This thesis emerged from the author’s quest to increase her personal and professional effectiveness, to become more congruent, and to be a better person in the world. The thesis discusses how to move from Argyris and Schon’s behavioural model 1 (seeking answers externally, blaming others, avoiding responsibility, controlling behaviour and the belief that there is one right way) to model 2 (seeking answers from within, accepting responsibility, living in a state of flow, surprise and emergent possibilities, looking at the world in multiple ways and collaborating with others). Drawing from her own experiences and interactions with others, the author explores issues such as how people learn the qualities that enable them to be better people; what experiences have enabled people to move toward model 2; what happens when a group, especially within an organisation, moves toward model 2 and how does this happen; and how can conditions be created to enable individuals or groups to move toward model 2. / Master of Science (Hons)

The main process of this dissertation involves thedevelopment and refinement of a conceptual framework fordescribing and discussing cross-functional co-operation andnetworking within product realisation processes. The conceptualframework, the analysis of the case study and a discussion ofthe implications and challenges for research and industrialsector are the main results of the dissertation. Industrial firms face different demands, which create anumber of potential sources of conflicts(‘faster–better–cheaper’), for examplebetween market, product development and manufacturingfunctions. The transformation of industrial firms from beingtraditionally hierarchically organised to becoming team-,project- and process-based has delegated a number ofresponsibilities to employees–for example, to interactwith others in planning and decision-making, and to act onissues or problems that may arise during daily work. Thissituation requires that new workand co-operation patterns aredeveloped between employees and between work units. Theestablishment of new co-operative behaviour seldom developswithout active support. Several studies confirm that there is aneed for organisational/managerial support for cross-functionalco-operation to develop, but that this type of support is oftenneglected (Blackler et al, 1997; Gabrielsson, 1998; Majchrzakand Wang, 1996). The case study, reported in this dissertation, waslongitudinal and context-oriented. The study pointed out thatan integrative view of management on the entire ProductRealisation Process (PRP) was lacking during the first vitalphases of the organisational restructuring. However, itdeveloped continuously over time, which indicates a change inorganisational paradigm. Support for cross-functionalco-operation was considered and implemented only after thatco-operation had collapsed in a pilot group. The support was,for example, based on‘Work Reflection Seminars’,which served as forums for discussing the new ways of working.In addition, two different parallel networks, originating fromthe previous organisational structure, had considerable impacton the development of cross-functional co-operation, whichdemonstrates the importance and power of practised rather thanformally ordered activities. <b>Keywords:</b>Cross-functional Co-operation, Networking,Product Realisation Process, Concurrent Engineering, Productdevelopment, Production, Organisational Change, OrganisationalRestructuring.

Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att klargöra skillnaden mellan olika sorters rabatterade erbjudanden som kampanj och rea i Ur&amp;Penns butiker. Syftet är även att se hur konsumenter ser på rabatterade erbjudanden och hur deras lojalitet kan påverkas av detta. Metod: En kombination av kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder har använts med en abduktiv ansats. Insamling av data har skett via enkäter, intervju och observation. Uppsatsen riktar sig in på att undersöka Ur&amp;Penns marknad. Teori: Teorier som använts i uppsatsen beskriver prisstrategier, rabatterade erbjudanden, lojalitet ur konsumentperspektiv samt tar upp utsnitt ur marknadsföringslagen. Empiri: Empirin består av tre delar: webbenkät, intervju och en observation. Webbenkäten är skapad ur ett konsumentperspektiv medan intervjun är ur ett företagsperspektiv. En direkt observation har utförts av författarna. Slutsats: Det finns både negativa och positiva aspekter för både konsumenter och företag när det gäller rabatterade erbjudanden. Skillnaden mellan kampanj och rea är uppenbart i fakta men inte lika tydlig när det kommer till att se skillnaden i butik. Rabattaktiviteter används i butiker för att locka kunder till att handla. En stor del av våra respondenter uppfattar nedsatta priser som någonting positivt.

