Knowledge management practices of financial services companies

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Knowledge management practices of financial services companies Dorfling, C. P. J The study explored the knowledge management landscape within South African financial services organisations by examining their practices with regards to knowledge management and comparing them against practices outlined in contemporary literature. The literature identified three broad processes, namely that of knowledge identification, knowledge generation and knowledge application which together lead to an increase in organisational learning. It is these broad processes that are the focus of the study. The perceptions of ten knowledge worl

Integrating corporate social responsibility in the "Big Four" professional consulting firms in South Africa

Sat, 01 Oct 2005 00:00:00 GMT

Integrating corporate social responsibility in the "Big Four" professional consulting firms in South Africa Kibuuka, J. R. L The objective of this research report is to understand how the "Big Four" Professional Consulting Firms integrate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into their operations in South Africa. The "big four" Professional Consulting Firms are involved in the financial services sector and provide auditing, accounting, tax, and other business advisory services. In reaching the objective of the study, specific areas were investigated, how Professional Consulting Firms depict CSR, how they integrate CSR, and how they monitor and report on CSR initiatives. Four firms were selected for the study, three participated in the research and one declined. The conclusions drawn from this research are that the PCFs studied consider CSR to be an integral component of their business operations, and undertake the reporting function primarily to inform their stakeholders of the nature and type of CSR initiatives they have undertaken. Furthermore, there is consensus that the involvement and support of executive and top management is crucial for the creation of enabling internal environment, which is conducive for the incorporation of CSR into the entire firm.

Cultural intelligence considerations in the development of global managers: The case of Sud-Chemie

Sun, 01 Jan 2006 00:00:00 GMT

Cultural intelligence considerations in the development of global managers: The case of Sud-Chemie Hurgobin, S The advent of globalisation has brought about the need for multinational corporations (MNC) to reconsider their strategies in order to sustain competitive advantage. A crucial aspect of strategy is the development of a global mindset within organisations and in particular among global managers. A key underlying theme of a global mindset is the ability to leverage cultural diversity for organisational effectiveness. As such, global managers need to be sensitive to diverse cultures, possess the ability to analyse situations in which individuals of different cultures are encountered, identify the requirements of the situation and exercise the appropriate behaviour. In order to be able to perform the foregoing, managers need to have cultural intelligence or ca. The purpose of the research is to provide Sod-Chemie, a German MNC, with a basis to enhance the development of its global managers through the assessment of the ca of the latters. A questionnaire that was adapted from literature and tailored for the requirements of the current study was used to assess the ca of a sample of managers within Sod-Chemie. This was substantiated by structured interviews conducted with a few participants. It was established that the level of cultural intelligence of managers within Sod-Chemie is average. The key finding of this research is the fact that expatriate experience plays a vital role in the development of ca. Other findings of note include the fact that cross-cultural training does not have a significant effect on the development of ca in S0d-Chemie's case. Furthermore, it was established that years of service within Sod-Chemie does not have a significant impact on ca. The findings from the structured interview revealed that ca global manager > ca functional manager > ca country manager, based on Bartlett & Ghoshal's (1992) triad model.

Voluntary employee turnover in South African organisations

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Voluntary employee turnover in South African organisations Lobelo, Kegakilwe Benjamin This research explores employee voluntary turnover in South African organisations. A questionnaire was administered to the identified six companies in and around the cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria in Gauteng Province. Integrating the literature on voluntary employee turnover, this study attempted to identify which antecedents of voluntary turnover (demographic factors, perceived alternative employment opportunities, job satisfaction and organisational commitment) are correlated with turnover intention. The results indicate that overall, correlation exists between turnover intention and age, level of income , tenure of employees , employees' commitment, job satisfaction and alternative employment opportunities. No correlation was found to exist between turnover and employees educational levels, gender and job levels.

MBL Research Reports

Knowledge management practices of financial services companies

Integrating corporate social responsibility in the "Big Four" professional consulting firms in South Africa

Cultural intelligence considerations in the development of global managers: The case of Sud-Chemie

Voluntary employee turnover in South African organisations