotics company a need for operational safety assessment of an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) emerged. Operational safety evaluation is a step towards mass production of the studied robot. Market entry of a product requires a string of various actions and safety assessment is one of them. For risk identification and severity rating were used legal requirements, best practice given by standards, FMEA method, experiment and RIPRAN method. Threats, possible scenarios and risks analysis is systematically discussed through all areas of operation of the robot, from design and construction to control software. All the steps are described in logical order. Starting with information research, going on with series of analysis and ending with suggestions for increased operational safety of autonomous mobile robots.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / This thesis is both a qualitative and quantitative study, investigating the sustainability of Credit Management Services Limited (CMS) within the broader context of the Zambian micro finance industry. Micro finance is regarded as one of the tools for poverty reduction. As such, making microfinance available to many poor people is the purpose of microJinance. Over the years it has become clear that microfinance institutions have to operate efficiently and be self-sustai nable in order to continue assisting the poor. However. in spite of the support and encouragement given for sustainability, evidence shows that there are few sustainable microfinanee institutions in the world. The various factors impacting upon sustainability therefore, need to be examined and means of enhancing sustainabi Ii ty mapped out. The study brought to the fo re the main viewpoints regarding sustainability and how they have been inl1uenced by experiences of MFls around the world. The framework for discussion and analysis of operational sustainability, financial sustainability and operational e ffi ciency is also set out. The study discusses the Zambian microfinance industry and shows how and why the industry has emerged and grown in the past decade. Some constraints are identified that need to be dealt with in order to enhance sustainability of the industry. The study of CMS reveals that the institution is not yet fi nancially sustainable, but that its effi ciency levels are steadily increasing as it has put in place mechanisms to recover costs, charge economic rates of interest and increase and maintain its client outreach. Indicators are that it is moving in the right direction with its cost recovery. increasing client outreach and utilization of loans for on-lending as opposed to subsidies. This study therefore draws on the general experiences of the Credit management Services in order to draw lessons for the Zambian industry. The study will argue the case that though sustainability is difiicult to achieve, there arc positive indicators in the Zambian industry that this is possible and that CMS could be considered as an example. This claim is verified against the experi ence on the ground of Credit Management Services. The study concludes that building a sustainable microfinance industry anywhere is not the easiest task. Sustainabi lity is possible but requires a lot of investment in capacity bui lding and del iberate steps for cost effi ciency, appropriate pricing poli cies and an increased client outreach. The Zambian situation characterised by even a younger industry. will require not only a concerted effort in capacity building, but much more, the need to counter constra ints in the external environment of Mrls. Recommendations lo stake holders inc lude the need to utilise cheaper local human resources and invest in strengthening local institutions owned by local communities, to enhance the sustainability or micro finance initiatives.

Summaries in English, Afrikaans and Zulu / The significance for a bank to determine its risk appetite has become crucial over the years, based on past and recent risk events in the financial services sector. Regulatory pressure, a focus on corporate governance and risk management have been stimuli for many changes in the financial industry. An example is the need to establish an operational risk appetite framework. It is against this background that the study aimed to identify guiding principles for an operational risk appetite framework that can be used to determine the operational risk appetite of a bank. The study entailed a literature review and an empirical analysis of the principles for an operational risk appetite framework for the banking industry of South Africa. A survey was used to collate the data. Also, the researcher endeavoured to establish a