Dissertations / Theses: 'Focus on the core business'

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Carlsson, Conny, and Filip Holm. "Vision och Verklighet : I globala organisationer med fokus på operativa enheter." Thesis, University of Kalmar, Baltic Business School, 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hik:diva-2625.

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The purpose of this study is to contribute to a better understanding of how visions could be applied in subsidiaries and similar sub organisations of global enterprises. With increasing globalisation it becomes more difficult to work in accordance to same standards and towards a common and unifying interest. The study has a qualitative and deductive approach and is based on interviews with three global subsidiaries with some hundred people employed each.Conclusions are that the subsidiaries visions have to be based on a guiding philosophy issued by their mother entities and it is the responsibility of the sub organisation to develop a tangible image with a local vision, mission and strategy with targets requiring feedback. Sustainable strategies cannot be issued without a vision describing where the organisation want be in the future. Otherwise they will not come very far until they have to make a restart with a new strategy and they will never be a market leader.

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González-Tarrío, Carlos. "Expanding the core business : Understanding how to grow in the non-core business." Thesis, KTH, Maskinkonstruktion (Inst.), 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-277038.

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Throughout history, large companies have been adapting to the new times. For this, they have had to be able to evolve and change the direction of their offer. In most cases, the offer they have now has nothing to do with what they offered. In other terms, they had to expand their core business. That means changing the main source of incomes. This can be done by moving to another market, creating new products, changing from a product to a service company etc. On the contrary, many companies that led the market have disappeared due to their lack of future vision. After using all its resources in their current core product, they forgot to invest in the future. Once that product became obsolete, the company failed. Looking to the future and deciding which direction to take is not easy. There is no standard successful formula for knowing which direction to take, but there are some common factors that can help reduce the risk. The results from the study show lack of focus and strategy as the main challenges for companies to expand the core. The conclusion is that there is not only one way to expand the core, and each company should adapt their strategies according to the status of the company. In the case of the case company, the strategy is aligned with their status, but the way it is applied should be improved to increase the speed and success rate. Three main recommendations are given to improve the actual expanding-the-core process: Isolate the non-core to increase the focus, better use of their brand position and the competitive advantages it can bring, and to improve the overall knowledge of the company in the non-core products. Genom historien har stora företag anpassat sig till nya tider genom att ändra innehållet i deras erbjudande. I de flesta fall har det erbjudande de nu har ingenting att göra med vad de erbjöd initialt. Med andra ord var de tvungna att utvidga sin kärnverksamhet. Det innebär att bytt huvudinkomstkälla. Detta kan t ex göras genom att hitta en annan marknad, skapa nya produkter, och att gå från ett produkt- till ett serviceföretag. Många företag som tidigare ledde marknaden har försvunnit på grund av sin brist på framtidsvision. Efter att ha använt alla dess resurser i sin nuvarande kärnprodukt, glömde de att investera i framtiden. När produkten blev föråldrad misslyckades företaget. Det är inte enkelt att ta hänsyn till framtiden och bestämma vilken riktning erbjudandet ska ta. Det finns heller ingen standard formel för att veta vilken riktning man ska ta för att bli framgångsrik, men det finns några faktorer som kan bidra till att minska risken. Resultaten från denna studie visar att brist på fokus och strategi är de största utmaningarna för företag att utöka kärnan. Slutsatsen är att det inte bara finns ett sätt att utöka kärnan, och varje företag bör anpassa sina strategier efter företagets situation. Fyra huvudrekommendationer ges för att förbättra den faktiska utvidgningsprocessen

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Devarapalli, Surendra. "AGILE BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE DEVELOPMENT CORE PRACTICES." Thesis, Högskolan i Borås, Institutionen Handels- och IT-högskolan, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hb:diva-17241.

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Today we are in an age of Information. The systems that effectively use the vast amount of data available all over the world and provide meaningful insight (i.e. BI systems) for the people who need it are of critical importance. The development of such systems has always been a challenge as the development is outweighed by change. The methodologies that are devised for coping with the constant change during the system development are agile methodologies. So practitioners and researchers are showing keen interest to use agile strategies for the BI projects development.The research aims to find out how well the agile strategies suit for the development of BI projects. The research considers a case study in a very big organization as BI is organization centric. There by assessing the empirical results that are collected from interviews the author is trying to generalize the results. The results for the research will give an insight of the best practices that can be considered while considering agile strategies and also the practical problems that we may encounter on the journey. The findings have implications for both business and technical managers who want to consider agile strategies for the BI/DW development projects. Program: Masterutbildning i Informatik

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Chen, Stephen Yi-Chih. "Core capabilities and core rigidities in the multimedia industry." Thesis, Imperial College London, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.264906.

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Sheu, Chwen. "The design and evaluation of manufacturing focus alternatives." Connect to resource, 1990. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc%5Fnum=osu1262881969.

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Hjärpe, Frida, and Sofia Persson. "CSR with Focus on the Employee Perspective." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2004. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-2121.

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Background: During the last decades there has been an increased focus on companies shouldering a greater social responsibility. This is due to globalisation, increased concern for environmental issues and consumer activism. These issues in combination with high-profile corporate scandals have highlighted the concept of CSR, which implies a greater social, ethical and environmental responsibility for companies. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to, through a theoretical exposition, investigate and analyse the concept of CSR, with a main focus on CSR from an employee perspective and its relation to employee wellbeing. This focus will also be illuminated with empirical data. Conduction of thesis: This thesis has been carried out through a theoretical exposition and by conducting eight interviews at a publishing company. Results: Regarding CSR from an employee perspective, we categorised different factors into four groups; physical working environment, formal contracts and agreements, organisational power structure and ethical aspects. The empirical findings showed that all the factors were perceived as important for employee wellbeing but it also pointed to some factors being taken for granted.

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Stark, Fredrik, and Nisha Purohit. "Managers' Goal-Setting Strategies : Focus on Small Businesses." Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Business Administration, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-952.

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AbstractBackground:Goals and goal-setting are two aspects that occur everyday in business life however little is known about the effect of strategic goal-setting. To a cer-tain extent, this affects all of us either directly or indirectly, everyday through strategic decisions that are made by business managers all around the world. A company’s performance of a company can be measured in many ways. A firm’s performance can be financially successful if the com-pany’s strategy is well planned. Strategic planning consists of developing goal-strategies, which aim at contributing to the firm’s performance.Problem:A small business manager’s view on the goals-setting strategies is important since the manager in a small company can influence the business more than compared to a manager in a larger firm. As the personality differs among managers, the level of planning and proactiveness would differ as well. Sev-eral studies have focused on the relationship between goal-setting and per-formance but the level of proactiveness has not been has not been consid-ered to a larger extent.Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate managers’ goal-setting strategies, focusing on goal-specificy, planning, proactiveness, and financial perform-ance in small businesses in the Jönköping region, Sweden.Method:To fulfill the purpose of this thesis both qualitative and quantitative re-search approaches have been used. As 173 interviews were already carried out in an earlier study, we created a strategy on how to use the collected in-terview data. Theories from different research areas were combined with hypotheses to create a framework for this paper. The theories and the hy-potheses were analyzed in light of the empirical evidence, the interview and we used the SPSS to test our hypotheses.Result:The results from the first three hypotheses were not found to be too unex-pected as we assumed that planning, the level of goal-specificy and proac-tiveness to a large extent, depend on a managers’ strategies and ambitions. The final two hypotheses have helped us discover new patterns and add to previous theories. We have made two main contributions by conducting this master thesis. The first one is that a high degree of planning does not imply a higher level of financial performance. The second one is that family businesses do not show a lesser degree of planning compared to non-family businesses.

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Alvarez, María José (Alvarez Varea) 1971. "Analysis of the accessory business : focus on electromechanical grips." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/46262.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1999. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87). Today, many manufacturing companies are facing numerous challenges that had not been present in the past. The paradigm of how companies must perform has dramatically changed over the years. Back in the 1980's customer service was used as a tool to gain competitive advantage. Now, good customer service is expected from the vendor and few companies survive if they don't embrace best of breed practices such as this one. In addition, quality, cost and delivery time have become intrinsic values for the consumer. Not only does the product need to be at a lower cost but they also need to be of higher quality and be delivered promptly. Instron Corporation is one of the companies that is searching for ways to remain as the industry leader given the fierce competition they face. This company sells electromechanical testing machines and has a large after market for accessories for these machines. While the company has placed a lot of effort into certain areas, others have been completely neglected. This project will focus on the accessory business of the electromechanical systems. The intent has been to identify the major problems that the accessory business faces and provide the company with a set of tools and guidelines that will help the company perform more effectively. Due to time constraints, the research was done on one segment of the accessory business, the grips. Therefore, this thesis should be used as a template for the rest of the accessory business. Topics included are; product rationalization, redesign with product platforms, and an inventory model to reduce existing inventory investments and increase inventory turns. by María José Alvarez. S.M.

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Snyman, Anton M. "A strategic focus on the structuring of business combinations." Doctoral thesis, University of Cape Town, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/11549.

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Bibliography: leaves 165-169. The purpose of the research is to develop a strategic planning approach apropos the structuring of business combinations on the basis of empirical research as well as relevant strategy approaches and concepts. Business combination with other firms through mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures and strategic alliances represents the major external versus internal organic growth route and provides the firm intent on external growth with a considerable range of combination vehicles, through which it can implement specific combination strategies to achieve its defined corporate vision and objectives.

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Bissett, Rachel L. "An assessment of the Research Chefs Association's core competencies for practicing culinologists." Ohio : Ohio University, 2009. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?ohiou1244659761.

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Viswanathan, Nanda K. "An anchoring and adjustment model of brand extension effects on the core brand." Connect to resource, 1997. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc%5Fnum=osu1261315077.

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Domingues, Miguel Brazão. "Core language for web applications." Master's thesis, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10362/5103.

