The study explores the role that the CEO plays in the facilitation of the Strategic Management Process (SMP) within the small and medium sized companies on the JSE with a turnover between R10 to R80 mil. In answering the question “Is the facilitation of the SMP vested in the CEO alone or does he/she share the overall responsibility with Executives, Functional Managers, Supervisors or Consultants? In response to this question the findings purport that the majority view (69%) strengthen the CEO’s influential role in the facilitation of the SMP. This was evident within the launching and growth phase of the company, where the owner plays a big role as the visionary and as there is no formal distinction between the facilitation and the SMP. In contrast, we have to acknowledge the minority view (31%) of CEO’s who engages Executives, Functional Managers, Supervisors, Consultants and other selected personnel in strategic discussions, in ways to leverage their perspective and insights and create shared meaning and ownership. This could be used to develop skills in facilitation, reaffirm team norms and develop agility to respond timeously and strategically to rapid change. This bridges the transition from the higher growth phase and lower maturity phase of the company. For that reason this will enhance decision making, creativity, collaboration, enumerate core values and stimulate growth within the company.

This report concerns the development of a marketing strategy tailored for EWNBZ, a not-for-profit organisation. The objective is to raise brand equity and image through improving the external perception of EWBNZ, while maximising the impact that EWBNZ is able to make in relation to its mission, vision and values. Investigations into how EWBNZ has marketed itself in the past, as well as a stakeholder analysis, have resulted in the identification of key focus areas for the strategy. These focus areas include improving marketing knowledge within the EWBNZ community as well as reducing the time needed to produce external communications. Templates, guides and learning material have been provided to direct marketing personnel to the best approach for external communications for EWBNZ, these can be found on the EWBNZ shared drive and intranet.

No description available.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand, in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, 2016 / Strategic management is a discipline that holds a significant promise for organisations. However, the discipline is fragmented, with a persistent stalemate of incompatible theories. Some researchers are beginning to use philosophical approaches to address these issues by interrogating the foundational questions of the discipline. The arguments in this thesis build on the philosophical approach by applying Wittgenstein’s later philosophy to strategic management. Wittgenstein sought to address problems in philosophy by dissolving them, meaning that he sought to show how, when seen in the right perspective, that which were thought to be problems are really misunderstandings of the way language functions. Similarly, this research attempts to dissolve some of the fundamental problems in strategic management using Wittgenstein’s later philosophical method. / MB2016

This study explores the nature of skills forecasting in nuclear decommissioning and that which makes skills forecasting information useful. The study adopts a pragmatic approach using an interpretative, qualitative case study research design and draws on aspects of a critical realist approach to uncover, deconstruct and challenge some ‘norms’ in skills forecasting. The study makes an original contribution to knowledge through the identification of nineteen factors that influence skills forecasting in the nuclear industry. It also generates a baseline of knowledge on the theory and practice of skills forecasting and management through a review of the literature on skills, forecasting, skills forecasting and workforce planning and relevant aspects of public sector management and HRM. The study documents and compares current skills forecasting practice amongst UK site licensed companies and selected supply chain companies. Such research has not previously been conducted in the nuclear decommissioning industry. This answers research questions about why, and how, different groups in the sector perform skills forecasting and how variations in approaches affect the information produced. It also answers research questions about who uses skills forecasting information, and how. Together with a review of current problems with skills information, this contributes to an understanding of what makes skills information useful. The research evidences that while the industry has some common features with other High Reliability Organisations, there are unique dimensions which make this research significant. Some ‘norms’ operating in skills forecasting were challenged including how it is being used, eg as an agent for change by some groups, and assumptions about the potential availability of skills from the supply chain. The literature review was used to construct a practical-ideal type, an approach derived from classical pragmatism offering a version of a nearly ideal process, on the understanding that this is socially constructed and subject to continual change. Existing practice is evaluated against this practical-ideal type in a unique application of this methodology in the nuclear decommissioning context.

Adopting a triangulated approach, this thesis consists of three separate but related qualitative studies, the collective objectives of which are to (i) gauge current levels of concern of Australian public universities with rapid intensification of the higher education sector globally; (ii) evaluate strategies developed by universities in response to increasing competition; and (iii) develop a conceptual framework to guide competitive behaviour of universities. Study 1 is a systematic content analysis of published strategic plans of universities using Leximancer (Version 2.20). Relative prominence of concepts identified in this content analysis give rise to propositions relating both to levels of concern with competition and strategies being implemented to protect market position. In Study 2, these propositions are tested in a sample of the universities by means of case studies based on face-to-face interviews with senior academics and administrators. Study 3 draws upon findings of Studies 1 and 2 to develop a strategic model to guide future strategy development. Overall, findings of the studies provide valuable insights into the management of higher education in a dynamic environment in which the intensity of competition is likely to escalate as the pace of globalisation and technological change quickens, as deregulation of the domestic higher education sector continues, as per capita funding is further reduced, as even greater elements of competition and contestability are introduced in the interests of productivity and efficiency, and as overseas student demand slackens in traditional markets.

