Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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An assessment of strategic decision-making processes in small and micro enterprises in the services sector in South Africa
(2019-02) Gopaul, Roger; Rampersad, Renitha; Pillay, Gnanam
The thesis assesses the strategic decision-making process in small and micro enterprises in the services sector in South Africa. The mortality rate of small and micro enterprises remains undesirably high in South Africa. Among the factors affecting small and micro enterprise sustainability is poor managerial skills including deficiencies in the strategic decision-making process. A review of the literature revealed that there is a gap pertaining to an assessment of strategic decision formation among this sector. On the basis of the literature review, the process of strategic decision-making was assessed in different situational contexts consisting of the external environment and internal environment which influences the decision formation. The study assumed a qualitative methodology in order to understand the phenomenon of strategic decision-making. SSemi-structured interviews, focus group sessions and observation methods were employed, as the essential form of data collection. The sample population comprised thirty businesses that satisfied the criteria of small and micro in the services sector. A content analysis was conducted in order to present the findings of the research study and offer an integrated theoretical model of the strategic decision-making process. The findings of the research indicate that the process of strategic decision-making is pivoted on the intuitive decision-making tendencies of the business owners. As such, there was diminutive reliance on a procedural rational mode towards formulating decisions among small and micro businesses. The phases of the decision formation process within these businesses were simplified with few steps involved. The phases of the decision-making process consisted of information gathering, interpretation of information and option generation for implementation. The findings show that the process of strategic decision formulation within small and micro enterprises adopts an intuitive approach consistent with a descriptive mode of decision-making. The phases of the intuitive approach to strategic decision-making among small and micro enterprises were deemed iterative and overlapped during the process of formulating the decisions as compared to a decision-making mode that is fundamentally sequential in character. The findings of this study have many potential theoretical contributions to the stock of knowledge as well as practical contributions to governmental policy-makers, supporting agencies and business owners. Recommendations for future research were advocated which have the propensity to further augment the understanding of the strategic decision-making process.
Strategic levers for merger and acquisitions in the financial services sector
(2018) Asmal, Ridwaan; Kader, Abdulla
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) is a very topical area. Every organisation has its vision to become a reputable company which is achievable through maximising its market share and future growth. The rationale of the study was a review of mergers and acquisitions in the financial services sector in South Africa and the subsequent massive restructuring in terms of strategic importance and strategic levers from a turnaround perspective, hence we then trying to establish whether the mergers and acquisitions within that period has been effective based on brand image, culture (people effectiveness) and return on investment. The literature review documented and evaluated current and past research as well as the theoretical framework on strategic levers for mergers and acquisitions in the financial services sector. The researcher adopted the quantitative method of research by use of a survey questionnaire. The discussion was presented in a narrative format, and tables, graphs and figures emerging from the findings were used as a basis for the discussion, paying particular attention to the fundamental research objectives and questions. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data collected uncovering some key issues through the analysis. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted and further multiple regression was applied to determine whether the independent variables of brand image and culture were significant predictors of the dependent variable, return on investment. The research findings and recommendations uncovered that from a turnaround perspective in mergers and acquisition deals, brand image, and the culture (people effectiveness) should be in sync to generate the desired return on investment. As a result of greater market share and attainment of other synergies, this would allow firms to muscle flex which lays the platform to launch into uncontested markets like Africa.
Analysis and evaluation of strategic planning and implementation at TVET colleges : a case study of Lovedale College
(2019-04-24) Ndzoyiya, Lucky Coselela; Chetty, Gopalkrishna
The aim of this study was an evaluation of strategic planning and implementation at Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges. The study was premised on the rationale that besides the significance of strategic planning as an effective tool for organisations to employ, given the constant changing digitalised and globalised environment, there is documented evidence of academic institutions, particularly TVET Colleges not implementing strategic plans or alternatively not having a functional and up-to-date strategic plan. Such a situation certainly impedes the colleges’ efforts to achieve their developmental goals and objectives, and may additionally contribute to possible threats to the TVET colleges’ competitiveness, given that there is an emergence of newer types of colleges and universities which are dynamic and in touch with the changing environment. They tend to use these tools for their planning purposes. Lovedale College in the Eastern Cape was selected as the case study college for this research. The study employed the mixed method approach; utilising quantitative and qualitative approaches. The qualitative research method used in-depth interviews while the quantitative research method used questionnaires with key informants in the study area. The study found that the respondents had a reasonable knowledge of the concept of strategic planning. This finding has relevance for future studies. The reasonable knowledge that the staff have in respect of strategic planning is mainly due to the length of service or stability of the workforce or the continuous involvement of all staff in the strategic planning exercises over the years. This points to important lessons for other colleges. The study pointed to the need for a greater improvement with respect to strategic planning and the implementation process which may result from appropriate financial support. Furthermore, the colleges should have experienced and skilled human resources to undertake such planning exercises. The study also established that there is a positive and significant relationship between stakeholder experience, inhibitors and enablers, monitoring and intervention, and strategic planning and implementation. The study recommended that in order for the action plans of strategic planning and implementation are executed, it is useful to establish clear objectives and a roadmap to achieve these objectives.
