Full Text Available

Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.

Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis

Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2025.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Other Authors: Sutherland, Margie
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2026
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613573164826624
access_status_str Open Access
author2 Sutherland, Margie
author_browse Sutherland, Margie
author_facet Sutherland, Margie
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2025.
format Thesis
id oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108998
institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:38:17.431Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2026
publishDateRange 2026
publishDateSort 2026
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
record_format dspace
source_str UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/108998 Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis Sutherland, Margie ichelp@gibs.co.za Babitse, Leano UCTD Dynamic Capabilities Response Strategies Economic Crisis Scanning Seizing Reconfiguring Exploitation Exploration Ambidexterity Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2025. Abrupt, extreme and unpredictable changes in the economic context of a country creates significant uncertainty for businesses. During such periods, corporate leaders must navigate turbulence by implementing response strategies and leveraging internal capabilities. Achieving strategic alignment between the external environment and internal resources becomes essential for sustaining both long and short-term business performance. This study investigates how executive decision makers strategically respond to economic crises, drawing on dynamic capability theory to examine the capabilities leveraged during such periods. A qualitative, explorative research methodology was adopted involving 12 semi-structured interviews with senior executives from nine sectors in Botswana - banking, insurance, consumer finance, specialty finance, hospitality, healthcare, real estate, non-government and mining contracting. Using a combination of inductive and deductive thematic analysis, an integrative model illustrating the interplay between economic crises, firm response strategies and dynamic capabilities was developed. Findings reiterate that crises amplify strategic differences and reward foresight. Economic crises do not uniformly result in firm-level crises and organisational responses. The responses, which are exploitative and/or explorative in nature, are varied and contextually dependent, spanning perseverance, retrenchment, and renewal. Moreover, firms deploy, and leverage scanning, seizing and reconfiguring capabilities in varied combinations depending on their context and resources. These insights underscore the nuanced and context-dependent nature of strategic responses to economic crises. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) MBA Unrestricted Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) SDG-08: Decent work and economic growth 2026-03-16T09:31:59Z 2026-03-16T09:31:59Z 2026-05-05 2025 Mini Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108998 en © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Dynamic Capabilities
Response Strategies
Economic Crisis
Scanning
Seizing
Reconfiguring
Exploitation
Exploration
Ambidexterity
Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title_full Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title_fullStr Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title_full_unstemmed Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title_short Understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
title_sort understanding the use of dynamic capabilities in response to an economic crisis
topic UCTD
Dynamic Capabilities
Response Strategies
Economic Crisis
Scanning
Seizing
Reconfiguring
Exploitation
Exploration
Ambidexterity
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/108998