Women architects are effectively absent from architectural history in Australia. Consulting first the archival record, this thesis establishes the presence of 230 women architects qualified and/or practising in NSW between 1900 and 1960. It then analyses some of these early women architects' achievements and difficulties in the profession, drawing on interviews with 70 practitioners or their friends and family. Finally it offers brief biographical accounts of eight leading early women architects, arguing that their achievements deserve more widespread historical attention in an adjusted canon of architectural merit. There are also 152 illustrations evidencing their design contributions. Thus the research draws on quantitative, qualitative, biographical and visual modes of representation in establishing a historical presence for these early women architects. The thesis forms part of the widespread political project of feminist historical recovery of women forebears, while also interrogating the ends and means of such historiography. The various threads describing women's absence and presence in the architectural profession are woven together throughout the thesis using three feminist approaches which sometimes harmonise and sometimes debate with each other. Described as "liberal feminism", "socialist feminism" and "postmodern feminism", they each put into play distinct patterns of questioning, method and interpretation, but all analyse historiography as a strategy for understanding society and effecting social change.

In recent years, the Australian government has opened the Australian economy to the global marketplace through tariff reductions and the establishment of free trade agreements with other countries. The ability of the Australian economy to benefit from these agreements is dependent on Australian businesses identifying international opportunities and exploiting their competitive advantage in the international marketplace. However, the family business literature suggests that complexities unique to family firms limit their ability take advantage of such opportunities and grow internationally. To date, the limited empirical testing of such claims has produced conflicting results. As a consequence, little is known about the international behaviour of family firms, what influences such behaviour and what effect internationalisation has on the owning family and the business. This study addresses this gap in the literature by using a mixed research method design. Using the quantitative analysis of small - to - medium - sized family - owned enterprises ( SMFEs ) contained within the most recently available longitudinal database of Australian businesses and the qualitative analysis of eight SMFEs, the internationalisation process of SMFEs in the manufacturing sector was examined. The findings of this study suggest that, compared to their non - family counterparts, Australian SMFEs are less likely to venture into the international marketplace. Furthermore, those that do, do so to a lesser degree when compared to non - SMFEs. Although the internationalisation behaviour of most SMFEs was similar to that of traditional international firms, some exhibited ?born-again? global internationalisation behaviour as a result of critical events within the firm. These included succession to the next generation and the appointment of non - family managers with the requisite expertise. The internationalisation of SMFEs was dependent on their ability to configure their resources to create globally relevant capabilities, and their willingness to exploit those capabilities in the international marketplace. In addition to the family ' s commitment to internationalisation, the production capabilities, international network relationships and overcoming a ' production mindset ' to build the requisite managerial and marketing capabilities were all found to be critical to the international growth of SMFEs. An SMFE ' s financial and human resources were found to have a substantial influence over their ability to build the organisational capabilities and international network relationships required for internationalisation. Compared to solely focusing on the domestic marketplace, there were some financial benefits to be gained by SMFEs in venturing overseas. However the extent to which they did so had no observable effect on financial performance. Overall, the financial benefits gained from internationalisation were dependent on having a long - term commitment to, and possessing the managerial capabilities required for, internationalisation. The changes brought about by internationalisation improved the overall competitiveness of SMFEs, enabling them to successfully compete with their domestic and international competitors. However, internationalisation was found to place substantial strain on the family unit, particularly when the firm had limited managerial capabilities, and was often a trigger for conflict within the family and the business. The implications of this study ' s findings for SMFEs, policy and future research are explored in the thesis. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Adelaide Graduate School of Business, 2006.

