Browsing by Department "Graduate School of Business (GSB)"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 391
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    ‘A beggar has no choice' A Mixed Approach Exploring Blended Finance for Africa's Infrastructure
    (2020) Wildschutt-Prins, Alvino; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    The United Nations estimated that to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals globally, they require approximately USD6 trillion per annum, totalling between USD90 to a USD100 trillion of investments needed over the 15 years. African countries are struggling to finance their infrastructure development needs and require innovative solutions to finance their infrastructure gaps. The African Development Bank noted that Africa's infrastructure needs can be estimated between USD130 and USD170 billion per annum with an estimated financing gap of USD68 billion to USD108 billion. Blended finance received international attention during the Third International Conference on Finance for Development in 2015 when it was mentioned in the adopted resolution report dubbed the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (here forth the Addis Agenda). The overall objective of this study is to explore the private sector participation investing in economic infrastructure in Africa and the public sector's understanding of blended finance. The research also focuses on the role of multi-and bilateral development banks in mobilising the private sector and the government support required to attract private sector participation investing in infrastructure projects For this study, the Convergent Parallel Design mixed research method is employed where both the quantitative and qualitative data are collected concurrently or in the same phase. The World Bank PPI database is used as the primary quantitative data source, while nine qualitative indepth interviews were conducted. The results from the multiple linear regression model indicate that projects with multi-lateral development bank' support are characterised by lower private sector participation in infrastructure investments in Africa. Furthermore, countries receiving concessional support from the International Development Association (IDA) are receiving lower private sector participation in their projects. In-depth interviews with public sector officials indicated that most of the officials had an overall understanding of blended finance in line with current market definitions. Officials, however, were not convinced with the use of concessional funding and loans in the blended finance structure due to the conditions precedents which came with it but felt like they had no choice but to accept these conditions due to the needs of the countries and the project involved. Informed by the findings of the study, the study recommends that blended finance should be localised for the African context and makes key policy recommendations linked to the OECD principles for blended finance.
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    A Conceptualisation of the self-perceptions of black professionals in relation to business leadership in South Africa
    (2021) Myeza, Angel; April, Kurt
    The research aimed to gain an understanding of the self-perceptions of black South African professionals (and leaders) in relation to business leadership and how these self-perceptions influenced their behaviours, aspirations and self-perceived abilities in leadership positions. The leadership behaviour of black leaders was found to be influenced by their upbringing, educational background, workplace experiences and the country's historical context. Leadership behaviours exhibited by black leaders included Ubuntu, difficulty with owning authority, deliberate bias in management behaviour across colour and a profound sense of shared responsibility toward other black professionals and black communities. Black professionals demonstrated signs of deep-rooted pain, fear, anger, isolation, pride, empathy and general emotional fatigue stemming from workplace, socio-economic and political triggers that evoked generational trauma and an overall negative black lived experience. The negative lived experience could have led to racial identity dissonance and in extreme cases, complete racial identity disassociation. On occasion, black professionals leveraged white relationships to propel their careers forward, however, this practice reportedly resulted in feelings of self-doubt. Self-doubt was shown to eventually lead to self-deselection, negatively impacting the aspirations and career advancement prospects of black professionals in organisational leadership. Career progression of black professionals was additionally impacted by 'multiple shades of black', which determined if the black professional could be 'authorised' as a leader. These 'shades' included aspects such as the 'twang', complexion, and for black women, even hair. Black professionals that were perceived to better resemble 'whiteness', achieved faster career progression. The research found that black leaders perceived that their blackness, specifically, its unique texture of experiences and history in South Africa, provided them with superior empathetic leadership capability towards black employees, although it severely diminished empathy towards white employees. Furthermore, black professionals considered their blackness to detract from their leadership capability, by reducing the odds of being authorised as a natural leader, enforcing a skewed self-perception of their leadership capabilities.
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    A critical analysis of the use of blended finance for public infrastructure development in South Africa: The IIPSA Case Study
    (2022) Kopeledi, Mosa; Alhassan, Latif
    Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a commonly used procurement strategy, adopted to advance the achievement of national developmental goals. The transactions match the efficiency of the private sector, with the large market potential of the public sector, to establish mutually beneficial partnerships and address increasingly growing public infrastructure development demand. Blended finance, as a subject on alternative financing for public infrastructure finance, has gained popularity in developing counties with poor balance sheets and deteriorating sovereign credit ratings, as an option to raise capital to address infrastructure backlogs and developmental challenges by creating commercially viable public infrastructure markets for sustainable development. However, the results on blended finance transactions and initiatives have not realised the benefits purported for the adoption of blended finance in developing countries. This study sought to critically explore the perceptions of stakeholders on the outcomes of blended finance in the Infrastructure Initiative Programme for Southern Africa (IIPSA) programme. A qualitative research method approach is utilised to explore the factors that advanced or hindered the achievement of the objectives of IIPSA, and based on their experience, further identifies CSF for the adoption of blended finance in South Africa. The thematic analysis utilized in the study, reveals that participants do not believe that the objectives of IIPSA were met due to a Mis- alignment in expectations between the European Union and the SA stakeholders. Governance, State Capacity, DFI mandate restriction, Ambiguous communication of programme objectives, Misalignment in Expectations, Resistance to change, Performance measure, Regulatory restrictions, and an Unstable political environment constitute the nine main themes to emerge from the analysis of factors that hindered the achievement of IIPSA objectives. The CSF are organized around six main themes of Context, Institutional Capacity & Coordination, Alternatives to blended finance, Transparency, Motives, and Environment. The study recommendations are categorized at the Country level, where environmental factors are fundamentally at play, the Institutional Capacity level, where the competency factors of the implementing institutions are highlighted, and at the Project level, where the study relates these to motivation factors of the stakeholders.
