Working Papers (University of Stellenbosch Business School)

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Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
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    BEE targets for the accounting profession - quo vadis?
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2006) Mulder, C.
    During December 2004, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) issued Codes of Good Practice (the codes) on broad-based black economic empowerment (BEE). The aims of the codes, as set out in Statement 000, were to position BEE as a tool to broaden the country's economic base and to accelerate growth, job creation and poverty eradication. Private sector enterprises have to consider the principles and guidance contained in the codes when implementing BEE, as these would outline the key expectations of state organs and public entities in their economic interactions with the private sector (Department of Trade and Industry: 2004).
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    City-to city partnerships : forging strategic alliances that offer new global business opportunities
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007-05) De Villiers, J. C.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Graduate School of Business.
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    A contribution to scientific knowledge
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Buniness School, 2004) Morrison, J. M.
    It is an undisputed fact that the great business schools of the world are those institutions that not only transmit knowledge, but also create knowledge through academic research and disseminate the newly acquired knowledge to their stakeholders. A working paper series is one way of disseminating knowledge at an early stage of inception and of providing a test-bed for new ideas, work in progress or simply academic debate which has not yet reached full maturity. It is a means of allowing stakeholders to keep their 'fingers on the pulse' of current academic activity in an academic institution. I trust that this new initiative of Professor Hein Oosthuizen, head of the Doctoral Programme at the USB, will receive the support that it deserves as a showcase of the intellectual debate in the School and that stakeholders will not only benefit from the debate, but will become active participants in progressive business thinking.
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    The future of war : pathways towards destructive or constructive alternative futures?
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2005) Vrey, F.
    The future of war pertains to war as a future instrument of policy while future warfare unfolds from how wars of the future are to be conducted. Both phenomena contain dynamics that contribute to explaining particular alternative futures. The future of war and its conduct through future warfare also demarcate much of contemporary debates about the future use of armed forces. Matters of altemative military futures, future war and warfare are not important per se. However, the contemporary quest for peace, stability, prosperity, and wealth of humanity is historic in kind and one that raised a perSistent interest in the unfolding of military futures and its destructive potential. Hence, the lingering concern with military futures in order to prevent destructive futures through the intimate relationship between humanity and war. In this article, the author finds no dominant theory or quasitheory that explains convincingly the future demise of war and the subsequent rise of warless futures. None of the arguments presented are immune from substantial criticism. Consequently a number of alternatives concerning future warfare remain visible. Although progress to lessen destruction is observable from the investigation of rising forms of future warfare, an emergent new warrior class and context for warfare perpetuates the difficulty of removing war as a policy option and its execution through different forms of warfare.
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    An intranet as a strategic tool within a knowledge management strategy : reflecting on the evaluation of an intranet
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2007) Jory, S.; Averweg, U.
    An Intranet is well suited for use as a strategic tool in Knowledge Management (KM) owing to its ability to support distribution, connectivity and publishing. The Intranet should be viewed as integral to an organisation's KM strategy, which in turn must be aligned critically with the organisation's business strategy. The authors set out to argue that the Intranet should be used as a strategic tool within a Knowledge Management strategy. The question arises: To what extent does an organisation's existing Intranet facilitate this function? The eThekwini Municipality in Durban, South Africa, provides a useful context for the application of this question. The importance of the Intranet, a theoretical framework encompassing the significance of knowledge in corporate society, the defining of Knowledge Management and its sub-categories, and the clarification of the meaning of knowledge are explored. This paper seeks to reflect upon the existing Intranet used by eThekwini Municipality and to provide an evaluation thereof. The research results, derived from an online questionnaire, reveal an opportunity for improvement, so that the Intranet may be more effectively utilised as a strategic tool.
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    Qualitative research : method in the madness?
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2005) Le Roux, L.
    This working paper is an attempt to provide a broad-strokes overview of qualitative research (QR): what it is, its purpose, the methods and techniques it uses, its units of analysis and the handling of data, how validity and reliability are defined and the new frontiers brought about by the growth in IT, the Intemet and the use of computers - the method in the madness. Rather than to get embroiled in the competing paradigms within qualitative research itself (amongst others modemism, postmodemism, critical theory and feminism), the purpose of the paper is to out/ine the most commonly held views of the elements of qualitative research and to provide guidelines for and about the use of qualitative research as is popularly practiced. Also, the paper wiff not involve itself in the quantitative-qualitative debate and no comparisons betweon the two methods and their underlying paradigms and methods are discussed.
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    Reviews and papers read at 15th EDAMBA summer academy
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2006) Brown, W.; Le Roux, L.; Cruywagen, M.