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Trabalho apresentado no âmbito do Mestrado em Engenharia Informática, como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática Web applications have a very high demand for rapid development and constant change. Several languages were created for this kind of applications, which are very flexible but many times trade the benefits of strongly-typed programming languages by untyped interpreted languages. With this kind of languages the interaction between different layers in a web application is usually developed using dialects and programming conventions with no real mechanical verifications between the client and server sides, and the SQL code within the application and the database. We present a typed core language for web applications that integrates the typing of the interface definition, business logic, and database manipulation representing these interactions at a high abstract level. Using only one language, typed and with its own instructions to define the interface and the interaction with the database, becomes possible to make static checks. Thereby, avoiding execution errors caused by the usual heterogeneity among web applications. We also describe the implementation of a prototype with a highly flexible programming environment for our language that allows the application development and publishing tasks to be done through a web interface, interacting directly with the application and without loosing the integrity checks. This kind of development relies on an agile development methodology. Therefore, the modifications made to the application are made active using the dynamic reconfiguration mechanism, avoiding the recompilation of the application and system restart.

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Campbell, Kurt (Kurt A. ). "A core competency model for aligning information technology with business objectives." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39586.

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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management; and, (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division; in conjunction with the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-98). Advances in Information Technology and Information Systems delivery over the past decades have restructured industries and created enormous value. Interestingly however, research shows companies traditionally have a very difficult time capturing the value from their investment. Any surplus created by these improvements is often competed away and given back to customers. Wall Street's irrational exuberance of the late 1990's has given way to a far more conservative and critical view concerning IT investment. Decision makers are focused on demonstrating that Information Technology expenditures result in positive net returns to the company. IT managers are faced with a fundamental question: How does the organization use Information Technology to create sustainable competitive advantage and capture value in its industry? This thesis proposes a framework, the Core Competency Model, to help companies think about Information Services strategy and Information Technology deployment. Instead of seeking to create competitive advantage through IT investment alone, it introduces the concept of core competencies. IT resources can be quickly duplicated by competitors, as has been shown in the research. (cont.) Core competencies, the complex blending of unique resources and capabilities, are much more difficult to duplicate and form the basis for true sustainable competitive advantage. At its heart, the Core Competency Model suggests that the role of the IS group is to support the formation and enhancement of the organization's core competencies. It further identifies several capabilities and resources that the IS group must possess to fully support the core competencies of the enterprise. This model, if truly utilized, would change the nature of a company's internal dialog on IT spending. Debate over which business units should get which IT resources would be replaced with discussion of the strategic direction and core competencies of the company. Decisions concerning IS resource allocation and IT spending would follow very naturally from this discussion. The Core Competency Model provides a framework for this dialog, beginning with the strategic identification of core competencies, and ending with the tactical analysis of the Information Systems group's capabilities and resources. The final chapter presents some recommendations aimed at helping BMC West successfully develop a set of core competencies, the first step toward creating sustainable competitive advantage in their industry. by Kurt Campbell. S.M. M.B.A.

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Al-Oadah, Awadh O. "Understanding stress : a focus on executive functions in Saudi Arabia : an exploratory study." Thesis, University of Hull, 2006. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:5630.

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The dissertation brings together and reports the entire work presented and discussed throughout this pioneering and original research project. This exploratory study utilising primarily semi-structured, qualitative research methodology aimed to develop a model of executive stress by discovering, understanding, describing and sharing knowledge and experience of occupational stress caused by the basic executive functions, among the oil and gas executives in Saudi Arabia. These functions included planning, organising, leading and controlling. This interpretive investigation involved forty-three executives of five major oil and gas firms in Saudi Arabia purposively selected for participation in this exploratory study through audiotape-recorded interviews gathered over a period of eight months from June 2002 to January 2003. In addition, this primary data collection method was triangulated with other secondary methods of observations, focus groups and documentary analysis involving additional twenty executives from other neighboured Arabian Gulf countries. These considerable qualitative data were systematically managed through primarily manual analysis along with the aid of NUD*IST qualitative analysis computer program. Common recurring categories, themes and patterns were identified in relation to sources of stress, manifestations and coping strategies along with stressful factors related to internal and external environments. The study findings revealed four significant interrelated eustressful and distressful themes underpinning the basic executive functions of planning, organising, leading and controlling. These were related to information management, performance management, human resource management and strategic management. The findings revealed that the participants perceived these focused executive functions as a direct source of occupational stress instead of the basic executive functions that were thought of at the beginning of the research. The emerged key patterns related to these focused activities included difficulty of people management, micromanagement behaviour and engineering attitude. Moreover, the study resulted into additional stress factors related to the organisational structure and work style of the internal environment of the organisation. There were also other stressful contributing factors associated with Government interventions, market influences, media focus and social conflict of the external environment of the organisation. Furthermore, the study revealed important personal related factors that could shape and regulate the manifestations of executive eustress or distress. These included experience, personality type, cognitive appraisal and self-esteem factors. Accordingly, a comprehensive framework of executive stress process based on a dynamic system approach was developed summarising the explored executive stress process and its underlying attributes. This present qualitative study was designed interpretively and qualitatively for exploration or discovery of the topic under investigation. Further, the limitations of this approach were acknowledged, as being subjective perceptions, understandings and descriptions of the oil and gas executives under investigation. In view of that, this new and original study was hoped to add to the existing knowledge in various related areas such as occupational health and safety, industrial/ organisational psychology, human resource management, strategic management and organisational culture. This research could add value to the field of occupational stress in Arabic context in particular and the world in general since there was little research about the types and effects of job-related stress at the time of the study.

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Thurlbeck, Michael Harrison. "Core principles for a successful management system : a professional journey." Thesis, University of Sunderland, 2011. http://sure.sunderland.ac.uk/6341/.

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This integrative doctoral report describes a research project which draws from the author‟s experience and knowledge of management within the oil and gas sector. Core to the research is the design and development of a company management system, the CMS. The system was designed for a new business division of an international company whose strategic vision was to gain a global presence as an engineering contractor. The research uses the formal approach of reflective practice to draw principles from the experiential work. This reflection resulted in a series of principles which the author proposes are core to the successful development of a management system. The project entailed extensive literature research which further developed and refined the core principles. The principles were compared to the ISO standard, EFQM Excellence model and several proprietary systems. A qualitative study was undertaken to investigate the management systems in use in a selection of sectors, and to explore the applicability of the derived principles. This study established the views and opinion of senior management to systems and their attitude towards quality. The synthesis of experiential data, examination of the literature, lessons learnt from the development of the CMS and the qualitative study provided further evidence to support the six derived principles, which are: Value-based, Empowerment, Team culture, Simplicity, Continuous improvement, and Added Value. This work makes a contribution to both research and professional practice at several levels: Research into professional practice. This work demonstrates the value of undertaking a research project which is located within professional practice, and yet grounded in significant primary and secondary research. 9 The six principles. The value and validity of the six principles has been demonstrated through reflective practice, exploration of the literature, a case study development of a system (the CMS) and a qualitative study. The six core principles are novel and have broader applicability than the oil and gas sector The CMS. The development of the CMS has demonstrated the value to be gained by developing a management system according to sound management principles. Value-based vs process-based management approaches. Finally the work demonstrates that a successful management system should be value (and culture) based, rather than process based. This piece of professional research thus makes a valuable contribution to the research of management systems both academically and specifically within the oil and gas sector.

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Williams, Brian Kenneth. "Results-based leadership : the core of organisational energy and success." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53033.

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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This mini-thesis examines the relationships between results-based leadership and the success of organisations through the maintenance of high levels of energy. In Chapter 1 the concept of energy is introduced by focusing on the relationship between globalisation, through increased competition and concurrent adaptation, and the need for high energy levels in organisations. Chapter 2 has a twofold focus. Firstly, a model for the creation of energised organisations is developed through examining the interrelationships between people, energy and systems, developing an understanding of the requirements of energy, describing systems as open entities, investigating the impact and efficiency of systems and discussing the need for organisational energy. The second part of the chapter investigates the relationship between energy levels and organisational success. Section " emphasises the conceptual development of leadership. Chapter 3 focuses on the conceptual history of leadership, some popular myths around the concept, and four theoretical approaches that are critical to modern-day understanding of leadership. It argues that leadership determines, or strongly influences, the strategy, direction and success of organisations, institutions and companies. The process of leadership is affected by three distinct variables: leaders themselves, the employees reporting to them, and the situation. The interaction between these variables determines the leadership behaviour and the reactions of subordinates through commitment, job satisfaction and performance. In this, leadership becomes a function of these three variables. The debate in Chapter 4 concentrates, firstly, on the dichotomous relationship between leaders and managers. Leaders have a role to play in the charting of the longer-term horizon of the organisation in which they set vision, mission and direction through effective communication and subtle motivation. Managers have a shorter-term horizon in which they define the vision, mission, goals and values of leadership into shorterterm strategy and implementation interventions. They draw the road map that follows the compass direction of leadership. Secondly, Chapter 4 argues that transformational leadership is paradoxical in nature. Transformational leaders have to build organisations that embrace paradox, i.e. organisations that manage the uncertainty of change in their environments. Their role is one of being change agents. The argument, thirdly, claims that leadership is results-based. Here the argument is for a framework of leadership that is output-driven, i.e. that has a goal orientation towards organisational output and success. Chapter 5 focuses on the conclusions of the research project. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie minitesis ondersoek die verband tussen uitsetgedrewe leierskap en organisatoriese sukses deur die handhawing van hoë energievlakke. In Hoofstuk 1 word die konsep van energie ingelei deur 'n fokus op die verband tussen globalisering, as gevolg van toenemende kompetisie en konkurrente aanpassings, en die noodsaaklikheid van hoë energievlakke in organisasies. Hoofstuk 2 het 'n tweeledige fokus. Eerstens word 'n energiemodel ontwikkel deur die ontleding van die verband tussen mense, energie en stelsels, die ontwikkeling van 'n begrip vir die vereistes van energie, die beskrywing van stelsels as oop entiteite, 'n ondersoek van die impak en effektiwiteit van stelsels, en die verduideliking van die noodsaaklikheid van energie. Die tweede deel van die hoofstuk ondersoek die verband tussen energievlakke en organisatoriese sukses. Afdeling II beklemtoon die konsepsuele ontwikkeling van leierskap. Hoofstuk 3 fokus op die konsepsuele geskiedenis van leierskap, 'n aantal mites rondom leierskap en vier teoretiese benaderinge wat kritiek vir die hedendaagse begrip van leierskap is. Daar word aangevoer dat leierskap die strategie, rigting en sukses van organisasies bepaal of sterk beïnvloed. Die leierskapproses word deur drie aspekte geaffekteer: leiers self, die werknemers wat aan hulle rapporteer, en die situasie waarbinne dit plaasvind. Die interaksie tussen hierdie aspekte bepaal die gedrag van leiers en die reaksie van werknemers deur toegewydheid, werkstevredenheid en prestasie. Hierdeur word leierskap 'n funksie van die drie aspekte. Die debat in Hoofstuk 4 konsentreer, eerstens, op die tweedelige verhouding tussen leiers en bestuurders. Leiers speel 'n rol in die kartering van die langtermynhorison van die organisasie deur die bepaling van visie, missie en rigting deur effektiewe kommunikasie en subtiele motivering. Bestuurders het 'n kortertermynhorison waarbinne hulle die visie, missie, doelstellinge en waardes in strategie en implementering omskep. Hulle teken die kaart wat die kompasrigting van leierskap navolg. In Hoofstuk 4 word tweedens aangevoer dat transformasieleierskap paradoksaal van aard is. Transformasieleiers moet organisasies bou wat paradokse aanvaar, d.i. organisasies wat die onsekerheid van omgewingsverandering kan bestuur. Hulle moet ook die rol van transformasieagente speel. Derdens word aangevoer dat leierskap uitsetgedrewe is. Hier word geargumenteer vir 'n leierskapraamwerk wat uitsetgedrewe is, wat doelmatig op organisatoriese uitset en sukses gemik is. Hoofstuk 5 fokus op die samevatting van die bevindinge van die navorsingsprojek.