The concept of strategic entrepreneurship has received increased attention over the past ten years. Viewed as the intersection of entrepreneurship and strategy, this field of research is populated by conceptual studies which focus mainly on the nature and perceived benefits of strategic entrepreneurship. Similarly, the study of entrepreneurship in a public sector context has gained increasing support in recent years, but also remains underexplored. To address these gaps, this thesis considers: What are the underlying elements and financial implications of strategic entrepreneurship in New Zealand’s state-owned enterprises [SOEs]? New Zealand’s SOE sector, comprising 17 government-owned, commercially focused organisations, is considered to be a prime subject for this research. Well known for their implementation of new public management [NPM], many New Zealand SOEs have also been publicly recognised as both innovative and entrepreneurial. The research question is addressed by first developing a preliminary framework of strategic entrepreneurship from literature on entrepreneurship and strategy. This framework is then examined in the context of case studies on activity which is entrepreneurial and/or strategic within 12 of the 17 SOEs operating in New Zealand as at 2006. Transcripts from a series of interviews, and publicly available documents are analysed thematically. SOEs’ financial statements over a five year period are also analysed. The thesis contributes in two broad areas. First, much-needed empirical support is lent to the concept of strategic entrepreneurship. Key elements of strategic entrepreneurship identified include opportunity identification, innovation, acceptance of risk, flexibility, vision, growth, and leveraging from core skills and resources such that existing knowledge and skills are transferred and applied to create new products, services, and markets. Important supporting elements identified include an open, flexible, and progressive culture, operational excellence, and cost minimisation. The nature of each of these elements is also investigated. A detailed understanding of the relationship between strategic entrepreneurship and wealth creation reveals various internal and external factors which may influence the nature and strength of the relationship. These factors include changes within the organisation, as well as changes in the economic and political environment, and are important influences on the resulting returns realised. Second, this thesis offers valuable evidence in support of emerging change in the public sector towards the adoption of strategic entrepreneurship. Support for the value of NPM is provided, with clear evidence of financial returns from New Zealand’s SOE sector. Further, a key finding is the structured and systematic approach to entrepreneurial activity within the context of NPM in several New Zealand SOEs. Such behaviour is referred to in this thesis as new public entrepreneurship. This form of activity offers the potential for competitive advantage and financial gain traditionally associated with entrepreneurial activity, but also limits the respective risks through its structured, systematic approach.

The thesis explores puzzling change in Chinese state sector over the past two decades. China’s debt-ridden state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were long seen as the most thorny reform dilemma; however, in the past decade, the surging profitability of large SOEs in the so-called “monopoly sectors” (longduan hangye 垄断行业) have made them lynchpins of an emerging state capitalist system. The main argument is that the state sector’s apparent reversal of fortunes is, in large measure, a legacy of the brief period of neoconservative rule (1989-1992) following the Tiananmen uprising in spring 1989. The fleeting ascendance of Chen Yun’s neoconservative faction provided them the opportunity to redirect the reform course set by Deng Xiaoping and embed a market vision which saw SOEs as pillars of the economy. The neoconservative leadership laid the normative and institutional foundations of a robust SOE-directed industrial policy regime which has gained momentum through the 1990s and into the last decade. The study also sheds lights on the political and economic drivers of China’s unfolding market order through analysis of the industry foundations of China’s emerging state capitalist system. In recent years, state ownership has concentrated in some industries and largely retreated from others. What is driving this process of what Pei (2006) terms the “selective withdrawal” of the state from the economy? To address this question, the nature of ownership change across Chinese industry in recent years is first analyzed. Focus then shifts to comparative analysis of the reform pathway of two industries in which state ownership remains dominant: telecommunications and airlines. Combining insights from the partial reform equilibrium model and historical institutionalism, the study argues that both the particularist interests of “short-term winners” in industry and the neoconservative policy legacy have left an imprint on the process of selective withdrawal.

The purpose of this thesis is to find a proper positioning strategy for China self-owned car brands in the Chinese market. For this purpose, the authors used the theory about brand positioning, target market and segmentation, brand image, differentiation and general positioning process. What’s more, the authors conducted a questionnaire research, studied the Geely acquisition case, and collected information from consumers’ perspectives to understand the current positioning situation of the Chinese automakers. In the methodology part, limitations of the quantitative and qualitative data are discussed, and the authors presented suggestions for further studies. After gathering empirical data, the authors analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of Chinese car, Geely and Volvo, introduced competitor’s performance to make clear the current situation of China self-owned car brands. From the analysis, the present brand image of Chinese car is low-price and bad-quality in the consumers’ mind. The authors tried to figure out a proper brand image for Chinese car to increase the market share in the domestic market. In conclusion, developing safe car of high quality and targeting the middle-class market is the optimal choice for current China self-owned car brands.

