In 2018 the world watched as 82 per cent of all wealth created was claimed by the top 1 per cent of the global population. The bottom 50 per cent of humanity saw no increase at all. While one new billionaire was created every two days, one in every four South Africans were living on less than R18 per day – not enough to buy a loaf of bread.

Inequality has always been part of the world we live in, but in the past twenty years the situation has worsened. We have seen the rise of mega corporations, where regional companies have become global players: power brokers that are richer and more powerful than most countries. This has seen businesses record ever-increasing profits while they pay ever-decreasing taxes. How is this happening?

In South Africa, millions of people depend on the services and products of mega corporations, but to what extent do these corporations influence and affect the lives of their consumers? What do these companies do with all the power that is in their hands?

In The Dirty Secrets of the Rich and Powerful, James-Brent Styan casts the spotlight on economic inequality and unpacks historical and ongoing business practices that have a real influence on people today. This book takes you right into the corridors of power and behind the closed doors of the boardrooms of the rich and powerful to show you how, and why, the status quo seems so unfair.

Management Principles: a contemporary edition for Africa deals with the cornerstone principles of general management that have endured over many decades. The eighth edition of this comprehensive book on general management principles delves into the fundamentals of planning, organising, leading, controlling, and showcasing how these four management functions have stood the test of time amidst the challenges posed by, among others, the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

From navigating artificial intelligence, data analytics, blockchain technology and other technological changes to sustainability issues, inclusive workplaces, and geo-political wars, this reader-friendly book exposes the student of management theory to real-life management issues. Backed by academic research, literature reviews and South African and African case studies, this book offers a practical roadmap for both management students and seasoned professionals who have to solve management problems and make sound management decisions. Written in an accessible style, it systematically covers all relevant management principles, providing a logical framework for understanding and implementation of these principles in a volatile business environment.

In this fully-updated eighth edition, the authors have endeavoured to expose the reader to the relevant topics that managers of modern organisations must be familiar with.

Furthermore, the book accommodates different learning styles by providing the following features:

• Real-world business examples
• Figures and diagrams
• Concise summaries of important concepts
• Case scenarios
• Self-assessment questions.

Management Principles: a contemporary edition for Africa is written from a South African and African perspective. The uniqueness of this continent justifies a management approach that reflects Africa’s realities while being sensitive to the fact that Africa is part of the ever-growing borderless world.

Lincoln Mali spent his youth as a student activist fighting the apartheid system. After spending many nights in jail and detention, he reached a turning point and decided to use his knowledge and skills more proactively. He enrolled at Rhodes University to study law. After realising that law wasn’t working for him and neither was his time in Mandela’s government, he decided to go the corporate route and joined Standard Bank. And here was where he thrived.

Most of Mali’s business and leadership lessons were learnt while working for Standard Bank around Africa. He had to overcome imposter syndrome, toxic work environments, transformation issues and learn how to motivate, inspire and lead. And with Mali’s guidance, you can do all that too.

So, are you ready to be inspired?

Today, more than ever before, South Africa’s business climate is confronted with various challenges as a result of external environmental forces as well as internal nuances within the southern African context. The environment is characterised by change, turbulence and competitiveness, and therefore strategy is of the utmost importance for any organisation to survive and thrive. Many people’s lives and jobs are affected by strategic decisions and far too often, top management develops a strategy that is neither communicated to, nor fully understood by, other levels of management and employees, and may not even be relevant to the continued existence of the organisation. Strategic management explains the principles and application of the strategic management process, vital to sustaining the success of every organisation. Real southern African case studies are included to support these principles and applications.

This is the fourth edition of Strategic management, the first specifically southern African textbook on this subject. It emphasises the important role of corporate governance, with specific reference to the King IV Report. Appropriate southern African examples and case studies are used to illustrate the latest trends, particularly the history, development and strategy of Shoprite Checkers, which is used as a cohesion case study throughout this textbook. Key terms, summary questions and answers, relevant websites and recommended reading lists are also provided.

Strategic management: southern African concepts and cases will be invaluable not only to students of business management but also to organisations, from corporate companies with management training programmes to small business ventures struggling to hold their ground in a competitive environment.

