Hazardous Employment and Regulatory Regimes in the South African Mining Industry: Arguments for Corporate Ethics at Workplace

This study examines the ethical position and behaviour of multinational mining companies regarding hazardous employment and health and safety of employees in the South African mining industry. Mining companies have long had a reputation for being unethical on health and safety issues. Too often there are occurrences of fatal accidents, which bring the ethical behaviour of multinational mining companies into question. The litmus test for the mining companies is to devise benchmark standards that will reduce accidents tremendously at their place of operations. This study addresses this issue by examining measures and regulations set up to check the occurrences of mining accidents in South Africa. It follows that the remedy needs to be fundamental and thoroughgoing.     

Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Investment: The South African Case

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social investment (CSI) have become terms that are used to examine some activities of businesses. With globalization pressures and increasing burdens on governments to provide comprehensive social services, the microscope has been trained on how firms play their part in sharing this burden. Views vary from those who believe that CSR and CSI are a distraction from profit maximization to those who argue that participation in such activities contributes to positive social transformation, while benefiting participating firms themselves. In this article, the author seeks to organize these debates within particular theoretical frameworks, positing CSR and CSI, together with the Socially Responsible Investment Index that has been used to evaluate corporate behavior in South Africa, as a novel way of addressing pressing development problems.     

Developing Country Perspectives on Country-of-Origin Effects: The Case of the Proudly South African Campaign

ABSTRACT

Research on the effect of product country of origin (COO) also referred to as “made in campaigns” or “buy national campaigns” has attracted considerable attention from international marketing theorists for the past 40 years. This paper examines how the Proudly South African (PSA) initiative in the context of the global debate on the relevance of the concept of country of origin/buy national campaign/made in campaigns has been developed. Reference is made to other international campaigns such as Made in USA and Buy New Zealand and to the importance of the concept as a cue in the purchase decision-making process of consumers.     

The economics of South African sanctions

The present debate on economic sanctions against South Africa reveals that, despite a long history of the threat and use of economic sanctions in international relations, there still prevails a wide array of misconceptions regarding the nature, mechanisms and consequences of such a policy. This article examines some of the economic aspects of the way in which sanctions can impact on a target country and assesses their implications for the South African case.     

Corporate Community Involvement and Local Institutions: Two Case Studies From the Mining Industry in Tanzania

Corporate community involvement contributes capital or resources in various forms to a community. However, such involvement may also influence local institutions that determine how well these resources are used, that is, the extent to which they are used to promote the public good rather than being subject to private capture. For community involvement to have a beneficial effect on local development, corporations need to consider their impact on local institutions. Presented in this article are two case studies from Tanzania that illustrate how community involvement activities of two mining firms have resulted in misappropriation of and conflict over corporate community involvement funds. It is argued that corporations need an analytical approach that integrates a differentiated stakeholder approach with institutional theory to contribute to local development in poor communities.     

South African Complaint Forums in the Retail Industry: a Survey of Literature and Some Lessons from the EU

South African consumers receiving poor service in the retail industry want to complain, but have limited or no knowledge of the available consumer complaint forums. The consumer complaint forums in the retail industry can generally be divided into those established in terms of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 and other complaint forums. Before consumers can decide which forum they want to lodge their complaint with, they first need to identify possible complaint forums and then measure each forum according to certain factors. This study made a unique contribution by identifying possible factors which a consumer can refer to in this regard. In developing these factors, guidance was taken from the EU Consumer ADR Directive and the ODR Regulation. The factors suggested in this study included the following: the cost of and time spent on lodging a complaint, the effective functioning of the complaint forum, transparency in the operation of the complaint forum, the relief that a consumer may obtain from the complaint forum, and the user-friendliness of the complaint process. The National Consumer Tribunal, the National Consumer Commission, the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, and ordinary civil courts were assessed using the above factors. A limitation of this study was that not all complaint forums could be assessed in terms of these factors, due to the lack of publicly available information. This study found that even though South Africans now have more complaint forums at their disposal, this does not translate into positive outcomes for aggrieved consumers. The strength of these forums lies in the buy-in received from both consumers and retailers. True consumer power arises through collective action after careful investigation, and resolving individual complaints may not result in the change of consumer policy which is actually what is required in the long run.     

