The current business environment is experiencing increased levels of uncertainty, competition and change. Influenced by forces such as globalisation, fast paced technological change, recession and emerging markets, the current business environment is required to continuously adapt to these conditions and deliver new products or services to an increasingly demanding market. Such dynamic environments are characterised by fast and unpredictable changes that place traditional competitive advantages under pressure, requiring a continual pursuit of temporary game changers or radical disruptors. With radical innovation considered to be one of the key drivers of disruption and success within these environments, it has become critical for organisations to create a sustainable stream of new products that push the boundaries of technology and that ensures that those organisations stay ahead of their competitors. In dynamic environments, success is short-lived and temporary gains are quickly eroded as the competition catches up or jumps ahead. The ability for continual change, agility, ambidexterity and superior decision making, all contribute to maintaining the current advantages and quickly closing widening gaps in the innovation race. This study investigates the degree to which these dynamic capabilities influence an organisation’s innovation capability.

National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials (NCNSM), one of the National Department of Science and Technology’s nanotech innovation centres houses a characterisation facility which provides a wide array of high-tech materials characterization techniques used in nanotechnology research, to any researchers from any part of South Africa, whether from higher education institutions, government institutions or private firms. In this study the operational review was conducted to identify if the NCNSM Characterisation Facility is delivering on its implementation intent. With operational review organisations are able to explore their internal operations and seek recommendations as to how they can manage and operate more economically, efficiently and effectively. Given that they perform appropriately, allocating their resources properly, and performing within time frame set and using cost-effective measures. BPR was used as a framework to conduct the operational review. BPR is a framework for analysis and design of workflows and process within an organisation. It is an improvement initiative that provides radical change of the business processes in an organizational process. The findings of this study indicated that the NCNSM-CF did not entirely meet its implementation intent but it is striving towards the intention. One of the main reasons for the facility not to meet its intended implementation was the difficulty of the researchers/clients to get access to the facility. The current booking system process contributed significantly to the access problem.

M.Comm. / The South African gold mining industry has in the last decade increasingly come under pressure. The radical drop in the dollar price of gold, the lowest it has been in 16 years, has depressed revenues to the point where drastic action is needed. Furthermore, costs have been escalating. Where the South African Industry was the international leader in low cost production ten years ago, it has now become the most expensive. The following statement by the Chamber of Mines President, Bobby Godsell (1998: Godsell) , underlines the problem: "The gold mining industry world-wide is in a state of crisis, with the price of its product at a 16-year low. Few industries would not be in crisis if they were receiving 1982 prices for their product. In South Africa, two other features contribute to an even more acute crisis. Over the last decade South Africa has moved from being the lowest cost major gold producer to being the highest. Secondly, many South African gold companies are facing physical depletion of their ore reserves. Many companies have now been in operation for more than half a century. Eventually every mine must come to the end of its mineable reserves. Members of the Chamber are deeply committed to meeting the challenges of low prices, high costs and one depletion constructively and effectively. To this end the Chamber proposed a productivity-linked wage agreement last year. Since that agreement we have seen a further $30-drop in the gold price, with a third of Chamber member gold mines making losses, aggregating about R12-million a week. The Chamber shares the National Union of Mineworkers' concerns about job losses. Retrenchments are the consequences of the industry's problems - not their causes. Without addressing the causes, a moratorium on retrenchments will, in our view,achieve nothing, and possibly create expectations which would not be fulfilled. There is only one way to reduce job losses and this is to find ways to return companies to profitability and to make them cost-competitive with producers of gold elsewhere in the world. Much as it understands the National Union of Mineworkers' anger, the industry will not find a way forward through marches, protests or strikes. The combined wisdom, and then the combined effort of management, labour and government will be required to find a way forward for the South African gold industry."

