The Influence of Organizational Culture on Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Small and Medium Sized Establishments, Best Business Practices for Achieving World-Class Status, the Link Between Business & Region

This is a three-essay dissertation that examines the effects of objective aspects of business organizational culture and the region on objective measures of the outcomes of sustainable competitive advantage. The first essay examines the association of objective aspects of business organizational culture on objective measures of sustainable competitive advantage. The first essay recommends that firms increase the number of training hours devoted annually to each employee and increase the percentage of production employees participating in empowered work teams. The second essay describes a conceptual model and provides recommendations for best business practices for manufacturing firms that realize the ultimate ability to generate competitive advantage when their resources are exposed to global market processes. The third essay explores the link between the firm and the region. This essay recommends economic development policy makers and business leaders to consider new business models that take advantage of regional economies in order to stay competitiv

The Influence of Organizational Culture on Sustainable Competitive Advantage of Small and Medium Sized Establishments, Best Business Practices for Achieving World-Class Status, the Link Between Business & Region

This is a three-essay dissertation that examines the effects of objective aspects of business organizational culture and the region on objective measures of the outcomes of sustainable competitive advantage. The first essay examines the association of objective aspects of business organizational culture on objective measures of sustainable competitive advantage. The first essay recommends that firms increase the number of training hours devoted annually to each employee and increase the percentage of production employees participating in empowered work teams. The second essay describes a conceptual model and provides recommendations for best business practices for manufacturing firms that realize the ultimate ability to generate competitive advantage when their resources are exposed to global market processes. The third essay explores the link between the firm and the region. This essay recommends economic development policy makers and business leaders to consider new business models that take advantage of regional economies in order to stay competitiv

World class manufacturing: implementation and measurement in the Irish automotive rubber mouldings component industry

The main objectives of this thesis are to determine how and why world class manufacturing (WCM) practices are implemented, and to examine potential links between the introduction of these kinds of practices and performance measurement systems. There is theoretical and empirical evidence to suggest that WCM practices can be categorised into one or more of: total quality management (TQM), just in time manufacturing (JIT) and employee involvement (El). Four different WCM implementation modes are also identified in the literature. Research in the areas of management control and performance measurement suggest that in order for companies to assess the benefit of implementing WCM practices, there is an increasing necessity for them to use both financial and non-financial measures effectively. This literature thus provides the basis for the theoretical framework used in the study. The complete rubber mouldings segment of the Irish automotive component manufacturing industry is examined using a case-based design, to address both the initial research questions and the research propositions developed following literature reviews. The empirical data includes information from: preliminary interviews in academia, consultancy and government agencies; in-company interviews; plant tours; and a performance measurement questionnaire administered to three management levels in each of the five organisations studied. The findings suggest that firms can utilise both a main and secondary mode to introduce WCM practices, and that the overall implementation mode used is both affected by and affects other variables. This thesis contributes to research in a number of ways. First it provides an indepth study of WCM practices and performance measurement in an Irish context. It also develops and applies a classification of the implementation modes used to introduce WCM practices. Finally, it identifies internal and external factors associated with both the introduction of WCM practices as well as the performance measurement system utilised

An investigation of the effectiveness of Total Quality Management in the UK construction industry (an empirical study)

Abstract unavailable please refer to PD

An assessment of a quick response case study in an apparel textile pipeline in the Western Cape

Bibliography: leaves 165-172.The aim of this thesis was to establish whether South African companies implementing Quick Response in an apparel textile pipeline moved towards flexible specialisation and post-Fordism or a neo-Fordist method of production. I also determined whether these companies implemented Quick Response according to the theory or to suit their environment. Manufacturing 6 Fordism or mass production became the most important manufacturing system in the early 20th century. When it was in crisis a new era, post-Fordism, was born. The change in manufacturing in post-Fordism was labelled flexible specialisation. It utilises new technology and flexible ways of organising work to help companies become more competitive. However, some people believed the new era was not new, but rather a modification of Fordism. They called this modified system neoFordism, consisting of both Fordist and post-Fordist features. The clothing and textile industries South Africa's textile and clothing industries are faced with increased competition due to the country's re-entry into the world economy and the subsequent drop in tariffs. One way for textile and clothing companies to compete is by developing a Quick Response approach - a type of flexible specialisation. It could help these companies fight cheaper imports as it cuts lead times and allows companies to use their local proximity to deliver the right products at the right time. Methodology using qualitative research methods I attempted to describe Quick Response in this pipeline by finding out what it is, what its features are, how it is implemented and what its effects are. I combined descriptive and explanatory elements in my study. I used semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions to interview workers, middle and upper management of the companies in the pipeline. I also used nonparticipant observation by attending meetings these companies held. Quick Response or not? The system that this pipeline implemented has some of the main trademarks of Quick Response. The companies improved their relationships, shared some information, cut the lead times, and relied on sales figures to determine production. All of this resulted in an increase in sales, Quick Response's ultimate goal. However, this system lacked many features of Quick Response such as worker involvement, full information sharing, Pareto improving measures to ensure no company is worse off than before, and cutting lead times constantly. Despite this I still believe this system could be classified as Quick Response as it was mainly about cutting lead times and this pipeline did that in a small way. Post- or neo-Fordism? Although these companies introduced elements of Quick Response, Fordist production features were still evident. These include manufacturing with long runs, just-in-case or safety stock, power differentials, mistrust, managerial prerogative, and large wage gaps. It is clear that Quick Response as described in the theory is a type of flexible specialisation, which is the change in manufacturing in the post-Fordist era. However, the version used in this pipeline contained many elements of Fordist production combined with post-Fordist methods. So the conclusion is that the companies who implemented Quick Response moved towards a neo-Fordist method of production. Only when they import Quick Response as an integrated package might their methods be described as post-Fordist