南非高等教育考察启示

日前,笔者有幸率团考察了南非高等教育,原以为此系神秘之地,却开阔了我们从事高等教育特别是商业高等教育的眼界和视野。南非高等教育的基本概况南非是一个传统的英联邦体系国家。其教育、经济、管理、法律等均承袭于英国模式。自曼德拉当选为国家总统后,为     

Current Trends and Future Challenges in the South African Advertising Industry—An Introductory Review

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this article is to provide an introductory review of the structure of the South African Advertising Industry, to identify and discuss the main issues and future challenges in the South African Advertising Industry, and to recommend applicable managerial strategies to the main role players.

The South African society has been involved in a process of transformation, a search for identification, and a conscious effort towards non-discriminatory practices, direct or indirect, for the past eight years. This is apparent in current marketing and advertising practices, which remain firmly focussed on the new breeds of consumers-including the growing young black market. This new challenge to marketers includes a paradigm shift from established practices to an embracing of new research methods, which could address the complexities of reaching, communicating, and meeting the demands of a multicultural consumer society in South Africa. The marketing challenge also indicates the necessity of redefining the largest audience groups in categories that reinterpret race from a South African perspective.

A review of the literature was undertaken, followed by discussions with knowledgeable industry spokesmen. The survey of racial issues in South Africa forms part of an on-going project, as it is envisaged that the shape of the industry will change dramatically during the next decade.

Key managerial implications focus on perspectives and attitudes towards changing employment and empowerment ratios, that would require innovative interpretative studies to contribute towards an understanding of the current challenges. This includes the elimination of stereotypes and linguistic ethnocentrism, black empowerment, training in multicultural advertising communication, and the aligning of conflicting cultures with corporate vision.     

Competition in the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Case of PAH Drugs

The nature and extent of competition between different therapies for a given medical condition often is an important and controversial issue in both antitrust cases and general strategic analysis in the pharmaceutical industry. The market for pulmonary arterial hypertension (‘PAH’) therapies provides an interesting case study for analyzing these issues. An event study analyzing how the stock prices of PAH therapy providers respond to competitive developments in the industry sheds light on the nature of competition among different types of therapies. The results support the view that the strength of competition between any two drugs for the same condition can vary greatly depending on factors such as the stage of the patient’s disease, the mode of drug delivery, the mechanism of action, convenience/ease of use and other characteristics.     

Estimating the South African trauma caseload

A survey of medical superintendents revealed that an estimated 1.5 million trauma cases presented to South Africa's 356 secondary and tertiary level hospitals in 1999. Injury rates for traffic, violence and other injuries showed considerable inter-provincial variation, with violence accounting for more than half of the trauma caseload. This type of survey is a simple low cost alternative for monitoring injury patterns and supplementing burden of disease and injury costing studies.     

Estimating the South African trauma caseload

A survey of medical superintendents revealed that an estimated 1.5 million trauma cases presented to South Africa's 356 secondary and tertiary level hospitals in 1999. Injury rates for traffic, violence and other injuries showed considerable inter-provincial variation, with violence accounting for more than half of the trauma caseload. This type of survey is a simple low cost alternative for monitoring injury patterns and supplementing burden of disease and injury costing studies.     

The Automobile Industry in Paraná: The Case of Renault

SUMMARY

The development process of Paraná has traditionally been closely linked to agriculture. However, given the state's proximity to São Paulo, there have always been attempts to promote industrial development. This occurred initially in the 1970s and became more intensive in the 1990s with the development of fiscal wars between the states to attract investments, especially in the automobile industry. The paper concentrates on an analysis of how the Renault assembly plant was attracted to Paraná, its impact on the state's industrial product and on employment, and on the attempt to attract component producers.