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Hatch, Walter. "Rearguard regionalization : protecting core networks in Japan's political economy /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/10327.

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Mariotti, Ilaria. "Firm relocation and regional policy : a focus on Italy, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom /." Utrecht [u.a.] : Royal Dutch Geographical Society [u.a.], 2005. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/fy0707/2007385398.html.

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Gorman, C. Allen, and Reyes D. A. Chavez. "Full Range Focus: How Regulatory Focus Influences the Relationship Between Leader Behavior and Subordinate Outcomes." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu-works/2613.

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Excerpt: The current study explores these variables simultaneously to illustrate how both leader and follower characteristics influence organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and counterproductive work behavior (CWB).

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Ragnhem, Veronica, and Jina Warjo. "Why are customers leaving Jönköping City core?" Thesis, Jönköping University, JIBS, Business Administration, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-762.

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Since the introduction of shopping centers, it has become more and more common that the retail trade is taken over by the shopping centers. The shopping centers can offer the customers indoor shopping with stores, cafés and restaurants under the same roof. This comfortability is a competitive advantage for the shopping centers in comparison with other purchasing areas, such as the city core.In Jönköping on the 2nd of April 1987 A6, a large shopping centre at this time the largest in the region, had it opening with great festivities. The merchants located in the city core feared that the large shopping centre would drive them out of business. After negotiations the merchants of the city core of Jönköping, the municipality and A6 made peace.Today the two shopping areas are competing for the same customers, but are they competing on the same grounds? The city core of Jönköping is facing problems with customers leaving, but where are they going? What can be done to attract new customers and gain their old ones?In this report we will try to find out how the city cores can do to gain, maintain and satisfy the customers. This will be done by a quantitative study of the Jönköping city core and the shopping centre A6. Interviews will be done with respondents at both A6 Centre and in the City core of Jönköping. The material we will gather, will be handed over to the organization ‘På Stan’, who is an association working with issues regarding the merchants in the city.Through the interviews with the 200 respondents we accessed three main issues that have an impact on the customer’s choice of shopping location. These three are accessibility, range of stores and environment.

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Li, Juan Julie. "Social relations of foreign firms in China a focus on trust, network ties and social capital /." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2006. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B36296326.

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Relu, Lona. "The value added by facilities management services to an organisation's core business." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012047.

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The main objective of the study was to define FM in its broader context and identify ways of exposing its value to the organisation’s core business. The study firstly included defining FM, its scope and nature to provide an in-depth overview and understanding of the discipline. Secondly, the study discussed in detail the level of support of FM by top or senior management. Thirdly, the study discussed the importance of quality management in enhancing the value of FM within an organisation. Lastly, the study discussed how service level agreements can be utilised to enhance the value of FM within the organisation. Questionnaires were distributed via electronic mail and some hand-delivered to private, public organisations and government parastatals to gather their views on how they think FM can add value to their organisations. Questionnaires were sent out to various professionals from various organisations that employ FM services based on the aforementioned objectives. The findings from the survey showed that most organisations understand and have the knowledge about FM but there is no set and defined scope; the scope of FM differs in various organisations; soft services are grouped together and branded as FM services; FM is moderately incorporated throughout and top management still sees FM as adding no value to the organisation’s core business. The results also show that FM needs to adopt strategies such as understanding and working towards the organisation’s goals and objectives; ensuring sustainability in FM services; providing superior quality service and projecting defined and improved levels of service linking service to the organisation’s culture and facilitating organisational change for it to gain support from top management. The majority of respondents incorporating FM in their organisations agree with the benefits afforded by this discipline and have developed and implemented quality management systems that are linked to their business strategies and, by doing so, have enhanced their organisation’s performance levels. Service Level agreements are not being utilised by the majority of the organisations the few organisations that utilise SLA’s, have benefited a great deal from SLAs.

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Frid, Gustav. "Integrating sustainability in the core business : From global goals to local application." Thesis, KTH, Industriell ekologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-189045.

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In 2016, the work towards a more sustainable world increased momentum when the new 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) came into force. Now the SDGs will serve as a global agreement in the work towards ending all forms of poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change for the next fifteen years. By using standardized Environmental Management Systems (EMS) together with global goals, the author aims on finding ways in how consultancy companies can develop their environmental and sustainability work even further. The purpose of the outcome is to contribute with knowledge in on how to become a leader within sustainable performance and environmental management as well as providing Pöyry Sweden with the basic knowledge in how to develop its performance in order to meet the new ISO-requirements. In the thesis the author developed a matrix-model in which the SDGs where connected to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) as well as the Sweden’s Environmental Objectives (SEO). The aim of the matrix was to connect the SDGs to local ways of measuring environmental performance, but also on finding the SDGs that the consulting companies were most interested in. In order to collect the information, eight Swedish based consultancy companies (Acando, Accenture, Allies, U&We, Pöyry Sweden, Sweco, WSP and ÅF) where included. All companies where interviewed and took part in the matrix analyse. Based on the research question “How can the SDGs together with ISO be integrated within the management system at a private consultancy company in order to create sustainable benefits, focusing on environmental sustainability, for the company, customers and the society where they conduct business?” it was possible to see that the implementation of the SDGs together with ISO provides sustainable benefits as well as new business opportunities. The results showed that the ISO 14001:2015 could be an advantageous and strategic tool for many consultancy companies. A fully integrated strategic management system would help placing the company in an advantageous position, ready for tougher legislation, customer demand and technical innovation. In combination with commitments to the SDGs the company could find new ways of inspiring its employees and finding long-term purpose for the company and its business. The study made, proved that several of the SDGs are relevant for the interviewed consultancy companies. In the study the author experienced that three companies distinguished themselves when it came to leadership, internal driving force for finding sustainable business opportunities and finding ways of integrating the SDGs in the business. These companies were Allies, U&We and Accenture. For all interviewed parts, several goals are considered both as highly relevant, holding high business opportunities. A commitment to global goals could therefore have a positive effect on the company, providing a communicative strength and new ways of setting goals and bring visions forward. To summarize, the consultancy companies who dare to take a lead in performing sustainable business can send a clear statement and inspiration to customers and the business in general that sustainability is important and should be a desirable goal for the company to achieve. These companies would be considered as role models within sustainability, creating a positive impact reaching beyond the business itself.

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De, Witt Sarel Jacobus. "Selecting common stocks for investment by utilising the Graham-Buffett contrarian focus value investment approach." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/85262.

