Sustainable African owned business success : a case study of the Maponya family business in South Africa

Abstract

The phenomenon of business success in an African context is an under-researched area. Self-established, privately owned businesses belonging to black South Africans seem scarce and in the hands of a few, and many of these businesses were established with the support of the Black Economic Empowerment programme after the abolition of apartheid in 1994. The questions that arise are why self-established, privately owned businesses among black South Africans are so few and how the few businesses that survived apartheid could grow despite difficult times. Business success in general is viewed in relative terms but scholars have attempted to measure it against the benchmarks of the number of employees at a company as well as the longevity of the business. As fa r as the achievement of success in business is concerned, particularly in an African context, a deduction made in this study was that correlations

existed between such success and the behavioural patterns of the African business managers and the shared traditions typical of African cultures. The main objective of this research was to explore and describe the factors responsible for the longevity and success of an existing black African-owned business empire in South Africa. Additionally, there was a need to establish the leadership style employed at the various workplaces of the Maponya business empire as well as the challenges that the business had faced over the past decades. This business has been in existence for over six decades and has survived apartheid to become one of the few African business success stories. To achieve the objectives of the current study, the researcher reviewed the existing body of knowledge about business success and developed a conceptual framework to guide the research. A descriptive and exploratory single-case study design and a qualitative approach were employed and an interpretivist way of inquiry was followed. The study used a purposive sampling method, and the successful Maponya business in South Africa was chosen as a case study. The data was obtained from one member of the Maponya family - a key participant in this research - who is an entrepreneur and one of many who are part of the Maponya business case (making up a case within the Maponya business case) . Data was collected using a faceto- face, in-depth, semi-structured interview based on an interview guide. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim to enable a meticulous analysis. When the data was analysed, themes were carefully extracted and coded and findings were identified that could provide answers to the research questions. Throughout this process, the criteria of credibility, conformability, reliability and transferability were adhered to so as to ensure and demonstrate the required quality of rigour, and the expected ethical standards were also adhered to. Credibility and trustworthiness were ensured through member checking and obtaining the approval of a Maponya clan elder. The findings from the themes pointed to certain factors that contributed to the success of this African business. One finding was the family-rooted nature of the Maponya business empire within the Maponya clan. Furthermore, this clan is populated by families that are characterised by serial and deep-rooted entrepreneurial thinking, which is evidenced by clan members as far back as the third generation. This unique family-embedded business is typified by clan unity, the support the members give one another and the adherence to well-

respected values and ethics. These factors have inadvertently led to the creation of an admired family business brand name. Other themes that came to the fore to explain the success of this business emphasised the importance of mentorship, concentration on a single business venture prior to diversification as well as the building of a local network of business contacts. It was found that a participative approach to leading was followed at the various workplaces of the business. These findings were validated by supplementing and triangulating them using information obtained from literature (mostly on family business management) and having the content validated by a Maponya elder. In conclusion, recommendations were made for further research examining the Maponya business case, a need was identified for African scholarly work in the field of business management, with particular attention being devoted to family businesses.