Mini-study project (MBA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) has been undertaken by many organisations with the hope of dramatically improving their competitive position. In most cases however, this undertaking has been a failure. For the success of the BPR, organisational and people issues are of critical importance and cannot be overlooked, as often is the case. Many organisations have not recognised the fundamental need of fully addressing the "soft people issues" during their re-engineering exercises. The ability of the Management team and Management Consultants to filter through these soft issues is of critical importance to the success of the BPR. This study discusses leadership as the first topical issue. Within the parenthesis of LNDC, it then explores the leadership skills required by management of this institution. Leadership is intensely studied from the traits models, situational, consistency models to the transformational leadership styles. Change leadership forms an important basis of the discussions. Organisational culture is one important aspect that has to be considered during change initiative. Crafting and creating appropriate organisational culture forms the centrepiece of leaders' consideration during organisational change. The ability of a leader to create shared values within the organisation leads to building a strong corporate culture that distinguishes between organisations. The McKinsey's seven S model provides a firm framework for most changing organisations. This model illustrates how the soft, yet important issues powerfully impact the BPR process. All of these namely, strategy, structure, systems, style, skills, staff and shared values, are equally important and if any one of them is not properly aligned with the rest, the whole change process may become a failure. This model impacts all seven S's of the organisational dimension and is driven by strategy. Communication on the other hand forms another important element of the discussions. This study shows that without proper communication during organisational change, the whole change process can become a complete failure. The ability of a leader to disseminate intended information appropriately to the employees requires one to have skills and communication methods that are applicable to that particular organisational setting. After undertaking a survey at the LNDC, the researcher concluded that management, at this corporation lacks leadership skills necessary for managing change in an organisation. Recommendations have been made suggesting that the either the CEO be replaced or trained in leadership skills. This would help the organisation to successfully implement the intended change process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

This study examined and compared the developmental experiences of leaders who have successfully developed their capacities to engage in and maintain a vision and practice for sustainability over time in themselves and others in business, education and community. Through the application of grounded theory as a systematic comparative method for the analysis of qualitative data, the study generated a substantive theory of leadership called regenerative leadership. This leadership approach is especially relevant at a time when humankind is faced with accelerating change and increasing evidence that numerous natural and social systems at the global level have reached or are rapidly approaching points of overshoot and collapse. Among the major findings, the study revealed that the more evolved sustainability leaders are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the construct of sustainability, and indicate the need for a profound cultural shift towards regenerative human systems. In this framework, regenerative organizations are driven by a sense higher purpose, and leadership is exercised heterarchically. Leaders and followers engage in generative conversations to create desirable futures which are then backcasted to eliminate unanticipated consequences. Throughout, participants emphasized the critical importance of engaging in personal and collective consciousness development or "inner work" in order to make regenerative practices possible. / by Guillermo [John] Hardman. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.B.A.) - University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermartzburg, 2006.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 128-131).

