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Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms

Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.

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Other Authors: Saville, Adrian
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2017
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Saville, Adrian
author_browse Saville, Adrian
author_facet Saville, Adrian
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2017 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria.
description Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
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license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2017
publishDateRange 2017
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publisher University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/59793 Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms Saville, Adrian ichelp@gibs.co.za Van Schoor, Amy UCTD Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. The profound institutional change inherent in transitional economies creates a challenging climate for firms to survive. Although a significant amount of empirical research has been conducted on the subject of organisational longevity in developed economies, limited research had been conducted in emerging markets. This paper addresses this shortcoming by looking at firm survival and institutional change during South Africa's political transition spanning the period 1991 to 2013. Using perspectives from population ecology theory and institutional theory, a cluster of absorption variables is developed and empirically tested to identify the characteristics of those firms that were able to endure shifts in the operating environment. Findings resulting from the Kaplan-Meier survival function and the Cox proportional hazard model suggest that so-called ?survival champions' develop a shared set of characteristics that take the form of bulk and heft in a transitional economy, which better equips them to absorb and negotiate change. In addition, the research shows that the sensitivity of survival to the cluster of absorption variables is significantly higher during the post-transition period of 1999 to 2013 compared to the period during which the transition takes place. This research paper contributes to the survival literature by adding a more nuanced voice to the understanding of corporate longevity in emerging markets. Findings offer key lessons for managers and stakeholders not only in South Africa, but also for those economies which have undergone - or may still undergo - similar institutional transition. vn2017 Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) MBA Unrestricted 2017-04-07T13:05:40Z 2017-04-07T13:05:40Z 2017-03-30 2017 Mini Dissertation Van Schoor, A 2017, Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms, MBA Mini Dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59793> http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59793 en © 2017 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title_full Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title_fullStr Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title_full_unstemmed Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title_short Transitional economy survival champions : the experience of South African firms
title_sort transitional economy survival champions the experience of south african firms
topic UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59793