3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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    The relations between leadership and knowledge management
    (2018) Jada, Shaheer
    In their aim to gain the competitive edge, organisations are attempting to leverage off of their individual core competencies by turning towards knowledge management practices (KM). By successfully boosting knowledge management practices, organisations believe that this will aid them in increasing their productivity, achieving innovative solutions and achieving a better level of quality for their services and products to customers. Therefore, the contributions that may be brought by KM practices to the overall success of the firm have been extensively recognised. However past research has shown that both leadership behaviours as well as organisational climate are proven barriers to the organisations leveraging and creating knowledge. The existing body of knowledge posits that in order for knowledge management practices to be effective and implemented efficiently, a diagnostic fit needs to be done between the firm and the proposed knowledge management objectives. Therefore, it is critical to establish how leadership styles and organisational climate affect the firm’s capability to apply and create knowledge. Thereafter the firm may focus on relevant strategies that may be used to adjust the climate of the organisation or redesign it in order to support the knowledge management objectives. After critically evaluating the research pertaining to KM and leadership styles research illustrates supporting links. However, research relating to the combination of all three is severely lacking. Therefore, this study will examine this research gap. In precise terms, this study will examine the relationship between KM practices and leadership styles, whilst evaluating the moderating effects of the organisations climate. In order to do this, a conceptual framework will be developed that will compromise of four constructs, namely: transformational leadership, transactional leadership, organisational climate and KM practices. This research study will make use of a post positivist paradigm and will consist of a cross sectional research design. Quantitative data will be collected after evaluating the four main hypotheses in order to conclude if a relationship exists between all three variables. The participants for this study will be from a small and medium sized enterprise within South Africa. It is expected that all three variables bear a positive relationship to each other.
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    Comparison of multi-criteria decision analysis methods in mine planning and related case studies
    (2017) Mahase, Mpeo Julia
    The mining environment is characterised by various stakeholders with unique expectations and future uncertainties. In order to make decisions in an uncertain environment that has various stakeholders with differing unique expectations, Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) methods are used. MCDM methods are sub-divided into Multi-Objective Decision Making (MODM) and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDA) techniques. Given an uncertain mining environment and a multitude of MCDA techniques, it is necessary to analyse how MCDA techniques used in mine planning and related problems produce consistent results. It is also necessary to establish the ideal number of alternatives and criteria to use to increase confidence in the decision making process. A total of 246 case studies were sourced from journal; symposia; and conference papers. The case studies were narrowed to those with numerical content, leaving 110 case studies. A total of 40 out of the 110 case studies had original decision matrices and these were chosen for analysis. Different alternatives in the case studies were ranked using eight MCDA techniques. MCDA techniques were chosen because they are used to solve problems with a finite number of alternatives. Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP); Elimination and Choice Expressing Reality (ELECTRE); Multi-Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT); Preference Ranking Organisation Method for Enrichment Evaluation (PROMETHEE); Simple Additive Weighting Method (SAW); Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solutions (TOPSIS); Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje (VIKOR); and Yager’s method were selected. “Similarity percentages” and “average similarity percentages” were calculated for the ranked alternatives. The 1998 economic meltdown and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) resulted in increased use of MCDA techniques. The increased use of MCDA techniques was in response to uncertainties in response to the 1998 and 2008 events. The AHP was the most commonly used technique while Fuzzy set theory was used to address uncertainty. Most MCDA techniques suffer from rank reversal. In order to reduce rank reversal, nine criteria are recommended for use with MCDA techniques. In addition, a maximum of four alternatives is recommended for use with MCDA techniques.
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    An analysis of the 4th year '' system management and integration'' course, using individual reflections on working in multidisciplinary groups
    (2018) Pentz, Michele
    It is a requirement of the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) that all tertiary education institutions ascertain whether their current courses meet the ECSA Exit Level Outcomes (ELO), as identified by the institution themselves. The course project for MECN4020 – Systems Engineering and Management – at the University of the Witwatersrand is required to meet the requirement of the ECSA ELO 8, as prescribed. Students are instructed to reflect on the experience. Qualitative research is used to both induct emergent themes from the student reflections, as well as deduct, whether the ECSA ELO 8 requirements are met by the project. Emergent themes from inductive analysis result in emergent themes, which are then compared to the pilot study conducted. Deductive analysis identifies the inference that may be placed on the student population, so that the ECSA ELO 8 requirements are identified as met or not met. ECSA ELO 8 requirements that are considered to be met by the group project for MECN4020 are “The Candidate Makes Individual Contributions”, “The Candidate Enhances the Work of Fellow Team Members”, “The Candidate Benefits from the Support of Team Members”, “The Candidate Communicates Effectively With Team Members”, “The Candidate Acquires a Working Knowledge of a Co-Workers Discipline”, “The Candidate Communicates Across a Disciplinary Boundary” and “The Candidate Uses a Systems Approach”. Emergent themes and extant literature as used to develop recommendations, so that the MECN4020 project may meet the ECSA ELO 8 requirement. Suggestions for improvement are given using a framework consistent with the design of multidisciplinary education design.
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    Biodiversity management principles: a cross-sector comparison of South African companies
    (2017) Kristiansen, Guro Hagen
    The interaction between business and biodiversity has seen growing importance in corporate management; impacting policy, practices and strategy. This study examines South African companies’ assimilation of recommended biodiversity management practices, as communicated through their annual reporting and official websites. A selection of nine South African companies in the forestry, sugar and mining sectors were studied with regards to their reporting on biodiversity management practices. The research aimed to understand the extent of structured approach to biodiversity management, and explore potential sectorial differences. The study found a wide acceptance of the UN Global Compact Principles, the GRI reporting guidelines and the King Code of good governance principles. However, the companies did not demonstrate a consistent governance structure for biodiversity management. The study revealed one mining company with a stronger biodiversity governance structure making the use of various dedicated policies and standards. Furthermore, the study identified few sector specific differences. Though the forestry sector demonstrated good practice with its emphasis on biodiversity in its supply chain management. The study did not reveal a particular uptake of emerging biodiversity concepts such as No Net Loss, payment for ecosystem services or agroforestry, however the companies had adopted several sustainability and governance recommendations and standards. The study did not identify the existence, nor the use, of dedicated biodiversity certification programmes or South African developed cross-sector biodiversity certification programmes. The finance sector is in a good position to positively influence corporate biodiversity management practices. However, the study results give an impression that there is untapped potential in the finance sector to further drive the biodiversity management agenda in South Africa. Keywords: Corporate Biodiversity Management, Biodiversity Management Framework, Biodiversity Best Practices,
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