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Faculty of Management Sciences

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    Stakeholder management practices at Mondi South Africa : a case of the forestry division
    (2023) Msomi, Erasmus S'bongiseni Philani; Agbenyegah, Albert Tchey
    All over the world, there is a growing conviction that business relationships, particularly with communities, lead to financial performance and increased shareholder value creation. In South Africa, large corporations in sectors such as mining, agriculture and forestry quickly found themselves having to define their relationships with stakeholders other than their shareholders. Furthermore, those corporates with large land holdings had to deal with the uncertainty of land claims implemented by the government after 1994 which immediately transformed communities into influential stakeholders. Consequently, critical stakeholder issues, particularly in relation to social stakeholders who are non market in nature both in theory and practice are now at the forefront of corporate relationships. This study investigated and reviewed various stakeholder management practices currently employed by Mondi SA, (Forestry Division) a JSE-listed company operating in South Africa. The study further explored the various aspects of stakeholder relationships for Mondi in order to establish if these practices have any influence on Mondi’s growth and business stability. The study examined Mondi's stakeholder engagement practices and their integration into business strategy by applying both quantitative and qualitative research methods in a mixed-method approach, using non-probability purposive sampling. Using a sample of 42 respondents, representing a population of 265 employees, the study used both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study further explored how stakeholder management, as a strategy contributes to business stability for the Forestry division. The data was analysed using SPSS for quantitative inquiry and Nvivo for the qualitative element. Stakeholder theories and management have been applied in the interpretation and analysis of this research. Critical theories of systems and organisational thinking have been used to analyse stakeholder management practice and its dynamics of power between Mondi and stakeholders, with reference to communities. The study established that Mondi’s stakeholder management practices are implemented from a risk mitigation point of view. With stakeholder engagements and socio-economic projects delivered to stakeholder communities, the findings also suggest that the practice is intentional, and planned. The results, therefore, confirm that Mondi Forestry’s stakeholder management practice is strategically managed to maintain industrial peace to ensure that operations are not affected. In addition, the stakeholder management practice is necessary to maintain compliance which also influences the smooth running of the operations within legal and industry standards. Arguing from the standpoint of the various studies that have explored the challenges and benefits of stakeholder influence in business, this research empirically investigated whether stakeholder management and engagement influences business performance and stability in South Africa, using Mondi Forestry division as a pilot.
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    Stakeholder management of community engagement: an evaluation of higher education institutions in eThekwini Municipality
    (2022) Luthuli, Pumla Glendale Paulette; Govender, Ivan Gunass
    Universities are a prominent part of the South African economic landscape, as such the influence Higher Education Institutions (HEI) have on communities cannot be undermined. In this sense, Community Engagement (CE) should be a priority for HEIs. For this to be carried out, effective stakeholder management strategies and programmes should be in place within HEIs strategic plans. However, it seems as if the HEIs are inadequately engaging in CE programs and community development is still generally unsuccessful since HEIs are often isolated from their host communities. This minimal interaction among stakeholders of the HEI has significantly undermined the possibility of addressing some of the societal issues which HEIs have the capacity to address. By utilizing the term stakeholder, the interaction of HEIs with the various role players should be elevated to a professional standard. This not only has implications on the communities and other role players, however it plays a role in the success of the HEI as well. This research area has not been given much attention in the South African context. This study sought to determine the effectiveness of CE stakeholders’ management among HEIs in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The quantitative research approach was chosen for this study because of how it allows the research to determine the extent or degree of a problem and offers solutions based on predictions. This study used the survey method, which is classified within the positivist research strategy. The population targeted by this study were stakeholders of the HEIs within the eThekwini Municipality. These entities are considered representatives as they are the core stakeholders at the HEIs within the area of study. The sample size of this study is 80 respondents, we chose 20 participants per institution based on the number of departments that had a community engagement role within each institution. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain relevant information from the target population of this study. The data collected for this study was analysed descriptively and displayed in the form of graphs using bar graphs, pie charts and tables with the help of SPSS program and a report was written. The study revealed that the CE programs initiated by HEI and the relationship between HEI and key role players are severely insufficient and inefficient at producing successful results. The study additionally revealed that tangible results are required from CE in order for participation to be prevalent among students of HEIs. The challenges of CE is lack of policy knowledge and ineffective strategy. There are also collaborative issues that cause each party to act in opposition. The main recommendation is that the HEIs and community should have a thorough knowledge and understanding of CE policy before embarking on a collaborative relationship.
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    Students‘ perceptions of distance learning in higher education: a case of independent colleges in KwaZulu-Natal
    (2022) Sivai, Ashna; Chazireni, Bobo
    Over the years Distance Learning (DL) programmes is assumed to have become a key to the global learning environment and key to the Education system of Africa and South Africa. DL systems have been branded as fecund drivers of education growth and sustainable development in South Africa and the world at large. The existence of DL programmes in any economy is of paramount importance despite being bullied by the traditional classroom methods. There is growing recognition of the important role of DL programmes in the development of education systems in South Africa. They are often described as efficient and prolific job flexi hour studies, as DL has generally allowed the tertiary learners to study at leisure and at the same time contribute meaningfully to the economy as most of them are employed in different fields. Nevertheless, for a multiplicity of reasons, the pass rate of distance learners in South Africa is low, and many studies have identified a lack of aptitude on the part of the students as one of the main reasons for the low success rate. Substantive hypotheses were formulated in order to determine the validity of the propositions made in the literature review, with the objective of testing the proposed the conceptual model. The field data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), Version 27. Statistical tools that include frequency tables, pie-charts and graphs were utilised in analysing data in chapter five. The Correlation matrix and linear regression analysis were also utilised to further analyse the strength of association between the variables. The findings of this research study show that students at Independent Colleges have positive attitudes and are sensitive to the requirements of DL. However, a positive attitude without practical results in this research will not hold water given the fact that there are high failure rates in these Independent Colleges. Despite their significance and contribution to education, Independent Colleges in South Africa are still faced with numerous challenges that inhibit effective delivery of DL programmes. However, it is unmistakably evident that the COVID pandemic saw DL surpass most challenges to become the forerunner in technology driven DL teaching and learning. The use Microsoft Teams and Zoom became the household names at most public and private Educational Institutions. This study recommends that orientation programs provided to students at the College of Distance Education should be organized in such a manner that they will provide students an opportunity to have and maintain meaningful relationships with staff. Furthermore, it is recommended that the phrase ‘Distance Learning’ should be rephrased as ‘Personalised Learning Program’ as a way of contextualising the whole DL system