The organic wheat supply chain in Canada operates in a relatively new sector for which there is very little public information to aid in price discovery. Organic wheat producers must use available information in order to decide when to sell their wheat and whom to sell to. The relatively low degree of market information, especially for producers, suggests a problem of information asymmetry, which may have ramifications for efficiency and the distribution of rents in the organic wheat supply chain. The literature on Transaction Cost Economics, Agency Theory and the Economics of Information is used in the thesis to theorize differences between methods of selling organic wheat that vary in terms of vertical coordination. The analysis involves a comparison of selling to large and small grain companies, selling through Producer-Owned Firms (POFs) and selling directly to processors. The theory predicts that producers gain from using a POF because of savings in transaction costs and higher prices. These theorized differences in transaction costs and price are due to increased sharing of information between the producer and the marketing agent, enhanced producer control over the marketer, and incentive for the marketer to provide producers with a high price. These benefits can also be realized by selling directly to a processor, but only if the producer can effectively and efficiently perform his or her own marketing functions. Average cost, price and profit margins are used as a metric for comparing each of the four governance structures. A survey of organic wheat producers in Saskatchewan was undertaken in order to collect data on organic Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) transactions. The results indicate that governance structure has a statistically significant effect on organic HRSW prices and on producer transaction costs. The analysis concludes that the producer receives the greatest profit margin from selling through the vertically coordinated POF, while a marketer receives the greatest profit margin if it operates as a large grain company and purchases HRSW on the spot market. The results also suggest that organic producers that eliminate the middleman and sell directly to processors cannot market as efficiently and effectively compared with producers that use a POF. The results of this thesis emphasize that increased coordination between producer and marketer through a POF can be advantageous for the producer, but not necessarily for the marketer, due to the difference in the distribution of rents.

Background: Innovation is an important aspect of business today. It is important for companies to be innovative in order to stay competitive with their competitors. During the last couple of decades, technology has become more and more common both in our daily life, as well as in businesses. This has lead to an increase in technology implementation, especially within the service industry, where customers now can use self-service technologies in order to receive the service on their own. However, a lack of self-service technologies was discovered within the fast food industry. Since these types of innovations increased the service efficiency and decreased the waiting-time for customers, the authors believed that this would be very interesting for local managers within the fast food industry. Therefore, the authors began to investigate how much power local management has over these types of new innovations. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explore how local management affects the innovation process, within fast food restaurant chains. Method: By conducting a cross-case study with the two fast food companies Subway and Max, the authors interviewed local fast food managers in order to explore the effect local management have on the innovation process. These two cases were selected since Subway fully consists of franchisees, while Max is almost completely company owned. Therefore, the two most common organizational structures within the fast food industry are included which will provide a more fair view of the industry. Conclusion: The effect of the innovation process has a positive relationship with the amount of power distributed to the local management. However, these areas differ depending on the organizational structure, with franchisees achieving their highest amount of power within medium-sized innovations and managers in company-owned outlets maintain their highest amount of power within minor innovations. Even though the overall communication was perceived as satisfying and efficient, large opportunities for improvements occur. By implementing more horizontal communication within the local management, it is in the belief of the authors that the entire internal communication will benefit. Especially this would benefit the franchise system where an increased local communication and collaboration would lead to more efficient communication throughout the entire organization.

The organic wheat supply chain in Canada operates in a relatively new sector for which there is very little public information to aid in price discovery. Organic wheat producers must use available information in order to decide when to sell their wheat and whom to sell to. The relatively low degree of market information, especially for producers, suggests a problem of information asymmetry, which may have ramifications for efficiency and the distribution of rents in the organic wheat supply chain. The literature on Transaction Cost Economics, Agency Theory and the Economics of Information is used in the thesis to theorize differences between methods of selling organic wheat that vary in terms of vertical coordination. The analysis involves a comparison of selling to large and small grain companies, selling through Producer-Owned Firms (POFs) and selling directly to processors. The theory predicts that producers gain from using a POF because of savings in transaction costs and higher prices. These theorized differences in transaction costs and price are due to increased sharing of information between the producer and the marketing agent, enhanced producer control over the marketer, and incentive for the marketer to provide producers with a high price. These benefits can also be realized by selling directly to a processor, but only if the producer can effectively and efficiently perform his or her own marketing functions. Average cost, price and profit margins are used as a metric for comparing each of the four governance structures. A survey of organic wheat producers in Saskatchewan was undertaken in order to collect data on organic Hard Red Spring Wheat (HRSW) transactions. The results indicate that governance structure has a statistically significant effect on organic HRSW prices and on producer transaction costs. The analysis concludes that the producer receives the greatest profit margin from selling through the vertically coordinated POF, while a marketer receives the greatest profit margin if it operates as a large grain company and purchases HRSW on the spot market. The results also suggest that organic producers that eliminate the middleman and sell directly to processors cannot market as efficiently and effectively compared with producers that use a POF. The results of this thesis emphasize that increased coordination between producer and marketer through a POF can be advantageous for the producer, but not necessarily for the marketer, due to the difference in the distribution of rents.

