Effect of Corporate Governance Practices on the Performance of an Established Medium-Sized Enterprise in the Mining Industry in South Africa

Abstract

It is evident that SMEs have formed a significant part of the broader South African mining industry, faced their fair share of constraints and challenges, and often experienced a high failure rate. In light of this, the research objective of this study is to identify the CG practices followed by an established medium-sized enterprise in the mining industry. The study explored ethical culture, good performance, effective control, and legitimacy as CG outcomes in this particular SME, aiming to determine whether these practices have effectively addressed the challenges faced by SMEs. The study employed a qualitative research approach with two stages. First, a review of previous research regarding SME challenges. Second, a case study research design with a single medium-sized enterprise mine in the North-West province will be used as the unit of analysis. Data were collected using MS Teams, telephonic, and semi-structured interviews. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The SME demonstrated a strong ethical culture, achieved good performance through regular performance reporting and evaluation of the company’s core purpose, aligned to the effective control theme since the SME has a unique governing body and addresses the challenges of their size by implementing a governance structure and delegating authority and holds regular meetings with internal and external stakeholders to maintain a good relationship with stakeholders in order to fulfill the legitimacy theme. The study, therefore, concluded that CG outcomes are well understood and practiced by SMEs in the mining industry, affirming the effectiveness of these practices in addressing the challenges faced by SMEs.