Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management

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The degree of internationalisation and financial performance of South African multi-national enterprises
(2013-10-08) Singh, Sandhir
The world is far more interconnected economically, and with the removal of investment barriers, many firms are expanding their scope of operations beyond the borders of their home country through a process of internationalisation. This is a phenomenon that South African firms have embraced enthusiastically since the late 1990’s. A great deal of attention has been directed toward studying the relationship between the financial performance of firms and their degree of internationalisation, but the closest research on South African companies has primarily focussed on politico-economic issues rather than the internationalisation-performance relationship. This study, to the best of the author‘s knowledge, is one of the first to examine this relationship for South African multinationals. The study comprises a sample of eighty four JSE listed firms whose international operations are material enough to have been reported. Data on financial performance and foreign sales were collected from the published annual reports of these firms for the period from 2007 to 2012 and analysed in this study. Three hypotheses were proposed, corresponding to a linear, a quadratic, and a cubic relationship respectively, the results providing support only for the cubic relationship. Thus, the study indicates that the internationalisation-performance relationship is a sinus curve, where performance increases with internationalisation up to a first threshold, beyond which performance drops rapidly until a second threshold is reached, at which point performance begins to increase rapidly again. The results of this research reveal that performance does not increase monotonically with the degree of internationalisation adopted by the firm. There is instead, a “gulf of globalism” that South African firms must learn to come to terms with. Furthermore, the research reveals more questions than it answers. Consequently, there is a need for more extensive research in this area of study.
Leadership Challenges Facing South African Expatriates Working in Africa
(2013-10-04) John, Natasha Jayshree
The increasing trend of globalisation has implications for companies wanting to do international business as well as for their global talent management approach. As greater interest concentrates on doing business in developing countries, research into leadership challenges associated with this comes under the spot-light as a priority. For this qualitative study fourteen (14) semi-structured interviews were conducted, the findings of which have been categorised into ten (10) interdependent and multi-dimensional themes, covering both personal and professional challenges, thus demanding an integrated and multi-dimensional approach to addressing them. To this end, fifteen (15) recommendations have been proposed to holistically address these leadership challenges, in the form of the proposed “Who-What-How-WOW!” integrated response framework, which, in keeping with the principles of African leadership, prioritises partnerships and collaboration. This study can help different stakeholders better understand their roles in addressing the leadership challenges of South African expatriates working in Africa. This study has also revealed a lack of current research and information to help South African expatriates adjust personally and professionally in other countries in Africa. More research is thus required such that, going forward, it makes a meaningful difference to addressing the leadership challenges facing South African expatriates working in Africa thereby improving their overall experience
ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF GLOBALISATION FOR THE NEWS MEDIA EXECUTIVE
(2011-11-03) Leibman, Jeremy Lynton
News media executives are facing many challenges and their future success depends on their ability to understand the ideological consequences of these challenges. The changing pattern (through technology, capital, ownership, etc) of contemporary news media is one of the most striking and important transformations of our time. The purpose of this research has been to analyse and understand the media imperialism thesis within a modern context, as it applies to the news media industry. The research attempts to situate the news media and the theoretical concerns arising out of the media imperialism thesis within a business-related framework. The research suggests that news media executives need to associate media theory with questions of a moral and ethical nature. In order to do so, the research points to the need to incorporate a dual strategy, whereby the news media, on the one hand, aligns its approach with a worldwide communicative democracy based on cross-cultural communications and a deeper understanding of the issues facing humanity, and, on the other hand, with the strategies that empower people (Western and non-Western/core and non-core) and present the opportunities for these people to participate.
STRATEGIC DRIVERS OF TRANSNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
(2011-06-22) Suzor, Anne Monica
Against the backdrop of the globalisation of the economy, country states like Mauritius, adopting an open economy, face heightened risks of a deterioration of their balance of payments. Mauritius' traditional economic pillars are threatened. Economic growth is limited by its market size and resources. Sound economic policy demands that firms build export capacity and penetrate regional and world markets. Consideration of the fundamentals feeding the strategic decisions of multi-national companies in Mauritius, and identification of the restraining factors were therefore examined in this research. Following a literature review, a qualitative study, comprising in-depth interviews with a sample of the heads of the Top 100 Corporations uncovered the drivers for, and challenges to, transnational activities. The research confirmed the universality of drivers and challenges, unravelled the linkage with the micro- and macro-economic environment and pointed to specific issues related to the power of customers, the insular mindset and partnerships

Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management

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