African Management Research Articles

African Traditional Knowledge Systems and Biodiversity Management

There is a link between African Traditional Knowledge Systems and the management of Biodiversity. These have been passed over from one generation to the next through oral tradition. The lack of documentation of these systems of managing biodiversity has led to the existence of a gap between the scientifi cally based systems of managing biodiversity and the traditional methods that have been in existence for years. These are based on traditional ecological knowledge, which is largely based on traditional beliefs, cultures, superstition and social traditions. Notably, while African traditional methods of managing biodiversity have succeeded in promoting the conservation of certain elements of biodiversity, they have failed to develop conservation knowledge and awareness among societies, because people avoided harvesting resources from sacred areas out of fear rather than with a declared purpose and interest in conservation.

Fund size and returns on the JSE

ABSTRACTMarket sentiment, the popular press and academia are divided on the question of whether the size of a fund affects its performance. This study examines the issue by constructing hypothetical portfolios of varying sizes, using historical data for each of the years 1991 to 2008. Each portfolio consisted of 40 randomly selected stocks, chosen from an investment universe of the top 160 JSE listed shares in terms of market capitalisation. Rules were applied to limit the concentration of any particular share and to ensure that trading volumes were practical. Simulation was then used to explore the boundaries of possible returns for each portfolio.The results of the simulation indicate that a fund's size is a contributing factor to its performance; liquidity being the underlying reason for this relationship. Performance was found to be affected for fund sizes greater than about R5bn. Large funds are increasingly forced towards market-cap weightings with a resulting concentration in resource stocks.The relevance of these findings to the South African fund management industry is that large funds should switch to passive investment strategies. Small to medium sized portfolio managers must be aware of the size effect and ensure that their funds are ‘capped’.

Resiliency management within a globally integrated economic network

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of resiliency management within a turbulent globally integrated economic network. Problem investigated: The South African economy functions as an integrated component of the global economic network, one that is highly competitive and extremely turbulent in nature. The current subprime initiated economic meltdown and the impact thereof on South African government, business and industry institutions serves as a case in point. The question posed is one of how best to manage institutional resiliency within such a complex environment. Methodology: A literature study is undertaken and a narrative enquiry conducted by means of open ended discussions with fourteen South African managers on an individual basis to determine the impact of the economic meltdown on South African organisations and the nature of resiliency management in response thereto. The approach adopted is intentionally analytical-descriptive in nature. The narrative enquiry constituted open ended discussions with managers in order to learn from their personal experience in resiliency management. In view of the sensitive nature of the discussions and to get a more reliable reflection of the true situation that exists they were conducted on a basis of anonymity. Findings: An important conclusion drawn from the study is that the culture and climate of the institution play a very fundamental role in resiliency management. Nurturing a culture of ''resiliency awareness'' is deemed to be a vital aspect in dealing with the emergent consequences of sudden, unexpected and unpredictable events such as the subprime economic meltdown. Value of the research: Seen within the context of a prevailing highly turbulent and unpredictable globally networked economy, the insights gained from the study could assist executives and managers in exploring alternative means of engendering institutional resiliency. Conclusion: Resiliency management embodies both a proactive and a reactive approach, each of which inherently have organisational culture and climate implications. The nurturing of a culture of ''resiliency awareness'' is found to be a vital ingredient in managing institutional resiliency in the face of unprecedented, unexpected and unforeseen events that have a significant impact on the institution and its operational activities.

Regional Conflict Management in Central Africa: From FOMUC1 to MICOPAX2

ABSTRACT This article is an analysis of Central African regional conflict management. It refers, in particular, to the Force Multinationale en Centrafrique (FOMUC) peace operation in the Central African Republic. After a short overview of this operation, the article analyzes the reasons why its capacity to create self-sustaining security has been rather limited. It hereby focuses on the underlying interests of states and governments involved that have largely compromised the mission's ability to serve the population's needs. This gap between rhetoric and reality raises the question of whose security is actually protected. The article concludes by discussing the major challenges for Force Multinationale en Centrafrique's successor, Mission de Consolidation de la Paix en République Centrafricaine (MICOPAX).

