The aggregate annual expenditures of federal, state and local governments, in concert with universities and school districts represents incredible purchasing power and requires great prowess in its expenditure. Over the course of centuries, procurement has been used as a policy tool to improve society. This research delved into defining and determining the involvement of state and local governments in socially responsible activities related to the expenditure of public funds. Data collected in 2005 by the National Institute of Governmental Purchasing, Inc., was reviewed to determine if the expectations set for the private sector known as corporate social responsibility could be applied to the public sector. The study found that the definition as established for the private sector with regard to procurement social responsibility may also be employed in the public sector. A composite index of Public Procurement Social Responsibility (PPSR) was created as a benchmark for future comparison. Further, the presence of top-down management support for socially responsible initiatives in procurement in the areas of formal policies, goals and objectives and performance tracking mechanisms dictated higher PPSR scores for agencies. Mean Scores for PPSR were reviewed using independent variables of agency type, location, population served, procurement volume, and budget size. While top-down support of PPSR initiatives dictated strong involvement of an agency, there was no correlation between agency type, size, procurement spend, or population size on the mean score of a governmental entity, with or without the presence of PPSR drivers. The variables that influence the PPSR activities of an agency are similar across all demographics. What appears to drive the participation in socially responsible initiatives of government is the buy-in and mandate through regulation, policy and example set by management. This posture is emulated not only professionally, but the data indicates that it influences personal behavior as well. In order to bring about societal change, results are best achieved through the creation of policy for participation, establishing benchmarks for measuring success and integrating performance review milestones for achievement of goals and objectives related to PPSR.

Data has been recognized as an important resource in the public sector. As a result, the expectations regarding data and its potential use cases have increased. In Sweden, key stakeholders have emphasized the importance of data for data-driven purposes. However, the amount of data collected, stored and analyzed has dramatically increased, which from an organizational perspective presents new demands on how public organizations govern and control their data management. In this study, data governance in the public sector at the municipal level was investigated with the purpose of creating an overview of how data governance occurs within municipalities. The study was divided into two sections, the first phase consisted of interviews with a specific municipality, whereas the second phase consisted of a survey distributed to all 290 Swedish municipalities. The results show that the current approach to data governance presents several challenges in the municipal sector. The results also indicate that the municipal sector may potentially be more focused on information governance rather than data governance and that there may be a lack of knowledge about the distinction between data and information. The findings suggest that the municipal sector lacks the prerequisites for managing data as a valuable and strategic asset, which is a concern given the public sector’s ambitions for data to generate and enhance services for society. / Data har blivit alltmer uppmärksammad som en viktig resurs i den offentliga sektorn. I och med detta har även förhoppningarna om data och dess användningsområden ökat inom sektorn. Bara i Sverige har nyckelaktörer påpekat betydelsen av data för datadrivna ändamål. Emellertid, har mängden data som samlas in, lagras och analyseras ökat, vilket utifrån ett organisatoriskt perspektiv ställer nya krav på hur offentliga organisationer styr och kontroller deras datahantering. Med hänsyn till detta har datastyrning i den offentliga sektorn, mer specifikt på kommunal nivå, undersökts i denna studie med syftet att skapa en överblick över hur datastyrning sker inom kommuner. Studien delades in i två faser, där den första fasen innefattade inledande intervjuer med en specifik kommun, medan den andra fasen innebar en enkätundersökning som distribuerades ut till alla 290 kommuner IT-chefer eller motsvarande. Resultatet visar på att rådande arbetssätt med datastyrning visar på ett antal utmaningar i den kommunala sektorn. Vidare är det möjligt att det råder en kunskapsbrist om skillnaden mellan data och information samt att den kommunala sektorn möjligtvis är mer fokusar på informationsstyrning än datastyrning. Med hänsyn till den offentliga sektorns förhoppningar om data för att skapa och förbättra tjänster för samhället visar resultatet att den kommunala sektorn inte har förutsättningarna att hantera data som en strategisk och värdefull tillgång.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka verksamhetsnära chefer inom vård och omsorg i kommunal verksamhet och deras förutsättningar att utvecklas i sin yrkesroll. Fenomenet är relevant att studera då verksamhetschefer i kommunal verksamhet befinner sig i en mellanposition med krav från olika nivåer. Kommunen som arbetsgivare behöver säkerställa att det finns en balans mellan de krav som ställs på första linjens chefer och att det tillhandahålls rätt resurser och förutsättningar. Studien har utgått ifrån verksamhetsnära chefer och deras förutsättningar att utvecklas i sin yrkesroll. Studiens frågeställningar är: Hur upplever chefer att de lär sig på sin arbetsplats? Vilka förutsättningar för eget lärande upplever cheferna att de har? Hur samverkar individuella och kontextuella förutsättningar för lärande?  Studien har en kvalitativ metodansats och utgick ifrån sex semistrukturerade intervjuer. Resultatet analyserades med Eurats (2004) teorier som fokuserar på informellt lärande på arbetsplatser utifrån faktorer som påverkar lärandet. Studiens resultat visade att chefer lär sig via dialog med kollegor och medarbetare och genom "learning-by-doing". Vidare visade resultatet att det mest betydelsefulla förutsättningarna chefer har för eget lärande är olika typer av stöd, återkoppling, reflektion och tidigare erfarenhet men även organisatoriska förutsättningar som relationer och möten med andra, struktur och tydliga förväntningar från organisationen. / The purpose of the study is to investigate managers within the Public sector. The study has aimed to investigate conditions for managers developing in their professional role. The phenomenon becomes educationally relevant to study when managers in municipal operations find themselves in an “intermediate” position. The municipal need to ensure that there is a balance between the demands on first-line managers and that the right resources and conditions are provided. The study has been based on managers and their conditions for developing in their professional role. Three questions were compiled: How do managers experience their learning at their workplace? What conditions for their own learning do managers experience? How do individual and contextual conditions for learning interact? The study had a qualitative methodological approach and it is based on six semi-structured interviews. The result is analyzed using Eraut’s (2004) theory that focuses informal learning in workplaces based on factors that influence learning. The results of the study showed that managers learn through dialogue with colleagues and employees and through "learning-by-doing". Furthermore, the results showed that the most important prerequisites for managers in their own learning are various types of support, feedback, reflection and previous experience, but also organizational prerequisites such as relationships and meetings with others, structure and clear expectations from the organization.

