South African Exports Research Articles

Botox and bridges: South African exports of health and construction services

Until relatively recently, policy makers and academics directed little attention to trade in services. This has changed in recognition of the increasing role of services in economic growth, trade and investment. In World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other trade negotiations, discussions on services have become as important a. s., if not more important than, those on trade in goods. Despite the growing contribution of services to exports and economic development, trade in services remains highly regulated, especially in developing countries. This article outlines the main methodological and policy challenges facing developing countries, such as South Africa, in trying to understand the economic implications of service liberalisation. This is achieved largely by means of two case studies of the construction and health services sectors. While the findings are preliminary and the policy conclusions speculative, the article provides some examples of the key analytical difficulties that arise in services analysis. More importantly, it highlights the need for the government to develop integrated service sector strategies that recognise the contribution of trade to development policy and the impact of domestic regulations on trade.

The extent of anti-export bias in the South African economy during the 1990s

An analysis of trade incentives in the South African economy during the 1990s reveals two major findings. Firstly, the extent of the anti-export bias in South Africa's trade policy during the 1990s is less than is claimed in the empirical literature. The sectors subjected to an anti-export bias accounted for around 7 per cent of total output in 1990 and 21 per cent in 1999. Secondly, sectoral output growth did not strongly correlate with the prevailing trade incentives of the 1990s. Export production continued despite the prevalence of import substituting incentives in many sectors. Although further research is needed, this suggests that attention should also be given to other factors related to domestic competitiveness (e.g. skills development, productivity enhancement, competition policy, etc.) and market access if South African export production is to be significantly increased.

Enhancing a competitive intelligence culture in South Africa

PurposeFor competitive intelligence (CI) to evolve into a successful business discipline in a company, a culture of competitiveness should prevail. The extent to which CI is practiced in South Africa and the CI culture that exists in South Africa have remained a mystery until the late 1990s. It is the aim of this paper to assess the development of the CI culture since the late 1990s in South Africa and to make recommendations to enhance this culture.Design/methodology/approachFor the empirical evidence, the results of two previous research projects were used. Questionnaires were used in these projects. The questions covered all areas of the intelligence cycle: planning and focus, collection, analysis, communication, process and structure, awareness and culture and attitudes towards CI. Data of the sample population to perform a sample selection was gathered from three sources, namely Reed Inc., the Kompass Southern African and the membership lists of the respective Export Councils. In both the projects, the respondents had to answer the questions on a five‐point Likert scale, where 1 equals either never or disagree and 5 equals always or strongly agree.FindingsThe results of observations and research projects show a sustained level of awareness of CI and a CI culture within South African companies since 1999. However, research into the CI practices of South African companies (both descriptive and empirical) and specifically into the CI practices of South African exporters has shown certain areas in which local companies lag behind other countries. In particular, in terms of the extent and depth of education, training and consulting services, South Africa is far behind most developed countries. With better training and education opportunities available, in particular in terms of strategic and competitive analysis and the management of CI, these weak areas of the discipline are sure to improve with time.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was built around the six key areas that, collectively, from the intelligence model as identified by Calof and Breakspear in 1999, i.e. planning and focus, collection, analysis, communication, process and structure, and organisational awareness and culture. Some of the key findings were that South African companies showed a general lack of appropriate processes and structures for CI; that there was little evidence that systems in companies assist the CI activities; that few companies could claim that CI was embedded in the whole company; little information sharing took place and people in the company in general did not know the focus of the intelligence activity.Originality/valueThe paper provides recommendations on ways to enhance and foster a competitive or CI culture in South Africa. Various ways to enhance a competitive or CI culture in countries and companies are proposed including CI awareness and training sessions for industry, company managers recognising the value of CI as a tool to enhance competitiveness and appropriate CI related training programmes.

Exchange Rate Pass-Through And South African Manufacturing Export Prices: Evidence From Panel Data

This paper addresses the question of how South African manufacturing exporters respond to exchange rate changes. The results indicate that exporters absorb 71 per cent of a given exchange rate change in their profit margin on export sales. This implies a pass-through exchange rate coefficient of 29 per cent to destination-currency prices, which suggests that profit margins are squeezed during currency appreciations and increased during currency depreciations. This has important implications for cost competitiveness. The challenge remains to ensure that export competitiveness does not become dependent on a weak currency. The study also highlights the need for more research on the influence of exchange rate movements on the competitiveness of exporters, particularly at the sub-sector or industry level.