gap between the principles and the current status of implementation of the confirmed principles. The descriptive and inferential results indicated that most of the identified principles were viewed as important and crucial for an operational risk appetite framework for a South African bank, although some were not yet fully implemented. The study also confirmed the principles for an effective operational risk appetite framework to comply with regulatory requirements and to ensure a sound risk management process to support the achievement of business objectives. / Dat 'n bank in staat is om sy risikoaptyt in die finansiëledienstesektor vas te stel, is betekenisvol en dit het oor jare heen vanweë vorige en onlangse risikogebeurtenisse van kritieke belang geword. Die druk van regulering, 'n fokus op korporatiewe bestuur en risikobestuur is stimuli vir talle veranderinge in die finansiële bedryf. 'n Voorbeeld hiervan is die noodsaaklikheid daarvan om 'n operasionele risikoaptytraamwerk op te stel. Teen hierdie agtergrond het die studie beoog om riglyne te identifiseer vir 'n operasionele risikoaptytraamwerk wat gebruik kan word om 'n bank se operasionele risikoaptyt te bepaal. Die studie omvat ’n literatuuroorsig en ’n empiriese ontleding van die beginsels van ’n operasionele risikoaptytraamwerk vir die bankbedryf in Suid-Afrika. ’n Opname is gebruik om die ingesamelde data te vergelyk, en die navorser het gepoog om ’n leemte tussen die beginsels en die huidige stand van implementering van die bevestigde beginsels uit te wys. In die beskrywende en inferensiële resultate word aangedui dat die meeste van die geïdentifiseerde beginsels beskou word as belangrik en kritiek vir ’n operasionele risikoaptytraamwerk vir ’n Suid-Afrikaanse bank, al word sommige beginsels nog nie ten volle geïmplementeer nie. Die studie bevestig die beginsels van ’n effektiewe operasionele risikoaptytraamwerk met die oog daarop om aan reguleringsvereistes te voldoen en ’n deurdagte risikobestuursproses te verseker en sodoende die verwesenliking van sakedoelwitte te ondersteun. / Ngokuhamba kweminyaka kuya kubaluleka kakhulu ukuba ibhanki iwujonge ngononophelo umngcipheko enokuwuthatha, ngenxa yokubona iziganeko zomngcipheko ezenzekileyo kwicandelo leenkonzo zoqoqosho. Uxinzelelo lolawulo, ugxininiso kulawulo lweenkampani kunye nolawulo lomngcipheko zizinto eziphembelele iinguqu ezininzi kurhwebo lokwenza imali. Umzekelo sisidingo sokuseka uphahla lokusebenza ngomngcipheko. Zezi zinto ezibangela ukuba esi sifundo sijolise ekufumaniseni iinqobo ezisisikhokelo sokuqwalasela umngcipheko onokuthathwa, nesinokusetyenziselwa ukulinganisela umngcipheko onokuthathwa yibhanki. Esi sifundo siphengulule uluncwadi olukhoyo ngalo mbandela kunye nohlalutyo olunobungqina lweenqobo ezinokusetyenziselwa ukulinganisela umngcipheko onokuthathwa licandelo leebhanki zoMzantsi Afrika. Kwenziwa uhlolo zimvo ekuqokeleleni iinkcukacha zolwazi. Umphandi wabuya wazama ukubonisa umahluko phakathi kweenqobo ezimiselweyo nemeko ekuyiyo ekusetyenzisweni kweenqobo ezivunyiweyo. Iziphumo ezichazayo nezicingelwayo zibonise ukuba uninzi lweenqobo zibonwa njengamanqaku abalulekileyo nangundoqo okwenza uphahla lokusebenza ngomngcipheko onokuthathwa yibhanki eMzantsi Afrika, nangona ezinye zingekasetyenziswa ngokupheleleyo. Esi sifundo siphinde sangqinisisa iinqobo zophahla olululo lokusebenza ngomngcipheko onokuthathwa ezimele ukuthobela imigaqo elawulayo nokuqinisekisa inkqubo yomgcipheko eqinileyo yokuxhasa ukufunyanwa kweenjongo zoshishino. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Natural and man-made disasters are becoming more frequent in many countries throughout the world. Countries with inadequate infrastructure and poorly planned emergency logistics are subject to such events which may lead to the destruction of a community and/or may prevent e cient and successful recovery. Despite the progress that disaster planning, mitigation and new management systems have made, the need for disaster relief continues everlasting. Extensive research is on-going to improve the various phases in the disaster operations life cycle. However, the impact of disaster will not diminish and improved disaster relief planning and management should be addressed intensely. This dissertation addresses various possible mathematical models comprising stochastic and deterministic models, to provide generic means to address the damage and consequences associated with disaster events. The models are applied to countries such as Somalia and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which have been prone to catastrophic events and poverty consequences. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / unrestricted