    A combination of reviews and papers read at 15th EDAMBA summer academy
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    A strategic analysis of the latest entrant into the South African low-cost airline industry - Mango
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2007) Staisch, I.
    Over the past five years, the South African airline industry has grown by more than 50 per cent. In 2001, the domestic market comprised fewer than 7 million passengers, compared to almost 12 million in 2006 (Sobie, 2006). This increase in the market is mostly due to the rise of the black middle class, good economic growth, and the advent of low-cost carriers since 2001. The demand for the air tickets of low-cost carriers has been overwhelming and, consequently, the low-cost airline industry has managed to grab approximately 30 per cent of the domestic airline market (Mtshali, 2007). The future prospects for this early growth industry look promising, although it will be rife with competition, and a future shakeout is likely for the weakest players. Mango has recently entered the industry with a unique business model. Their competitive advantage is that they claim to have the lowest operating costs in the airline industry and can therefore offer the lowest prices in the market. They have managed to cause the change in the traditional business models of major airlines hereby causing dissonance in the industry. Mango have had success upon entering the industry, mainly due to their large financial support. Customers in this industry shop according to price, therefore it is of utmost importance that Mango remain efficient in their value chain and focus on continuously improving the industry key success factors such as punctual and reliable service,good prices, and safety records. Customers in this market are not necessarily brand loyal as there are not many incentives to stay with one particular airline, therefore customers will base their decision on which airline to use accord ing to the factors mentioned above.
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    Strategic communication : The impact or the casino industry on the economy of South Africa : A strategic analysis of the casino industry and Casino Mykonos : An ethical dilemma in the casino industry : Optimisation of profit by evalution of mix of slot machines & optimisation of customer service by evaluation of queuing at cash desks
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2007) Bezuidenhout, A.
    This report is an in-depth analysis of the external and internal environment of Casino Mykonos to identify the major communication issues that prevail at the casino and that need immediate attention. This analysis indicates that attention must be given to advertising, as it is one of the industry's key success factors. A stakeholder analysis was also done to determine on whom to focus the company's communication. The major stakeholders are employees and the clients. Because no communication strategy is currently in place, attention was also given to communication aimed at change management, handling a crisis and communicating with the media. Different alternative solutions were generated to solve the issues and after the solutions had been evaluated, the best solutions were used to draw up a proper communication strategy. An appropriate action plan will be set out to ensure the proper implementation of the communication strategy.
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    Strategic options for the physiotherapy industry in the current context of private healthcare in South Africa
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2007) Rossouw, Tania
    South Africa's healthcare industry is at a crossroad as pressure in both the public and private sectors is increasing. Healthcare professionals must reconsider their position in the industry and adapt in this everchanging environment. The physiotherapy profession forms a small part of the healthcare value chain, but it fulfils an important role in the heallhcare system. Unfortunately the profession shows no clear direction and purpose. There also exists a mismatch between the current healthcare environment demands and the physiotherapy service delivery. The aim of this paper was then to do an in depth analysis of the private healthcare industry in which physiotherapy is operating, to analyse the extemal physiotherapy industry and an intemal analysis of the profession so as to construct a generic strategy for the physiotherapy profession in the private healthcare sector in South Africa. Having completed the analysis, major strategic thrusts with a focussed differentiated approach for the profession could then be formulated: • Define physiotherapy and the scope of practice. • Reinstate physiotherapy in the healthcare system. • Develop leadership. • Cooperate within the profession. • Maintain professional autonomy. • Develop business skills
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    A structured approach to reputation management as a contributor to corporate reputation performance and financial performance
    (Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch Business School, 2005) Wepener, M. L.
    What does corporate reputation entail? Does a strong positive reputation lead to business success? Can a positive reputation be created and managed in a structured way? And, if so, how? The main aim of the study is to investigate whether a structured approach to corporate reputation management exists in South African JSE-tisted companies operating in the services sector and, if so, how it is managed by these companies. The following will be investigated: • Firstly, the financial performance of companies in the services sector according to certain well-known ratios will be determined. • Secondly, the study will investigate whether there is a difference in the reputation management behaviour of companies with a good financial performance versus those with a poor performance, and what these differences entail. • Thirdly, the phenomenon of corporate reputation will be investigated, and the corporate reputation of companies in both the top and bottom groupings will be measured among members of two of their key stakeholder groups. • Finally, the relationship between corporate reputation performance and financial performance in these service companies will be investigated. • The study aims to prove that it is possible to predict which reputation management practices (a structured approach) by organisations has a positive impact on corporate reputation performance and financial performance.