Abstract
M.Comm.
One of the challenges facing traditional stock broking firms, including Investec
Securities, the firm used as the case study in the dissertation, is to strengthen
and align their operational business to support the strategic initiatives of the
revenue-generating component of the business, to enable them to deliver well
diversified, top performing wealth generating investment products and services
to the astute and knowledgeable investor of the 21st century. Projects and
project management serve as primary capabilities of an organisation to respond
to change and to strive to maintain a competitive advantage. Projects may be
considered in the design and implementation of future strategies of the
organisation. It is therefore necessary for management to shift their focus
towards the simultaneous management of the whole collection of projects as
one consolidated entity, linking the set of projects to the ultimate strategic
business initiatives of the organisation.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the benefits of implementing
standardised project management methodologies in large stock broking firms in
South Africa using Investec Securities, the largest stock broker in the country,
as a case study. The secondary objectives were to assess the effectiveness of
project management in the organisation, gain insight into the concept of
standardised project management, and assess which methods the Project
office applies to align strategic business initiatives with project expectations and
delivery.
Given the purpose and objectives of the study a qualitative approach was taken
as the primary research methodology for the study. The sampling design was a
purposive non-probability sample, and the survey population consisted only of
individuals employed in Investec Securities that play an active role in the
project management programme and/or strategy formulation of the
organisation. Data was collected using the survey research method in the form
of a questionnaire distributed to respondents with the purpose of obtaining a
representative sample of the target population. This study aimed at gleaning
respondent’s perceptions on project management, business strategy, and their
alignment within the chosen organisation.