Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems have been in existence for over 2 decades yet businesses are still losing billions of dollars annually in the implementation of software designed to reduce costs and increase profitability. The inability to manage risks is an area that contributes to these losses, specifically due to uncertain outcomes when dealing with an interconnected construct such as risk, and a research gap at the tactical and operational levels between risks and controls. A comparative case study approach, encompassing 12 different organisations was adopted to explore emerging patterns at the project implementation level, and from this three contributions emerged. After observing risks behaving in a hierarchical fashion with predictable results, Hierarchy of Risk models representing different implementation stages were constructed. Although these models are still in their formative stages, it may prove useful in furthering our understanding of the close inter-relationship between different risks, where they occur in ERP implementations and the implications of managerial choice when determining risk prioritisation. A second finding is that no direct linear relationship appears to exist between risks and controls. Rather, this counter-intuitive finding suggests that it is additional factors including risk categories, implementation stages, prior control decision making and the hierarchical flow-on effect of impacts as a consequence of identified risks. Finally, by combining the Hierarchy of Risk models and the risk-to-impact-to-control relationship, a method of reverse engineering portfolios of control was discovered. This potentially offers an explanation as to how portfolios of control can be constructed, and why they are essential in ERP implementations.

Background: Strategic capabilities are vital components for organisations to include in their business. Another essential elements in a strategy that can affect the performance of an organisation in both a negative and positive direction are critical success factors. This research will study if it possible to evaluate organisations CSFs in order to see whether a well performed CSF also can be identified as a strategic capability. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate organisations CSF in order to identify strategic capabilities Research question: What CSFs can be identified? Which CSFs are identified as strategic capabilities? Methodology: This thesis involved a qualitative pre-study consistent of a content analysis and semi-structured interview that were used to provide measurements to the quantitative survey. Conclusion: The findings indicate that it is possible to identify strategic capabilities by evaluating CSFs. In this study transportation, number of stores and the atmosphere were considered as strategic capabilities.

World-wide it is estimated that workers suffer 250 million accidents every year, with 330 000 fatalities. In South a c a , the fatality rate is 426 per annum. Sishen mine also experienced safety problems, namely a high injury rate, an average of one fatality per annum, and 85% of injuries being caused by risk behaviour. Furthermore, the safety culture at the mine was moderate. A proper safety management system requires continual attention to three domains, namely the environment (equipment, tools and housekeeping), the person (knowledge, skills, abilities, intelligence and personality), and behaviour. Sishen mine previously concentrated on the domains of environment and person, and virtually ignored safety behaviour. To correct this, Sishen mine adapted a behaviour based safety intervention programme. The aims of this research were to determine drivers that motivate safety and risk behaviour, to identify critical factors for the successful implementation of such a programme, and to determine if the safety culture and performance were affected by the implementation of a behaviour based safety intervention programme. A single-group non-experimental design was used. Questionnaires were used to conduct non-experimental surveys. The questionnaires addressed certain safety culture dimensions. A longitudinal survey was carried out before and after implementation of the behaviour based safety intervention programme. The results showed that the safety culture at the mine improved since implementation of the intervention programme. Management support for safety improved by 6%, peer support for safety by 13%, personal responsibility for safety by 7%, management systems by 6%, and employees actively caring for safety, by 3%. The improvement in safety culture also positively impacted on the injury rate at Sishen mine. Results indicated the following factors as being critical for a successful behaviour based safety implementation (in order of importance): participation, structured implementation, training, readiness for such a programme, communication, observation and feedback, target critical behaviours, flexibility, effective intervention actions, and data management. The study identified issues and challenges which must be dealt with, especially those applicable in developing countries like South Africa, with unique circumstances such as social and political diversity. The conclusion was that safety behaviour is mainly d i e d by activators, and motivated by consequences. The ABC model was identified as an important tool to analyse the drivers for safety behaviour in an effort to develop effective intervention actions. It is recommended that companies shift their focus from traditional safety approaches to the human dimension of safety. Thus, it is recommended that the behaviour based safety model must be applied by companies in order to focus on behaviour. Secondly, it is recommended that factors that are critical for a successful implementation must be identified and ranked in order of importance. The attention which is paid to each critical factor should then be related to its relative importance. It is also recommended that activators and consequences must be regarded as important drivers for safety behaviour when intervention actions are to be developed, and that the ABC technique should be applied in practice to analyse the appropriateness of the intervention actions. By way of conclusion, recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

