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To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8594.2008.00319.x Byline: BINDU ARYA (1), BALBIR BASSI (2), RIAH PHIYEGA (3) Abstract: ABSTRACT Over the past decade, strategy and international business scholars have increasingly turned their attention to assessing how alterations in institutional arrangements in former centrally planned economies influence enterprise-level strategies. Little is known about the strategic responses of organizations operating in countries going through institutional transformation related to social issues. Since the first democratic elections in 1994, the South African government has focused on addressing the inequalities of the past through what is known as Black Economic Empowerment (empowerment of historically disadvantaged black people). In this paper, we investigate the approach used by the Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (ABSA) Group Limited, one of the top four banks and an important player in the South African financial services sector, in formulating and implementing strategy to ensure successful and sustainable organizational transformation. A key component of ABSA's Black Economic Empowerment strategy is incorporation of transformation as a business imperative and not merely as a compliance requirement. Author Affiliation: (1)College of Business Administration, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri (2)Group BEE, ABSA Group Limited, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa (3)Group Public Affairs, ABSA Group Limited, Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa

The study investigates the performance effects of a company's alliance partner selections by analyzing the interaction of resource complementarity and status associations between the firm and its partners. Evidence indicates that alliance formations and their effects on firm performance are influenced by resource complementarity and status effects together with several firm- and environment-based factors.

The South African government has been active in promulgating specific corporate social responsibility (CSR) regulations since 1994 directed at the economic empowerment of historically disadvantaged Black people. Government laws have sought to involve corporations in promoting social cohesion and in addressing problems of historical exclusion of Black communities from the mainstream economy. This objective of transformation within the economy culminated in the release of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act in 2003. The Department of Trade and Industry finalized the Codes of Good Practice on February 9, 2007, to clarify and ensure consistency in the implementation of socially responsible behavior in one area, empowerment of historically disadvantaged Black people (other areas of CSR do not display this consistently) within organizations across industry sectors. In this article, the authors discuss the key principles of this legislation, approaches to monitoring and measuring Codes of Good Practice implementation, and their implications for social-change initiatives in local and multinational enterprises that operate in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How can firms from emerging economies, given their internal resource constraints, compete effectively with established multinational enterprises (MNEs) in home markets and gain capabilities for international expansion? We develop an integrative view of resources by incorporating network-based social capital theories and articulate that the depth and nature of emerging economy firms’ external social capital determine the direction and magnitude of resource exchanges with their business partners, and thus their effectiveness in accumulating critical internal resources. Throughout the development of our theoretical framework, we have also relied on empirical evidences from various business sources, including the cases on Lenovo and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC). We conclude with scholarly and practical implications and future research avenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contrasts the structural perspective with the individual perspective in explaining group performance in a dynamic setting. The authors argue that these perspectives are not mutually exclusive but have different predictive powers at different group stages. Results from 45 project groups show (a) group structures provide stronger performance predictions at the later stage, whereas individual-based attributes do so at the earlier stage, and (b) different group structures and individual-based attributes provide distinctive insights at respective stages. This indicates the need to explore the potential bridge between the two perspectives in advancing group studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]