Reengineering Corporation Street : an empirical study of business process

This study was focused on Business Reengineering (Hammer, 1990; Hammer & Champy, 1993); aka Business Process Reengineering (BPR). The main aim of the study was to test the authors' (2001) claims that BPR was 'alive and well, ' and that'in fact' it had been 'one of the success stories of business history, ' but in this case within the context of local government organisations (LGOs) within the UK public sector. Throughout the final decades of the 20th Century, and continuing to date, there has been a relentless pace of change within the public sector during which managers have been under constant pressure to improve performance within their organisations (McAdam & Mitchell, 1998; Zeppou and Sotirakou, 2003). This pressure was increased in 2004 with the publication of Sir Peter Gershon's 'Spending Review 2004: Efficiency Review - Releasing Resources for the Frontline: Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency. ' By 2007/08 Gershon was looking for 'auditable and transparent efficiency gains of over £20 billion, ' and 'a gross reduction of over 84,000 posts' across the military, civil service and administration. Councils across the UK have responded to these demands in differing ways, but some chose to adopt 'reengineering' as part of their range of change management strategies. This study has focused on two such LGOs over that 4-year period. The study commenced by reviewing the literature surrounding reengineering - or BPR, as it has become more widely known - including as appropriate other approaches to quality and change management. Focusing also on critical 'success' and 'failure' factors (CSF & CFF; Al-Mashari & Zairi, 1999), two key issues emerged that were relevant to BPR's potential for success in such organisations; the concepts of 'Organizational Readiness' (Hammer & Stanton, 1995), and that of 'degrees' of BPR, or 'Project Radicalness' (Kettinger et al., 1997). A qualitative research approach was adopted, with 28, semi-structured, in-depth interviews held with 29 participants from the two co-operating LGOs. 'Purposive sampling' (Saunders, et al., 2000) was employed with participants selected from those organisations' BPR training cohorts and those involved more directly at junior, middle and senior management levels. Access was also granted to meetings and organisational documentation. Impact analysis was undertaken with group and individual interviews as necessary. The study's contribution to knowledge is firstly in the combination of the two concepts mentioned above, to create a more comprehensive 'self-diagnostic' mechanism by which UK LGOs might assess and increase their 'readiness' to undertake change of this nature, and/or modify the 'ambition' level of their change projects prior to embarking upon them, thereby greatly improving their likelihood of success. The research therefore has important findings in the areas of diagnosis, planning, implementation and performance measurement, and will be of significant interest to academics and practitioners engaged in understanding or implementing change within the services sector generally and public sector and LGOs in particular. Secondly, the research will also be of wider public interest revealing substantive issues for the future effective management and use of public finances. Whilst some change has been noted, real change does not appear to have yet been achieved, particularly at more senior and organisation-wide levels, and a more concerted and serious approach is necessary based on this new, composite, self-diagnostic process. There are indications that some of the change agencies themselves may be guilty of adding to further waste creation, and the evidence of low levels of 'understanding' of the true meaning and portents of 'reengineering' draws into serious question the oft- stated 70W failure rate of BPR

Exploring the effects of lean manufacturing implementation on productivity at GUD.

Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The principles of lean manufacturing are primarily adapted from the Toyota Production System (TPS). In the manufacturing sector, lean implementation is one of the major enablers that helped companies become more productive. The term ‘productivity’ is used to describe how well the company makes use of the resources available and lean provides a way to do more with less. There will be variation in the lean implementation process based on the fact that there is no consensus about the definition of lean. Selecting specific lean tools to implement, without understanding the broader system, limits the improvement in productivity achieved. GUD currently applies lean as a toolbox, used by a few skilled individuals in manufacturing. The aim of this research was to look at the factors that affect implementation of lean manufacturing to improve productivity at GUD. Employee involvement, which includes employee training and teamwork, is one of the prerequisites to achieve lean success. Along with employee involvement, understanding what lean tools to implement and how to implement them is crucial to achieving productivity improvement. A cross-sectional study, using mixed methods research, was conducted at GUD Prospecton. A sample of 132 employees participated in a quantitative survey developed for the study, whilst three employees participated in a qualitative study. The results of this study have revealed that the lean implementation process used at GUD can be described as Toolbox Lean and many of the tools commonly used in lean implementations have been used at GUD. A salient finding of the study was that most employees indicated they had received less than five hours of lean training since inception. According to findings, employee involvement in lean implementation has not been fully implemented at GUD, with some respondents also indicating a lack of teamwork, which is required to improve productivity. It is recommended that GUD align the organisational strategy with lean implementation and spend time and resources in training all employees. Aligning the company strategy and engaging all employees is key to achieving continuous productivity improvement

Improving relationships within the Scottish NHS supply chain

The National Health Service (NHS) is a uruque organisation which expenences continual change, making the management of the supply chain a particularly challenging area. Key relationships at the two ends of the supply pipelines between NHS buyers and their suppliers and between local NHS supplies managers and their customer base are therefore crucially important. Following the 1990 reforms and the introduction of the NHS internal market, an environment has been created in which managers are generally much more cost conscious and customer orientated. The net effect of these changes has been to raise the profile of the buyer-supplier and Supplies Manager-customer relationships. A review of the current literature has highlighted aspects of relationships that can be applied to those within the NHS supply chain as well as identifying some conceptual gaps. Initial exploratory surveys of supplies managers, NHS buyers, suppliers and end customers were undertaken with the emerging themes being further investigated through semi-structured interviews. Two relationship review tools were constructed and an action research approach adopted to evaluate the tools which involved Scottish NHS buyers with their suppliers and Scottish Supplies Managers with their end customers. The experience of the case studies suggest that the tools are a useful way of continually reviewing relationships which is necessary given the dynamic nature of the NHS. The research also suggests that purchasing relationships between NHS buyers and the suppliers currently exist along the whole of the relationship spectrum - from adversarial to partnership type - depending on the influence of particular factors. Both extremes have a place in the NHS buyer's "relationship portfolio", the challenge is to recognise when and how to adopt a particular type. The research suggests that the tool devised specifically for use by NHS Supplies Managers and their customers assists Supplies Managers in their task of identifying a means of ensuring flexible packages of care are offered to meet the increasing expectations of all customers

Core competency analysis of a professional world class procurement practitioner, with specific reference to the Eskom Generation Division.

Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2005.Purchasing and supply education and training are vital to the success of Eskom and most importantly to the survival and growth of the profession. In the last decade, the field of procurement has been faced with many changes which have had dramatic impacts on the field of purchasing and supply chain and which ultimately have influenced education and training needs. Eskom is currently facing a number of key challenges to meet current increasing demand fuelled by economic growth and to manage a build program of some R84 billion over the next five years to meet future load demand. These challenges have to be met in the face of Chinese and Indian consumption of raw materials which is affecting their availability to Eskom suppliers. This is putting further strain on the procurement practitioners within the Generation Division who are required to be both highly skilled and knowledgeable in order to meet the challenges in this dynamic and competitive profession. However, continual poor audit results achieved by the majority of the Power Stations in addition to the inclusion of Procurement and competencies and skills development on the Big Five List of high risk areas, have been a clear signal that there is a major problem in the Procurement field, not only across the Generation Division, but Eskom wide and possibly country wide as well. Although the focus of this dissertation will be on the Generation Division, it is envisaged that the recommendations made will be able to be utilized Eskom wide and possibly even in other organizations external to Eskom. A three pronged approach was utilized when conducting the research. This approach consisted of an extensive literature review of the existing body of knowledge available, this was used in conjunction with surveys and interviews conducted. The results obtained from a sample of 89 procurement practitioners, managers and training practitioners were used to reach findings and to make conclusions. It is important to note that there is a dire lack of local information concerning the subject, overseas journals and books were thus used as a reference source a majority of the time. Although there is currently a Procurement Curriculum which Procurement Practitioners are required to complete, it was found that the curriculum did not meet the requirements of the practitioners and did not adequately provide them with the necessary competencies required of them to perform their tasks effectively. There is thus a dire need for this curriculum to be reviewed and to take into consideration the competencies required to assist the Procurement Practitioner to become world class and to elevate the status of the organization to that of a worldclass organization which possesses the competitive advantage. The above mentioned issue was however not seen to be the major issue. Other possibly more important issues were deemed to have also contributed to the poor audit results and subsequent poor image of Procurement. The major issue, the author believes is due to the fact that there is no professional body recognized by Eskom. This has contributed to a host of problems for example, lower graded jobs, discrepancies in grades between divisions, no standardized entry level criteria to name but a few issues. This has resulted in the Theory of Self Sealing Behavior taking place in the form of a de-motivated body of employees which in turn has contributed to the poor image procurement possesses in the organization. It is believed that if a new nationally recognized and credible professional body is created, a multitude of problems will be minimized. This body will however be required to provide guidance and a professional status which is so desperately required in the procurement field. It is furthermore believed that this will positively change the perception that management currently possesses of Procurement. Other important recommendations made include: • Generation Commercial Training to be re-linked to the Corporate Supply Chain Management Office which will enable the Department to provide guidance and World Class Procurement and Supply Chain Management Training Eskom wide. • Standardized entry level criteria. This should preferably be a Degree in Supply Chain Management. Further studies must be encouraged as it is envisaged that in the next decade a Masters Degree will be seen as the minimum requirement. Retention and succession plan policies must be encouraged to ensure that employees are retained and that a transfer of skills occurs. The survey conducted indicates that a majority of the people are over the age of 50. • The entire manner in which Commercial Training is currently training practitioners must be reviewed. For example, alternate training interventions must be introduced for example the internationally recognized International World Trade Centre Supply Chain Program. Alternate forms of training should be introduced for example, the reading of journals, updating of skills by looking at a video etc. The introduction of adult principles of learning into training interventions is of vital importance to ensure maximum transfer of learning. Senge (1990: 64) states that "Tackling a difficult problem is often a matter of seeing where the high leverage lies, a change which with minimum of effort - would lead to lasting, significant improvement." With this in mind it is suggested that the change which would have the highest leverage would be the introduction of a formalized coaching and mentoring system in Eskom. By utilizing the competencies and past experiences of the older people, coupled with the correct world class skills will ensure the success of this discipline. Without this sharing of knowledge, the required professional status will never be obtained. In conclusion it is believed that the current skills issues which are currently being experienced by Eskom are not unique to Eskom, there is currently a skills shortage country wide. However, because Eskom is such an significant and visible organization in South Africa it is imperative for the future economic growth of South Africa that there is a culture change in Eskom towards Procurement with the career development of purchasing and supply change management professionals being viewed as a top priority

A total quality management (TQM) strategic measurement perspective with specific reference to the software industry

The dissertation aims to obtain an integrated and comprehensive perspective on measurement issues that play a strategic role in organisations that aim at continuous quality improvement through TQM. The multidimensional definition of quality is proposed to view quality holistically. The definition is dynamic, thus dimensions are subject to evolution. Measurement of the quality dimensions is investigated. The relationship between quality and cost, productivity and profitability respectively is examined. The product quality dimensions are redefined for processes. Measurement is a strategic component ofTQM. Integration of financial measures with supplier-; customer-; performance- and internal process measurement is essential for synergism. Measurement of quality management is an additional strategic quality dimension. Applicable research was integrated. Quantitative structures used successfully in industry to achieve quality improvement is important, thus the quality management maturity grid, cleanroom software engineering, software factories, quality function deployment, benchmarking and the ISO 9000 standards are briefly described. Software Metrics Programs are considered to be an application of a holistic measurement approach to quality. Two practical approaches are identified. A framework for initiating implementation is proposed. Two strategic software measurement issues are reliability and cost estimation. Software reliability measurement and modelling are introduced. A strategic approach to software cost estimation is suggested. The critical role of data collection is emphasized. Different approaches to implement software cost estimation in organisations are proposed. A total installed cost template as the ultimate goal is envisaged. An overview of selected software cost estimation models is provided. Potential research areas are identified. The linearity/nonlinearity nature of the software production function is analysed. The synergy between software cost estimation models and project management techniques is investigated. The quantification aspects of uncertainty in activity durations, pertaining to project scheduling, are discussed. Statistical distributions for activity durations are reviewed and compared. A structural view of criteria determining activity duration distribution selection is provided. Estimation issues are reviewed. The integration of knowledge from dispersed fields leads to new dimensions of interaction. Research and practical experience regarding software metrics and software metrics programs can be successfully applied to address the measurement of strategic indicators in other industries.Business ManagementD. Phil. (Operations Research