Managing The Knowledge Worker In A Knowledge Economy: Present Problems And Future Prospects In African Organizations

The academic field of management has always evolved with theories that present certain assumptions about the nature of man. Based on these assumptions, management theorists devise ways by which the human factor within work organizations could be effectively managed. For instance, the proponents of classical management theory, the human relations theory of management, and the systems and contingency theories of management; implicitly assumed that man had an economic, social, and complex nature respectively. However, with the birthing of the knowledge economy, the nature of man seems to have metamorphosed into that which continuously and passionately craves for knowledge. Consequently, modern managers are now confronted with the problem of how to manage the worker who possesses a lot of knowledge at his or her disposal. Paradoxically, African management philosophers and practitioners seem to be oblivious of the need to create a unique way of managing the knowledge worker. The reason being that Africa‟s current management literature is replete with the idea that African managers have to break away from a command and control orientation based on classical management principles inherited from their colonial masters to a system of management that befits the collectivistic ethos of the African society, in order for them to effectively manage their human capital. Hence most management philosophers of African origin are still saddled with the problem of how to manage the “African social man” and not how to manage the “African knowledgeable man”. Going by this prevailing African management thinking, it is therefore the objective of this paper to analyze the attendant problems, as well as present the future prospects of managing the knowledge worker within African organizations in a knowledge based economy.

Your next boss is American: Attitudes of South African managers towards prospective US-South African joint ventures

This study explores South African managers’ expectations of prospective South African – United States international joint ventures. One hundred and three middle-level South African managers responded to a theory-based original survey questionnaire that included questions about various aspects of prospective US-South African joint ventures. US companies invest in South Africa to gain access to its market and South African companies get into joint ventures with US companies to tap into their financial resources. Tarrifs imposed by the US government and the South African government’s administrative barriers seem to be the most crucial problems for the prospective joint ventures. Implications for international managers are offered.

Motivation-related values across cultures

There has been general upsurge in cultures and managerial research in the last decades or so. Despite this fact, empirical studies on culture dimensions to management practices across cultures have been limited in numbers and scope. In Africa, for example, we have very limited knowledge about its cultural values and the consequences it poses for motivation. In order to address this very crucial and important issue, motivation-related values were studied in four European countries (France, Italy, Netherlands and Scotland) and one African (Nigeria) country through survey questionnaire. A major research question was whether the results could help to explain the disappointing economic development of African countries, including Nigeria. The findings do confirm profound differences in cultural values for motivation among the five countries with collective interest playing a more important role in Africa-Nigeria. In view of these differences, untrimmed Western management models may not be very appropriate for adoption in Nigeria in particular and Africa in general without recourse to the prevailing local cultural values. The suggestion is made to look for appropriate and suitable African management models by studying the relatively more successful local companies and institutions. Key words: Motivation, management, cultures, values.

The Transfer of Ubuntu and Indaba Business Models Abroad

This article studies the transfer of South African management business models abroad. It examines the case of four South African multinational companies and the ways that they implement distinctive business models of human resource management strategies on service sector in Tanzania. The article begins by looking at MNCs from emerging economies and at the distinctiveness of their national institutional systems, as well as the ways they attempt to strike a balance between global integration and local differentiation in managing HRM practices abroad. Based on a case study conducted in ABSA, Standard Bank (Stanbic), South Africa-Tanzania Vodacom, and Sanlam African Life Assurance services in Tanzania, this article demonstrates how South African MNCs in this particular sector internationalize their HRM strategies by incorporating the cross cultural interface management practices of Ubuntu and Indaba and those of the host nation's characteristics into their subsidiary operations. The article concludes by illustrating how diverse forms of hybrid HRM strategies have enabled emerging South African organizational service industries to develop high-performance work practices in the midst of global competitiveness.

Hepatitis B and HIV co-infection in South Africa: Just treat it!

There are an estimated 350 million hepatitis B carriers worldwide. The prevalence of mono-infection with hepatitis B in South Africa has been estimated at approximately 10% for the rural population and 1% in urban areas. The transmission routes of hepatitis B and HIV are similar, but hepatitis B is more efficient. Co-infection with HIV and hepatitis B is therefore not unusual. Recent studies have shown that the prevalence of HIV/HBV co-infection (using HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) as a marker for HBV) in South Africa ranges from 4.8% to 17%, depending on the population studied.The guidelines for the South African HIV Comprehensive Care, Management and Treatment (CCMT) programme do not include viral hepatitis studies. Hepatitis B serology is usually done only if serum aminotransferases are evaluated in the absence of another known cause (e.g. tuberculosis and concomitant medications). The clinical sequelae of HIV/HBV co-infection are multiple and can cause an increase in morbidity and mortality. Awareness of HBV/HIV co-infection with appropriate diagnosis and management is imperative for improved care of our HIV patients.