An assessment of apple orchard investments in South Africa under uncertainty and irreversibility

The competitiveness of the South African fresh apple export value chain can be improved if local farmers grow and market more new apple cultivars. An ex ante version of the Dixit-Pindyck investment model is used to assess how uncertainty and irreversibility associated with adopting the new Pink Lady cultivar rather than a traditional Golden Delicious cultivar will raise the hurdle rate required to trigger investment. Modified real hurdle rates reflecting the value of the option to delay investment estimated for both cultivars, are about double the real rate of five per cent that is often used in orthodox investment analyses. The Pink Lady investment seems to be relatively more profitable under the assumed conditions, but it also has a relatively greater variance in expected real annual net returns.

Antioxidant scavenging potential of South African export herbal teas

The flavonoid content as well as the superoxide anion and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of water extracts of rooibos ( Aspalathus linearis (Burm. f.) R. Dahlgr.), honeybush ( Cyclopia intermedia E. Mey.) and roselle ( Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), three South African herbal teas which are commercial products exported world-wide, were investigated. The results indicated that the water extracts of rooibos exhibited the best scavenging activity for both the hydroxyl radical and superoxide anion followed by honeybush and then roselle. This seems to be due to the total flavonoid concentration, which was the highest in rooibos and lowest in roselle.

South Africa's International Cost Competitiveness and Exports in Manufacturing

The new South African government has embraced globalization, with mixed results to date. Controversies center on South Africa's international cost competitiveness and whether South African exports respond to changes in competitiveness. We measure competitiveness by relative unit labor costs. We find that South African relative unit labor costs declined in the 1990s, but are still high relative to other developing countries. Econometric analysis reveals a strong effect of relative unit labor costs on exports.

04/00014 Palaeoecology of selected South African export coals from the Vryheid Formation, with emphasis on the role of heterosporous lycopods and wildfire derived inertinite: Glaspool, I. Fuel, 2003, 82, (8), 959–970

04/00014 Palaeoecology of selected South African export coals from the Vryheid Formation, with emphasis on the role of heterosporous lycopods and wildfire derived inertinite: Glaspool, I. Fuel, 2003, 82, (8), 959–970

Global Production and Flexible Employment in South African Horticulture: Experiences of Contract Workers in Fruit Exports

The era of global flexibility has been described as one of generalised precariouness and vulnerability. Global integration is leading to changing patterns of employment, with declining permanent and increasingly insecure forms of work. This trend is typified in the South African export fruit sector. Reintegration into the global economy is leading to both the ‘modernisation’ and transformation of employment including the rapid rise of offfarm contract labour provided by third party agents. Within the South African fruit sector changes following global integration have been experienced through changes in the global value chain linking the sector to UK and European supermarkets, deregulation of domestic agriculture and export markets and the increase in state legislation affecting employment. These channels have all affected the linkages through which fruit producers access the global economy and are having significant implications for the employment strategies of producers. A dominant trend has been for producers to downsize their permanent on‐farm labour and increase the employment of various categories of flexible off‐farm labour – especially contract labour. This growing tendency towards the ‘externalisation’ of farm labour in South African fruit exports has raised new concerns regarding the vulnerability and poverty of farm workers as it means that a growing number of workers are being drawn into global production on the basis of low wages and insecure work outside the bounds of legislative protection. The paper explores the nature of contract employment and the implications of this type of employment for the lives of a group of workers drawn into its ambit. Using a qualitative methodology it examines the experiences of contract workers, not only of their work, but how their employment affects their ability to sustain family and community relations. Although the implications of global integration for contract workers are complex and mixed, our findings suggest an intensification of insecurity and vulnerability to poverty.

Balancing food safety and risk: do drug residue limits affect international trade in beef?

There have been a number of high profile food safety disputes in trade over the past decade. These include the widely publicized case at the World Trade Organization between the US and EU over hormone-treated beef. In particular, consumers in some industrialized countries have expressed concern over the health implications of consuming beef produced with antibiotics and other artificial supplements. Developing countries are affected in a significant way in how these concerns are addressed, as well as the balance between risk and safety reflected in how standards are set. This paper examines the impact of drug residue standards on trade in beef and the trade effect of setting harmonized international standards. We find that if international standards set by Codex were followed in antibiotics, global trade in beef would rise by over $3.2 billion. Among other developing countries, South African exports would rise by $160 million, Brazil's by $200 million, and Argentina's by over $300 million.