RESUMEN. Tradicionalmente, el proceso de desarrollo del estado de Paraná siempre se mantuvo estrechamente vinculado a la agricultura. Sin embargo, debido a su proximidad al estado de São Paulo, se realizaron constantes esfuerzos para promover su desarrollo industrial. El paso inicial se remonta a los años 70, que evolucionó considerablemente en los 90 con el surgimiento de guerras fiscales entre los estados instigadas para atraer inversiones, especialmente de la industria automotriz. El estudio se concentra en el análisis de cómo se atrajo la instalación de la fábrica Renault al estado de Paraná, su impacto sobre el producto industrial del estado y el empleo, y la tentativa de atraer fabricantes de componentes.

RESUMO. O processo de desenvolvimento do Paraná esteve intimamente ligado à agricultura. Mas dado sua proximidade com São Paulo, sempre se procurou dar um impulso ao desenvolvimento industrial. O primeiro passo para isto ocorreu na década de 70. No entanto, foi a partir de década de 90 que se observa uma maior evolução do desenvolvimento industrial. Parte desse processo foi conseqüência da guerra fiscal travada entre os estados brasileiros para atração de investimentos, principalmente da indústria automobilística. O objetivo desse artigo é de apresentar o processo de atração da montadora francesa Renault para o estado do Paraná, analisar os investimentos realizados e seus impactos, principalmente na geração de emprego e na tentativa de atrair fabricantes ligados ao setor de autopeças.     

The Arduous Journey of Private Labels: Insights From the South African Market and Further Afield

This article presents an overview of private label brands (PLBs) by considering both the status quo and emergent trends in this sphere. The initial focus is profiling private labels in the country of South Africa, with developments from abroad then being juxtaposed against the local retail landscape. Global market trends are brought to the fore at the end of the article. PLB adoption in South Africa currently sits at a paltry 18% (little moved in the last 5 years), compared with a European average penetration rate of 30%. The reasons for this lackluster growth are varied, with a lack of retailer R&D at the root cause. Yet the conditions are right for rapid growth of this merchandise should household incomes continue to remain under pressure and should consumers fully appreciate the value proposition of such brands. Furthermore, it is expected that the global share of the market will reach 50% by 2025 (double that presently) with retailers abandoning B-brands and replacing these with their own substitute PLBs.     

Internationalization of South African Retail Firms in Selected African Countries

African markets are complex environments for foreign multinationals. The continent, which has recently attracted significant attention for its rich potential and growth prospects, presents a multitude of challenges for the South African retailers leading the charge of retail expansion. This qualitative study seeks a deeper understanding of the contextual challenges experienced by these firms in other African markets, and how they have managed this process. It further engages how these firms build networks with local stakeholders and how they overcome information deficits. This study confirms the rich variety of capabilities and approaches developed by South African retailers operating across the continent, as opposed to a single standard approach. The research has further confirmed that these firms typically use SA Inc. as a country specific advantage in their expansion, leveraging off their inter-firm networks and personal exchanges to gain a better understanding of African markets and their consumers.     

南非市场概况

南非位于非洲大陆最南端,面积122万多平方公里,人口4124万,是个多种族国家,分黑人、白人、有色人和亚洲人,分别占人口的76.1%、12.8%、8.5%和2.6%,故南非是个消费层次多样的市场,其自然资源丰富,既拥有可与西方发达国家相媲美的交通、电力、通讯等工业基础设施,较完善的金融和法律体系,成熟的市场机制,同时又存在着许多发展中国家所面临的问题,在黑人聚居区,存在着交通条件差,缺水缺电、卫生、医疗状况恶劣,教育水准低,失业率高等问题。因此与其它新型工业化国家和地区相比,南非具有的更为明显的特点是第一世界与第三世界…     

Asset Pricing and Momentum: A South African Perspective

Both the capital asset pricing model and Fama and French’s (1993) three-factor model have consistently failed to explain momentum in stock returns, with only Carhart’s (1997) four-factor model having some success in this regard. This study examines whether an alternative three-factor model proposed by Chen, Novy-Marx, and Zhang (2011) and a five-factor model forwarded by Fama and French (2015), which both include profitability and investment as pricing factors, can explain momentum on the South African market. Consistent with international evidence, the pricing errors from these two models are lower and although these errors remain significant, the results reveal that profitability and, to a lesser extent, investment are important risk-based factors that must be considered in explaining the short-term continuation in stock returns.