The purpose of this thesis was to explore senior managers¿ perceptions of strategic management, with the specific context being the National Oil Corporation in Libya. As such it represents a ground-breaking study at PhD level. An extensive literature identified key themes and models of strategy formulation and strategic management, in particular Karami¿s model of strategic management (Karami, 2007) together with key factors influencing the processes involved. This led to a study of the Libyan NOC based on a two-stage research design, the first a survey involving two hundred and fifty two senior managers of whom seventy returned completed questionnaires and the second conducting twelve semi-structured follow up interviews to deepen the findings from the questionnaire with qualitative data. The findings of this thesis suggest that the Libyan NOC may have relied too heavily in the past on strategy formulation and strategic management as the preserve of a very few individuals at the very top of the organisation, as the role of the great majority of senior managers was limited to monitoring and high level supervision. It was found that although political directives set the strategy for the whole organisation, there was a gap in knowledge and understanding between the senior business managers and the political appointments to the Board. Recommendations for improving practice therefore concerned steps in the strategic management process and senior managers¿ effectiveness especially in the Board as a team. Recommendations for reflecting the Libyan NOC as an example of a state-owned enterprise in Karami¿s model were to include Board effectiveness as the first step, to add medium-term objectives and to include social responsibility in environmental scanning under external factors.

This master thesis investigates the public servants’ motives for switching their employment from the private to the public sector and for having a tendency to work in the public organization. It also focuses on factors they describe as job satisfaction and the challenges they have encountered after transitioning to the public-sector employment. The framework of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two factor theories provide an explanation for the reasons why public employees switched sectors and their perception on factors they perceived as motivation and challenges after switching into a new workplace in a new sector. A qualitative study was conducted, using semi-structured interviews to collect data from 8 respondents who are currently working for the government. All of them used to work in the private sector and later moved into the public sector. The study reveals a number of distinctive motives for them to make a sector switch. These include secure employment and pension, less workload and work-related stress, family inspiration, pride in the public sector job, career advancement, and making positive impacts to the community. The findings also identify a number of challenges faced by these sector switchers such as low wage and moonlighting, complicated hierarchy and bureaucratic structures, ineffective leadership and other management issues within the public office. The knowledge and information on these challenges have the implications for certain stakeholders, including recent graduates, employees, politicians, leaders at public institutions, and especially policy makers. Policy makers and/or politicians should consider creating employment policies that entice talented individuals to work for the government and enhance the working conditions for new civil servants. The study also has the potential to pave the way for the prospective recent graduates and employees, giving them sufficient information on which to base their choice of employment, either in private sector or for the government.