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Theses (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study project concentrated on the investment approach of one individual that consistently achieved above average investment returns over a period of fifty years and became the second richest person in America primarily through the use of his unique investment skill and philosophy. He managed to increase a $100 personal investment in 1956 into a personal net worth of $46 billion in 2006. This person is Warren Buffett, and the primary goal of the study project was to integrate and summarise the main features of his investment approach and philosophy as described in the many books, articles and essays written about him . The study project further strove to use findings from contemporary scientific works to support and validate the scientific soundness of his investment approach and principles. Finally, the investment approach and techniques described in the study project were used to systematically analyse and select a common stock for future investment. In the author's opinion, the study project was successful at identifying and highlighting the essential principles of Warren Buffett's investment approach . The investment framework presented in Chapter 3 could serve as a guideline for an investor to apply Buffett's investment approach in a systematic manner. The framework was successfully utilized by the author to analyse and identify a so-called "Buffett company" that was trading at a significant discount to its underlying value. A hypothetical purchase decision by an investor in this company's common stock would have yielded a significant return on investment over the long term. An investor that had knowledge of this investment framework at the time could have "spotted" this opportunity and capitalised on it. The above conclusion assumed that this hypothetical investor had been operating within the same "circle of competence" as the author. What might seem "simple" or "logical" to one investor, might seem completely complex or irrational to another. In the author's opinion, Buffett's unique "circle of competence" is the missing "ingredient" to his success formula. A person's "circle of competence" evolves as a result of the unique blending of that person's knowledge, experience, personality, attitude, intelligence and external influences. It is thus unique to an individual and almost impossible to duplicate by others. Buffett's "circle of competence" could be viewed as his durable competitive advantage that gave him the insight to invest successfully. To lend credibility to the merits of Buffett's approach, the author presented scientific literature that supported Buffett's investment principles. Many of Buffett's principles were related to concepts that were named differently, but essentially had the same meaning. It appeared that Buffett's investment success stemmed from integrating and utilizing these concepts in an effective and coherent way, consistent with his "circle of competence" principle. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studieprojek fokus op die beleggingsbenadering van 'n individu wat konstant oor 'n tydperk van vyftig jaar bogemiddelde beleggingsopbrengste behaal het. Hy het deur sy unieke beleggingsvermoens en filosofie die tweede rykste man in Amerika geword. Hy het dit reggekry om 'n $100 persoonlike belegging in 1956 te vermeerder na 'n persoonlike nettobatewaarde van $46 biljoen in 2006. Sy naam is Warren Buffett en die primere doel van hierdie studie is om die belangrikste kenmerke van sy beleggingsbenadering en filosofie, soos beskryf in vele boeke, artikels en verhandelings te integreer en op te som. Hierdie studie streef ook om van kontemporere wetenskaplike bevindings gebruik te maak om te bewys en te ondersteun dat sy beleggingsbenadering wetenskaplik gegrond is. Daarna is hierdie beleggingsbenadering en tegnieke prakties gebruik in die stelselmatige analise en seleksie van 'n gewone aandeel vir 'n moontlike toekomstige belegging. Volgens die skrywer se mening slaag hierdie studie daarin om die belangrikste beginsels van Buffett se beleggingsbenadering te identifiseer en uit te lig. Die beleggingsraamwerk in Hoofstuk 3 kan dien as 'n riglyn vir 'n belegger om Buffett se beleggingsbeginsels stelselmatig toe te pas. Hierdie beleggingsraamwerk is suksesvol deur die skrywer toegepas om 'n sogenaamde "Buffett maatskappy", wat verhandel het teen 'n aansienlike afslag tot sy onderliggende waarde, te analiseer en te identifiseer. 'n Hipotetiese aankoopbesluit deur 'n belegger van hierdie maatskappy se gewone aandele sou oor die lang termyn 'n beduidende opbrengs gelewer het. 'n Belegger wat kennis gedra het van hierdie beleggingsraamwerk kon die beleggingsmoontlikheid ge"identifiseer het en so daarop gekapitaliseer het. Die bogenoemde gevolgtrekking veronderstel dat die hipotetiese belegger binne dieselfde "kring van bevoegdheid" as die skrywer funksioneer. Wat logies en eenvoudig vir een belegger voorkom, Iyk dalk totaal kompleks en irrasioneel vir 'n ander. Na die skrywer se mening is Buffett se unieke insigte en vermoens (kring van bevoegdheid) die ontbrekende bestanddeel tot sy suksesformule. 'n Persoon se "kring van bevoegdheid" ontwikkel as gevolg van 'n unieke vermenging van daardie persoon se kennis, ervarings, persoonlikheid/ houding, intelligensievlak en eksterne invloede. Dit is dus uniek tot elke individu en bykans onmoontlik om deur 'n ander te dupliseer. Buffett se "kring van bevoegdheid" kan dus gesien word as sy volhoubare kompeterende voordeel wat aan hom die insig verskaf om suksesvol te belê. Om geloofwaardigheid aan Buffett se benadering te verleen, het die skrywer wetenskaplike literatuur verskaf wat sy beleggingsbeginsels ondersteun. Baie van Buffett se beginsels stem ooreen met reeds bestaande konsepte, slegs met ander benamings. Dit wil voorkom of Buffett se beleggingssukses uitvloei vanaf sy integrasie en gebruik van hierdie konsepte in 'n doelmatige en samehangende manier, wat verenigbaar met sy "kring van bevoegdheid" beginsel is.

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Valåmo, Line Bomnes. "Business Cases for realization and deployment of ITS, with focus on Cooperative Services." Thesis, Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet, Institutt for telematikk, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:no:ntnu:diva-19791.

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There is an increasingly interest for implementation of Intelligent Transportation Systems around the world, and in some countries it is already successfully deployed and up and running. The reason for the desire for an ITS network is known user and environmental benefits, which in broad terms include safer road usage, efficiency and being environmental friendly.ITS is defined as a set of many advanced applications which aim at providing innovative services relating to different modes of traffic and transport management. In Norway, a technical solution for adapting ITS is already established after years with research and development, but there is a main factor holding back implementation; the question of who is financially responsible and whether it will benefit, or not, the organization that takes the responsibility.This thesis discusses the questions listed above through a cost benefit analysis and business models based on case studies formed by suggested ITS services. In order to generate business models it was necessary with an overview of interrelationships and responsibilities between various roles and stakeholders. Together with roles and stakeholders, user benefits and needs were posted and used in the case study and cost benefit analysis.Further, after addressing necessary terms and conditions, three case studies are suggested, formed by a special ITS service and the geographical area of Trondheim. These case studies include a model and a cost and revenue analysis used as subject to the cost and benefit analysis in the following chapter. In the cost benefit analysis the three different alternatives are compared against each other to find the most beneficial solution. The result from the cost and benefit analysis is in the end used as groundwork for the proposed business model, with elements for a ITS solution's value proposition, infrastructure, customers and finances.

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Jällebo, Maria, and Alexander Ering. "Att påverka en företagskultur - går det? : En studie om SEB Korts Core Values." Thesis, Stockholm University, School of Business, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-6261.

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De flesta teoretikerna som forskar kring företagskultur och möjligheterna att förändra en sådan menar att det går, men att det kan vara svårt pga. många olika orsaker. En stark företagskultur med starka värderingar anses bidra till en god arbetsmiljö och därmed en hög effektivitet. Vi har i denna studie undersökt om en företagskultur går att förändra och påverka av företagsledningen. Vi utförde en strukturerad enkätstudie på SEB Kort AB där nya värderingar infördes 2002. Undersökningen visade att företagsledningen hade lyckats påverka kulturen då respondenterna i huvudsak var positivt inställda till Core Values, dess effekter på organisationen, de själva och kollegorna samt att de delade värderingarna. Svarsfrekvensen var endast 65 procent, vilket kan anses vara ett ganska stort bortfall varför vi har valt att se denna undersökning som en förstudie. Vi har dock med hjälp av jämförelser mellan de respondenter som besvarat enkäten och information om alla anställda på SEB Kort försökt mäta validiteten, vilken utifrån denna jämförelse verkar vara ganska god. Med det stora bortfallet i åtanke måste vi ändock vara försiktiga med att dra slutsatser till hela SEB Kort.

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Jaeger, Elizabeth L. "Intensity of Focus, Richness of Content: Crafting Tier 2 Response to Intervention in an Era of the Common Core." WILEY-BLACKWELL, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/621760.

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Stojanovic, Maja, Charles Enjalbert, and Madelene Rundberg. "How to maintain core values at Atea Logistics?" Thesis, Växjö University, School of Management and Economics, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:vxu:diva-718.

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Executive SummaryA company needs guidelines for the organization and its employees to act in the same direction. Core values constitute a fundamental part of a company but they have to be “lived” by the members of the organization in order to be valid. When a company undergoes manychanges, there is a risk of losing the core values as focus is put on the survival of the company. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to reach a solution for the maintenance of the core values at Atea Logistics, a company which has faced turbulent periods. However, in order to do so, a first requirement was to get in touch with AteaLogistics’ culture in order to later correctly apprehend the organization’s core values. Hence, this research was guided by the following research question:“How to maintain core values at Atea Logistics?”The conducted study consists of a case study made at Atea Logistics in Växjö, which is a part of the Atea Holding AB. The currently successful group, Atea, was created in 1985 under the name of Owell. Atea is a company which helps organizations and companies increase thebenefits of Information Technologies (IT) by providing products and services that simplify the management, operation and development of IT infrastructure. As an IT product supplier, Atea covers the entire cycle from the supply of new IT products to the recycling of old ones.Since we aimed at providing the company with a research that it could benefit from, this thesis has its base in discussions with managers of Atea Logistics. Empirical data were mostly gathered through interviews with several employees and finally interplay between empiricaldata and theoretical findings occurred. The findings of this complex study comprise that core values have been neglected within the company for several years because of repetitive changes. However, employees have been aware of this situation but still have not focused on this aspect.Several core values have been discovered which have remained since the Owell-time: respect, participation, openness, trust, responsibility and family-friendly. In order for Atea Logistics to maintain these values, several aspects need to be developed such as their clear statement, their communication via different tools (i.e. printed documents, corporate events, an integration process for newcomers, etc.) as well as the alignment of employees with them.

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Dorning, Augusta Waller. "Marketing transformation in the public health sector : a KwaZulu-Natal focus." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/51825.

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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the first democratic elections in 1994, the emphasis in corporate and public life has been on transforming practices previously advocated by the apartheid government. As the service provider to the public there has been significant emphasis placed on the major sectors such as health and education. In addition to policy documents which focus specifically on health service delivery and the transformation envisaged, policy has also extended to transforming service delivery in all sectors of government. In designing policy for the transformation initiative little if any attention has been paid to the particular needs of the health sector as a whole and the public health sector in KwaZulu-Natal. Research conducted revealed that most employees were unaware of the results required in order to effect transformation within the public health sector of KwaZulu-Natal. To effect change and transformation, an internal marketing strategy and plan had to be designed. This strategy and plan would align the activities of each and every employee to the vision, mission and values of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health. The plan seeks to address issues such as performance management, communications, control, and budgeting considerations in order to market transformation to the 52 000 employees of the Department who serve the health needs of 26 percent of the country's population. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sedert die eerste demokratiese verkiesing in 1994 val die klem in beide die korporatiewe en publieke sektore op die transformasie van gebruike/praktyke wat voorheen deur die apartheidsregering onderskryf is. As openbare diensverskaffer is daar aansienlike klem geplaas op sekere hoofsektore soos gesondheid en onderwys. Bo en behalwe beleidsdokumente wat spesifiek fokus op dienslewering en die beoogde veranderings in gesondheid, is beleid ook uitgebrei om verandering in dienslewering in alle regeringsektore in te sluit. In die ontwikkeling van beleid vir die transformasie inisiatief, is weinig of geen aandag geskenk aan die spesifieke behoeftes van die gesondheidsektor in die algemeen en spesifiek die openbare gesondheidsektor in KwaZulu-Natal. Navorsing bevind dat die meeste amptenare onbewus is van welke resultate nodig is om transformasie in die openbare gesondheidsektor in KwaZulu-Natal te verseker. Ten einde verandering en transformasie te laat plaasvind, was dit nodig om 'n interne bemarkingstrategie en-plan te ontwerp. Hierdie strategie en plan sal die aktiwiteite van elke amptenaar fokus op die visie, missie en waardes van die Departement van Gesondheid van KwaZulu-Natal. Die plan poog om aangeleenthede soos prestasie-bestuur, kommunikasie, kontrole en begrotingsimplikasies aan te spreek en sodoende die transformasieproses te bemark aan die 52 000 werknemers van 'n Departement wat die gesondheidsbehoeftes van 26 persent van die land se bevolking bedien.