Fundamentals of Project Management 2nd edition has been written as a comprehensive explanation on how to use the special project management tools and techniques, processes, plans and methodologies. The text is supported with plenty of worked examples, exercises and multi choice questions (MCQs).

The content of this book has been updated to include the new edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) sixth edition (2018) and the latest edition of the Association of Project Management's Body of Knowledge (APM BoK) sixth edition (2012).

Business Management by Portfolio is a business philosophy practiced by organisations which successfully create environments that attract only the best, brightest and most creative professionals. This is an environment which fosters trust, collaboration and unified commitment. It provides ample opportunity for individual and collective self-actualization and the unleashing of talent where it matters most.

Business Management by Portfolio addresses issues such as effective strategy implementation, optimal resource utilisation, business quality by design and, perhaps most importantly, customer satisfaction.

For our world to survive, and thrive, we need people who can lead the way to a better future for everyone, be that in corporate, government, or society in general. What we need is great leadership – not mediocre leadership; and an attitude of ever-learning, growing and developing.

Business leaders have a financial and moral obligation to uplift the people of this country. A narrow focus on profit won’t achieve that, but a culture that puts people first can. We need ethical leaders, visionary leaders, empathic leaders, courageous leaders, forward-thinking leaders, transformational leaders, human-centric leaders, purposeful leaders, curious leaders. This book is the antidote to the lack of mentorship, and is the resource for the saying: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Incorporating the collective leadership wisdom for both the leaders of tomorrow and for the leaders of today, The Book Every Leader Needs to Read is full of lessons, insights, pep talks, advice and direction for building your own style and approach to great leadership, and not shy away from the ecstasy (and sometimes agony) of becoming a significant leader. If you are striving for excellence as a leader, get your pen and notebook ready, start reading and make notes from the thousands of hours of lived experiences, and list what you can start doing, right now, to craft the art of leading.

This book is a custom publication and consists of material and extracts from the following Oxford University Press SA titles: Introduction to Business Management and Principles of Business Management.

Principles of Business Management offers an excellent foundation for students who plan to go into management in the private sector, the NGO sector, or intend on becoming entrepreneurs.

The textbook is aimed at entry level Business Management students at universities and universities of technology and is suitable for both commerce and non-commerce courses. It introduces students to the components of organisational management (planning, organising, leading and controlling) and also introduces the different business functions.

The Fifth edition of Marketing Management: A South African Perspective, the leading marketing textbook in Southern Africa, adopts a new perspective on the business environment and the way in which businesses can deal with changes in that environment.

Covid-19 has upended the world of work and the need to think differently, plan differently and execute differently is paramount for today’s organisations. Added to this, African countries in general and South Africa in particular are faced with other challenges – infrastructure, corruption, service delivery and an uncertain political environment. Business is increasingly confronted with challenges from external environmental forces and the internal nuances of the southern African context. Our environment is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity, and strategy is of the utmost importance for any organisation to survive and thrive. Strategic management explains the principles and application of the strategic management process that are vital for sustaining successful organisations.

This fifth edition of Strategic management emphasises various relevant and topical strategic challenges (such as corporate governance) and appropriate southern African examples and case studies are used throughout the text to illustrate the latest trends and to support the theory. A cohesion case study of Shoprite Checkers and its strategic choices (such as the Sixty60 concept) runs throughout this book. Key terms, summary questions and answers, relevant websites and recommended reading lists are also provided.

Strategic management: Southern African concepts and cases will be invaluable not only to students of business management, but also to organisations, from corporate organisations with management training programmes to small business ventures struggling to hold their ground in a competitive environment.

Leadership in Health Services Management provides healthcare professionals with the necessary information to lead with commitment and strive towards a clear vision of health for all. It guides readers through crucially important issues such as leadership Leadership in Health Services Management provides healthcare professionals with the necessary information to lead with commitment and strive towards a clear vision of health for all. It guides readers through crucially important issues such as leadership styles, strategic thinking, motivation, negotiation, empowerment, knowledge management, and the application of leadership in daily operational management in health services.

Now in its fourth edition, the book contains original research on different topics that can assist in self-leadership in the workplace, a theme that is woven throughout the text. In addition, there is a focus on the application of leadership theories.

The book incorporates aspects of leadership that align with the South African Qualifications Authority and the requirements of the South African Nursing Council for postgraduate studies. In addition, a research component has been prioritised.