South Africa is endowed with hot springs, some operating as resorts. Some hot springs are either totally undeveloped or were developed in the past but now collapsed now in disuse. The main objective of this study was to identity competitive factors that contributed to the success or failure of the resorts as tourism destination. A multifaceted approach was used to gather data from three thermal springs located in Vhembe District Municipality in Limpopo, namely, Tshipise, Mphephu and Sagole, through personal observation, field trips, informal discussion, interviews with specific individuals, group interviews, published and unpublished literature. The data generated was analysed using Likert type scale as well as scoring the presence and absence of competitive elements to compare the success factors of the three resorts. Tourism Destination Competitiveness was used as a proxy indicator of successful development of the resorts. The results indicate that Tshipise was very successful, Mphephu less so and Sagole was declining. Elements that require improvement identified and recommendations were made to rejuvenate Sagole. / (M.Sc. Environmental Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-26Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:05:50Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 rocha_hm_dr_guara.pdf: 978455 bytes, checksum: b5f0c588360528590d2e12d3fea840f2 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Este estudo buscou identificar os fatores críticos de sucesso dos processos de desenvolvimento de produtos na indústria automotiva situada na região Sulfluminense. Os referenciais teóricos utilizados são os fatores críticos de sucesso de Rockart. Partindo da literatura existente sobre o assunto e das deduções obtidas por prognósticos, foram identificados oito fatores críticos de sucesso. Estes foram avaliados por meio de pesquisa, na forma de entrevistas e questionários (método Delphi) em duas montadoras instaladas na citada região. Utilizando o método hipotético-dedutivo, os resultados foram testados estatisticamente e pelo método da lógica paraconsistente. Sete fatores foram considerados críticos para os processos de desenvolvimento de produtos: gerenciamento de custos e orçamentos; gerenciamento do tempo e prazos; posicionamento estratégico definido para o produto; atendimento das necessidades dos clientes; alinhamento organizacional; características do time de desenvolvimento; e processos de trabalho estabelecidos pelas organizações para o desenvolvimento de seus novos produtos. / This research purported to identify the critical success factors for the product development process used by the automotive industry in southern Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The theoretical referential used in this research was Rockart’s critical success factors. Having the existing literature about the subject and prognostic deductions as start points for this study, eight critical success factors have been identified and evaluated through research – interviews and questionnaires applied in two automaker plants in the Southern State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Through the hypotheticaldeductive method, results have been statistical tested and also submitted to the paraconsistent logic evaluation. Seven success factors have been considered critical: management of costs and budgets, deadlines and time management, product strategic positioning, customer needs fulfillment, organizational alignment, characteristics of the development team, and work processes established by the organizations for new product development.

Resumo: Este estudo buscou identificar os fatores críticos de sucesso dos processos de desenvolvimento de produtos na indústria automotiva situada na região Sulfluminense. Os referenciais teóricos utilizados são os fatores críticos de sucesso de Rockart. Partindo da literatura existente sobre o assunto e das deduções obtidas por prognósticos, foram identificados oito fatores críticos de sucesso. Estes foram avaliados por meio de pesquisa, na forma de entrevistas e questionários (método Delphi) em duas montadoras instaladas na citada região. Utilizando o método hipotético-dedutivo, os resultados foram testados estatisticamente e pelo método da lógica paraconsistente. Sete fatores foram considerados críticos para os processos de desenvolvimento de produtos: gerenciamento de custos e orçamentos; gerenciamento do tempo e prazos; posicionamento estratégico definido para o produto; atendimento das necessidades dos clientes; alinhamento organizacional; características do time de desenvolvimento; e processos de trabalho estabelecidos pelas organizações para o desenvolvimento de seus novos produtos. / Abstract: This research purported to identify the critical success factors for the product development process used by the automotive industry in southern Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. The theoretical referential used in this research was Rockart's critical success factors. Having the existing literature about the subject and prognostic deductions as start points for this study, eight critical success factors have been identified and evaluated through research - interviews and questionnaires applied in two automaker plants in the Southern State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Through the hypotheticaldeductive method, results have been statistical tested and also submitted to the paraconsistent logic evaluation. Seven success factors have been considered critical: management of costs and budgets, deadlines and time management, product strategic positioning, customer needs fulfillment, organizational alignment, characteristics of the development team, and work processes established by the organizations for new product development. / Orientador: Mauricio Cesar Delamaro / Coorientador: Heitor Luiz Murat de Meirelles Quintella / Banca: Fernando Augusto Silva Marins / Banca: Messias Borges Silva / Banca: José Glênio Medeiros de Barros / Banca: João Alberto Neves dos Santos / Doutor