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Ibrahim, Idil. "Youth Unemployment in South Korea - with a Focus on Parental Financial Support." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för ekonomi, samhälle och teknik, 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-44320.

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The purpose of this paper is to understand how the belonging of young adults to different households may influence their job search. Youth unemployment has been consistently rising in South Korea due to the young people’s behaviour and decisions. The job search model was applied in this paper to look into the motivations and reasons of why job-seekers from high-income and low-income households accept job offers and why other prefer to delay their entry. The results showed that young adults from poor family backgrounds were more likely to be employed but with low wages. Young adults from affluent family backgrounds were more likely to stay out of the labour market due to parental financial support and prefer to wait longer until the right job comes along.

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Foxell, Emilio. "A comparison of peripheral and core consumers of a subculture of consumption." Thesis, London Business School (University of London), 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.268861.

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Mazibuko, Patricia Ntombizodwa. "Redesign of core business processes of the national building regulations of South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2351.

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Theses (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. This paper describes the redesigning processes of the National Building Regulations of South Africa. These processes are administered by the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) in terms of the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act 103 of 1977 (The Act). The application of the business processes and the Building Control Officers from various local authorities nation-wide who enforce the National Building Regulations and Building Standards Act, 103 of 1977 (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”) with particular reference to implementation of core regulatory business processes within the building industry in Southern Africa. The investigation was largely motivated by the high number of injuries, deaths and/or human lives affected adversely and reported due to collapsing and defective buildings. These disasters occurred at various Local Authorities, in private residential homes, government-owned buildings, abandoned and commercial buildings, such as shopping malls, have been investigated and reported by the Building Regulator, i.e. the NRCS in collaboration with the Department of Labour’s Commission of Enquiry between the years 2012 and 2014. The reports show that in those sectors of building, the local authorities’ Building Control Officers, as the legislated enforcers of the Building Regulations (with the oversight role played by the NRCS), experienced the highest levels of non-compliance by various parties who are affected by the Building Regulations, i.e. building owners or their legal representatives, built-environment professional practitioners and builders. This study applies the interpretive approach underpinned by qualitative methodology where interviews were used to collect data from building owners, prospective building owners, building occupants, built-environment practitioners, Local Authorities’ building control officers and The Regulator of the National Building Regulations. The empirical findings revealed that there is a critical need for business process review and strategy shifts that advance objectivity and benefits to compliance, visibility and awareness of regulatory process, the highlights of possible endangerment of human life due to non-compliance, the outlining of sanctions for failure to comply, and stakeholder liaison. The output is a re-module of business processes that will enforce and maintain compliance of the building regulations of South Africa.

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Zhao, Fan, Yu Deng, and Xuan Qin. "Relationship and Network in Online B2B Business." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för marknadsföring (MF), 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-54209.

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Nowadays a new businesses form, online business occurred, which helps companies to improve their working efficiency in managing risks and allocating resources. Relationship and network are essential for understanding online business, which can help firms to reduce costs by outsourcing, and to increase efficiency by sharing information with cooperators. That leads to the purpose of this study, is to investigate how do the relationship and network between firms influence the cooperation of product developing and server operating companies within online business. In order to study this topic, the concepts from IMP group of characteristics of relationship, relationship development stages and the model of managing in networks are applied. Furthermore qualitative research method was employed for interviewing five companies in two types: 1) product developing companies 2) server operating companies. The relationship and network are perceived by interviewed companies are dynamic, fast changing and high technology focused. To cope with this phenomenon, most of companies choose to put their efforts on developing products and advancing technology rather than communicating with partners. In conclusion, the cooperation between firms in online business is influenced by fast changing and short-term relationships, high competition and the risk of plagiarism, which leads to competition focus in their business.

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Jackson, Alan William. "Core Leader Competencies for Implementing Sustainability Strategies in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2834.

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Because small- and medium-sized enterprises contribute as much as 70% of the world's pollution, small-business leaders need to develop and implement strategic approaches to sustainable development. Global sustainable development spending may reach $5 trillion by 2030. Guided by leadership competency theory, this qualitative multiple case study explored the core competencies of 5 independent small business leaders who had successfully implemented environmentally sustainable initiatives in their manufacturing firms in eastern Nebraska. Interviews and company planning documents including strategic business plans were gathered, coded, and cross-case analyzed, and member checking was periodically conducted to strengthen the trustworthiness of interpretations. Thematic analysis identified 6 themes: industry knowledge, decision making, strategy and planning, environmental sustainability knowledge, communication and interpersonal skills, and passion and commitment. The implications for positive social change include the potential for enabling small to medium business leaders to develop environmentally sustainable strategies that could contribute to an increased focus on environmentally sustainable actions leading to reduced pollution and more socially responsible communities.

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Quinn, Nicholas. "Scottish small business support organisations : an exploration of the role, focus, nature and relationships of the Scottish business support environment." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2004. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/4415/.

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This dissertation sets out to fill existing gaps in the literature where the focus, nature and relationships of business support organisations are practically ignored, particularly in a Scottish context. The introduction sets the Scottish context and is followed by a critique of the ‘small’ business label, where it is argued that misleading and inappropriate labels are unhelpful for business support groups in targeting their membership and which services and supports to offer. The dissertation goes on to explore, in some depth, the focus, role and nature of business support organisations by providing a new typology of business support and a classification of communication orientations of business support organisations. In doing so, the activities of business support organisations are made clear, which is highly valuable in terms of exposing unnecessary duplication of services, and in understanding how the different business support organisations achieve their aims and objectives on behalf of members and clients. This in turn, may assist business support organisations in targeting their services more appropriately and to facilitate ‘small’ businesses in identifying which support organisations are complementary to their individual needs. The research draws several conclusions which have academic, practitioner and policy implications. A new contextualised definition of ‘small’ business is constructed, based on the argument that the label ‘small’ is inappropriate and unsuitable for the purpose of business support. A member/client profile for Scottish business support organisations is discussed, providing in turn, the opportunity to speculate on the focus of business support organisations in targeting and providing services for their members. The research also explores the localised nature of business support provision and delivery in conjunction with the local economic forum (LEF) concept, and the centrality of Scottish Enterprise to the Scottish business support structure is determined.

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Von, Schleh Gregory Michael. "The Core Competencies Necessary for Global Information Technology Project Management." ScholarWorks, 2017. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/4689.

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Global information technology (IT) project management organizations can create more value in their operations by presenting the core competencies possessed by global IT project managers (PMs) who are successful in their respective projects. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the core competencies and business strategies that IT PMs use to meet global IT project deadlines and budgets. This study involved 5 IT PMs from the Pacific Northwest (United States and Canada) who increased the quality of outsourced IT projects from 4 different companies. The data collection method included in-person semistructured interviews of participants and review of existing company data. Thematic analysis of data included the use of member checking to ensure that the results of this study accurately reflected the experiences of the participants. The conceptual framework that guided the research was organizational learning theory. Two major themes were uncovered during data analysis; the first was global IT project management barriers and reasons for failure, and the second was competencies and strategies for successful global IT project management. Additionally, 4 subthemes were identified: lack of communication and quality, issues with culture and time, mindful of cost and coordination, and cultural awareness and communication. This study shows how successful IT projects benefit organizations and society with better products and services at lower costs. The findings may assist IT PMs in applying core competencies and business strategies to manage global IT projects to meet project deadlines and proposed budgets, which may, in turn, help companies contribute to corporate social responsibility efforts through improvements in ethical standards and international norms.

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Joseph, Mary Claire. "Developing a strategic framework for a non-profit organisation with specific focus on the." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/17469.