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    A critical analysis of the use of blended finance for public infrastructure development in South Africa: The IIPSA Case Study
    (2021) Kopeledi, Mosa; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are a commonly used procurement strategy, adopted to advance the achievement of national developmental goals. The transactions match the efficiency of the private sector, with the large market potential of the public sector, to establish mutually beneficial partnerships and address increasingly growing public infrastructure development demand. Blended finance, as a subject on alternative financing for public infrastructure finance, has gained popularity in developing counties with poor balance sheets and deteriorating sovereign credit ratings, as an option to raise capital to address infrastructure backlogs and developmental challenges by creating commercially viable public infrastructure markets for sustainable development. However, the results on blended finance transactions and initiatives have not realised the benefits purported for the adoption of blended finance in developing countries. This study sought to critically explore the perceptions of stakeholders on the outcomes of blended finance in the Infrastructure Initiative Programme for Southern Africa (IIPSA) programme. A qualitative research method approach is utilised to explore the factors that advanced or hindered the achievement of the objectives of IIPSA, and based on their experience, further identifies CSF for the adoption of blended finance in South Africa. The thematic analysis utilized in the study, reveals that participants do not believe that the objectives of IIPSA were met due to a Mis- alignment in expectations between the European Union and the SA stakeholders. Governance, State Capacity, DFI mandate restriction, Ambiguous communication of programme objectives, Misalignment in Expectations, Resistance to change, Performance measure, Regulatory restrictions, and an Unstable political environment constitute the nine main themes to emerge from the analysis of factors that hindered the achievement of IIPSA objectives. The CSF are organized around six main themes of Context, Institutional Capacity & Coordination, Alternatives to blended finance, Transparency, Motives, and Environment. The study recommendations are categorized at the Country level, where environmental factors are fundamentally at play, the Institutional Capacity level, where the competency factors of the implementing institutions are highlighted, and at the Project level, where the study relates these to motivation factors of the stakeholders.
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    A framework for discretionary effort based on performance expectancies in integrated work environment
    (2011) Katoma, Victor; April, Kurt
    In an age of immense business competition, and far-reaching leadership requirements, Discretionary Effort is required as part of a value creation and enhanced performance strategy. Discretionary Effort is the unsolicited effort, which employees expend when certain work expectations are met. Traditionally, Expectancy, Valence and Instrumentality (VIE) have been the leading variables of this construct. Research has however, revealed that self-affirmation (A) adds another important dimension to the Discretionary Effort Framework (VIEA) (April & Katoma, 2008). This research investigated Discretionary Effort (the full VIEA) in an integrated work environment, using professional networks, consisting primarily of 1548 managers and specialists, who were either co-located or virtually located in different sectors. The survey instrument was divided into four parts, with the first and second parts measuring expectancies at individual and work level respectively. The third and fourth parts measured the degree of discretionary behavior of employees, and the extent to which organizations considered these relevant. The data were collected through faxes, emails, and online survey tools from employees attending leadership courses at the Business School. Results revealed that Discretionary Effort was not significantly different in clusters at the micro level of units of employees, but significantly different at the macro (sector) level - with service-oriented sectors, such as retail, scoring higher Discretionary Effort compared to product-oriented industries, such as engineering. Within the clusters or units, process-oriented influencer variables, such as experience, showed significant effects on the aforementioned Discretionary variables. Employees were also more generally concerned with higher levels of needs (social needs), as specified in Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Maslow, 1968), partly due to interpersonal interrelations and knowledge-dependent professional networks. The most significant hypotheses included individual network learning, team sustainability, effort learning all at p<.001, while interpersonal performance and mutual reciprocity were at p<.10. Construct validity, using covariates, revealed an acceptable Discretionary Effort model fit of VIEA: χ = 102, df = 17, RMSEA = .0584, NFI = .95, CFI = .95 and GFI = .983.