An investigation of internal risk control mechanism within the various department of eThekwini Municipality
(2018-08-29) Khumalo, Zinhle P.; Lekhanya, Lawrence Mpele
The central aim of this study is to investigate the current internal risks control mechanism within the various departments of eThekwini Municipality. The research has been conducted specifically in Durban, with regard to the eThekwini municipality senior officials and junior management staff. The major motivation for this study is to assist government’s institutions especially the eThekwini Municipality to improve understanding or awareness within the department on activities affecting exposure to risk and to understand the barriers to implementation of effective internal risk management control mechanisms and strategies. A mixed method approach was employed and the analysis of data was done using data tabulation of themes. The findings of the study revealed that, if the eThekwini Municipality were to improve their risk control mechanisms, all staff members should be properly trained and encouraged to be involved in all levels of the organization. The study also recommended that the eThekwini Municipality consciously improve on identifying organizational risk by applying risk management processes that involve risk identification, risk evaluation, risk control, risk financing and risk monitoring. It is recommended that this process be monitored throughout. Another recommendation of this study was that the eThekwini Municipality must improve on internal risk control processes that include organizing, dividing the institution into various areas for evaluation, developing a plan for subsequent action, conducting internal control reviews, analyzing the general internal control review, documenting the event, evaluating internal control and preparing a report on internal control. This mechanism should be implemented contentiously and to be monitored throughout. It was recommended that eThekwini Municipality implement the ISO 31 000 standards. This policy is recommended because it assists the organizations to reduce the chances of risk and it will assist the eThekwini Municipality to effectively implement their internal control mechanisms. Areas of research include further research into the progress of implementation of strategies that can be employed to improve the internal control mechanism of the eThekwini Municipality and intentional follow up on the models for risk management in South Africa. There are more internal control strategies that can be discovered here and hence the study recommends further research particularly on risk internal control within government institutions.
Exploring corporate marketing optimisation strategies for the KwaZulu-Natal manufacturing sector : a corporate social responsibility perspective
(2018) Ijabadeniyi, Abosede; Govender, Jeevarathnam Parthasarathy
The expectation-performance gap created by the incongruity between the historical and institutional frameworks which underpin an organisational approach to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) poses a challenge to the optimisation of corporate marketing. In South Africa, such a gap could be created by the misalignment between the evolving nature, obligatory undertone and the entrenchment of the Ubuntu framework on the notion of CSR. This necessitated an enquiry into the effects of the aforementioned factors on the antecedents and components of CSR-related corporate identity and CSR-related consumer behavioural outcomes such as CSR expectations, consumer values, purchase behaviour and corporate reputation. Using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design, this study explored how the interplay between espoused CSR corporate identity and consumer behavioural outcomes can leverage the optimisation of corporate marketing strategies for three food manufacturing companies headquartered in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) index, now known as the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE)/JSE Responsible Investment index. Based on a multiple case study design, thematic and content analyses were conducted on the qualitative data obtained from six sustainability and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) managers, the Chief Executive Officer of companies’ industry association and annual reports. Quantitative data were generated from a survey of 411 consumers across five major shopping centres/malls in Durban, which were analysed using the Partial Least Square (PLS) Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The overall findings revealed that the approach to CSR in South Africa, which is deeply rooted in the country’s history of social exclusion, has amplified consumers’ reliance on a socially coerced notion of social responsibility and organisational legitimacy. The ability to benchmark against aspirational CSR-related corporate identities, which emanate from ideal and desired identities, and earn consumer trust is pivotal for leveraging institutional legitimacy and redressing the negative effects of ill-conceived indigenous CSR-related corporate identity on the optimisation of corporate marketing. The study offers a model which guides academics, practitioners and policymakers on the cyclical trajectory of institutional legitimacy and optimal corporate marketing.