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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: All organisations, commercial or nonprofit, are exposed to a highly competitive and uncertain environment which is fuelled by globalisation and technological advancement. Organisations make use of business analytical tools to assist them in the effective management of their organisations. Strategic management in particular, is used as an analytical and decision making tool. The Christian church is by no means excluded from the effects of the changing society due to globalisation, technological advancement and post-modernism. Christianity has been a way of Ufe for many people over the past two millennia; however, there is a growing concern that Christianity is facing extinction. Research and surveys conducted indicate a decline in membership and attendance of worship. The literature reviewed in this research revealed that nonprofits, and in particular religious organisations, are focused primarily on their mission, rather than taking a holistic view of the external and internal environment in making strategic business decisions. This presented an opportunity for a research study on the application of strategic management principles in a church organisation, without compromising the church's mission. The research problem addressed in this report is: Can strategic management techniques and principles applied in business today, successfully be adapted for formulating a strategic framework which will enhance the growth and survival of the Christian Church? An extensive literature review has been undertaken within the field of the strategic management discipline in business and in non-profits. The purpose of the research is aimed at strategic management techniques to be applied to the Christian church. It made sense therefore to gain some understanding of what literature presented with regards to strategic management concepts in churches. Churches are expected to survive amidst a changing society, the church is expected to respond to the needs of its members and yet remain true to its mission. A number of issues which need v consideration when making strategic decisions have been addressed. These include: postmodernism and its challenges, public trust, leadership, volunteerism, money, culture, diversity, structures and systems. A strategic framework was applied to test its usefulness as a tool in the church. Elements of the framework entail the strategic intent which embodies the vision, mission, goals and objectives of the organisation. The internal and external environment in which the organisation exists, is analysed and the results are integrated to formulate an appropriate strategy. Based on the results of the literature reviewed, the research problem has been answered positively. The scope of the research is non-denominational and does not focus on any specific religious doctrines. Therefore, regardless of beliefs or re li gious convictions the framework provided can effectively be applied by any religious or nonprofit organisation. Although the proposed framework could be applied to multiple religious trad itions, the focus is on the Christian church and some examples are uniquely Christian. Ultimately it is intended that the adopted framework enhances the ability of Christian churches to grow from strength to strength. Working within the framework presented does not guarantee the success of the church but it will provide a structure for management's decision making. The need for flexibility within the framework must be recognised and appreciated. The research report is exploratory in nature and reviews existing knowledge to prepare the way for further research into relationships between strategic management and religious organisations. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Aile organisasies, hetsy sake-ondernemings of nie-winsgewende assosiasies, word blootgestel aan haogs mededigende en onsekere omgewingsomstandighede wat aangevuur word deur globalisering en te9nologie5e vooruitgang. Organisasies rnaak gebruik van analitiese hulpmiddels om hulp 1e verleen in die doeltreffende bedryfsleiding van hul organisasies. Strategiese bestuur word in die besonder as 'n analitiese- en besluitnemingswerktuig gebruik. Die Christelike kerk bly geensins onaangeraak deur die uitwerking van 'n gemeenskap wat verander weens globalisering, te9nol09ie5e vooruitgang en die nadraai van modernisme. Vir vele mense was Christenskap oor die afgelope twee millennia 'n lewenswyse; desnieteenstaande is daar 'n groeiende besorgdheid dat Christenskap uitwissing in die oe staar. Navorsing en opnames toon 'n afname in lidmaatskap en bywoning aan godsdienste. Die geskrifte wat vir hierdie navorsing bestudeer is, het onthul dat nle-winsgewende, en in die besonder religieuse organisasies, allereerste op hul missie fokus, eerder as om 'n holistiese benadering te neem van die interne en eksterne omgewingsomstandighede, wanneer strategiese ondernemingsbesluite geneem word . Dit het die geleentheid geskep vir navorsing in die toepassing van stategiese bestuursbeginsels in 'n kerk-organisasie, sonder om die kerk se missie in gevaar te stel. Die navorsingsprobleem wat in hierdie verslag aangespreek word, is: Kan die strategiese bestuurstegnieke en -beginsels wat hedendaags in sake-ondernemings toegepas word, suksesvol aangepas word om 'n strategiese raamwerk te formuleer wat die ontwikkeling en oorlewing van die Christel ike kerk sal verhoog? 'n Uitgebreide oorsig van literatuur rakende die terrein van strategiese bestuursbeginsels In sake-ondernemings en nie-winsgewinde assosiasies is onderneem. Die doel van die navorsing was gevestig op strategiese bestuursbeginsels wat op die Christelike kerk toegepas kon word . Dit het dus sin gemaak om ondersoek in te stel oor wat die literatuuf s~ rakende strategiese bestuurskonsepte in kerke. Daar word van die kerk verwag om in 'n veranderende gemeenskap te aorleef, om te reageer op die behoeftes van sy ltdmate en nog steeds getrou te bly aan sy missie. 'n Hele aantal vraagpunte wat oorweging benodig wanneer strategiese besluite geneem word, is aangespreek. Oit sluit in: postmodernisme en sy uitdagings, publieke vertroue, leierskap, vrywillige dienslewering, befondsing, kultuur, diversiteit, strukture en sisteme. 'n Strategiese raamwerk is toegepas om sy bruikbaarheid as 'n werktuig in die kerk te toets. Elemente van hierdie raamwerk bevat die strategiese beweegrede wat die visie, missie, doelwitte en doelstellings van die organisasie omvat. Die interne en eksterne omgewing waarin die organisasie bestaan, is ge-analiseer en die resultate toe ingelyf om 'n gepaste strategie te formuleer. Gegrond op die resultate van die literatuur wat in oorsig geneem was, is die navorsingsprobleem positief beantwoord. Die omvang van die navorsing is nie gekoppel aan kerkverband nie en fokus dus nie op enige spesifieke godsdienstige leerstellings nie. Hierdie raamwerk kan dus ondanks die geloofs-oortuigings en - belydenisse doeltreffend op enige godsdienstige of nie-winsgewende organisasie toegepas word . Alhoewel die voorgestelde raamwerk op veelvuldige religieuse tradisies toegepas kan word, is die fokus op die Christelike kerk en party voorbeelde wat aangehaal word, is uniek aan Christendom. Daar word uiteindelik ten doel gestel dat die aanvaarde raamwerk die vermoe van Christen kerke om van krag tot krag te groei, verhoog. Wanneer daar binne die voorgestelde raamwerk gewerk word, is daar geen waarborg dat die kerk suksesvol sal wees nie, maar dit voorsien wei 'n struktuur vir bestuurslui se besluitneming. Die nodigheid vir buigsaamheid binne die raamwerk moet ook erken en waardeer word.

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Vergara, Butrón Gabriel Angel. "Diseño de una estrategia de transformación de Core Business para una empresa de publicidad." Tesis, Universidad de Chile, 2012. http://www.repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/111443.

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Magíster en Gestión y Dirección de Empresas El presente trabajo de título tuvo por objetivo desarrollar una Estrategia de Transformación del Negocio Principal para una empresa de publicidad, que consideró un período de cuatro años a partir de Enero del año 2012. La empresa está en el negocio de los avisos publicitarios impresos y plataformas on-line. Hoy la empresa enfrenta ostensibles bajas en los ingresos por ventas, detonado por la baja en el nivel de uso de los avisos publicitario impresos, que está siendo cautivado día a día por la información disponible en la Web. La propuesta de este trabajo de titulación consistió en definir la estrategia que está en concordancia con las nuevas tendencias del mercado, competir de forma eficiente y desarrollarse de mejor forma en la industria de la información, cuya tendencia está fuertemente canalizándose hacia lo digital. La metodología planteada para desarrollar este desafío, se canalizó en efectuar una revisión de la Misión y Visión de la empresa; su estructura y objetivos. También se abordó un análisis del entorno externo de la empresa, con el fin de detectar las oportunidades y amenazas que se deducen del modelo de las cinco fuerzas que mueven la competencia de Porter. Adicionalmente, se realizó un análisis interno de la empresa, con el objetivo de conocer las fortalezas y debilidades. Luego de estos análisis, se efectuó el diagnóstico a través del análisis FODA que, complementado con la redefinición de Misión y Visión, estableció las bases para realizar el Plan Estratégico, el que fue abordado desde la perspectiva de planificación estratégica propuesta por Hitt. Con lo anterior, se definieron los planes generales, planes específicos, plazos, flujos de caja y un Balanced Scorecard basado en la metodología de Kaplan y Norton. Como resultado de esta estrategia de transfomación, se determinó en base al resultado del análisis interno y externo, que las estrategias genéricas que seguirá la Compañía son la de diferenciación con enfoque y crecimiento, en términos de estrategia corporativa. Los niveles de diversificación, están determinados por la incorporación de servicios para PYMEs a través de plataformas de servicios de e-commerce, en donde la empresa creará valor para sus clientes aportando en sus propias cadenas de valor a través de esta gama de servicios. Se determinaron los planes generales y específicos necesarios para cumplir con los objetivos estratégicos planteados a través de un mapa estratégico y Balanced Scorecard, así como también se determinó el presupuesto necesario para esta nueva mirada estratégica. Finalmente, se concluyó que el VAN de los proyectos definidos y su evaluación a cinco años, es de 23.000 MM$, que es aproximadamente cuatro veces la inversión inicial y el período de recuperación de la inversión es de 2 años, 7 meses. El análisis de Montecarlo a través de la simulación en diez mil escenarios, arrojó que la actualización de flujos tiene una probabilidad de un 72% de ser rentable.

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Yazdani, D. "Particle swarm optimization for dynamically changing environments with particular focus on scalability and switching cost." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2018. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/9434/.

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Change is an inescapable aspect of natural and artificial systems, and adaptation is central to their resilience. Optimization problems are no exception to this maxim. Indeed, viability of businesses depends heavily on their effectiveness in responding to a change in the myriad of optimization problems they entail. Changes in optimization problems usually are result of change in the objective function and/or number of variables and/or constraints. Such optimization problems are denoted as dynamic optimization problems (DOPs) in the literature. Despite the large body of literature on DOPs and algorithms in this domain, there are still noticeable gaps between real-world DOPs and academic research. The first objective of this thesis is investigating DOPs to identify any class of DOPs or any DOPs' characteristics that are common in practical situation but have not been studied by the researchers. In this thesis, two important gaps are identified, namely considering switching cost in DOPs and large-scale DOPs. Both are common in many real-world dynamic problem but a few research investigated them in the past. In an attempt to bridge these gaps, this thesis makes the following contributions: First, this thesis considers the impact of cost for changing solutions after environmental changes. In fact, changing solutions in real-world problems is costly. Furthermore, larger changes have higher cost and need more resources such as time, human resources and energy. Thus, lack of switching cost consideration in most previous algorithms makes them unsuitable for many of real-world DOPs. In this thesis, different scenarios of DOPs with switching cost are investigated, their challenges are identified, and the performance of the state-of-the-art methods are investigated for solving them. Contributions include developing a novel robust optimization over time (ROOT) framework, a novel adaptive method for maximizing efficiency by changing or keeping solutions after environmental changes, and a novel multi-objective and time-linkage based method for minimizing switching cost. Second, this thesis investigates large-scale DOPs. Up to now, little attention has been given to the scalability of DOPs. Indeed, the dimension of typical DOPs studied in the literature hardly exceeds twenty. In this thesis, the challenges of large-scale DOPs are studied, then the efficiency of the current methods are investigated for solving them. Moreover, this thesis proposes a novel cooperative coevolution algorithm based on a multi-population approach which benefits from a new resource allocation method for DOPs with high-dimensional search space. All the proposed methods in this thesis use particle swarm optimization as the core optimizer embedded in a multi-population framework. The performance of the proposed methods are compared with state-of-the-art methods on a wide range of problem instances generated by the state-of-the-art and the proposed DOP benchmarks. The comparison results indicate the superiority of the proposed methods.

