The impact of electricity crises on the consumption behaviour of small and medium enterprises

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will play a key role in future economic and social strategies in South Africa. However, we find that SMEs are par-ticularly vulnerable to shocks in their external envi-ronment due to a general lack of skills and resources. This is critical as the future demand for electricity in South Africa is likely to outstrip supply and electricity will become increasingly unreliable and expensive. We surveyed 250 SMEs in Cape Town and found that the prevailing policy methods of changing electricity consumption behaviour: information campaigns, increasing prices, and pro-viding rebates for energy savings, have had limited results and are unsustainable when applied to SMEs

Inward and Outward FDI Country Profiles, Second Edition

This second edition contains a series of 77 standardized country profiles dealing with the inward and outward foreign direct investment (FDI) performance of 40 economies. The profiles have been peer-reviewed by a global network of experts. The publication is intended to contribute to the analysis of trends in foreign direct investment and policy issues related to them. More specifically, the individual profiles discuss FDI trends and developments (country-level developments, the corporate players); effects of the recent global crises; and the policy scene. Each profile contains a standard set of tables, including on FDI stocks and flows, sectoral and geographical FDI distributions, the largest M&As and greenfield investments, the principal foreign affiliates (for inward FDI), and the principal multinational enterprises (for outward FDI). The standardized template used to produce the profiles allows cross-country comparisons. The volume is meant to be a reference tool for anyone interested in foreign direct investment

Political Schemas and Corporate Political Activities During Foreign Market Entry: A Micro-process Perspective

The paper analyses how multinational enterprises (MNEs) manage their interactions with host governments during the market entry process. A qualitative multiple case study collected data through in-depth interviews with multiple participants in six New Zealand MNEs. The analysis identifies two distinct political schemas which represent MNE managers’ assumptions and heuristics regarding how to approach interactions with foreign governments, systematic and episodic, which lead to the enactment of distinct patterns of political activities, each supported by certain political resources and capabilities. We then identify several sources of the variations in these two political schemas at the managerial, firm, industry, and country levels of analysis. Our study deepens understanding of the micro-processes of corporate political activity (CPA) and the processes and activities through which political resources and capabilities are developed, deployed and leveraged by MNE actors in managing their interactions with host governments during the market entry process. In doing so, we highlight the role of international experience in influencing the process of political capability development, and also the role of managerial actions in shaping this evolutionary process