Esta tese de doutorado tem como objetivo a definição dos fatores determinantes para o sucesso na Gestão da Manutenção, buscando identificar e explorar seus elementos estratégicos, bem como estabelecer uma estrutura lógica de implementação desses fatores e de elaboração de planos diretores de manutenção na indústria. Para atingir os objetivos, foi empregada a técnica de grupos focados e realizadas as seguintes etapas: i) identificação dos fatores determinantes do sucesso da gestão da manutenção; ii) definição da estrutura para elaboração do plano diretor da manutenção; iii) definição do conjunto de indicadores chaves para o controle do desempenho das atividades de manutenção e iv) aplicação da estrutura proposta na definição do plano diretor de manutenção da planta industrial de Carajás da Empresa Vale para o triênio 2014 – 2016. Como resultados, o estudo determinou 13 fatores de sucesso para a Gestão da Manutenção, entre eles estão: Sistemas Computadorizados de Administração da Manutenção, Sistema de Planejamento e Controle da Manutenção e Sistema de Custeio da Manutenção. Baseado nesses fatores, foi determinada uma estrutura para a construção e revisão anual de planos diretores de manutenção. A utilização desse novo modelo na planta industrial de Carajás possibilitou estimar os seguintes ganhos: i) redução em 20% da taxa de acidentes pessoais; ii) elevação das disponibilidades físicas das plantas com potencial de faturamento líquido de R$ 299,1 milhões; e iii) redução no orçamento da manutenção em 13,3%, o que representa uma redução de custos na ordem R$ 18,63 milhões. / This thesis aims to define the factors for success in Maintenance Management by seeking to identify and explore its strategic elements, as well as establish a logical structure to implement these factors and determine directive maintenance plans in the industry. To achieve the objectives, focus groups were utilized and performed the following steps: i) identification of the determinant factors of successful maintenance management, ii) definition of a framework for preparing the directive maintenance plan, iii) definition of key indicators to track the performance of maintenance activities and iv) application of the proposed structure in the industrial plant Carajás, of Vale Company, for the period of 2014-2016. As a result, the study found 13 success factors for Maintenance Management, among them are: Computerized Maintenance Management System, System of Maintenance Planning and Control and Maintenance Costing System. Based on these factors, a framework was developed for the construction and annual review of directive maintenance plans. Using this new model in the industrial plant Carajás resulted in the following estimated gains: i) a 20% reduction in the rate of injury, ii) an increase in the availability of physical plants with potential net revenues of R$ 299,1 million, and iii) a reduction in the maintenance budget by 13,3% which represents a decrease of U.S. $ 18,63 million in costs.

