Thesis (M.Eng.)(Industrial)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes summary. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-138). Also available in printed version.

Assignment (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / On title page: Master of Philosophy (Information and Knowledge Management. Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.S. in Systems Engineering)--Naval Postgraduate School, Dec. 2004. / Thesis Advisor(s): Keith Snider. Includes bibliographical references (p. 355-357). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 2004. / Title from thesis evaluation sheet; title page is lacking. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49).

Thesis (M.S. in Management) Naval Postgraduate School, December 1996. / Thesis advisor(s): Larry R. Jones, Jerry L. McCaffery. "December 1996." Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-106). Also available online.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. / The objective of the thesis is to determine the role Business Informatics plays in transforming an organisation using a selected organisation in Cape Town as a case study. Business informatics is an emerging discipline that combines various aspects of business management, information technology and informatics. Informatics is broadly defined as the science of processing information; thus, increasingly, it involves processing and analysing information digitally with the aid of computers. Therefore the aim of the research was to understand what components of business informatics are being leveraged to transform businesses, and the challenges thereof. This was done using a social theory – duality of technology from Orlikowski adapted from Giddens’ Structuration Theory (ST) as a theoretical framework, particularly, the dimensions of duality of structure. The theory was used as a lens to understand and interpret this social phenomenon - the role business informatics can play in business transformation. It is argued that business informatics concepts are able to assist in business transformation through effective use of information systems and business management concepts. In that regard, ERP system in a Cloud platform was recommended to illustrate these concepts. The concepts helped to device guidelines for determining the challenges of a business to use informatics to transform and become sustainable and competitive. Therefore, the research explained and recommended why business entities have begun to move from an application-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to cloud computing-based ERP (cloud-ERP) system. The study used the interpretive approach where qualitative philosophy was applied together with the underpinning theory and literature reviewed to design a semi-structured interview schedule as a data collection instrument. It was a case study of an Organisation where the units of analysis were the IT, Finance, HR and Sales and Marketing departments and object of analysis was 50 employees. The output is a general framework to guide businesses as to how to apply the concepts of business informatics to achieve improved business transformation.

M.Ing. / The topic of this research project is 'Assessment of value added to engineering projects'. In this dissertation the aim is to introduce the reader to the methodologies, which can be used to add value to engineering projects. Engineering has to do with the application of science in solving problems, while technology is the study or use of the mechanical arts or applied sciences. The author saw it fitting to combine value engineering principles, systems engineering, business process re-engineering, technology scanning and innovation technology management principles to base this dissertation on the research of the combined principles. The intention of this research is not to replace the current project management or processes on how to manage and create value in engineering projects. The research merely identifies an issue and proposes a process as an addition to the current processes rectifying this 'lack of value' issue.

M.Comm. (Business Management) / The objective of this research can be summarised as follows: To understand the fundamental concepts of BPR To demonstrate the importance of people in the successful implementation of BPR To highlight the most common errors that lead to failure at re-engineering Business Process Re-engineering (Chapter two) is designed to bring about a drastic change in the way a companyconducts business. This is achieved by identifying core business processes and re-engineer them to gain competitive advantage. The kind of organisation that is most likely to be successful at BPR is one that already has a high degree of leadership (Chapter three) that can create a vision, articulate values, and create a climate in which business executives, managersand line personnel can all grow, flourish and have an impact on the way work is done. Chapter four is a case study to illustrate through a practical example how common errors lead to BPR failure.

M.Comm. / The concepts of logistics and supply chain management are relatively new in South Africa. The concept of logistics management was more commonly known in the 1960s and 1970s as physical distribution. In the late 1970s, the concept evolved to logistics management and in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it evolved into supply chain management. It was only after the end of apartheid in 1994 when South Africa was able to compete globally that there was great interest in supply chain management in South Africa. There is virtually no business or industry untouched by the business of logistics and supply chain management. Getting the right product to the right customer at the right time as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible is the main objective of logistics and supply chain management (Gordon, 2000a: 14). Logistics is “the process of strategically managing the acquisition, movement and storage of materials, parts and finished inventory (and the related information flows) through the organization and its marketing channel in such a way that current and future profitability is maximised through the cost-effective fulfillment of orders” (Anon1. ,2002). The term supply chain is described by Lummus and Vokurka (1999) as “all of those activities associated with moving goods from raw materials stage through to the consumer. This includes procurement, production scheduling, order processing, inventory control, transportation, warehousing, and customer service. The information systems necessary to monitor all of these activities are also included. All these activities are then integrated and coordinated into a seamless process to involve all the partners in the supply chain”. With every step in the supply chain management process, there are costs involved and two of the major cost drivers in the supply chain according to Palmieri and Africk (1999) are inventory holding and transportation. Stout is of the opinion that this is more than a valid statement from a South African business perspective and emphasizes that unnecessary inventory costs money as does inventory that is distributed inefficiently (Gordon, 2000b: 21). Excessive inventory holding together with under-utilization of transport can lead to a major negative financial impact on total supply chain costs (Cooke, 2000: 12; Lambert, Stock & Ellram, 1998: 165; Hankanson, 1999). Therefore, the reciprocal relationship between inventory holding and transportation cost is very important. Christopher (1992: 25) also stipulates that the ultimate purpose of any supply chain is to satisfy customers. The importance of customer service in total supply chain functioning must therefore always be considered in a logistics supply chain system design. In South Africa, transport and inventory are two of the main cost drivers in the supply chain. Factors that make inventory and transport two of the main cost drivers in the supply chain are, among others: high fuel prices, high interest rates, poor road conditions, security concerns and the weak performance of the rand against major foreign currencies. It can therefore be said that inventory and transport are just as important in obtaining an optimized supply chain in South Africa as in the rest of the world. / Mr. P. Kilbourn Prof. J. Walters