Orientador: Jesus José Ranieri / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T03:44:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucas_MarcilioRodrigues_M.pdf: 1591371 bytes, checksum: b089e7cd0e1e1e91cf3e174daaa32c02 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Este trabalho visa analisar a reestruturação produtiva ocorrida na Votorantim Metais- Unidade Três Marias (VMTM), a partir da década de 1990 e as mudanças na ação sindical nesse contexto. O objetivo é compreender as estratégias e programas implementados pela empresa e a experiência dos trabalhadores, em termos de adesão e resistência, diante de tal processo, enfocando principalmente os impactos sobre a organização do sindicato local. A reestruturação produtiva da empresa, pertencente a um dos maiores grupos empresariais do Brasil, caracterizou-se por um conjunto de mudanças técnico-organizacionais que modificaram profundamente o cotidiano da fábrica, no qual se pode destacar alguns elementos centrais: 1) inserção de novas tecnologias que possibilitam maior controle e integração das cadeias produtivas; 2) redução, em torno de 70%, do efetivo direto de funcionários, através de demissões e terceirizações; 3) prolongamento da jornada dos turnos de revezamento (além do uso recorrente de horas-extras); 4) flexibilização das formas de remuneração, principalmente com a introdução, em 1996, do Programa de Participação nos Resultados; 5) introdução de uma série de programas de gestão e controle da força de trabalho, voltados para a intensificação do ritmo de trabalho e para a exigência de maior envolvimento dos trabalhadores com os interesses empresariais. Nesse quadro de mudanças, os trabalhadores apresentam posições diversas, que refletem a condição paradoxal, reforçada pela reestruturação, que se caracteriza pela exigência de envolvimento com os interesses da empresa e, ao mesmo tempo, pelo permanente controle e pela contínua pressão por resultados. Tais contradições e ambigüidades se refletem nos dilemas e na forma de atuar do sindicato local, num contexto em que se registram embates não só com a empresa, mas também com os próprios trabalhadores. Na medida em que apresentamos todo o processo analisado, procuramos relacioná-lo com os movimentos mais gerais do capitalismo mundial, especialmente com a dinâmica política e econômica brasileira. Dessa forma, buscamos ressaltar tanto a representatividade da reestruturação produtiva ocorrida na VMTM, como as particularidades desta experiência concreta, ressaltando principalmente a experiência dos trabalhadores e a sua ação sindical / Abstract: This work analyses the productive restructuring process occurring at Votorantim Metals - Três Marias Unit (VMTM) - one of the major entrepreneurship groups in Brazil - since the 1990's, and the changes in trade union practice in this context. Our aim is to understand the strategies and programs implemented by the company and worker's experience in terms of adhesion and resistance in face of such process, focusing on its impact on the local trade union organization. The company's productive restructuring process consisted in several technoorganizational changes that deeply modified the plant's routine, among which we stress the following central elements: 1) the adoption of new technologies that enable grater control and integration of the productive chains; 2) the downsizing of 70% of the direct labor cost, through layoffs and outsourcing; 3) Increasing the length of rotation shifts (besides the recurring use of over-time work); 4) greater flexibility of payment methods, mainly through the Gain Sharing Program, implemented in 1996; 5) the introduction of a series of labor force control and management programs, devoted to increase the work pace and workers' involvement in business concerns. Given this changing setting, the workers assume different positions, reflecting the paradoxical condition, marked by demands of involvement in business concerns and, at the same time, by the permanent control and the continuous pressure for results, reinforced by the restructuring process. Such contradictions and ambivalences are reflected by the dilemmas and actions of the local trade union, where clashes occur not only with the management but also with the workers. Throughout the presentation of the entire process, we have tried to show its relationship to broader shifts in global capitalism, and specifically to Brazilian political and economic dynamics. Therefore, we aim to stress not only the representative character of VMTM productive restructuring, but also the singularities of this concrete experience, with emphasis on workers' experience and their trade union practice / Mestrado / Sociologia do Trabalho / Mestre em Sociologia

M.Inf. / Belbin's team role theory is a popular team building tool. This study aims to establish whether Belbin's theory can be meaningfully applied to an information service enterprise. Belbin's team role theory is explained and its uniqueness, when compared with similar theories such as Margerison and McCann's team role theory and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, is highlighted. Belbin's theory is then applied to a team in the Unisa Library to evaluate how the 'end-user', the trainee, views the value of this team role theory. Their views are then evaluated using a research/evaluation questionnaire. The findings are discussed and the conclusion is reached that Belbin's team role theory can be meaningfully applied in an information service enterprise. The feedback of the respondents indicates that they were satisfied with the accuracy and truthfulness of the results and that they were of the opinion that their team roles reflected their personalities rather than their values and culture. For them the main value lies in the renewed self-insight and increased self-confidence gained from the exercise. They also indicated its potential for improved cooperation and problem solving within team context. Furthermore they were confident that the team roles could be used when the reengineering plan is implemented in the Unisa Library. Finally it is recommended that team building needs to form an integral part of the reengineering implementation process. With regard to team development the need to focus on the 'task', 'team', 'individual' and the 'organisational context' is emphasised.

This study investigates to what extent "e"-communication is used successfully by Zimbabwean commercial banks. The study was done using the literature survey method and the questionnaire. The closed and open-ended questionnaires used for gathering data were administered personally by the researcher leading to 99% return rate of questionnaires. The major conclusions from this study are that "e"-communication is widely adopted by the commercial banks in Zimbabwe, examples being the use of email, statement enquiries or bill payment services. Recommendations drawn from this research are that commercial banks' top management should be committed to the establishment of more effective information systems programmes and invest substantially more in Information Technology to meet the demanding needs and expectations of customers. The study could be replicated in other sectors of business in order to strengthen the reliability and validity of the results revealed here. / Financial Accounting / M. Com. (Accounting)