Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management
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Item Factors influencing post merger integration success in South Africa(2012-11-14) Deliwe, ChwayitaMergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become very popular in recent decades as a means to achieve growth and to maximise profits in companies. However, research shows that over half the M&As do not meet the intended purpose, and this is due to, amongst other reasons, post-merger integration failure. In fact previous studies have shown that the post-merger integration phase encompasses the highest risk behind the whole merger. This research aims to identify the key determinants of achieving successful post-merger integrations in South African companies. Previous studies on M&As have generally examined the success of the M&A as a whole, whereas this study focuses specifically on post-merger integration success. The data was collected through surveys. Companies that have gone through a merger or an acquisition were used in the data collection. An online survey was sent to respondents asking them to rank factors identified in the literature review in terms of importance. In two of the questions the respondents were asked to comment in a descriptive format, resulting in two new factors being identified. The research showed that strategy, due diligence, communication and socio-cultural issues like human resources are the most important factors for achieving post-merger integration success. Employees and customers were considered to be core resources of the business and therefore it was extremely important to invest in, and ensure, their satisfaction following the M&A as, without them, no business would exist. Culture was found to be the one of the most difficult factors to integrate and professional assistance from experts was often required to assist in achieving a successful culture integration.Item The Impact of Culture on Marketing Communications across Africa and the Middle East(2012-09-10) Dramalis, SotiriosInternational marketing communication programmes that work in other parts of the world are often of mediocre success only in the Middle East and Africa. Consumers as well as business and government prospects in these regions do not respond to the same marketing communication stimuli as the cultural environments in Africa and the Middle East differ from the ones in Europe and North America where such international marketing communication programmes are usually designed. Drawing on intercultural studies of the African and Arabian cultures and cross-cultural marketing communications, this report examines to what level culture impacts marketing communications across Africa and the Middle East. Based on qualitative semi-structured expert interviews with 14 marketing executives and cultural experts from these regions and a resulting content analysis, this report reveals a number of striking parallels when deploying marketing communications programmes in Africa and the Middle East. The research elicits some interesting findings. The analysis of the cultural landscapes of Africa and the Middle East reveals that both regions are characterised by strong power distance and collectivistic structures, two cultural dimensions which have a serious impact on preferred marketing communications messages and successful promotional tactics across Africa and the Middle East. These cultural parallels result in 15 out of 19 analysed marketing communications tools having similar relevance to both regions when executed correctly. They also dictate preferred messages (product usage in groups, status and progression in life) and advertising appeals (family, sports, status symbols, celebrities). The research report concludes with a recommended framework for selecting the appropriate marketing communications elements when marketing across Africa and the Middle East. The framework takes into consideration cultural relevance and infrastructure readiness and suggests a number of suitable marketing communications elements to apply in the Middle East and Africa, including TV advertising, events, personal selling, and government relations.Item Dimensions of culture in relation to teamwork for South Africans living abroad(2011-06-15) Singh, AshikaSouth Africa has experienced changing times. It is a country that has undergone many political changes that involved various ethnic groups. Managing diversity brings benefits but requires skills and training. Organisations therefore need to manage diversity effectively. Organisations need to understand culture in order to mould it into a high performance culture. Teamwork exists in various areas such as the sporting world and the corporate world, and there are many challenges that teams need to overcome in order to perform optimally. Organisations need to address virtual and geographical team issues and support these teams. Companies must select the correct expatriates and support them according to their individual needs. The aim of this study was to test the findings of the study conducted by Weimer (2006) with the added dimension of investigating the self-identified diversity characteristic of South Africans living both locally and abroad, in relation to the teamwork profiles described by Hofstede (2001). The questionnaires as used by the Weimer (2006) study were distributed to respondents based in three countries namely South Africa, United Kingdom and the Middle East (Qatar and Dubai). Seventy-five completed questionnaires were returned. The profile obtained by Weimer (2006) noted that South African ethnic groups have a distinct profile with no major variations between groups, transcending race, religion and ethnicity. This study confirmed the results obtained by Weimer (2006). It was found that employees‟ values held with regard to teamwork, do not differ based on the country where they are located.