Change is the distinguishing characteristic of the business environment across the world and it affects how contemporary organisations operate. While organisations need to do more with less, they also have to satisfy the needs of their customers who, with more exposure to local and global markets, have higher expectations relating to the cost, quality, speed and innovation of the services and products they purchase from these organisations.

In response to the changes in their business environment, organisations are becoming flatter, networked, global, more flexible and diverse and managers have to acquire the skills to face the challenges associated with these features.

The contemporary management principles offered in this publication integrates discussions on vital managerial competencies and skills with information on traditional and essential managerial concepts that have been effective in the past and are still relevant.

In our interconnected world, mastering global branding is essential for success. International Brand Management is your comprehensive guide, covering key aspects of international branding to help you navigate the complex global marketplace.

Beginning with brand identity and positioning, the book emphasizes the importance of cultural sensitivity, market research, and strategic alignment in crafting a compelling brand narrative that resonates across diverse cultures. From there, it explores brand architecture, demonstrating how to manage complex brand portfolios while maintaining coherence and synergy.

Brand equity and its value chain are examined, providing insights into measuring brand equity and evaluating the impact of branding investments on financial performance and consumer perceptions. The text also covers brand communication strategies, showcasing how effective communication can amplify brand resonance and foster meaningful engagement with global audiences

Modern day organisations are more dependent on communication to achieve success than ever before. Rapid development and greater complexity of communication technologies, and the growing importance and popularity of social media, means that organisations can no longer rely on traditional methods alone to engage in effective business communication. Social media and new communication forms, however, come with their own challenges and pitfalls. Organisations need to carefully and strategically consider the use of these new media as part of their effective communication plan. Effective Business Communication 5th edition builds on traditional communication forms with up-to-date theory. It discusses new communication trends and the changing nature of communication in businesses. This edition illustrates the effective use of various new media sources and their application in the workplace, the challenges of using these media and the appropriate ways in which they can be incorporated into effective business communication practices within the organisation. Effective Business Communication 5th edition provides widespread principles for communicating in the organisational context. The book has support material containing questions, case studies and activities. This edition therefore provides students, lecturers and business communicators with a comprehensive and practical reference guide to communication in the workplace.

After many years of continuous development, operational risk management can now be regarded as an important and independent management discipline in its own right. It is a value-adding activity that has a direct or indirect impact on the bottom-line performances of organisations. It is fundamentally concerned with good governance and involves consistent alertness and continuous improvement. As a result, it is essential for business managers at all levels to understand the concept of operational risk management and its methodologies.

Operational risk management will assist organisations to develop and implement an operational risk management process that will support the achievement of business objectives in a way that proactively addresses risk exposures and identifies potential business opportunities. In addition, Operational risk management attempts to bridge the gap that exists between some of the theoretical concepts of operational risk and the practical implementation. It deals firstly with the development phases of operational risk, and then illustrates the effective application of an operational risk management process. It also discusses relevant issues in the field and how to deal with risk exposures that could disrupt business processes and systems, with the achievement of business objectives and with the wellbeing of employees.

Operational risk management is aimed at students, as well as at managers interested in the management of operational risk.

Managing events is both an art and a science. Events managers need to understand and fully embrace the multi-dimensional nature of events management, and cultivate the leadership skills and attitudes in themselves and those they manage. The importance of successfully staging events has increased around the world, as more government agencies begin to realise the potential benefit of using events as strategic development tools.

This third edition of Events Management: A developmental and managerial approach provides a definitive grounding in the development and management of small to large scale events.

The book provides an introduction to events management, then goes on to examine the design, administration and marketing of events, as well as the operational and risk management aspects. It also deals with applied events management through a number of event genre types.

The updated third edition of A Guide to Project Management has been extensively updated to reflect changes in the processes and procedures of project management, global trends and international standards, and the expansion of the Project Management Body of Knowledge.

It also includes a new chapter on Project Management and Development Studies. There are extensive self-assessment questions, group activities, exercises, and guidelines for the completion of a summative assignment/portfolio of evidence based on SAQA Unit Standards and chapter outcomes.