Palaeoecology of selected South African export coals from the Vryheid Formation, with emphasis on the role of heterosporous lycopods and wildfire derived inertinite ☆

The study of six bulk coal samples from the Early Permian Vryheid Formation of the Karoo Basin, South Africa has revealed the importance of wildfire in this coal-forming environment. Inertinite is a major constituent of these coals and was predominantly produced by wildfire. The accumulation of the peat in this setting was both autochthonous and hypautochthonous/allochthonous, conditions varying between the occurrence of standing water and desiccation. Woody gymnosperms and also lycopods were important components of the coal swamp vegetation, of which the diversity and abundance of the lycopods may be tentatively assessed by the distribution of megaspores in the coals. Consistent with lycopod reproductive strategy, these megaspores are more abundant and diverse where the vitrinite content is greater.

The Relevance of Non-tariff Barriers to Regional Trade: Experiences of South African Exporters

Obstacles to exports come in various shapes and sizes. Traditional obstacles like tariffs and quotas are easily identifiable, while non-tariff barriers range from the obvious, like domestic content requirements and border taxes and subsidies, to the obscure, like administrative regulations and the altering of procedures. In addition, there is the dynamics of the economic, political and cultural environment within which export is taking place. Export performance could be improved when there is a public understanding of the relevance of existing barriers to trade. This paper aims to identify and measure obstacles to South African exports to countries of the South African Development Community (SADC), a regional group located in the southern tip of Africa. It reviews the general nature of obstacles, non-tariff barriers in particular, and points at inherent obstacles in South Africa and SADC countries. It furthermore assesses the nature and size of obstacles as experienced by South African exporters.

International information seeking behaviour of South African exporters

While there are many requirements for making successful decisions, the raw material is information. Nowhere is this more evident than in the international arena. As Czinkota (1991:86) wrote: 'Information is even more important in the international setting, where entirely new parameters and environments are encountered.' Unfortunately, in spite of the growing importance of international trade, little knowledge exists about how firms gather information outside of their home country. The recognition of this lack of research has lead to a special call for papers by International Marketing Review in 2001, looking at this issue. There are a plethora of studies that look at how domestic firms gather information (e.g. Prescott and Bhardwaj, 1995, looked at the type of information collected by American firms). However, with the exception of a handful of studies (e.g. Bodur and Cavusgal 1985; Calof 1997; Hart, Webb and Jones 1994; Souchon and Diamantopoulos 1999; Mohamad, Zafar and Honeycutt 2001) it is not known whether these findings apply in an international context. More important for this study, research to date has focused on developed countries (Canada, United States and the United Kingdom) and not on an emerging or an economy in transition, such as the South African one.

The Impact of Economic Sanctions on South African Exports

In the mid‐1980s many nations imposed sanctions on South African exports, most of which were subsequently removed during 1991–3. I estimate the effect of eight industrialized economies’ sanctions on their imports from South Africa. Outliers are found to strongly influence the parameter estimates. Failure to take account of them leads to the conclusion that sanctions by the (then) European Communities most adversely affected South African exports. In fact, robustness checks reveal that the United States’ Comprehensive Anti‐Apartheid Act played the largest role, reducing bilateral imports by a third. The broader implications of these findings for estimating gravity equations are discussed.

THE EFFECTS OF A FREE TRADE AGREEMENT ON SOUTH AFRICAN AGRICULTURE: COMPETITIVENESS OF FRUITS IN THE EU MARKET

A source differentiated, almost ideal demand system was estimated for the EU's import demand to examine the competitiveness of South African fruits. South African fruit products appear to be influenced by changes in expenditures in European Union. There is evidence of complimentary relationship between South African apples and those from United States. South Africa faces strong competition in grapes from Chile and the United States. Expenditure elasticities indicate that South African fruit exports are the least competitive among the selected suppliers. South Africa's trade liberalization policy appears to increase grape exports.