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Födisch, Hendrik [Verfasser], and L. [Akademischer Betreuer] Ganzer. "Investigation of chemical enhanced oil recovery core flooding processes with special focus on rock-fluid interactions / Hendrik Födisch ; Betreuer: L. Ganzer." Clausthal-Zellerfeld : Technische Universität Clausthal, 2019. http://d-nb.info/1231363118/34.

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Mäki-Uuro, Hannes. "Nordic Capital Markets' Response to Terrorism : Focus on the Swedish Stock Market." Thesis, Uppsala University, Department of Business Studies, 2007. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-7983.

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This study examines the economic impacts of three large-scale terrorist attacks on the Nordic capital markets. Past research has shown evidence of the increasing resilience of the US capital markets towards terrorist attacks. Hereby the Nordic regions capital markets were studied and compared with the US's capital markets, in an intention to find evidence whether or not the same development can be observed in the Nordic countries. The results implied that the Nordic markets did not absorb the shocks as well as the US markets. The analysis was taken into an industry level on the Swedish stock market to get a deeper insight of the impacts of such events. The results indicated the Energy sectors good ability to absorb terrorist attacks in terms of negative abnormal returns and time of recovery. The Financing sector seemed to be the most sensitive sector, since its performance was the weakest in terms of market recovery.

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Fonseca, Mariana Miranda Gomes Correia da. "A diworsefication case study : rebuilding LEGO brick by brick." Master's thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/29010.

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This paper examines how a company may successfully walk out of a diworsefication situation: stage in which a brand has excessively overdiversified over new extensions, to the point it got weaker and its performance started failing. The study explains why companies enter a failing stage, particularly, mature companies which desperately search for innovation. It also concludes that several internal and external factors may lead a company to extend its business and that the idea of leveraging brand awareness and reputation, and spreading business risk over products may be appealing for a company to enter new markets. Yet, hidden costs, the possibility of a bad reputation on the parent brand, and extreme deviation from the core business may lead a brand to become lost, distracted, failing and losing money due to overstretching. Thus, this study provides guidance on when to stop diversifying and how to do it. The presented recovery strategies are content-orientated and process-orientated. The first includes cost efficiencies, asset retrenchment, focus on the core activities and build for the future. The latter involves reinvigoration of firm leadership and culture change. To better understand these concepts, this paper uses LEGO’s case as a real-life example of a success story of a company which almost went bankrupt due to a blind chase after a brand extension strategy. Fortunately, the Danish company turned around mostly thanks to a fierce cut on unprofitable adjacencies and a rigid refocusing on the core business product, the bricks. Este estudo explora como uma empresa é capaz de sair com sucesso de uma situação de diworsification, termo derivado do inglês diverse + worse: estado que uma marca atinge após ter extendido excessivamente a sua oferta de productos e serviços, tendo por isso ficado mais fraca e com uma pior performance. Este estudo explica o que leva a performance das empresas a falhar, particularmente, empresas amadurecidas que procuram inovar-se. Esta tese conclui que são muitos os motivos externos e internos que levam uma empres a extender o seu negócio, e que a possibilidade de obter maior reconhecimento e de repartir o risco da marca por vários produtos alicia qualquer empresa a explorar novos mercados. Contudo, os custos escondidos destas extensões, e a possibilidade de deteriorização da marca e de que esta desvie o seu foco do negócio principal e se distraia, podem levar ao seu falhanço. Assim, este estudo apresenta várias estratégias de recuperação, nomeadamente estratégias de conteúdo e de processo. A primeira inclui eficiências de custos, foco nas atividades principais da empresa, e construção para o futuro. A segunda inclui uma liderança firme e cultura de mudança. Para melhor compreender estes conceitos, este estudo usa a LEGO como exemplo prático de uma empresa que saiu com sucesso de uma situação de quase falência, devido a uma estratégia desmedida de extensão de marca. Felizmente, a empresa Dinamarquesa, conseguiu dar a volta cortando extensões que apenas davam prejuízo, e adoptando uma estratégia de focalização no producto principal da marca, tijolos.

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Weitz, Kevin Walton. "The evolving scope and impact of total quality management in leading South African companies." Diss., 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10500/16459.

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The objective of the study was to quantify the evolving scope of quality management as practiced in a sample of companies in South Afiica, and to correlate this with corporate profitability. The empirical data in this study suggests that a more extensive scope of application and practice of quality management and related management practices is related to better organisational profitability. The significant correlations which were demonstrated are: • A focus on results by companies is inversely correlated with Operating Profit Margin. • Quality training, employee communications and internal coordination correlates positively with Net Profit Margin. • The rigorous use of quality standards correlates positively with Net Profit Margin. • Quality control and monitoring correlates positively with Return on Equity. Recommendations flowing from this study include that a broader paradigm of quality management is required, expressed as an integrated model for innovation and change which is holistic rather than fragmented. Economics M. Com. (Business Economics)

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(7011101), Ricki Lauren McKee. "Implementing Common Core Standards for Mathematics: Focus on Problem Solving." Thesis, 2019.

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Utilizing action research as the methodology, this study was developed with the ultimate goal of describing and reflecting on my implementation of one aspect of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) in an algebra classroom. This implementation focused on the Problem-Solving Standard of Mathematical Practice (SMP) as described in CCSSM (Making sense of problems and persevere in solving them). The research question that guided my work was the following: How is the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM) Problem-Solving Mathematical Standard enacted in an algebra class while using a Standards-based curriculum to teach a quadratics unit? I explored this by focusing on the following sub-questions: <ul> <li>Q1. What opportunities to enact the components of the Problem-Solving Mathematical Standard are provided by the written curriculum? </li> <li>Q2. In what way does the teacher’s implementation of the quadratics unit diminish or enhance the opportunities to enact the components of the Problem-Solving Mathematical Standard provided by the written curriculum? </li> <li>Q3. In what ways does the teacher’s enactment of problem-solving opportunities change over the course of the unit? </li> </ul> Reviewing the literature related to the relevant learning theories (sociocultural theory, the situated perspective, and communities of practice), I outlined the history of CCSSM, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), National Research Council (NRC), and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Exploring the details of CCSSM’s Standards of Mathematical Content (SMCs) and Standards of Mathematical Practice (SMPs), I discussed problem solving, the Problem Solving Components (PSCs) listed in the Problem-Solving SMP of CCSSM, teaching through problem solving, and Standards-based curricula, such as College Preparatory Mathematics (CPM) which is the algebra curricula I chose for this study. There are many definitions of the construct problem solving. CCSSM describes this construct in unique ways specifically related to student engagement. The challenge for teachers is to not only make sense of CCSSM’s definition of problem solving and its components, but also to enact it in the classroom so that mathematical understanding is enhanced. For this reason, studies revealing how classroom teachers implemented CCSSM, especially in terms of problem solving, are necessary. The Critical Theoretic/Action Research Paradigm is often utilized by researchers trying to improve their own practice; thus, I opted for an action research methodology because it could be conducted by the practitioner. These methods of data collection and analysis were employed in order to capture the nature of changes made in the classroom involving my teaching practice. I chose action research because this study met the key tenets of research in action, namely, a collaborative partnership concurrent with action, and a problem-solving approach. While I knew how I wanted to change my classroom teaching style, implementing the change was harder than anticipated. From the onset, I never thought of myself as an absolute classroom authority, because I always maintained a relaxed classroom atmosphere where students were made to feel comfortable. However, this study showed me that students did view my presence as the authority and looked to me for correct answers, for approval, and/or for reassurance that they were on the right track. My own insecurities of not knowing how to respond to students in a way to get them to interact more with their group and stop looking to me for answers, while not being comfortable forcing students to talk in front of their peers, complicated this study. While it was easy to anticipate how I would handle situations in the classroom, it was hard to change in the moment. The research revealed the following salient findings: while the written curriculum contained numerous opportunities for students to engage with the Focal PSCs, the teacher plays a crucial role in enacting the written curriculum. Through the teacher’s enactment of this curriculum, opportunities for students to engage with the Focal PSCs can be taken away, enacted as written, or enhanced all by the teacher. Additionally, change was gradual and difficult due to the complexities of teaching. Reflection and constant adapting are crucial when it comes to changing my practice. As a classroom teacher, I value the importance of the changes that need to be made in the classroom to align with CCSSM. I feel that by being both a teacher and a researcher, my work can bridge the gap between research and classroom practice.

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"Core competencies, product families and sustained business success." The International Center for Research on the Management of Technology, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1992. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/2400.

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Marc H. Meyer, James M. Utterback. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-24). Supported by the Center for Innovation Management Studies at Lehigh University, the Leaders for Manufacturing Program at MIT, and the International Center for Research on the Management of Technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

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Huang, Yu-Ting, and 黃鈺婷. "Esthetics in Marketing Management and Business Core Value." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/19472248603725134784.