Digital transformation has a significant impact on various areas of public sector organizations across the globe. While its most noticeable effect is proposed at the organizational level, digital transformation influences operational efficiency and performance. Digital transformation can enhance operational efficiency, for instance, by enabling accelerated decision-making processes through analytics and big data. Automation and improved business processes also contribute to operational efficiency. However, these organizations often encounter significant challenges in digital transformation, particularly cultural and structural barriers. While plenty of research is exploring digital transformation in private and public organizations, specific insights into the context of Swedish municipalities still need to be explored. Prior research has shown that digital transformation involves overcoming several barriers. In response to the research, this study aims to analyse the most impactful obstacles in digital transformation in public organizations: cultural and structural barriers within Swedish municipalities. The research strategy is a survey-based study involving semi-structured interviews with IT directors and managers from 14 municipalities undergoing digital transformation. The data collected was analysed using thematic analysis. The data analysis has identified a total of 19 barriers, with 11 being newly discovered and 8 reaffirmed from prior research literature and internal documents to achieve data triangulation. These findings provide a deeper understanding of these barriers, promoting the successful implementation of digital transformation strategies in the public sector.

Etablering av projekt som arbetsform har ökat i samband med den snabba samhällsutvecklingen. Byggprojekt plågas ofta av förseningar och kostnadsöverskridande vilket leder till försämrat projektkvalité. Projektbaserade verksamheter styr och leder sina projekt genom specifik och anpassad projektstyrmodell. Att tillämpa styrmodellen genom ett digitalt projektledningsverktyg kan leda till effektivare projektledning inom verksamheten. Digitalisering av projektledning är en följd av den snabba tillväxten av digital teknik som driver organisationer till att förändra sina affärsmodeller radikalt. Denna studie är ämnad åt att ta fram ett kravspecifikationsdokument för implementering av ett digitalt projektledningsverktyg i en kommunal verksamhet. Arbetet kompletteras med undersökning av lyckande grad av ett liknande förändringsarbete i liknande verksamheter. I samband med detta utförs en litteraturstudie för att skapa bredare förståelse av ämnet utveckling av projektledning samt term- och begreppsdefinition. Resultat visar att utveckling av projektledning genom tillämpning av digitalverktyg leder inte direkt till effektivare projektledning. Digitaliseringsarbete lönar sig om det är strukturerat, enligt med verksamhetens behov och kultur samt gynnar verksamhetens strategiska arbete mot sina långsiktiga visioner och målsättningar / Utilization of project as a form of work has increased in connection with the rapid development of society. Construction projects are often plagued by delays and cost overruns, which lead to poor project quality. Project-based organizations control and lead their projects through a specific and adapted project management model. Applying the control model through a digital project management tool can lead to more efficient project management within the organization. Digitization of project management is a consequence of the rapid growth of digital technology. It drives organizations to radically change their business models. This study is intended to produce a requirement specification document for the implementation of a digital project management tool in a municipal activity. The work is supplemented with an examination of the degree of success of similar development projects in similar organization. In connection with this, a literature study is carried out to create a broader understanding of the subject of project management development as well as term and concept definition. Results show that improvement of project management through the incorporation of digital tools does not lead directly to more efficient project management. Digitization alone is of no value to the organization if it is not structured, in unity with the needs and culture of the business and benefits the business's strategic work towards its long-term visions and goals. / <p>2023-10-18</p>