The impact of talent management on employee performance and retention strategies : case of Masvingo City Council in Zimbabwe
(2018-04) Mahlahla, Linah Tanyaradzwa; Lourens, Melanie Elizabeth
The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of talent management on employee performance and retention strategies at the Masvingo City Council in Zimbabwe. The main problem revolved around the inability to attract, attain and retain talented employees that perform effectively, intensifying service delivery challenges in City Councils in Zimbabwe. The main objectives of the study were to determine the impact of talent management on employee performance at Masvingo City Council in Zimbabwe, to investigate talent management strategies that can be used by Masvingo City Council to improve employee retention and employee performance and to formulate retention strategies that can be used by Masvingo City Council. The study adopted the quantitative research design and a pre-coded structured close ended questionnaire comprising the 5 Point Likert Scale was administered to the respondents. The questionnaire comprised of Section A and Section B. The target population comprised of 72 professionals at the Masvingo City Council. The researcher personally distributed and collected the questionnaires from the respondents which equated to a high response rate of 93.05%. Upon completion of the study, the researcher solicited the services of a Senior Librarian to run the TURNITIN Program to test the entire dissertation for plagiarism. The responses to the questionnaire were captured and analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 24.0 for Windows. A number of statistical tests were used to test 14 hypotheses which were formulated for the various sections of the study. The main findings indicated that talent management had an impact on employee performance at Masvingo City Council in Zimbabwe. The findings also revealed that there is a strong relationship between the implementation of talent management and retention strategies at Masvingo City Council. The researcher recommended that Masvingo City Council should provide employees with adequate training and development, revise and improve personnel policies provide adequate resources and reward employees for outstanding performance. The study concludes by providing directions for future research.
Implementation of strategies and programmes aimed at boosting local economic development at Sobonakhona Makhanya Traditional Area
(2012) Dladla, Alfred Makhosathini; Wallis, Malcolm Alan Henworth
The dissertation focuses on the implementation of strategies and programmes that are aimed at boosting local economic development at Sobonakhona Makhanya Traditional Area by the EThekwini Municipality. Sobonakhona Makhanya Traditional Area is one of the three main traditional/rural areas making up the Greater Umbumbulu Area, which is situated some 20 kilometres south-west of the Durban Central District. Each of these traditional/rural areas is ruled by its own Traditional Leader. The Sobonakhona Area is made up of areas that can be described as deep rural and peri-urban. For the purpose of this study a municipality and a local government are treated as the same entity. The implementation of these strategies in the deep rural Sobonakhona Area has, however, so far proven to be more challenging than it was initially conceived. This can be partly attributed to the following factors, firstly; before 1994, all matters related to rural economic development initiatives in South Africa fell under the jurisdiction of either the provincial governments or national line ministries or homeland governments – not municipalities. Secondly, between 1994 and 2002, all strategies/programmes that were aimed at boosting economic development were, through the national government’s previous SMME strategy, carried out at national level by the Department of Trade and Industry and its affiliated agencies. Thirdly, the 2000 demarcation of municipal boundaries saw a number of rural areas being incorporated under some municipalities that had jurisdiction over urban areas only, and this created an additional service delivery challenge for these municipalities. Whilst these municipalities were still baffled by how to accommodate/incorporate the rural areas under their programmes, the national government, in 2002, introduced a new SMME strategy (replacing the previous SMME strategy) that required municipalities to effect economic development at local government level. This also presented its own challenge as very few of these municipalities had experience and/or knowledge in the formulation and implementation of local economic development programmes/strategies. This dissertation therefore seeks to uncover the challenges that the EThekwini Municipality faces as it attempts to implement its economic development strategies and programmes for its rural areas in particular, with Sobonakhona Area being the area of focus. The EThekwini Municipality is one of those municipalities that previously had no rural areas under its control. Chapter One of the dissertation introduces the topic of the study together with the relevant background to the study. Chapter Two discusses the research methodology used in an attempt to unravel the study’s research problem. Chapter Three discusses literature review on implementation of strategies and programmes aimed at boosting economic development in rural areas. Chapter Four outlines both the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government and the EThekwini Municipality’s strategies and programmes that are thought would promote economic development in the province and in the EThekwini region respectively. Results uncovered by this study are discussed in Chapter Five. Chapter Six concludes the study by presenting recommendations on how to improve implementation efforts.
