Full Text Available

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

An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
Other Authors: Schwella, Erwin
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2019
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1867613827039756288
access_status_str Open Access
author Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
author2 Schwella, Erwin
author_browse Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
Schwella, Erwin
author_facet Schwella, Erwin
Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
author_sort Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/106068
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:42:19.474Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
publishDateSort 2019
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
publisherStr Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
record_format dspace
source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/106068 An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector Limbo, Cedric Mwanota Schwella, Erwin Brand, Dirk Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. Government business enterprises -- Administration -- Namibia Government business enterprises -- -- Evaluation -- Namibia -- Case studies Transportation -- Namibia UCTD Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2019. ENGLISH SUMMARY : The classical view of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) has typically been framed around dimensions of efficiency, productivity and administrative bureaucracy (Cuervo-Cazurra, Inkpen & Musacchio, 2014). A number of theoretical perspectives, namely the property rights school, the public choice tradition, the neoclassical approach, the behavioural approach and the budget-maximising approach, have been used to model SOEs (Lawson, 1994). Despite a long theoretical interest in modelling SOEs, and their large impact on the global economy, challenges still exist to develop a comprehensive theory of SOEs (Peng, Bruton, Stan & Huang, 2016). It is generally argued that SOEs have the potential for good governance, efficiency and better service delivery through enhanced performance. However, most SOEs do not reach these ideals. This situation justifies the need to study and carefully appraise options for injecting higher performance into SOEs if they are to play a meaningful role in achieving Vision 2030 – the vision of Namibia to become an industrialised country by 2030. The primary objective of this dissertation was to analyse the performance of SOEs in the transport sector and to identify factors that have contributed to the high or low performance of these SOEs. Several arguments have been made about the inefficiency and poor service delivery of SOEs. According to Steytler (2009:19), “[t]he poor financial performance of state owned enterprises have [sic] often been attributed to weak management practices of the CEOs of these institutions”. The ‘bureaucrats in business’ thesis by the World Bank (1995) advances a contrary view, i.e. that bureaucrats who run state-owned enterprises should not be blamed for all the ills of these companies since they are not necessarily incompetent but rather have to deal with contradictory goals and perverse incentives. Although the study confirmed most of the foregoing arguments, further analysis of the performance of SOEs in Namibia revealed that SOEs do not necessarily underperform simply because they are state-owned but because of the way that they are managed. With this revelation in mind, the study developed a model that could be helpful to address this situation, namely the performance of SOEs. Without going into the merits and demerits of the different methodologies, this study opted to use a mixed methods (pragmatic) approach. This allowed the researcher to adopt the best-suited approach to the research problem without getting caught up in the philosophical debates about which one is the best approach. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Die klassieke siening van ondernemings in staatsbesit (SOE's) het tipies is opgestel om dimensies van doeltreffendheid, produktiwiteit en administratiewe burokrasie (Cuervo-Cazurra, Inkpen & Musacchio, 2014). '’n Aantal teoretiese perspektiewe, naamlik die eiendomsreg skool, die openbare keuse tradisie, die neo-klassieke benadering, die gedragsbenadering en die begroting maksimalisering benadering, is gebruik om ondernemings in staatsbesit (Lawson, 1994) se model. Ten spyte van 'n lang teoretiese belangstelling in modellering SOE's, en hul groot impak op die globale ekonomie, uitdagings bestaan steeds 'n omvattende teorie van SOE's (Peng, Bruton, Stan & Huang, 2016) ontwikkel. Dit is oor die algemeen aangevoer dat SOE's het die potensiaal vir goeie bestuur, doeltreffendheid en beter dienslewering deur verbeterde prestasie. Maar die meeste ondernemings in staatsbesit nie hierdie ideale te bereik. Hierdie situasie regverdig die behoefte om te studeer en versigtig beoordeel opsies vir die spuit van hoër prestasie in SOE's as hulle na 'n betekenisvolle rol in die bereiking van Visie 2030 te speel - die visie van Namibië na 'n geïndustrialiseerde land geword in 2030. Die primêre doel van hierdie verhandeling was om analiseer die prestasie van ondernemings in staatsbesit in die vervoersektor en om faktore wat bygedra het tot die hoë of lae prestasie van hierdie SOE's te identifiseer. Verskeie argumente gemaak oor die ondoeltreffendheid en swak dienslewering van SOE's. Volgens Steytler (2009: 19), "[t] hy swak finansiële prestasie van ondernemings in staatsbesit het [sic] dikwels toegeskryf aan swak bestuurspraktyke van die uitvoerende hoofde van hierdie instellings". Die "burokrate in besigheid 'n tesis deur die Wêreldbank (1995) bevorder 'n teenoorgestelde mening, naamlik dat burokrate wat ondernemings in staatsbesit loop nie moet die skuld vir al die euwels van hierdie maatskappye omdat hulle nie noodwendig onbevoeg maar eerder te doen het met teenstrydige doelwitte en verdraaide aansporings. Alhoewel die studie bevestig die meeste van die voorafgaande argumente, verdere ontleding van die prestasie van ondernemings in staatsbesit in Namibië aan die lig gebring dat SOE's nie noodwendig net onderpresteer omdat hulle in staatsbesit, maar as gevolg van die manier waarop hulle bestuur word. Met hierdie openbaring in gedagte, die studie ontwikkel 'n model wat nuttig om hierdie situasie, naamlik die prestasie van ondernemings in staatsbesit aan te spreek kan wees. Sonder om in die meriete en nadele van die verskillende metodes, hierdie studie gekies om 'n gemengde metodes (pragmatiese) benadering gebruik. Dit het die navorser tot die beste geskik benadering tot die navorsingsprobleem aan te neem sonder om gevang in die filosofiese debatte oor watter een is die beste benadering. Doctoral 2019-03-04T07:29:14Z 2019-04-17T08:26:49Z 2019-03-04T07:29:14Z 2019-04-17T08:26:49Z 2019-04 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/106068 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiv, 217 pages ; illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Government business enterprises -- Administration -- Namibia
Government business enterprises -- -- Evaluation -- Namibia -- Case studies
Transportation -- Namibia
UCTD
Limbo, Cedric Mwanota
An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title_full An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title_fullStr An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title_full_unstemmed An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title_short An analysis of the performance of state- owned enterprises in Namibia : case studies in the transport sector
title_sort analysis of the performance of state owned enterprises in namibia case studies in the transport sector
topic Government business enterprises -- Administration -- Namibia
Government business enterprises -- -- Evaluation -- Namibia -- Case studies
Transportation -- Namibia
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/106068
work_keys_str_mv AT limbocedricmwanota ananalysisoftheperformanceofstateownedenterprisesinnamibiacasestudiesinthetransportsector
AT limbocedricmwanota analysisoftheperformanceofstateownedenterprisesinnamibiacasestudiesinthetransportsector