Stakeholder relationship management of a Chinese Mining Organisation in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Chodokufa, Kudakwashe
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Industrial management -- Zimbabwe , Mineral industries -- Zimbabwe -- Management , Investments, Chinese -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/115127 , vital:34080
- Description: Media reports and research has pointed out problems in the way that Chinese mining organisations in Zimbabwe are managing stakeholder relationships. The problems ranging from disgruntled communities and allegations of labour violations. Taking into account the impact that China’s FDI has had on the ailing Zimbabwean economy research into the management of stakeholder relationships becomes imperative to understand how Chinese mining organisations build and manage stakeholder relationships. A review of stakeholder theory has revealed that there is not much emphasis by researchers on how organisations manage their stakeholder relationships, but rather on the identification and analysis of stakeholders. Research that has focused on stakeholder relationships has focused on different elements found in stakeholder relationship management and not necessarily on how stakeholder relationships should be managed. On the other hand, stakeholder theory does not seem to include social licence to operate which is important in stakeholder relationship management within the mining context. The purpose of this study is to develop a multidimensional stakeholder relationship management process for the Chinese mining organisation in Zimbabwe, showing dynamic interactions between multiple stakeholder networks with complementary, competitive and/or cooperative interests, while taking into account the possibility that interests may vary according to the underlying context. Thirteen semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with three stakeholder groups of a Chinese mining organisation as identified from the literature, namely employees, government and the community. The critical incident technique (CIT) was adopted in developing the interview questions and facilitated the data collection process. Participants described 36 critical incidents. According to multiple stakeholders, the findings suggest that, the Chinese managers built the relationship with multiple stakeholders through friendship, negotiation, pretend not to understand, referral, singing a contract, started with problems, they just arrived and through the government. With the same relationship being managed by the Chinese managers by being hard, rough and ruthless, authoritative, Chinese way of doing things, used avoidance, lack of competency, through a third party and resolving conflict when managing stakeholder relationships. Showing that the building and managing of stakeholder relationships is socially constructed and experienced differently by stakeholders. The positive and negative relationship characteristics influenced how stakeholder relationships are managed by the selected Chinese mining organisation. In the presence of positive relationship characteristics which included, friendship,there was flexibility, power dynamics, accountability depends on situations, commitment a show of investment, do cooperate to a certain extent, trust began with an open mind, shared values: hardwork and profit, shared values: culture was associated with the Chinese managing the relationship through being kind, supportive, motivating and understanding; complaint; through a third party; controlling; Chinese way of doing things; and performance and reward management of stakeholder relationships. Whilst negative relationship characteristics which included fear, their hearts were hardened, Chinese had power, intimidaton, not accountable, lack of commitment, communication understanding, connotations and intretations, communication done through a third party; no cooperation want to cut coners; trust are they conveying what is being said; deception and misrepresentation; trust depends on experience; being told lies and not transparent were associated with negative (being authoritative; hard, rough and ruthless; avoidance; blame shifting and pushy) stakeholder relationship management by the Chinese managers. Hence, a proposition that negative or positive relationship characteristics result in negative or positive stakeholder relationship management by the Chinese managers was propossed. The following challenges were experienced in the management of stakeholder relationships namely, communication, corruption, cheating, political environment, working conditions and broken promises. The dynamic multidimensional stakeholder relationship management process was subsequently revised to accommodate the new relationship characteristics and their positive and negative influence on how stakeholder relationships are managed. The main contribution of this study is the dynamic multidimensional stakeholder relationship management process which was developed within the context of a Chinese mining organisation in Africa. It is recommended that practitioners utilise the dynamic multidimensional stakeholder relationship management process to assist them in understanding and conducting research on stakeholder relationships. Further research is suggested on developing the research proposition made in the study and to empirically test the dynamic multidimension stakeholder relationship management process in other industries that posses different or similar contexts as this study.
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- Date Issued: 2019
An analysis of the business relationship between SMEs and insurance companies in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area
- Authors: Chodokufa, Kudakwashe
- Date: 2009
- Subjects: Insurance -- Finance , Business insurance , Small business -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business networks , Strategic alliances (Business)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M Com (Business Management)
- Identifier: vital:11318 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/279 , Insurance -- Finance , Business insurance , Small business -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Business networks , Strategic alliances (Business)
- Description: Small and Medium enterprises (SMEs) play an important role as employers and in the economic growth of South Africa and in Africa as a whole. SMEs comprise over 90 percent of African business operations and contribute to over percent of African employment and GDP. SMEs sector has shown positive signs in South Africa, Mauritius and North Africa. SMEs constitute 95 percent of formal manufacturing activity in Nigeria. Senegal and Kenya have provided an environment which is conducive for SMEs (African Development Bank 2005). In August 2006, flood damage to small businesses and residential premises in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area was estimated at R120million (SABC News 2006). The holding of an insurance cover by SMEs is crucial and beneficial to the economy and to the survival and success of the Small and Medium Enterprise sector. If a business has an insurance policy and a relationship with its insurer it becomes easier for the company to over come such a catastrophe. However, literature has shown that insurance companies are not willing to insure SMEs and it is the aim of this research to establish whether a relationship between the two constructs exists. An article entitled New Deal In The Offering for SMMEs, the author stated that the insurance industry prefer to deal only with established businesses (Mthimkhulu 2008). The aim of this research is to establish the importance of business relationship between Insurance companies and SMEs. The research will show how beneficial such a relationship is to both industries. The data for the research was collected through a survey type structured questionnaire that was developed and validated. The questionnaire was administered to the owners or managers of SMEs in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area. The primary objective of this research was to establish whether SMEs in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area have insurance policies for their businesses, and the results have shown that most of the SMEs in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Area do not have insurance policies for their businesses.
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- Date Issued: 2009