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    A health information platform for Case Managed Neglected Tropical Diseases - A case study from Mozambique
    (2020) de Kruijff, Arie; Nilsson, Warren
    Leprosy, as one of the neglected tropical diseases, is an ancient disease that requires a slow and patient approach for its diagnosis and treatment involving various actors along the way. This care system has traditionally been supported by a paper based health information system still in use today in many endemic countries. In Mozambique, various attempts at modernizing the system have failed. The continued transmission of the disease is again highlighting the need for sharper strategic approaches supported by detailed information and better coordination between the various care actors in the system. This study coincided with the design and implementation of a new health information system for the case managed neglected tropical diseases (NTD) care sector in Mozambique. A Soft Systems Methodology (Action Research) approach was followed during this implementation process in an attempt to incorporate the perspectives of various actors and many institutional relationships that have an impact on the outcomes of this complex disease. The aim of the study was not only to identify factors that would contribute to the successful introduction of the health information system, but also to contribute to better knowledge management within this specific NTD care context. The study utilized group work, rich picture creation and individual interviews to build conceptual models for knowledge management in this context. It also tried to ground this by analyzing lessons from previous unsuccessful NTD information systems as well as the experiences from other countries in Africa where a similar infrastructure was implemented successfully.
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    A model for the utilisation of networks and leveraging of the economic benefits of migration capital in emerging markets
    (2018) Chunnett, Wanda Ingrid; Shelley, Elanca
    The research considers the question: What can emerging market economies do to leverage sustainable growth opportunities from resource constrained, involuntary migrant entrepreneurs? It explores the positive economic impact that involuntary migrant entrepreneurs have made in an emerging market economy, South Africa, through the establishment of sustainable businesses. The objective is to understand the underlying enablers and constraints that facilitated the establishment of such businesses historically and to use them to develop a model that might be implemented by public and private institutions to maximise the economic benefits that groups of migrant entrepreneurs can deliver. It took the form of an inductive study of behavioural attributes to which a critical realist epistemology has been applied, using network theory and the lens of “desirable difficulties” within the context of social, economic and migration capital. The research was inspired by the work of Elizabeth and Robert Bjork (1996 and 2015) and extends the concept of desirable disabilities into the realm of societal “disabilities” that have been overcome by resource constrained migrant entrepreneurs, to accumulate the necessary social, knowledge and economic capital (Bourdieu, 1985) to establish sustainable businesses. The theoretical contribution of the research is to take the involuntary migrant debate beyond the "refugee as burden" paradigm, by focusing on constrained, involuntary migrants as potential economic contributors through: 1. A theoretical proposition that the legal, knowledge, language and economic capital required by constrained migrant entrepreneurs to leverage the enabling disabilities that they have and to establish their locus of power, is augmented by additional "migration capital", an offshoot of mobility capital, which originates from the interactions within and between the migrant group networks. 2. The development of a model, based on migration capital, which may be used by emerging market countries to maximise the economic growth opportunities that severely resource constrained entrepreneurs can offer. The model utilises a newly defined form of capital, namely migration capital, as its basis. It provides an alternative view to traditional, “push” based economic theories which have categorised refugees and migrants as economic burdens that must be supported by the host country for extended periods of time, to the detriment of the local population. The “pull” model is premised on the finding that migration is a temporal rather than geographic or ethnic issue and that there is additional value to be extracted over the lifespan of a migrant business if the social integration can be expedited through the facilitation of migration capital in addition to individual social, knowledge and economic capital. It considers the benefit that can be realised by the host country, where the process driver remains the migrant entrepreneur, eager to become established in a new country and achieve their long term vision.
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    A phenomenological study of the lived experiences of social housing residents in relation to their digital exclusion
    (2019) Williams, Jonathan; Nilsson, Warren
    There is no more significant threat to a prosperous South Africa than the persistent socioeconomic exclusion and continuous spatial segregation of South African society. Social housing and digital inclusion both play a critical role as inclusionary interventions for the socioeconomic advancement of the previously disenfranchised and the reintegration of apartheid-era segregated communities. Access to ICTs provides marginalised communities with platforms and tools to amplify their voices, gain access to information and reaffirm their citizenship, thereby allowing for more vigorous participation in the national discourse. “The goal of ICTs is not to necessarily solve the digital divide but rather to further the process of social inclusion.” (Warschauer, 2003) Furthermore, these technological platforms provide access to life chances, capital enhancing activities, information and the possibility of building networks outside of individuals' modest social networks. This study seeks to understand how digital exclusion influences the experience of overall inclusion in South African social housing. This dissertation is a qualitative study employing a mixture of phenomenological and ethnographic methods to document and make sense of the lived experiences of participants in relation to their exclusion. The study uses of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys to explore participants' adaptation and integration into local formal institutions and the host community of Blue View Terraces, a mostly white, middle-income neighbourhood located in Cape Town. The study discovered the coexistence of many different and competing forms of exclusion. Firstly, a key finding during the process of residential desegregation or spatial inclusion was participants' pervasive experiences of power dynamics. These power dynamics manifested as discrimination and marginalisation that was partly caused by the absence of relocation support, public awareness programs about social housing and a failure by the social housing institution to adequately address more forms of inclusion than just spatial. Secondly, the findings showed the design of the housing development to be hopelessly inadequate to support newcomers' actual lives. Necessary infrastructure was omitted in favour of a lower build cost. This led to a higher cost of living that is unaffordable for social housing residents and negates the benefits of lower cost rental accommodation. Lastly, findings showed that digital exclusion negatively influences the adjustment of low-socioeconomic status children into high-socioeconomic schools and leads to forced assimilation when learners come into daily contact with schools in their locality. The findings signify that social and economic inclusion efforts and even building projects can and should not be considered in isolation. Each form of exclusion competes with another, often exacerbating its effects. Also, of significance is the default approach to integration in South African schools of assimilation rather than multiculturalism. The outcomes of this study highlight the importance of considering multiple forms of exclusion together rather than in isolation, especially in the context of social inclusion projects.