The Challenges of Evolving and Developing Management Indigenous Theories and Practices in Africa

The evolution and development of indigenous management theories and practices in Africa has been seriously affected and retarded by colonialism. The colonial administration introduced western management theories and practices, considered as the drivers and the panacea for the continent’s socio-politico-economic development. Western scholarship and literature generally devalued and deprecated the astonishing management prowess and practices of early African civilizations, as evidenced, for example, in the building of the great Egyptian pyramids. These foreign management systems generally failed to achieve the expected goals as they discountenanced African cultural inertia and social milieu. The paper argued for the development of indigenous African management philosophy, which will be rooted in the African culture, value system and beliefs, to provide the practical way for the efficient and effective running of organizations in Africa, with its global competitiveness. The Ubuntu management system and the “new management techniques”, which emphasize humanness, communalism and African patriotism, provide the veritable starting point for the development of indigenous African management philosophy.

Managing Conflicts through Strength of Identity

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'Hidden messages' emerging from Afrocentric management perspectives

Purpose: This paper aims to examine how 'African management' discourse has emerged in South Africa. Altogether, it has stimulated debates - sometimes in controversial ways - on 'taboo issues', e.g. relating to 'cultural diversity' and 'ethnicity'. The stimulation of such debates within organisations is probably a more valuable contribution than a static, essentialised 'African identity' that it proclaims. Design/Methodology/Approach: The paper draws on a qualitative research project conducted in South Africa in 2003-2004. Its relevance lies in gaining in-depth insights into ('non-western') local management discourse. It seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on political and cultural contexts in which South African organizations operate, and how they impact on local management perspectives, and vice versa. Findings: The research findings make clear how and under what circumstances 'African management' discourse has come about in South Africa, and how it could be interpreted. Implications: 'African management' advocates allegedly attempt to revise dominant management thinking and promote 'humane-ness' and participatory decision-making in South African organisations, in search of a contextualised management approach. Amongst others, it has produced new meanings of 'Africanness' and has opened up space for 'hidden messages', resentments and aspirations to become openly articulated. This throws another light on phenomena such as cultural diversity and ethnicity that usually tend to be 'neutralised'. This may turn out to be far healthier for blooming organisational cultures in South Africa than relentlessly hammering on prescribed 'corporate values'. Originality/Value: This paper informs the reader in detail about the emergence and evolvement of 'African management' discourse in South Africa. It is a unique attempt to develop an interpretative viewpoint on this intriguing phenomenon that offers a potentially valuable contribution in reading cultural and ethnic identities within organisations.

Changing Great Lakes of the World (GLOW IV): An overview

Changing Great Lakes of the World (GLOW IV): An overview

A contradictory class location? The African corporate middle class and the burden of race in South Africa

The existing literature on the changing nature of workplaces in South Africa either ignores the role played by the emerging layer of black managers, or views them as essentially conservative or as ‘sell-outs’. This article problematises this perspective in two ways. First, through Eric Olin Wright’s notion of ‘a contradictory class location’, I show that a new middle class social status and power in the workplace is complicated by popular notions of how class and race intersect – both among fellow managers and how they are viewed by the primarily black workforces. Second, I show that the class position of the emerging African corporate middle class is closely linked to the communities that they come from and is influenced by decisions they make in relation to this. By considering how these managers experience living in the ‘suburbs’, we can better understand their contradictory class location and how this relates to issues of race and class. Based on 21 in-depth interviews with African managers in a range of industries, this exploratory study shows that far from just being conservative ‘sell-outs’, the emerging African corporate middle class has constantly to negotiate and re-negotiate its role and identity. It shows that they make different choices which are often informed by their social background. Those who come from a middle-class background tend to cut ties with their former communities, while those who come from working class and trade union backgrounds tend to maintain links with their communities. Indeed, some of these managers still see themselves as being part of the working class.