Focus on Operational Management: A Generic Approach gives a general overview of management principles and the general management activities needed by the operational and first-time manager in the workplace today. These principles are important for the sustainability of an organisation.

The following topics are discussed:

• The new workplace environment
• The changing role of the operational and first-time manager
• Operational planning, operational decision-making and problem-solving, organizing operational resources, operational control and leadership
• Employment relations in the workplace
• Organisational culture, diversity management, business ethics, corporate social responsibility, organisational politics and change management in the workplace.

Business Management: Back to Basics, aims at enabling students to learn relevant skills and competencies to become critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective and efficient business managers during prosperous and challenging times.

These competencies are achieved through students’ ability to interpret and apply the managerial tasks within the functional areas of management in an efficient and effective manner.

In this regard, practical activities based on real business scenarios facilitate students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

The value chain is a major focus in today's business world, and many companies and managers allocate considerable resources to understanding and analysing their value chain. The main reason for doing this is either to eliminate activities that do not add value, or to improve on activities that do not add sufficient value. In order to ensure optimum customer satisfaction, businesses must integrate the activities of various departments and functions. This demands a sound understanding of the chain of activities and their interrelationship with other business activities.

The authors of Business management adopt the value chain as a framework in order to help business students to visualise how the value chain works. New ground is broken in that management is not dealt with merely from a functional perspective. While the goal is to introduce undergraduate learners to the concept of the value chain, it is not, however, to offer a comprehensive directory on the related literature. The book is divided into three parts.

Part A introduces the reader to business management, the value chain, the business environment, the entrepreneurial process, and the considerations that need to be taken into account when establishing a business. Part B examines the activities of the value chain, starting with general management and leadership, followed by the primary and support activities that constitute the value chain. In Part C, contemporary management issues are reviewed, including diversity management, business ethics, globalisation, creativity and innovation, environmental issues, corporate governance and black economic empowerment.

Business management - a value chain approach covers basic points of theory, but it also has a strong practical approach, and includes self-evaluation exercises, challenging experiential exercises, information about relevant websites, interesting discussion questions and case studies, as well as useful lists of key terms.

This revised second edition has been updated in respect of new legislation such as the Companies Act, the Co-operatives Act, the Consumer Protection Act and the National Credit Act. Statistics have also been aligned with Census 2011.

The past two decades have seen a huge growth in interest in doctoral studies, not only in South Africa but elsewhere as well. Changes in the funding framework for universities in South Africa, in particular, has meant that from 2005 onwards, more funding has been available. However, postgraduate studies are challenging. The "digital revolution", as one example, has had a radical impact on the way research is done in the 21st century. Because of the more widespread availability of information (including personal information), students have had to become more accountable when they conduct research.

How To Succeed In Your Master's And Doctoral Studies is organised around eight steps that should be followed for the successful and ethical completion of postgraduate studies, whether they be traditional master's theses, mini-theses or doctoral dissertations. How To Succeed In Your Master's And Doctoral Studies is based on first-hand knowledge of students' experiences with postgraduate studies: what the challenges and problems were, how they navigated the supervisory process and the different styles and approaches of supervisors, the support (or lack thereof) they received from the universities where they had enrolled, and much more. How To Succeed In Your Master's And Doctoral Studies is aimed at students embarking on postgraduate studies.

The management of safety in the organisation is a priority in all businesses. In Managing Organisational Safety Culture the authors discuss the core principles of safety management, accountability for safety, health and safety practices, and safety control measures and techniques.

They pay specific attention to establishing a safety culture in the workplace by utilising the organisation’s vision, mission, goals and objectives and address how organisations manage that safety culture.

Some of the features that make Managing Organisational Safety Culture a valuable resource are:

• clearly defined learning outcomes and key terms at the start of each chapter to guide students and practitioners through the information in the book
• information and examples that are relevant to all types of organisations in South Africa
• self-assessment exercises at the end of each chapter to test the reader’s understanding of the material

An understanding of logistics is of primary importance in the modern business world and this text allows students and businesspeople alike to become comfortable with the fundamentals of this discipline. In its explanation of logistics--the process of moving a commodity or service from customer order to consumption--this guide provides insight into every step of the process, from order processing and purchasing to packaging and warehousing. Tips are included for integrated logistics, customer service, materials flow, and strategic logistics plans.