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    A Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Social Housing Residents in Relation to their Digital Exclusion
    (2018) Williams, Jonathan; Walton, Marion; Nilsson, Warren
    There is no more significant threat to a prosperous South Africa than the persistent socioeconomic exclusion and continuous spatial segregation of South African society. Social housing and digital inclusion both play a critical role as inclusionary interventions for the socioeconomic advancement of the previously disenfranchised and the reintegration of apartheid-era segregated communities. Access to ICTs provides marginalised communities with platforms and tools to amplify their voices, gain access to information and reaffirm their citizenship, thereby allowing for more vigorous participation in the national discourse. “The goal of ICTs is not to necessarily solve the digital divide but rather to further the process of social inclusion.” (Warschauer, 2003) Furthermore, these technological platforms provide access to life chances, capital enhancing activities, information and the possibility of building networks outside of individuals’ modest social networks. This study seeks to understand how digital exclusion influences the experience of overall inclusion in South African social housing. This dissertation is a qualitative study employing a mixture of phenomenological and ethnographic methods to document and make sense of the lived experiences of participants in relation to their exclusion. The study uses of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and surveys to explore participants’ adaptation and integration into local formal institutions and the host community of Blue View Terraces, a mostly white, middle-income neighbourhood located in Cape Town. The study discovered the coexistence of many different and competing forms of exclusion. Firstly, a key finding during the process of residential desegregation or spatial inclusion was participants’ pervasive experiences of power dynamics. These power dynamics manifested as discrimination and marginalisation that was partly caused by the absence of relocation support, public awareness programs about social housing and a failure by the social housing institution to adequately address more forms of inclusion than just spatial. Secondly, the findings showed the design of the housing development to be hopelessly inadequate to support newcomers’ actual lives. Necessary infrastructure was omitted in favour of a lower build cost. This led to a higher cost of living that is unaffordable for social housing residents and negates the benefits of lower cost rental accommodation. Lastly, findings showed that digital exclusion negatively influences the adjustment of low-socioeconomic status children into high-socioeconomic schools and leads to forced assimilation when learners come into daily contact with schools in their locality. The findings signify that social and economic inclusion efforts and even building projects can and should not be considered in isolation. Each form of exclusion competes with another, often exacerbating its effects. Also, of significance is the default approach to integration in South African schools of assimilation rather than multiculturalism. The outcomes of this study highlight the importance of considering multiple forms of exclusion together rather than in isolation, especially in the context of social inclusion projects.
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    A review of factors affecting the attractiveness of Angola to private equity (PE) investments
    (2014) Jover, Estefania; Mlambo, Chipo
    Angola’s attractiveness to PE investors and the potential to increase PE investments in the country are explored. Primary data were collected using a survey of 18 PE funds that invest or have considered investing in Angola, followed by 10 expert interviews to gain deeper insight into the country’s institutional and economic environment, and its potential for PE investments. It is found that most PE funds are attracted to Angola by its rapid economic growth and high potential returns. The country is also vastly undersupplied, and many key economic sectors are fast developing, presenting exciting opportunities for investors. Nevertheless, PE in Angola remains limited, mainly owing to the difficulty of doing business in Angola, and owing particularly to the unfavourable regulatory environment. There is no regulation or process when it comes to the registration of PE funds in Angola, and any new regulation that applies to foreign investments is marred by unnecessary red tape, making it difficult for the investment to enter the market. Only two funds are authorised to operate in Angola: Fundo de Investimento Privado de Angola (FIPA), and BESA Activ. Streamlining regulation is critical to increasing PE flows to Angola in order to advance the country’s economic and social objectives.
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    A Stakeholder Accepted Tool to Monitor and Measure Service Delivery in South Africa
    (2021) Mkhize, S'ngaye Christopher Phumlani; Zolfaghari, Badri, Sibanda, Babusi
    The aim of this study was to develop a stakeholder accepted tool to monitor and measure service delivery. The question underlying this research was what drives service delivery and its related protests and what makes it so problematic? The need for this study arose out of continued reports of these protests in South Africa. Evidence suggests that there may be a disconnect between the real experiences of communities on the ground and the causes cited by politicians and often reported in the media. The study used a mixed method approach to examine where the disconnect lies and built on the data to develop an audit tool. The study used primary and secondary data to understand the nature of service delivery and its related protests. The primary and secondary data provided both qualitative and quantitative data that highlighted the nature of service delivery landscape in South Africa. The quantitative data was instrumental in shaping and informing data collection protocol and shaping the draft tool for monitoring and measuring service delivery protest. Qualitative methods (i.e. interviews) were used to collect data in a purposive manner and to gather information from knowledgeable respondents and who are directly involved in service delivery. The findings showed that there is a disconnect in information sharing and knowledge between officials to the communities. The information was either not available at all or did not reach the intended recipients in order for them to make informed decisions. Furthermore, fake news from various sources clouded the communities from making sound judgments about their livelihoods. This disconnect may be regarded as a one of many fundamental reasons for the nature of service delivery protests in South Africa. The study also generated helpful insights and guided the development of a ‘service-delivery tool' for organisations and practitioners aiming to introduce and improve on their monitoring and evaluation framework for service delivery and its related protests.