<p>The main process of this dissertation involves thedevelopment and refinement of a conceptual framework fordescribing and discussing cross-functional co-operation andnetworking within product realisation processes. The conceptualframework, the analysis of the case study and a discussion ofthe implications and challenges for research and industrialsector are the main results of the dissertation.</p><p>Industrial firms face different demands, which create anumber of potential sources of conflicts(‘faster–better–cheaper’), for examplebetween market, product development and manufacturingfunctions. The transformation of industrial firms from beingtraditionally hierarchically organised to becoming team-,project- and process-based has delegated a number ofresponsibilities to employees–for example, to interactwith others in planning and decision-making, and to act onissues or problems that may arise during daily work. Thissituation requires that new workand co-operation patterns aredeveloped between employees and between work units. Theestablishment of new co-operative behaviour seldom developswithout active support. Several studies confirm that there is aneed for organisational/managerial support for cross-functionalco-operation to develop, but that this type of support is oftenneglected (Blackler et al, 1997; Gabrielsson, 1998; Majchrzakand Wang, 1996).</p><p>The case study, reported in this dissertation, waslongitudinal and context-oriented. The study pointed out thatan integrative view of management on the entire ProductRealisation Process (PRP) was lacking during the first vitalphases of the organisational restructuring. However, itdeveloped continuously over time, which indicates a change inorganisational paradigm. Support for cross-functionalco-operation was considered and implemented only after thatco-operation had collapsed in a pilot group. The support was,for example, based on‘Work Reflection Seminars’,which served as forums for discussing the new ways of working.In addition, two different parallel networks, originating fromthe previous organisational structure, had considerable impacton the development of cross-functional co-operation, whichdemonstrates the importance and power of practised rather thanformally ordered activities.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>Cross-functional Co-operation, Networking,Product Realisation Process, Concurrent Engineering, Productdevelopment, Production, Organisational Change, OrganisationalRestructuring.</p>

Despite the continuous need to enhance the value of public services, information systems projects in the public sector still underperform due to their high velocity of change and strategic ambiguity. Diverse studies have been carried out examining ‘project capabilities’ to contribute to the efficiency of information systems project management. However, most studies of project capabilities focus heavily on the project execution that aims for successful implementation of systems. This supplier-oriented approach leads to overlooking the significance of a project owner’s benefits realisation after implementing the information systems. Moreover, this formulation of project capabilities also does not distinguish between dynamic capabilities for benefits realisation and operational capabilities for project execution. For these reasons, the realisation of a project owner’s information systems benefits has still been far from satisfactory, in addition to having a poor rate of project success. In order to address this issue, this thesis develops a more nuanced perspective on project capabilities by distinguishing the dynamic capabilities of owners from the operational capabilities of suppliers and by developing the concept of owner dynamic capabilities. This is followed by analysis of the importance of benefits management as an owner dynamic capability. The aim of this study is to contribute to a deeper understanding of why public sector information systems projects are so challenging and how the project owner’s information systems benefits can be accelerated. A content analysis method was adopted, and 10 years of National Audit Office Value-for-Money reports were analysed covering 31 information systems projects. Theoretically the concept of ‘owner dynamic capabilities’ is introduced, and the experience of UK central government information systems projects is empirically reviewed. The results bring a key implication by showing the significance of benefits management as a distinctive ‘project back-end’ owner dynamic capability. This thesis makes three main contributions to the current literature in information systems project and benefits management. First, the concept of owner dynamic capability is introduced and theorised based on a unique data set of major public sector information systems projects. Second, the importance of project back-end capability is revealed as a distinctive dynamic capability, which owners require to move their information systems investment from practical completion (the system works as expected) to beneficial use (the system delivers the expected business benefits). Third, the key findings provide the future research agenda for project management disciplines.

A parallel realisation of the Conjugate Gradient Method with Schur-Complement preconditioning, based on a domain decomposition approach, is described in detail. Special kinds of solvers for the resulting interiour and coupling systems are presented. A large range of numerical results is used to demonstrate the properties and behaviour of this solvers in practical situations.