Evaluating and constructing equity benchmarks in the South African portfolio management context

Benchmarks form an integral part of fund management, both for active managers who seek an appropriate index against which to evaluate their performance, as well as passive fund managers who seek an index to track. The question of what constitutes a suitable benchmark, however, is a practical problem that has perplexed both fund managers and clients alike. The aim of this study is to investigate this problem in the context of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), which is characterised by high levels of concentration both in terms of market capitalisation and liquidity and further complicated by a large and relatively volatile resources sector.

Multiple Methods for Workshop Evaluation

Evaluation is a necessary component of all training, including workshops. Evaluation can provide information about the teaching and learning that occur during a workshop and document the extent to which long-term objectives were achieved after a workshop. Multiple methods for evaluating the process and outcomes of a regional workshop on Program Planning and Management for Malaria Control were developed and implemented by an evaluation team composed of African program managers and technical assistance partners, all of whom served as workshop trainers. Among the five methods used to assess the process of workshop implementation and participant satisfaction, a questionnaire administered at the close of the two-week workshop was found least useful in improving the training. Much more useful were the results of daily trainers' meetings and of two qualitative evaluation methods: large group feedback sessions and focused group discussions. Among the three methods used to evaluate the workshop outcomes, a review of the quality of the pre- and post-workshop national malaria control program plans by a panel of experts was found to be the most useful in providing information about the extent to which learning objectives were achieved. The involvement of trainers in evaluation activities permitted immediate action based on results. Our experience suggests that during brief workshops, evaluation should not compete with training activities for time and resources but must be considered an essential part of the curriculum. Effective and efficient workshop evaluation will require advance planning by trainers, support and training in evaluation methods for all members of the evaluation team, and advance consideration of how evaluation results will be summarized and translated into action.

Turnaround Management: Finanzauto S. A.

This case deals with the problems of a South African general manager taking charge of a Caterpillar dealership for Spain and Portugal that has been acquired in June 1992 through a hostile takeover. Though the GM has considerable knowledge and experience in the sector, he faces a series of setbacks, not least of which is that the financial data used to calculate the bid for the business appears to have been highly inaccurate. Thus, as he takes over the business he finds it in a worse condition than had been initially anticipated. To compound matters, the Spanish market for earthmoving equipment falls by 60% in 1992 and 40% in 1993. He also encounters Spanish labour laws which make it extremely difficult to replace either management or labour. With these constraints, he cautiously proceeds to restructure the firm and to remotivate the organisation.

Government Debt Management and Bond Markets in Africa

This article presents highlights from the forthcoming OECD cross-country study Public Debt Management and Bond Markets in Africa. Debt managers from an increasing number of emerging market jurisdictions face challenges similar to those of their counterparts from advanced markets due to competitive pressures from global finance and the related need to implement OECD leading practices in this policy area. The article shows that OECD standards in public debt management and related market operations are, therefore, of great importance for public debt management and bond market development in Africa. Several African debt managers have introduced the leading debt management practices of OECD countries, use them for designing new debt strategies (including for managing contingent liabilities), and have made impressive progress in developing their local government securities markets. Many countries in the region are taking advantage of debt reduction initiatives. Avoiding falling back into positions of unsustainable debt is identified as a key challenge for many African governments. OECD financial policy makers are increasingly interested in developments in emerging markets, including those on the African continent. Moreover, emerging markets (including the latest emerging market region, Africa) are an increasingly important asset class for investors from the OECD area. Thus, the policy conclusions and priorities identified here are of interest to not only African countries but also the OECD area and other emerging market countries. Local bond markets in several African countries have gained in strength in terms of liquidity and maturity structure, making them more attractive for important categories of OECD investors and less vulnerable to exchange rate shocks.

Ethics, Identity and Organizational Learning –Challenges for South African Managers

Ethics, Identity and Organizational Learning –Challenges for South African Managers

A Proposed General Model for Southern African Community-Based Wildlife Management

Case studies of community-based wildlife management projects in southern Africa suggest that several key variables are important in determining outcomes: quality of governance, fit to context, integration across scales, and strength of reciprocal learning among diverse stakeholders. This article proposes a general model to serve as a framework for future research that would encourage progress toward defining and measuring these variables more consistently. Although acknowledging that improved analysis will not make the profound structural obstacles facing community-based wildlife management in the region more tractable, the article argues that a systematic research program following the proposed model will provide useful additional input into the adaptive, participatory project management practices now favored.