Influences of the free trade agreement between South Africa and the European Union on the South African fresh orange industry

This paper evaluates the effects of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between South Africa and the European Union (EU) on the South African orange industry. Oranges account for ten percent of South African agricultural exports. The aggregate trade simulation model used here is designed on the programme STELLA, and consists of regional production models, a local market model, an export model and an exchange rate model. Results indicate that the FTA is expected to have small positive effects on both South African producers and consumers. This is caused by increasing real free-on-board prices and decreasing real local prices of oranges. Total area under oranges will increase more with the FT A, which thus results in a larger orange production too.

The Determinants of South African Exports: An Econometric Analysis*(1)

South African Journal of EconomicsVolume 68, Issue 2 p. 103-113 The Determinants of South African Exports: An Econometric Analysis*(1) W NAUDé, W NAUDé Professor & Director of Research, Faculty of Ecoomic & Management Sciences, University of Potchefstroom.Search for more papers by this author W NAUDé, W NAUDé Professor & Director of Research, Faculty of Ecoomic & Management Sciences, University of Potchefstroom.Search for more papers by this author First published: 18 August 2005 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1813-6982.2000.tb01167.xCitations: 4 1 This paper benefited from the extensive comments of four referees. All errors and omissions are those of the author. Professor & Director of Research, Faculty of Economic & Management Sciences, University of Potchefstroom. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume68, Issue2June 2000Pages 103-113 RelatedInformation

Experimental Infection of Vaccinated Slaughter Ostriches in a Natural, Open-Air Feedlot Facility with Virulent Newcastle Disease Virus

The presence of virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) since the 1993-94 epidemic in southern Africa holds major implications for the export of ostrich products from this region. A challenge experiment with this field strain was conducted in open-air feedlot facilities under strict biosecurity measures. The experiment was designed to follow vaccination and preslaughter quarantine regulations currently enforced in South African export ostrich facilities in order to determine the viremia period and immune response under these specific circumstances. One hundred forty-three slaughter ostriches were allocated into three test groups, according to the time period between pretrial vaccination and challenge (1-2 mo, 2-4 mo, 4-6 mo), and an unchallenged control group. All birds in the test groups were challenged by oral, tracheal, and ocular routes with a field isolate of NDV. They were slaughtered over the next 4 wk on nine separate occasions and bled on 12 occasions. Virus isolation was attempted from seven sets of pooled samples from each bird to determine the viremia period and the serum antibody concentrations were measured by hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods to establish an immune response curve. NDV could be back-isolated only up to day 9 postinfection and from only six ostriches with poor immune response titers and corresponding to a rise in antibody levels above an indirect ELISA optical density reading of 0.33. Virus could be recovered only from brain and respiratory tract tissue. The HI test was less sensitive than the ELISA. Immune response curves did not differ significantly between the groups and peaked on day 14 post-infection. From these data, ELISA titers would appear to be a good indicator of the probability that an ostrich will be clinically infected after velogenic NDV challenge. These results also suggest that the current vaccination schedule enforced by the South African Veterinary Authorities results in protective immunity in up to 95% of slaughter ostriches from export approved facilities. The standard 30-day preslaughter quarantine period introduced as part of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus control measures also appears sufficient to encompass the determined NDV viremia period of 9-11 days in slaughter ostriches.

South African and Singaporean exporters: Their attitudes, information sources and export problems

South Africa's emergence from years of political and regulatory trade barriers has focussed attention on South African exporters. In a replication of Elliot Krasnostein's study of 54 Singaporean exporters, the perceptions, attitudes and characteristics of a representative sample of 321 experienced South African exporters and their decision makers were investigated. Consistent with other international studies, the results suggest that managerial, organizational and environmental forces and perceptions motivate export behaviour. However, South African firms clearly are responding to unique situational factors and national export resources as well. The findings indicate that managerial leadership, supportive attitudes and extensive exporting experience are widely available in South Africa. Secondary information sources could be improved and freight costs reduced to improve South African export effectiveness.