Bad or failing projects drain organisational resources in vain, affect team morale,and are a detriment to corporate strategy. Theimportance of terminating a project that will not deliver as promised canhardly be overemphasized, however it is still a major managerial challenge. Throughout this papera call is made toidentify andterminate failing projectsvia a benefit realisation management process, as successful projectsare only those thatdeliver the expected benefits. Thus, the research question to answer is:How can benefit realisation management aid in deciding when to terminate a project?The purpose of this study is to understand project termination and its relationship with benefits realisation management in the case of IT and R&amp;D projects. This is done by tacking a critical realist view in an abductive process that goes back and forth between the merge of existing theories and data collected, which will result in a conceptual model that integrates project termination decision making into a benefit realisation management process. In this research project termination is defined as: the cancellation and cessation of a project prior the completion of its intended activities; while benefit realisation management is conceived as: a set of processes that ensure projects, programmes, and portfolios delivervalue via verifying they are realising their intended goals and benefits.From the literature, the projects analysed and the model drawn, it was understood that benefit realisation management has to be conceived as a monitoring and evaluation process on the project performance in relation to its intended benefit. The howto do so, is our model: a total of 8 steps that go from the conception of the business strategy to the post mortem evaluation of a project. Each step includes different essential activities that hypothetically lead to the correct decision. This, requires active participation and communication from the primary stakeholders, focus on the organisational strategy and the reason why the project was started in addition to a well-defined goal with a clear way of measurement. The when is approached as the moment in time where the termination decision making process should start. A stimulus, a difference between the expected standard and the project performance trend, is what triggers the recognition that a termination decision might be needed and therefore starts the whole decision-making process. Hence, it is recommended to pay special attention to three moments in the project life that might give a clearer indication: 1) the completion and approval of the business-case, as most errors can already be spotted at this point, 2) the testing phase of the solution, being often the point where success is easier to predict and 3) on the submission of the deliverables, as their quality reflect the quality of the future product.

Mobile enterprise applications (MEAs) are found in increasing numbers in organisations as smart-devices become an everyday necessity amongst employees and customers. Large amounts are invested in these applications, so it is important to see the value in improved business processes and the consequential improvement in business performance. Realising the benefits from their use is important to obtain the value from these investments. Yet, benefits management (BM) is poorly implemented in companies and a first step to improve this situation is to improve the visibility of the benefits that can be achieved by using MEAs. Hence the primary question asked in this study is “How can MEA benefits be successfully realised?” The strategy used to answer the question was action research in a single organisation using three MEAs in two different action research cycles. The study was conducted in a short-term insurance company in the Western Cape of South Africa with an established IT and project capability. Globally, the short-term insurance industry is under a significant threat from disruption by market entrants who don’t have to navigate legacy systems and who are more agile with their product offerings. Traditional insurers are looking for innovative solutions to transform the way in which insurance is sold and serviced. A BM process, which was modified from the literature, was refined through action cycles in three MEA projects to improve benefits realisation. The result showed that for MEA projects, which are not very large investments relative to other IT projects, a lighter, less cumbersome process was more practical and acceptable in the organisation. The creation of a benefits and risks template, during the action cycles, helped the organisation to build stronger business cases for MEA projects and also allowed for more comprehensive benefit identification, measurement and tracking, ultimately realising business performance improvements. The study also used a survey amongst 88 brokers and assessors to determine the factors which influence their adoption of these MEAs. The most significant factors influencing user adoption were the company’s willingness to fund the smart-devices, the ease of use of the MEA, job relevance and location dependence. A limitation of this study is that the organisation has a particular approach to project funding whereby the importance of BM is weighed against the cost of the project, hence BM is more important for very expensive projects. While the model prescribed in this study was sufficient in this context, it may not be suitable for organisations that are more conscientious about BM. This model would need to be tested in other contexts for transferability. A further limitation was the duration of time available for conducting this study because this was a PhD research project. Further action cycles might have refined the process further. The findings from this study are relevant to researchers and to organisations wanting to deploy MEAs. The BM process defined in this study can be used in MEA projects as a process to manage the identified benefits and ensure that they are realised. The benefits template can be used as a first step in the BM process to build the business case and the risks template can be used to identify potential problems that could hinder benefits realisation and can used to put mitigating actions in place to prevent problems to benefits realisation. The identification of factors influencing adoption of MEA can help organisations focus on these factors to ensure that their MEAs are used and they thereby derive benefits. The theoretical contributions of this study are a process model for the BM body of knowledge and a model explaining the factors influencing symbolic adoption of MEA. The identification and description of benefits and risks extends the body of knowledge for mobile applications research. These specific issues in the context of MEAs in the short-term insurance industry are understudied.