Esta tese de doutorado tem como objetivo a definição dos fatores determinantes para o sucesso na Gestão da Manutenção, buscando identificar e explorar seus elementos estratégicos, bem como estabelecer uma estrutura lógica de implementação desses fatores e de elaboração de planos diretores de manutenção na indústria. Para atingir os objetivos, foi empregada a técnica de grupos focados e realizadas as seguintes etapas: i) identificação dos fatores determinantes do sucesso da gestão da manutenção; ii) definição da estrutura para elaboração do plano diretor da manutenção; iii) definição do conjunto de indicadores chaves para o controle do desempenho das atividades de manutenção e iv) aplicação da estrutura proposta na definição do plano diretor de manutenção da planta industrial de Carajás da Empresa Vale para o triênio 2014 – 2016. Como resultados, o estudo determinou 13 fatores de sucesso para a Gestão da Manutenção, entre eles estão: Sistemas Computadorizados de Administração da Manutenção, Sistema de Planejamento e Controle da Manutenção e Sistema de Custeio da Manutenção. Baseado nesses fatores, foi determinada uma estrutura para a construção e revisão anual de planos diretores de manutenção. A utilização desse novo modelo na planta industrial de Carajás possibilitou estimar os seguintes ganhos: i) redução em 20% da taxa de acidentes pessoais; ii) elevação das disponibilidades físicas das plantas com potencial de faturamento líquido de R$ 299,1 milhões; e iii) redução no orçamento da manutenção em 13,3%, o que representa uma redução de custos na ordem R$ 18,63 milhões. / This thesis aims to define the factors for success in Maintenance Management by seeking to identify and explore its strategic elements, as well as establish a logical structure to implement these factors and determine directive maintenance plans in the industry. To achieve the objectives, focus groups were utilized and performed the following steps: i) identification of the determinant factors of successful maintenance management, ii) definition of a framework for preparing the directive maintenance plan, iii) definition of key indicators to track the performance of maintenance activities and iv) application of the proposed structure in the industrial plant Carajás, of Vale Company, for the period of 2014-2016. As a result, the study found 13 success factors for Maintenance Management, among them are: Computerized Maintenance Management System, System of Maintenance Planning and Control and Maintenance Costing System. Based on these factors, a framework was developed for the construction and annual review of directive maintenance plans. Using this new model in the industrial plant Carajás resulted in the following estimated gains: i) a 20% reduction in the rate of injury, ii) an increase in the availability of physical plants with potential net revenues of R$ 299,1 million, and iii) a reduction in the maintenance budget by 13,3% which represents a decrease of U.S. $ 18,63 million in costs.

Successful or failed software projects have been discussed in literature for many years. Successful software projects are often defined as meeting business objectives, deliver on time and within budget, and meeting requirements. Different factors that contribute to software project success have been identified in the literature. Some of the most common factors that lead to software project success are: user involvement, management support, realistic requirements, and having good estimations. However, there are different opinions about what a successful software project is. Linberg found in a study that managers had a different perception from software practitioners (developers, testers etc.) about what a successful software project is. Since there are different perceptions of what a successful project is among different roles in software development, there may be differences from other perspectives too. This observation relates to the overall research questions in the thesis: Could there be different perceptions about what success factors are for software projects among different countries and customer-supplier relationships? Do people from different countries have different perceptions about what success factors are for software products? This study investigated if there are any differences and similarities between Swedish and Australian companies. In addition, a comparison between bespoke and market driven and bespoke and in-house customer-supplier relationships was made. The result shows that there are differences of which factors that lead to software project success among the two countries as well as between different types of customer-supplier relationships. / richard.berntssonsvensson@gmail.com

In the competitive global economy, increasing customer value by improving software product quality is the aim for organizations. Academia and industry are collaboratively striving to find new ways to achieve this goal. The last two decades have seen a mind shift where emphasis is now on improving processes to improve the quality of products. This approach has its roots in the realization that a better development process would lead to a better quality product. Based on this process improvement frameworks were created. These frameworks enable organizations to systematically improve their development processes and strive towards the ultimate goal of improving product quality. However, these initiatives were not always successful. The deriving factors that make the adoption and implementation of such frameworks a success were still unknown. In this regard, several primary studies have been conducted to identify the factors that make software process improvement initiative successful. Researchers have been investigating factors that affect success of Software Process Improvement (SPI). There was still a lack of a secondary study where systematic approach has been used to find factors that affect the success of SPI. In our thesis project we present results of the systematic review to accumulate success factors for SPI. These findings were validated by conducting an industrial survey. With our secondary study we have identified 31 important success factor categories of SPI. We have contributed to the body of knowledge by devising formal definitions for important factors. We have also unveiled the relationship of SPI success factors not only to different SPI framework but also to software process areas.