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碩士 國立屏東科技大學 企業管理系所 95 After knowledge-based economy, the new marketing ideas included the experience of the life esthetic sense to improve consumption aesthetics will create the added-value for the enterprises. The consumption experiences to create esthetic sense have been the part of life and learning, and to be the new intension of competitiveness in the aesthetics of marketing management. Therefore, this paper redefines the intension of marketing management refers to the marketing mix and aesthetics perspective. This paper mainly studies the correlation research in the aesthetics essence of marketing management; it aimed at inducing and collating factors of marketing management aesthetic concept, and further treating the difference with the level of emphasis on each factors of marketing management aesthetics, in order to advance marketing management aesthetic concept model, and then providing reference for marketing personnel to implement marketing management strategy and activity. Finally, according to the relation and effects of marketing management aesthetic factors, business-oriented marketing mix, customer-oriented marketing mix and business core value, to put forward a aesthetic concept model of marketing management, and offer the references of the marketing management strategies and activities to marketing personnel. This research also aims at marketing personnel of 14 industries which are information, manufacturing, dining, wholesale retail and financial service etc., to proceed studying through sampling and quantative analysis method. The result of the empirical analysis shows that there are five factors of marketing management esthetic sense to be extracted. They are namely the “extension of esthetic sense”, the biggest influence factor, that is to say a dealer has to put emphasis on having good connections with consumers and establishing their recognition, then to extend the consumer’s sense and experience on products or business. The second one is “touch of esthetic sense”, which means that a dealer can create association of demand according to consumer’s psychology, and solicit consume impulse. The third one is “experience of esthetic sense”, which means that a dealer has to provide really experience of consuming esthetic sense depending on consumer’s demands, to deeply realize the value of product or service. Furthermore for “impression of esthetic sense”, the mean is that it could attract consumer’s attention immediately, and leave a deep impression to bring consumers response. The last one is “sensibility of esthetic sense”, which means that not only need to present function of product or service, but also need to consider the transmission and communication of emotion. In the aesthetics of marketing management to business core value, there have the mediation effects of business-oriented marketing mix and customer-oriented marketing mix. However, the business-oriented marketing mix is the total effect. So, this paper suggests that if marketing personnel want to advance the aesthetics of marketing management and take shape of the business core value, should enforce the business-oriented marketing mix first, and cooperate to the customer-oriented marketing mix, so that to build up the business core value. The result is expected to contribute establishing the aesthetic system of marketing management, and providing for the marketing personnel to relocate the value of esthetic sense in marketing management, ducting the esthetic sense factor into the management activity of enterprise to found more marketing opportunities on esthetic sense.

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Wen-hsin, Huang, and 黃文欣. "Aesthetics of the realm-《Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch》as the core focus." Thesis, 2014. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/5tn44d.

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碩士 國立高雄師範大學 美術學系 102 Abstract This thesis explores the aesthetics of the realm in Buddhist ideal in Ch’an Buddhism, with the “Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch” as the core focus of the research. It investigates and details the concept of aesthetics of the realm in the sutra. The realm of the Buddhist ideal occupies a significant position in Ch’an Buddhism. The concept of the ‘heart’ signifies the origins or source of all matters, and the heart’s ability to generate all matters of existence or dharma is emphasized in Ch’an Buddhism. Meanwhile, the heart can also give rise to the various realms. It can be said that realms encompass both spiritual and physical aspects. When juxtaposed with emptiness or vacuum, realms give rise to the spatial sense. This philosophical concept could hardly be described effectively with words and should instead be experienced. This paper, focusing on the “Platform Sutra” as an important Buddhist scripture, encompasses a detailed examination of the original scripture. Rather than relying on conceptual definitions, this paper examines the original scripture in detail in order to further our understanding of the Buddhist scriptures through the analysis of its contents and argumentation as far as possible. The paper also adopts a narrative approach in its presenting the philosophies and thoughts contained in Ch’an Buddhism to better illustrate the core concepts and thoughts contained in the scriptures. Additionally, it should be noted that as Hui Neng was illiterate and had emphasized the transmission of knowledge without text, what was narrated or documented in the scriptures had been transmitted ‘by heart’ rather than through words. As such, this paper seeks to understand the thoughts encompassed in the scriptures rather than the written word itself, as well as to disregard the common perception of Ch’an Buddhism as a formal religion. It uses concrete illustrations to give form to abstract concepts and examines the narratives of the realms, rather than focus on any precise definition of the written word. Following this line of thought, this study applies the discussions on Ch’an Buddhism to artistic expressions, aesthetic studies, literature and lifestyle aesthetics. The aesthetics of the realm in the Buddhist ideal focuses on the world in which the self or body is located within. Through the actions of the self, one is connected and united with the various realms. This process brings forth elements of beauty, and the outlooks and aesthetic senses that arise from such interaction with different realms, as well as various worldly matters that arise from the heart, influence our perception and representations of aesthetics. The aesthetics of Ch’an Buddhism represents the ideal realm through a combination of its perspective on the physical, sensory aspects and which is extended to the area of aesthetics of the ideal realm. From this emerges artistic beauty, characteristics of selflessness, detachment and temporariness and to abandon all worldly attachment in order to enter an alternative realm. This is akin to a self-purification process for one’s spiritual realm. Buddha nature is also revealed from such perception of aesthetics that emerged from egalitarianism. This research explores the vast world opened up by the thoughts of the heart and spirit, and in turn, its influence on the perception and appreciation of art and various aspects of lifestyle. The individual chapters are interconnected and framed by discussions of the Platform Sutra. The aesthetics of the realm of Buddhist ideal is consistently featured and explored in this study from a variety of perspectives and trains of thoughts.

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Roberts, Chris. "Consensus on strategic decisions and core capabilities." 1995. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9541143.

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Past research on Top Management Team (TMT) consensus has investigated relationships between consensus on strategic goals and means and organizational performance. The process of setting goals and selecting the means to compete is known as deliberate strategy. However, strategy making includes not only deliberate planning but also the interactive learning of top managers and others as they handle emergent events. Therefore, TMT consensus is important not only on deliberate strategies, but also on the underlying logic that guides emergent strategies. Recent theory suggests these are the two primary forms of consensus: consensus on goals and means and consensus on organizational capabilities. Consensus on goals and means is significant because of its influence on deliberate strategy, while consensus on organizational capabilities is important for managing emergent adaptation. Both forms of consensus play a key role in realizing a desired level of organizational performance, and the importance of one type of consensus or the other will vary depending upon certain contingencies. The purpose of this dissertation was to empirically test relationships between both forms of consensus and organizational performance while considering the influence of three contingencies: the environment, strategic discretion and strategic approach. Previous research provided the theoretical basis for the study and the anticipated relationships. The contingencies were used as a framework to develop propositions. Ten hypotheses were developed from these propositions. The research context was the hotel industry. Three dimensions of the environment in five hotel market segments were identified. Primary data were collected from TMT members at 44 hotels. When tested, three of four hypotheses concerning the environment were rejected, indicating the environment has less to do with consensus and organizational performance than suggested. Support for the hypotheses regarding strategic discretion was found, signifying the choice to franchise or not has a strong effect upon consensus. Clear support was found for three of the hypotheses regarding strategic approach. Unconfirmed, weak support was found for the fourth. The strategic approach results suggest that consensus surrounding primary strategies is closely linked with organizational performance.

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Kuo, Po-Hsuan, and 郭博軒. "Analysis of Business Expansion Risk Based on Core Competence." Thesis, 2009. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/68695669226450277197.

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碩士 立德大學 科技管理研究所 97 Business expansion is a key element to enterprise’s growth, as it increases the business scale and widens the enterprise border. In the theory of Resource-Based View and Core Competence, business expansion must depend on the development and extension of an enterprise’s core competence. In addition to the growth in revenue scale, the business expansion strategy is one way to reduce the risk of business operations. However, the expansion itself may also cause new risk influencing the effectiveness of business expansion. Research shows that if the business expansion is not based on or directly related to the core competence of an enterprise, it will increase the risk and lead to counter-effect of expansion. Based on the core competence theory, this research studies the potential risk and risk management due to the business expansion. The business expansion elements and the types of strategies are first analyzed. The management of risk types raised from different expansion strategies is further investigated. Finally a case study of one famous international enterprise’s business expansion strategy and risk management is conducted and suggestions are given.

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Lee, Szu-Ching, and 李斯靜. "Aesthetics in Human Resource Management and Business Core Value." Thesis, 2007. http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/44047225286025765377.

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碩士 國立屏東科技大學 企業管理系所 95 Abstract Student ID: N9458001 Title of thesis: Aesthetics in Human Resource Management and Business Core Value Total page: 121 Name of Institute: Department Business Management, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Graduate data: June, 2007 Degree Conferred: Master Name of student: Lee, Szu-Ching Adviser: Dr. Liaw, Shu-Yi The ideology of human resource management has transferred from the concept of high efficient man power application in the era of industry to developing talent human resource in the time of intellectual economy until today’s sentimental stage of developing the aesthetics in human resource. Aesthetics is the core of competition in the new era; human is one of the most important assets for the enterprise. How to conduct the enterprise aesthetic into the practice of human resource management, strengthen the enterprise’s competition in the changes of inner and outer environments, and increase the business core value become extremely necessary. Nevertheless, among most documents of human resource management, the connotation of enterprise aesthetics has not been concretely expressed. Thus, it worths us to do further studying in this subject. The major purpose of this studying is to find out how the enterprise aesthetics influences the way of thinking in today’s human resource management; furthermore, to develop the concept of the aesthetics of human resource management. From the questionnaires which were given to the person who is in charge of human resource together with the statistic analyses, there are five hundred and twenty one (521) legitimate copies in return. Thinking from the perspectives of acquisition, compensation, development and maintenance in human resource management, we can conclude there are four major characters—the beauty of rationality, the beauty of harmony, the beauty of creation, and the beauty of feedback in enterprise aesthetics. Within these four characters, there are sixteen (16) items of connotation. In addition, studying on the basic data of questionnaires and the different weight of vary important factors, we may discover how to make the aesthetics of human resource management became the common sense of enterprise’s culture and combine with the outer image of the enterprise, then to form the core value for the enterprise. In studying, the result reveals that the factors of aesthetics of human resource management have no direct influence upon how the enterprise forms its core value. However, through practicing enterprise aesthetics inside of enterprise plus giving the identity and building up the outer image of enterprise can reach to a visible influence on the forming of the core value. The presumption of this studying is if an enterprise can inspire their employees in a positive emotion and allow their employees work at a pleasant and professional environment, be through the mutual learning in working sills, experience the harmonious human relationship, and conduct the connotation of aesthetics at work, it can assure the sense and sensibility in the human resource management and the rewarding system. To add aesthetics to the strategy of human resource management in the enterprise not only unifying employee’s attitude and sense of value, but also obtain the positive response from its customers which enable the enterprise to build up its own image among their competitors. Thus, it can create the centripetal force and competitiveness which can not be imitated by others. Yet it can form an unique culture style and the enterprise core value. I sincerely hope this studying can be the reference of the application for the system of human resource management in enterprises and in some way would help the enterprise to establish the system of the aesthetics of human resource management and add the connotation of aesthetics in business practice. Key words: Human Resource Management, Enterprise Aesthetics, Corporate Image, Enterprise Core Value

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Focus on the core business'

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