In the 1960’s, the Japanese car manufacturer Toyota developed target costing – a management accounting model that reduces the risk of releasing unprofitable products. The method eventually spread to Swedish firms. The study starts by summing recent previous research on target costing in Sweden (full description of these studies is available in Appendix I). Looking at this research, it is noted that there is an inconsistency with regards to what principles of target costing are used, and which are not. It is also noted that some firms are claimed to be used target costing and some firms are claimed not to be using it. No study, however, has tried to find an explanation to why some principles are implemented and why some are not. This is also the theoretical contribution of this thesis. More specifically, the research problems are therefore: (1) is target costing really implemented in a different way in Sweden as compared to Japan and (2), if so, why are there differences? It is further assumed that ideology could be a good explaining variable for the possible differences in implementation. In answering the first question, target costing is firstly described according to well-known books and articles on the subject. Following normative description, a presentation is made how target costing has been employed in Sweden. Secondary data based on three quantative studies is used here. These two descriptions are then contrasted against each other and it is found that target costing is implemented in a different way as compared to normative Japanese literature. Next, the second question is answered by constructing a theoretical framework based on ideological- and managerial assumptions of Japan and Sweden, respectively. This framework is then used to try to explain the differences mentioned above. Through the analysis it is observed that the Swedes’ lower priority of financial goal as well as their orientation towards the future are often used to explain the differences. These two aspects are also two of the main differences between Swedish and Japanese ideologies. It is therefore concluded that the differences might be explained using ideological assumptions, although there are probably other important factors as well. An implication of the result is that it is questionable whether target costing even will reach popularity in Sweden. Finally, it is also concluded that Likert-scales are not usefil when measuring target costing implementation

This project examines the theoretical basis for linking industrial clustering to the strategic management of firms. Specifically, a recently deployed theory building framework defined three perspectives on clustering, the competitiveness perspective, the externalities perspective and the territorial perspective, but stopped short of explaining when, where and to whom these perspectives are relevant. This thesis proposes that firms are the central recipient of cluster effects and that the product-based, resource-based and knowledge-based approaches to management provide the theoretical base from which the operational contexts of each cluster perspective can be defined. Three cluster-management relationships are modelled and beta-tested on a sample of cluster-based firms. The empirical analysis is designed to provide feedback to the theory building process and not to prove or disprove the theory itself.<p> The analysis yielded little if any evidence that the proposed cluster-management relationships are present in the sample that was studied. This result was a surprise as the exuberance with which clusters and their benefits are often promoted suggests that in a cluster there should be a pronounced correlation between firm performance and cluster attributes. The statistical limitations of this analysis mean the results can not be inferred to the general population and that the theoretical propositions are not actually disproved. Nonetheless, the muted observations do cast attention on the need for better modelling and measurement instruments in the field of cluster research. In addition, this project initiates a deductive process by which subsequent research can focus on the causal pathways that comprise the phenomenon of industrial clustering; including the pathway that links clusters to firms and then to economic performance.

This project examines the theoretical basis for linking industrial clustering to the strategic management of firms. Specifically, a recently deployed theory building framework defined three perspectives on clustering, the competitiveness perspective, the externalities perspective and the territorial perspective, but stopped short of explaining when, where and to whom these perspectives are relevant. This thesis proposes that firms are the central recipient of cluster effects and that the product-based, resource-based and knowledge-based approaches to management provide the theoretical base from which the operational contexts of each cluster perspective can be defined. Three cluster-management relationships are modelled and beta-tested on a sample of cluster-based firms. The empirical analysis is designed to provide feedback to the theory building process and not to prove or disprove the theory itself.<p> The analysis yielded little if any evidence that the proposed cluster-management relationships are present in the sample that was studied. This result was a surprise as the exuberance with which clusters and their benefits are often promoted suggests that in a cluster there should be a pronounced correlation between firm performance and cluster attributes. The statistical limitations of this analysis mean the results can not be inferred to the general population and that the theoretical propositions are not actually disproved. Nonetheless, the muted observations do cast attention on the need for better modelling and measurement instruments in the field of cluster research. In addition, this project initiates a deductive process by which subsequent research can focus on the causal pathways that comprise the phenomenon of industrial clustering; including the pathway that links clusters to firms and then to economic performance.

Problem – The expansion of the service sector in Sweden resulted with more jobsopportunities, which leads to higher employee turnover rate. Moreover the lack ofinternal marketing within the organization makes the situation even worse. Purpose – The purpose of our thesis is to explore if internal marketing at the Profilgroup is used to keep the competence of human resources within the organizationand in turn lead to a lower employee turnover rate. Method – In order to answer the research questions formed with the purpose inmind, data was collected from Profil group through face‐to‐face and over‐thephoneinterviews. Subsequently, a qualitative approach was used to analyze thedifferences and similarities between the empirical findings and the theory. Conclusion – The strategies and goals the organization is writing about on thecompany WebPages is just that; strategies and goals. There is in fact a gap in howthe internal marketing is perceived by the floor staff and the plant managers. Theorganization needs to be better at communicating their mission and motivatingtheir staff in order to be able to keep the competence within the organization.