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    A study on how franchisees finance their owner's contribution when buying a franchise
    (2020) Ngqola-Sebone, Lumka; Zolfaghari, Badri; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    The South African economy has been lagging its forecasted economic growth statistics in recent years, particularly following the worldwide economic recession of 2008. The year-on-year economic growth of South Africa is forecasted to continue to be lower than other developing countries. SMMEs are a significant contributor to a countries GDP and most franchises are classified as SMMEs. Entrepreneurs in the SMME space often use franchises to not only penetrate the market but to grow existing ventures. In its annual report for the year 2016, the Franchise Association of South Africa (FASA) states that the franchise industry contributed an estimated 11.6% to South Africa's GDP. When applying for finance at most institutions, prospective franchisees are required to also contribute to the total funding required; this is known as owner's contribution. This study explores what challenges franchisees experience in trying to raise owners' contribution and how the y overcame these challenges. It further explores what prospective franchisees can learn from the experiences of the participants. Through research conducted predominantly through an online survey and interviews to a limited extent, this study found that the franchise model has many advantages, but also has disadvantages. One of the main disadvantages remains the accessibility of finance, particularly that most financiers and franchisors require substantial owners' contribution. Many participants faced challenges when having to raise owner's contribution They most used personal savings and donations or borrowings from friends and family. The negative impacts that were identified were mainly personal stress and anxiety, strained personal relationships and delays in personal and/or business plans. In conclusion, in attempting to address these challenges highlighted by participants, recommendations are made to all stakeholders on how to overcome some of the challenges identified.
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    A tale of two countries: adapting Chinese leadership styles to a South African context
    (2020) Zhou, Ying; April, Kurt
    The status of multinational organisations continues to expand, as global opportunities increase. In particular, Chinese manufacturing companies continue to grow and expand overseas. Given the fact that Chinese Paternalistic Leadership performed by Chinese managers is rooted in Chinese culture, that is different from that practised in other countries of the world. Cross-cultural acumen plays a vital role in leadership success or failure in globalizing organizations. Without cultural adaptation, Chinese managers would be less effective and efficient, when dealing with employees from other cultural backgrounds. Thus, there appears to be a need for the adaptation of Chinese leadership, in order to optimize the outcomes of leadership in the organization in various multicultural settings. This study posits a new research context for Chinese Paternalistic Leadership; and it attempts to explore the question of the leadership-adaptation challenges of Chinese managers, working in a South African Zulu cultural context. The study has used a mixed-methods research approach to collect the data, and for the analysis thereof. Quantitative data were collected by means of surveys from Chinese workers and South African Zulu workers, who were working in Chinese clothing factories – in order to compare their cultural values and perceptions of Chinese leadership behaviours. Qualitative data were collected by semistructured, in-depth interviews with Chinese managers, who were the leaders of Zulu subordinates, in order to investigate their cross-cultural experiences and perspectives. The results from the cultural-values survey data confirmed the distinct differences of cultural dimensions: Power Distance (PDI), Individualism (IDV), Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI), Masculinity (MAS) and Long-Term versus ShortTerm Orientation (LTO) between Chinese and Zulu people. Additionally, no significant difference between the two groups was found on Indulgence versus Restraint (IVR). When compared with Chinese people, the Zulu people hold the characteristics of being low in power distance, collectivism, feminism, high in uncertainty avoidance, short-term orientation, and restraint. On the perceived leadership behaviours scale, the differences between Chinese and Zulu people were shown in all the three dimensions of Chinese leadership behaviours. Compared with Chinese employees, Zulu employees perceived Chinese leadership behaviours as being high on authoritarian leadership behaviour, but low on benevolent and moral leadership behaviour. In addition, it was proved that culture caused different perceptions of authoritarian leadership behaviour in relation to power distance. In interviews, Chinese managers overwhelmingly indicated that the characteristics of Zulu employees were very different from those of Chinese employees. Meanwhile, the Chinese managers confessed that they were confronted with difficulties and challenges in South Africa, including communication barriers, legal constraints, and differences in collective relationships and work ethic. However, they recognised that they were in a different culture, and have identified the need to adjust their leadership behaviours. The participants suggested that they have made progress in establishing relationships, and in improving communication with the Zulu employees. Overall, this study concluded with a discussion of the various strategies for the adaptation of Chinese leadership styles concerning authority/decision-making, relationships and communication in authoritarian leadership styles, benevolent leadership styles, and moral leadership styles respectively. The outcomes of this study are expected to contribute to the theories of Chinese leadership, as well as to Chinese-management practices in South Africa. Nevertheless, future research is recommended, in order to validate the current results, and also to further explore various issues that are beyond the scope of this study.