Ph. D. (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The most important decisions that direct the operations of a nation are made in the public sector. The public sector performs the duty of facilitating the efficient and sustainable delivery of goods and services to the general public. In South Africa, public sector institutions have failed to fulfil their role of providing effective services, and this failure has been attributed to corruption and other inconsistencies inherent within supply chain management (SCM) transactions occurring between government and its suppliers. To streamline SCM, various legislative pieces such as the public SCM Policy Framework, the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework (PPPF) and the Broad-Based Black-Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Act, among others were implemented in tandem with a host of other interventions. However, the challenges linked to public SCM continue to this day and the intended outcomes are yet to be fully realised, thereby negatively impacting on the effective delivery of services by the public sector. This study investigated the relationship between SCM practices, supplier performance and supply chain resilience in the South African public sector. The study is premised on the need to investigate how SCM practices may be applied to improve the effectiveness of supplier performance, and hence the resilience of the public supply chain in South Africa, in light of the numerous challenges faced by the sector. This study followed a quantitative method in which a cross-sectional survey was applied to collect data to test the relationships between seven SCM practices (supply chain collaboration, supply chain synergies, supply chain innovation, information sharing, information quality, supply chain design, supply chain integration), supplier performance and supply chain resilience. A structured survey questionnaire was developed using adapted measurement scales and administered to 333 SCM professionals recruited from public sector organisations based in the Gauteng Province. The data collected were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 25.0) and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS Version 25.0) statistical software. The actual data analysis techniques applied included descriptive and inferential statistics and hypotheses were tested using structural equation modelling. The results of the study showed that three SCM practices, namely collaboration, innovation and integration exerted a significant positive influence on supplier performance. However, supply chain synergies, information quality and supply chain design were statistically insignificant. Moreover, information sharing exerted a significant negative influence on supplier performance. In turn, supplier performance exerted a significant positive influence on supply chain resilience. The study contributes in various ways to both public SCM theory and practice. Theoretically, it provides information on how the SCM dimensions considered in this study, which are supply chain collaboration, synergies, innovation, information sharing and quality, design, and integration are linked to supplier performance and supply chain resilience within the public sector in South Africa. Given the limited evidence of previous studies of this nature in the South African public sector, the results are an essential addition to the existing body of literature within the public SCM context in developing countries such as South Africa. From a managerial standpoint, the study provides information on which SCM practices deserve attention in the efforts to improve the performance of suppliers, and how the performance of suppliers can be harnessed to enhance the resilience of the public supply chain. Hence, the study offers an important diagnostic framework through which the SCM challenges facing the public supply chain in South Africa can be addressed.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning har primärt fokuserat på controllerrollen inom den privatasektorn, medan det finns en otillräcklig forskning inom den offentliga sektorn.Mot bakgrund av detta har vi valt att undersöka orsakerna bakom utvecklingen avcontrollerrollen inom den offentliga sektorn samt hur rollen ser ut på kommunal nivå. För attgenomföra vår studie har vi valt att fokusera på två kommuner, nämligen Alvesta och Växjökommun.Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att studera faktorerna som har påverkat förändringen avcontrollerrollen och dess arbetsuppgifter inom den offentliga sektorn. Detta kommer att utförasgenom att identifiera och analysera orsakerna bakom utvecklingen, vilket kommer att bidra tillen bättre förståelse för hur olika faktorer har påverkat controllerrollen och dess arbetsuppgifter.Metod: För att genomföra studien har vi valt att använda oss av en kvalitativ ansats medsemistrukturerade intervjuer. Sex controllrar från både Alvesta och Växjö kommuner harintervjuats med frågor om förändringar i controllerrollen och de faktorer som ligger bakom dessaförändringar.Slutsats: Slutsatsen som går att dra från studien är att controllerrollen kan definieras utifrån tredimensioner: 1. Arbetsuppgifter 2. Kompetenser och färdigheter 3. Informationskälla. Även attrollen som controller har förändrats över tid inom den offentliga sektorn. De främsta faktorerbakom förändringen är digitalisering, teknisk utveckling och organisationsstruktur. / Background: Previous research has focused primarily on the controller role in the private sector, while there is a lack of research in the public sector. In light of this, we have chosen to investigate the reasons behind the development of the controller role in the public sector and what the role looks like at the municipal level. To carry out our study, we have chosen to focuson two municipalities, namely Alvesta and Växjö Kommun. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to study the factors that have influenced the change of the controller role and its duties in the public sector. This will be carried out by identifying and analyzing the reasons behind the development, which will contribute to a better understanding of how various factors have influenced the controller role and its job duties. Method: To carry out the study, we have chosen to use a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. Six controllers from both Alvesta and Växjö municipalities have been interviewed with questions about changes in the controller role and the factors behind these changes. Conclusion: The conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the controller role can be defined from three dimensions: 1. Tasks 2. Skills and abilities 3. Source of information. Also that the role of controller has changed over time in the public sector. The main factors behind the change are digitization, technological development and organizational structure.

Although several multi-dimensional models of strategic decision-making processes (SDMPs) have been examined in the literature, these studies have paid insufficient attention to the public sector context and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. SDMP in the public sector and the State of Qatar can vary to SDMP in the private sector due to institutional and socio-cultural differences respectively. Therefore, more research is urgently needed to better understand SDPM within this context. To contribute to filling this void, this study develops and tests a multi-dimensional SDMP model including SDMP dimensions, implementation, and outcome. The study model examines (𝑖) the impact of four SDMP dimensions—procedural rationality, intuition, constructive politics, and participation—on the implementation success of the strategic decision; (𝑖𝑖) the impact of the successful implementation of SD over the SD quality; (𝑖𝑖𝑖) the mediation role of the implementation success of SD; (𝑖𝑣) the moderation effect of stakeholder uncertainty. The model was analysed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) and tested using data from multiple informants on 170 strategic decisions in 38 Qatari public organisations. The study finds that procedural rationality, constructive politics, participations, and the implementation Success of SD plays a significant and positive role on SDMP and its overall outcome. Finally, the study provides substantial and original contributions to the knowledge of SDMP in the public sector; implications for decision-makers and directions for future research.