Export Performance and Enterprise Reform in China's Coastal Provinces

Previous articleNext article No AccessExport Performance and Enterprise Reform in China's Coastal ProvincesF. C. PerkinsF. C. PerkinsEast Asia Analytical Unit, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Search for more articles by this author East Asia Analytical Unit, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and TradePDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Economic Development and Cultural Change Volume 45, Number 3April 1997 Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/452289 Views: 14Total views on this site Citations: 18Citations are reported from Crossref © 1997 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.PDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Emanuele Felice, Iacopo Odoardi, Dario D’Ingiullo The Chinese Inland-Coastal Inequality: The Role of Human Capital and the 2007–2008 Crisis Watershed, Italian Economic Journal 2 (Sep 2021).https://doi.org/10.1007/s40797-021-00169-wJaya Prakash Pradhan, Mohammad Zohair Subnational Export Performance and Determinants, Review of Market Integration 7, no.22 (Jul 2016): 133–174.https://doi.org/10.1177/0974929216653631Dr Mo Yamin, Prof Rudolf R Sinkovics, Jaya Prakash Pradhan, Keshab Das Regional export advantage of rising power SMEs, critical perspectives on international business 11, no.3/43/4 (Jul 2015): 236–258.https://doi.org/10.1108/cpoib-10-2013-0040Elisha P. Renne The Changing Contexts of Chinese-Nigerian Textile Production and Trade, 1900‒2015, TEXTILE 13, no.33 (Jan 2016): 212–233.https://doi.org/10.1080/14759756.2015.1054105Ward Warmerdam Beyond the Debates of Which is Best: Investigating the Complementarity of Chinese and Western Aid, and Possible Lessons from China’s Development, Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences 7, no.11 (Jan 2014): 77–117.https://doi.org/10.1007/s40647-013-0005-8Joshua Abor Do export status and export intensity increase firm performance?, Thunderbird International Business Review 53, no.11 (Dec 2010): 9–18.https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.20386Lingwen Huang, Yang Yao Impacts of privatization on employment: evidence from China, Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies 8, no.22 (May 2010): 133–156.https://doi.org/10.1080/14765281003750199Zhibiao LIU, Qiang WU Product Quality Preference, Machinery Import and Import-induced Export, Studies in Regional Science 40, no.44 (Jan 2010): 963–975.https://doi.org/10.2457/srs.40.963A. AZADEH, G. H. ATAEI A PRINCIPLE COMPONENT ANALYSIS — NUMERICAL TAXONOMY APPROACH FOR EXPORT PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT: THE CASE OF IRANIAN CHEMICAL UNITS, The Singapore Economic Review 54, no.0404 (Dec 2009): 689–707.https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590809003446Robert G. Wallace Breeding Influenza: The Political Virology of Offshore Farming, Antipode 41, no.55 (Nov 2009): 916–951.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8330.2009.00702.xZhang Xiaohe The Impact of Globalisation and Labour Market Reforms in China, (Jan 2007): 49–66.https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-1-84334-217-5.50003-4Yifei SUN, Hongyang WANG DOES INNOVATION MATTER FOR EXPORT IN CHINA'S RURAL ENTERPRISES? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCES FROM JIANGSU, Asian Geographer 24, no.1-21-2 (Jan 2005): 1–15.https://doi.org/10.1080/10225706.2005.9684119Jang C. Jin On the Relationship Between Openness and Growth in China: Evidence from Provincial Time Series Data, The World Economy 27, no.1010 (Nov 2004): 1571–1582.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9701.2004.00667.xJianshu Deng, Bulent Menguc, John Benson The impact of human resource management on export performance of Chinese manufacturing enterprises, Thunderbird International Business Review 45, no.44 (Jun 2003): 409–429.https://doi.org/10.1002/tie.10088Jang C. Jin Exports and growth: is the export-led growth hypothesis valid for provincial economies?, Applied Economics 34, no.11 (Oct 2010): 63–76.https://doi.org/10.1080/00036840010025632David L Dean, Bülent Mengüç, Christopher Paul Myers Revisiting Firm Characteristics, Strategy, and Export Performance Relationship:, Industrial Marketing Management 29, no.55 (Sep 2000): 461–477.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0019-8501(99)00085-1W NAUDe The Determinants of South African Exports: An Econometric Analysis*(1), The South African Journal of Economics 68, no.22 (Jun 2000): 103–113.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1813-6982.2000.tb01167.xMauricio Jenkins, Felipe Larrain, Gerardo Esquivel Export Processing Zones in Central America, SSRN Electronic Journal (Jan 1999).https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.168174