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    Academics’ Organisational Identification and Commitment: Influences of Perceptions of Organisational Support and Reputation
    (2018) Shrand, Beverly Celia; Ronnie, Linda
    “Affective commitment” and “organisational identification” represent psychological relationships between employees and their organisations. These constructs are established predictors of turnover intentions, performance, and other desirable work outcomes. This study investigated the affective commitment and organisational identification of academics. It was argued that there is a strong need to understand how to nurture academics’ identification with, and commitment to, their institutions, since changes in the higher education sector have profoundly — and mostly adversely — impacted their work lives. Two specific status-related constructs are known to influence both identification and commitment: “perceived organisational support”, representing an informal status or internal respect, and “perceived external reputation”, a proxy for externally derived status. It was hypothesised that both these constructs would positively impact on affective commitment, and organisational identification, respectively. In addition to these direct effects, the study considered the mediation effects of organisational identification in the relationship between the two proposed predictors and affective commitment. Underpinned by social exchange theory, the social identity approach, as well as the group engagement model, the study contributes to research that seeks to understand how these theories complement each other and provide alternative mechanisms for explaining employee-organisation relationships. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design was used to answer the research questions. An online survey of permanent academics at one South African university generated 215 responses. This was followed by a qualitative phase, conducted with a subset of the survey respondents, comprising 15 semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Supporting the relevant hypotheses, perceived organisational support was found to influence affective commitment, both directly, and indirectly via organisational identification. However, contrary to expectations, perceived external reputation was found neither to impact on organisational identification, and nor on affective commitment in the presence of perceived organisational support. The qualitative insights revealed how each construct manifested in the context of the study, enriching the explanation of the results. Using the integrated findings, a new conceptual model of perceived organisational support, organisational identification, and affective commitment was proposed, incorporating potential influencing factors for each construct. It was suggested that university leadership would be well-advised to pay relatively more attention to the internal status that is conveyed to academics via perceptions of support from their institution, than to managing perceptions of the institution’s external reputation.
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    Accelerating regional trade integration in Africa through regional value chains: A SADC perspective
    (2020) Nare, Boitumelo; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    Regional integration has been a key ambition, vision and standing agenda of the African continent for the past two decades. The recent signing of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) (signed by 54 of the 55 members of the African Union as of July 2019) brings to the fore the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of what has been thus far an elongated period of planning and discussion. One of the key mandates of the AfCFTA is to ensure acceleration of intra-African trade and boost Africa's trading position in the global market by strengthening Africa's common voice and policy space in global trade negotiations (African Union, 2018). Intra-regional trade can be considered as a quick avenue for the continent and its respective Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC), to implement this agenda by leveraging collective resources and opportunities such as increased focus on the establishment of regional value chains (RVCs). Currently, the SADC region has been at the forefront of driving regional trade integration (RTI) in the continent; however, intra-regional trade is still only but a fraction of the RECs total global trade, averaging 5-7% of total trade in 2015-2017. Because of the myriad of challenges in the region – including but not limited to the low rate of RTI, poor infrastructure, poor institutions, unstable political environments, and slow economic growth – RECs, let alone the continent as a whole, cannot take part in and capitalise on the opportunities from complex trade networks through global and regional value chains. Moreover, when African countries do participate in global value chains, they find themselves at the lower end of the value chain where it is harder to reap the benefits due to the unequal distributional effects of such trade activities. This study therefore examined the key factors that drive RTI, and sought to ascertain the relationship between regional value chains and regional trade integration. Lastly, the study aimed to uncover the contribution to economic growth of such trade activities. Thirteen SADC countries are observed over the period 2000-2017 using panel data analysis and various key estimation techniques to ensure robustness of the models used. The study finds that there are definitely key factors that drive regional trade integration in the REC that require increased focus from policy makers and trade activity participants as they have the potential to change the trajectory of the region and the continent's trade landscape. The study also indisputably finds a two-way relationship between RTI and RVCs, suggesting that if key aspects of these activities are addressed, this would lead to a mutual increase in iv these factors as they are highly complementary activities. Lastly, the study confirms the positive impact that RTI and RVCs would have on economic growth attributed to an increase in the level of productive economic trade activity thereby contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) of countries as individuals and as a collective. The study therefore concludes that there should be more focus from policy makers and all key trade activity stakeholders on driving regional trade integration and participation in regional value chains as the benefits could prove highly rewarding to the SADC RECs and the continent as a whole. Such increased focus will ensure that the region is fully capitalising on the unique strengths of the African continent and driving collective growth and development.