The impact of strategy change on morale, performance and commitment
(2008) Mekgoe, Naome; Mason, Roger Bruce
Strategic change within an organisation is inevitable. Due to the competitive global landscape, organisations have to continuously adapt their strategies to remain in the market. Strategy change is most often met with resistance, and more so when the change involves downsizing. The effects of downsizing on employee morale, performance and commitment have been studied by numerous authors and a number of models for strategy change implementation consequently suggested. However, South Africa is faced with very particular challenges when dealing with change, including a high level of unemployment, fierce resistance to change in the form of collective action such as strikes, stay-aways or go-slows, political and social transformation happening simultaneously, global competition and the conflict between social and free markets within an emerging economy. Irrespective of the vast amount of international literature available on change management, there is a distinct lack of literature investigating the impact of strategy change in an emerging economy and a knowledge gap in terms of applying existing change theories in non-Western environments. This study was aimed at determining the impact of strategy change, particularly downsizing, on employee morale, performance and commitment at a global South-African based Telecommunication Company. The objectives of the study was to determine whether employees in South Africa are negatively affected by downsizing, and provide useful information to strategic managers in terms of implementation of strategy change in a South African environment. To determine the impact of downsizing as a strategy change, a questionnaire was designed based on the literature review to ascertain responses to three sections of questions, respectively measuring morale, performance and commitment. A sample of the target population was chosen based on their position/ employment type i.e. management, supervisor or general staff. The results of the empirical study revealed some very interesting points. Although all respondents demonstrated optimism in terms of their morale, performance and commitment, it was found that comparatively, managers are more negatively impacted during times of downsizing. The Telecommunication Company’s structured nature, advances in political and social reform, and solid Training and Development policy shielded the employees from the full negative impacts of downsizing because of their positive core self evaluation. The substantial amount of neutral responses (especially under management) indicated that not all respondents revealed their true feelings, a common characteristic amongst collective people. It also surfaced that even though the majority of responses indicated positive morale and performance, most respondents were considering positions outside the organisation. Based on the literature review and results from the empirical investigation, a model was proposed to assist strategic managers in South Africa with change implementation.
The impact of the implementation of change management processes on staff turnover at Telkom SA
(2008) Naidu, Gonaseelan; Mason, Roger Bruce
Telkom SA, over the last decade and a half, has undergone major change in terms of the manner in which it does business. From being a state-owned company to becoming a para-statal, to being run by foreigners and, finally, being run by local leaders within the company, Telkom SA has transformed as a company. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of change implementation on staff turnover in Telkom SA by reviewing the following key issues: The implementation of change within Telkom SA, benchmarked against international best practices; the communication of change/re-structuring initiatives by management in Telkom SA; the effect of change implementation on staff turnover; and the effect of change implementation on employee morale and retention. The rationale of this study is to allow Telkom SA management to review their current implementation strategy of change management initiatives in Telkom SA. Thereafter, it will provide guidelines for improvements in change implementation for the management of Telkom SA. Staff turnover and employee morale can negatively impact service delivery and financial performance of a company, so these recommendations are aimed at improving service delivery and financial performance. The study was descriptive, cross sectional and quantitative, involving the application of a questionnaire, via e-mail and personal interviews, with a sample of staff from the core planning section in the Network Infrastructure Provisioning division, where a high staff turnover rate existed. The questionnaire focused on assessing the impact of the implementation of change management processes on staff turnover at Telkom SA and was developed from the literature review. Data was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 15 for both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that a significant percentage of respondents were v vi dissatisfied with the way management had handled issues related to change implementation, communication, turnover, morale and retention. With this in mind, recommendations on ways to reduce the impact of the key issues on the organisation were made. These included the recommendation of lean methodology in order to deal with the first three key issues, namely, implementation, communication, and turnover. Thereafter the ‘four cores of credibility’ model was recommended to improve employee morale. Finally recommendations were made on ways to improve employee retention. The overarching issue that has come to light is that although management is, to a degree, communicating change implementation, there is a noticeable lack of engagement with employees. The onus, therefore, lies with leadership to lift the levels of engagement with employees, thereby reducing the impact of change implementation on the organisation by increasing the level of transparency in the organisation. Improving communication would lead to improved trust, which would then result in improved employee morale, ultimately leading to a reduction in the staff turnover rate.
The importance of integrating quality practices into strategic management
(2009) Sukdeo, Nita; Singh, Shalini
Over the past ten years, intense global competition, changing customer needs and the changing business environment have forced many organisations to examine their organisational goals and to re-evaluate how to meet their challenges. Extreme global competition has forced many organisations to develop action plans to respond to an increasingly competitive market. One such action plan identified was the integration of quality practices and principles with strategic planning of the organisation. This research investigated the importance and usefulness of integrating quality practices in the strategic management process of organisations in the Printing and Packaging industry in the Ethekweni Municipality. This study included a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The review of literature represented the qualitative research method, acknowledged the importance of, and advantages and disadvantages of integrating quality practices with the strategic management process. It also identified selected quality practices that can improve the strategic planning process. The quantitative method included a preliminary study and a main study. The preliminary study was conducted using questionnaires and interviews consisting of 10 and 5 organisations respectively. The main study consisted of questionnaires administered to 30 organisations. The results of the pilot study showed that although many organisations were aware of the integration, they did not have the support from employees, nor the time to implement it. The main study indicated that the majority of the organisations integrated the two practices. 97% of the organisations found that this integration was difficult initially, but with some perseverance achieved success, while 3% of the organisations did not implement the integration. The latter are now considering the integration process. Hence, it can be accepted that the integration of quality practices within the strategic management process has directed the organisation toward continuous improvement, a competitive advantage, a greater market share and sustainability, greater customer satisfaction and increased profitability and sales.

Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

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