La Génération Automatique de Langue Naturelle vise à produire des textes dans une langue humaine à partir d'un ensemble de données non-linguistiques. Elle comprend généralement trois sous-tâches principales: (i) sélection et organisation d'un sous-ensemble des données d'entrée; ii) détermination des mots à utiliser pour verbaliser les données d'entrée; et (iii) regroupement de ces mots en un texte en langue naturelle. La dernière sous-tâche est connue comme la tâche de Réalisation de Surface (RS). Dans ma thèse, j'étudie la tâche de RS quand les données d'entrée sont extraites de Bases de Connaissances (BC). Je présente deux nouvelles approches pour la réalisation de surface à partir de bases de connaissances: une approche supervisée et une approche faiblement supervisée. Dans l'approche supervisée, je présente une méthode basée sur des corpus pour induire une grammaire à partir d'un corpus parallèle de textes et de données. Je montre que la grammaire induite est compacte et suffisamment générale pour traiter les données de test. Dans l'approche faiblement supervisée, j'explore une méthode pour la réalisation de surface à partir de données extraites d'une BC qui ne requière pas de corpus parallèle. À la place, je construis un corpus de textes liés au domaine et l'utilise pour identifier les lexicalisations possibles des symboles de la BC et leurs modes de verbalisation. J'évalue les phrases générées et analyse les questions relatives à l'apprentissage à partir de corpus non-alignés. Dans chacune de ces approches, les méthodes proposées sont génériques et peuvent être facilement adaptées pour une entrée à partir d'autres ontologies / Natural Language Generation is the task of automatically producing natural language text to describe information present in non-linguistic data. It involves three main subtasks: (i) selecting the relevant portion of input data; (ii) determining the words that will be used to verbalise the selected data; and (iii) mapping these words into natural language text. The latter task is known as Surface Realisation (SR). In my thesis, I study the SR task in the context of input data coming from Knowledge Bases (KB). I present two novel approaches to surface realisation from knowledge bases: a supervised approach and a weakly supervised approach. In the first, supervised, approach, I present a corpus-based method for inducing a Feature Based Lexicalized Tree Adjoining Grammar from a parallel corpus of text and data. I show that the induced grammar is compact and generalises well over the test data yielding results that are close to those produced by a handcrafted symbolic approach and which outperform an alternative statistical approach. In the weakly supervised approach, I explore a method for surface realisation from KB data which does not require a parallel corpus. Instead, I build a corpus from heterogeneous sources of domain-related text and use it to identify possible lexicalisations of KB symbols and their verbalisation patterns. I evaluate the output sentences and analyse the issues relevant to learning from non-parallel corpora. In both these approaches, the proposed methods are generic and can be easily adapted for input from other ontologies for which a parallel/non-parallel corpora exists

This thesis aims to disentangle the concept of culture; more specifically it identifies different facets of cultural orientations. It looks at how cultural and national groups differ on these dimensions and their impact on individuals and societies. It is argued that we need a more nuanced and multifaceted understanding of culture that goes beyond focusing on values. Chapter 1 discusses definitions of culture and identifies three significant facets of culture—values, beliefs and constructions of the self. It is noted that research into the latter two facets is far less developed. Chapter 2 outlines research into cross-cultural variation in beliefs, more specifically beliefs about personhood, and notes that little is known about beliefs that define individualism-collectivism (I-C). Chapter 3 reviews self-construal theory and highlights a range of remaining issues which point to the need to explore self-construals further. Chapter 4 provides a methodological overview of the research. Chapter 5 reports results from two large-scale cross-cultural questionnaire studies and presents the construct, and a measure, of contextualism, referring to beliefs about the importance of the context in understanding people. Contextualism is shown to be a facet of cultural collectivism and a predictor of national variation in ingroup favouritism, trust and corruption. Chapter 6 presents a new seven-dimensional model of self-construals, which can be organised into three higher-order dimensions at the cultural level of analysis: self-differentiation, other-focus and self-containment. Variation in self-differentiation is shown to be best explained by differences in I-C, other-focus by differences in national wealth and self-containment by religious heritage. Based on a smaller study in four nations, Chapter 7 investigates the seven self-construal dimensions at the individual level and tests how they differentially predict outcomes related to socio-emotional adjustment. Chapter 8 summarises the findings and discusses implications and directions for future research.