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    Accumulation model processes of human suborbital space transportation industry emergence
    (2018) Davidian, Kenneth John; Chivaka, Richard
    To respond to the research question, “by what processes do new industries emerge?”, the author identified different models of innovation development and industry emergence. Relevant streams of literature included economics, innovation, sociology, economic sociology, and institution theory. A functional goal innovation development theory, referred to as the accumulation model, states that many organizations, from both the public- and private-sectors, collect and accumulate resources in three major social functions. Previous research defined the model state-of-the-art at a high level of abstraction, identifying the three main components (industry infrastructure elements), depicted as separate boxes with arrows between them. This research uses grounded theory extension to identify microscopic processes, delving within and between the three macroscopic infrastructure elements. The industry context of this research was the emerging human suborbital space transportation (“space tourism”) industry. Data came from secondary sources, archival data, and primary sources. This research collected more than 8,400 pieces of secondary and archival data from news aggregator web sites, distilled them into approximately 600 significant events, and categorized them within the accumulation model framework’s three main components: Institutional Arrangements, Resource Endowments, and Proprietary Functions. Industry structure and disruptive innovation studies provided additional analytical perspectives. Primary data, collected via 40 interviews of industry members, filled in and validated data gaps. The combined analyses resulted in a deeper understanding of the industry emergence process. Observations of the sequence of events, and of linkages between events and actors, allowed the author to propose a set of processes, describing how the accumulated industry resources resulted in industry emergence. Description of these processes required modifications to the original framework. Furthermore, this research analyzed a high-profile prize event that initiated the industry emergence, to propose a supplemental set of processes, describing how prizes influence industry emergence. The current research proposes that institutional activities contribute primarily to the accumulation of sociopolitical legitimacy, and resource endowment activities contribute primarily to cognitive legitimacy. Both forms of legitimacy are a significant moderator of interactions between the three infrastructure elements. Furthermore, prizes positively contribute to sociopolitical legitimacy, positively moderate the creation of cognitive legitimacy, and positively moderate many steps in the business development cycle. The proposed processes identify the steps of legitimacy creation and industry emergence. This research provides new insights into the industry emergence and evolution processes, for entrepreneurs, managers, policy-makers, and for developing countries on the African continent.
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    Open Access
    Addressing the adaptation finance gap: scaling up investment in climate change adaptation using blended finance solutions
    (2022) Brown, Louis Helen; Alhassan, Latif
    Climate change is a major global threat with widespread and devastating impacts for ecosystems and human livelihoods. Although efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases that cause climate change are being undertaken by the international community, they fall far short of what is needed to avert catastrophic climate change. The negative impacts of climate change are disproportionately borne by the poorest communities and countries. Countries must adapt their economies and people to a warmer and less inhabitable planet. The global costs of adapting to unavoidable climate impacts could be in the region of USD 280-500 billion per year by 2050, while only about USD30 billion per year is currently being invested globally in adaptation. There is an urgent need to find ways to massively scale up funding to adapt to climate change and build the resilience of people and the ecosystems. The private sector is seen as an untapped potential for scaling up investment in adaptation, but there are a number of barriers. To unlock the private sector potential, the public sector needs to provide the enabling environment and catalytic funding to improve the risk and return profile of potential investment. Blended finance structures are of interest in this regard due to their potential to attract private investment into adaptation activities that would otherwise be perceived as too risky, by using public funds to de-risk investments. However, this is a new area of work and the literature on blended finance for adaptation is sparse, with very few empirical studies on the subject. This study sought to shed light on two research questions: i) what are the barriers to financing adaptation, for the public and private sectors? and ii) what is the role of blended finance in scaling up funding for adaptation and resilience to climate change? It used qualitative data obtained through expert interviews, as well as a case study of a blended finance facility for adaptation in the agriculture sector, to explore these questions. Based on the analysis of the responses from the expert interviews, this study identified a set of eleven barriers to scaling up adaptation finance for the public and private sectors. Three barriers relate to scaling up public sector investment in adaptation, notably i) failure on the part of developed countries to meet their climate finance pledges, leading to inadequate adaptation funding reaching developing countries, ii) failure to use public budgets strategically to finance climate change resilience, and iii) the scale of the adaptation finance challenge is beyond that which can be funded from public budgets alone. Five barriers are relevant for both public and private investment in adaptation, notably: i) issues around unclear definitions of what counts as adaptation finance, ii) lack of adequate data and metrics for tracking adaptation finance, iii) limited awareness and capacity in both the public and private sectors, iv) the economics of adaptation, which has features of public goods, and v) weak coordination, planning and institutional arrangements for scaling up adaptation finance. Three of the identified barriers are unique to private sector investment in adaptation, in particular i) difficulties in generating revenue streams from adaptation projects, ii) lack of access to concessional finance to de-risk private investments, and iii) lack of a conducive policy environment to incentivise investment. The interviews also revealed a role for blended finance in addressing the barriers for private sector investment by using public funding to enhance the revenue streams from adaptation projects, to de-risk private investment in adaptation, as well as to strengthen capacity, collect data and develop metrics for tracking adaptation projects. Blended finance approaches could include a range of instruments and interventions, such as providing enabling interventions, such as technical assistance, as well as de-risking interventions, including blended lending facilities, guarantees, junior equity, climate risk insurance and results-based finance. The study explored one such intervention through a case study of the Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund, a blended finance approach for enhancing the resilience of the agriculture sector in several countries in East and West Africa. The Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund demonstrates a blended finance approach whereby public concessional funding from the Green Climate Fund, by taking a first-loss equity position and providing a small amount of grant funding for capacity building, has de-risked commercial investments into an equity fund, which in turn has enabled investment into a number of small and medium sized enterprises that are supporting smallholder farmers in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Nigeria, and Ghana to adopt farming practices that are more resilient to the impacts of climate change. Based on the findings of the research, the study recommends that the public sector should develop blended finance approaches that use public funds catalytically to reduce the risk or enhance the return of adaptation investments for the private sector. It also recommends that the public sector invest in awareness-raising and capacity building around adaptation for both public and private sectors; and that governments develop an enabling policy environment for private investment in adaptation.
