Pfano Mashau

By Arthur Mzwandile Gonyora and Pfano Mashau

Competition between South African Automotive Component Manufacturers ACMs has focused on activities associated with supply chain management such as transporting raw materials and finished products. However, these activities are non-value, adding, so they are an area of relative opportunities for cost reduction; hence new product development presents a significant boost to competitiveness. This chapter\'s primary goal is to determine which open innovation practices can benefit ACMs in developing new products and processes by using a sample survey of 10 ACMs in the automotive manufacturing industry in South Africa. The study adopted a quantitative methodology approach using a 5 Likert structured questionnaire. Data were collected from 33 respondents, including owners, senior and junior managers of ACMs. The results identified that idea generation positively influences the Open Innovation activity of seeking new outside applications for internally developed innovations, knowledge, tools and ideas on new product development. The significant implications are that ACMs should improve their dynamic capabilities to turn ideas generated into new innovative products to remain competitive. This chapter contributes to the existing knowledge by suggesting a contextualised impact of open innovation strategy on sustainable new product development of ACMs in South Africa.

Part of the book: Supply Chain

By Sameera Henri, Andrisha Beharry and Pfano Mashau

This chapter provides an overview of the positive and negative impacts the Covid-19 pandemic has on women entrepreneurs in South Africa. The chapter recognises the role that women entrepreneurs play in the economy and society. The research objectives for this study were to first identify the importance of female entrepreneurs. Secondly, to determine the positive and negative impacts that Covid-19 has had on South African women entrepreneurs, and lastly, to identify the assistance provided to women entrepreneurs by the government. The methodology used to conduct research was desktop research. Information was collected from online databases in the form of articles, journals and textbooks. Only information relevant to the research objective was selected for this study. The findings revealed that female entrepreneurs play a vital role in the South African economy by creating employment opportunities, decreasing poverty and contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP). The findings revealed that lockdown restrictions implemented by the government due to Covid-19 led to many women-owned businesses not being able to operate, a decrease in sales, a drastic drop in revenue, lack of digital knowledge among women, increase in anxiety experienced by women and women entrepreneurs. The findings also suggest a lack of digital knowledge among women entrepreneurs and a lack of financial assistance provided by the government. Regulators and policymakers are challenged to invest in efforts that create an environment where female entrepreneurs are capacitated and provided with information to withstand the challenges brought by the pandemic.

Part of the book: Entrepreneurship

By Vusumuzi Maphosa and Pfano Mashau

The amount of discarded electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), popularly known as e-waste, is rising alarmingly and drawing immediate attention from stakeholders. Governments in emerging economies support importing second-hand EEE to bridge the digital divide and allow communities to access the information superhighway. E-waste contains toxic elements deleterious to the environment and human health. Simultaneously, e-waste contains rare earth minerals that generate USD65 billion in revenue annually through recycling. Urban mining is reclaiming minerals from anthropogenic materials, reducing the extraction of virgin minerals facing depletion and with some sourced from unstable regions and conflict zones. The unidirectional flow of e-waste into Africa from the developed world is viewed as the re-colonisation and the carbonisation divide. Due to a lack of appropriate infrastructure and policies and low knowledge levels in developing countries, the management of e-waste is left to the informal sector, which uses rudimentary tools to extract rare earth metals. This chapter highlights the contentious definition of e-waste, its movement from the Global North, and its epidemiological and environmental impact. It advocates for setting policies and infrastructure to turn landfills and dumpsites into urban mines. This chapter also recommends that developing countries monitor the state of EEE imports and transform informal to formal recycling supported by coordinated collection and storage centres.

Part of the book: Advances and Challenges in Hazardous Waste Management