Under the impact of globalization, the concept of local governance arose, which altered the traditional, centralized government structure. Along with the development of economy, transportation, industries and urban areas, the life circles of local residents enlarged gradually. To increase governing efficiency, greater autonomic powers of city and county governments together with cross region cooperation have been considered. In fact, the merger and upgrade of a number of counties and cities to become 5 special municipalities will be effective on December 25, 2010. As a whole, in addition to greater autonomic power, these new municipalities are entitled to more financial independence as well. For a long time, the insufficiency of financial independence has been the core of local financial problem, which in turn, was due to inadequate self-owned resources. The appropriateness of the allocation of financial resources to the 5 new municipalities is the most concerned issue for now. The revision of The Law of Subdivision of Financial Income and Expenditure will directly affect the allocation of local financial resources and, in other words, financial independence. Since the last revision of The Law of Subdivision of Financial Income and Expenditure in 2010, though the allocated tax revenue has increased in Kaohsiung City and County, general subsidies, on the other hand, has decreased, and new financial burdens are getting even more. As the analysis of this study, the proportion of self-owned financial resources of merged Kaohsiung City and County in the 2011 fiscal year does not exceed the proportion in fiscal year 2010 before the merger. It is verifiable that the enactment of the revised Law of Subdivision of Financial Income and Expenditure did not significantly increase the merged Greater Kaohsiung with its self-owned financial resources and is helpless in bringing up its financial capability. As a result, the merged Greater Kaohsiung should be endeavored to develop its own financial resources, so as to solve the problem of insufficient fund. Aiming at the ways to develop self-owned financial resources and to bring up financial capability for the merged Greater Kaohsiung, a number of strategies are advised by this study, for instance, to levy taxes for carbon emission, to get subsidies and grants through special projects, to share 50% sales taxes with central government, to recalculate allocated tax revenue in accordance with the production of polluting industries¡Ketc.. Furthermore, based on the partnership of central and local financial cooperation, this study would like to present several suggestions for the central government to help resolve local financial problems, for instance, to establish local financial reconstruction foundation, to elevate tax burden ratio, to reinforce financial dicepline¡Ketc.

ABSTRACT In Taiwan, to spin-off the OEM from OBM (Owned-Brand Manufacture) business has been a hot topic of disputed discussion for a long time since Stan Shih announced his strategic policy in ACER reorganization in 2000. Starting from then, even the slightly internal reorganization, the officially spin off WISTRON from ACER under the Taiwan¡¦s Corporate M&A (Merger and Acquisition) Law which was launched in 2002, the ACER and WISTRON have got success respectively later on, and several similar reorganization case of OEM and OBM business splitting in Taiwan ICT electronic industry and et cetera, all have triggered a lot of disputed discussion. And the arguing has never been ceased. The advantages and disadvantages of splitting OEM from OBM business have been researched and discussed by many experts. Either to-do or not-to-do the spinoff has its own devotees. No consensus has been made at all. Regardless the determination of spinoff has put the enterprise in a dilemma, but this paper focuses on the key success factors in management of splitting OEM from OBM business in Taiwan ICT electronic firms from the perspective of human resources and corporate relationship management. Because the issues and concerning arising from splitting OEM from OBM are not wholly covered under the scope of enterprise¡¦s Re-engineering at scale¡¦s down-scoping. The difficulties of splitting OEM from OBM business are more than the difficulties of down-scoping Re-engineering which is just mainly emphasizing at Refocusing. It needs not only to consider increasing competitive advantage on both side of OEM and OBM but also be faced with how to carefully handle the response of the interested parties, including stake holders, employees, customers, venders, government and community organizations and media and more. Via the methodology of Case Study, this paper intends to understand those Taiwan's information and communication technology (ICT) electronic firms who chose splitting OEM from OBM business while facing of global environmental change, how they re-organized in order to refocus business and built a lean supply chain. In the mean while, from the view point of human resources manage and corporate relationship management, explores what the key success factors shall be handled in the implementation of the reorganization splitting OEM from OBM business. Key words: OEM/ODM, OBM/Owned-Brand, Spin-off/splitting, KSF/Key success factor