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    Open Access
    Adoption of foreign institutional practices and industrial development: Understanding the cross-level interaction effects
    (2021) Matenge, Tendy Moffat; Kabinga, Mundia; Zoogah, Baniyelme D
    Foreign market knowledge has been at the epicentre of international business research for decades and differences in institutional practices across countries have been found to influence performance of internationalised firms. Dominant scholarship in this area has been significantly influenced by insights and experiences from developed countries, usually to the detriment of understanding the influence of foreign institutional knowledge acquisition at both the firm and country levels in developing economies. Using a developing country lens, the objective of this study is to determine if foreign institutional practices acquired by SSA firms has a significant effect on their home country's industrial development. The study employs a quantitative cross-sectional survey research approach and collects data from 874 formally registered manufacturing firms in 28 SSA countries. The countries are stratified along two dimensions, noticeable and unnoticeable levels of industrial development. This allowed for cross-country comparison across the industrial development spectrum. The data collected was subsequently analysed in MLWin 3.02 for multilevel and involved a two-tier regression analysis to examine the relative importance of foreign institutional practice adoption as a source of variation in the home country's industrial development. The study finds statistically significant influences with respect to foreign practice adoption. This implies that adoption of foreign institutional practices by an internationalised firm from a foreign country benefits the home country. This study further opens new discussions about firm internationalisation and home country industrial development by demonstrating the significant influence of interaction effects between adoption of foreign institutional practices by an internationalised firm and four firm level variables and one country level variable on home country's industrial development.
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    Open Access
    Agricultural commercialisation through innovation platforms: a case for goat production
    (2020) Modiba, Mothupi; Hall, Martin
    Empirical evidence has shown that goats are of significance in marginalised, poor, and rural economies and this information has been well documented in scholarly research. Despite its importance and potential contribution, goat farming remains underutilised and undeveloped in the rural economy - particularly in South Africa. Developmental intervention has focused on improving productivity with minimal effort aimed at the integration of key role players in the value chain, and even less emphasis on improving farmers' attitudes. The largest goat population in South Africa is found in the Northern Cape where there is great potential to be realised for goat farming. The main objective of this study was to identify supply side (production) factors constraining subsistence goat production in South Africa, with the view of identifying key actors to establish an innovation platform through vertical integration. By transforming the subsistence farming orientation of goat farmers into a commercial (market) orientation, the welfare of communities can be improved through the commercialisation of smallscale goat farmers. Studies highlight the need to enhance goat production beyond subsistence goat rearing and towards commercialisation through access to markets, veterinary services, credit facilities, and government support. Furthermore, a focus on market development, value chain integration and innovation platforms can improve the efficiency of the goat farming sector. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge on goat farming in South Africa and offers an innovation platform to foster partnerships among the actors along the value chain, creating an enabling environment for the easy flow of market information and infrastructure development. A praxis model is incorporated into this research. This takes the form of a business model and is provided in Appendix B as a practical way of applying the knowledge gathered in this research.
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    Open Access
    An alternative private sector investment approach to achieve independence and resilience in KwaZulu Natal
    (2020) Bainbridge, Bronwen; Alhassan, Abdul Latif
    Local and foreign aid and investment has been ploughed into Africa for many years with an intended purpose of eradicating poverty. Despite significant capital inputs, certain parts of Africa continue to suffer from symptoms of poverty evidenced by inequality, hunger and social decay. This study evaluated an alternative approach to investing in poverty eradication, examine the quality of life and economic impacts of family units in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa. The study employed the exploratory sequential mixed methods research approach on a sample of seven cases across four sectors. The results of the qualitative analysis identify the Inputs, Activities, Outputs, Outcomes, Measurement and Impact. The results of the quantitative analysis show that in every family unit, their poverty status reduced over the 12- month measurement period. Further analysis on specific aspects of the family's poverty status are discussed, including consumer spending and debt ratios. The findings The findings show significantly positive over the investment period. Income increased, savings increased, monthly spending power increased, and monthly debt obligations decreased. Recommended studies fo further findings are required to determine long-term impact as the investment period for the cases studies was only 12 months. Further study is also required on the internal motivation of each human involved that propels them to escape poverty at different rates using the resources available within their ecosystem. Further research on cases that use differing investment approaches is recommended in order to compare results under each research objective.