John M. Luiz

Bio: John M. Luiz is an academic researcher from University of Cape Town. The author has contributed to research in topics: Emerging markets & Multinational corporation. The author has an hindex of 25, co-authored 109 publications receiving 2232 citations. Previous affiliations of John M. Luiz include Vista University & University of Sussex.

Managing business in Africa : practical management theory for an emerging market

Abstract: Doing business in African countries or emerging economies requires a different set of management skills than doing business with developed nations, or nations in other parts of the developing world. This new title meets the growing requirements of business schools and senior students to apply and adapt generic management principles to real African circumstances, to assess the risks and returns confidently, so that as practitioners, they can do business effectively. The purpose of the book is to cover management principles which are addressed in any MBA or Executive Education or Management course, with reference to Africa.

Foreign Direct Investment, Institutional Voids, and the Internationalization of Mining Companies into Africa

Abstract: The paper investigates the factors influencing the internationalization of mining firms into Africa and the strategies employed. We find that the three most important factors identified by mining houses as influencing their decisions to invest are all related to institutional voids particular to developing countries—security of tenure, political stability and poor infrastructure. South African firms have shown themselves to be adept to doing business in volatile political and institutional environments because of their experience within their home base with relatively weaker institutions. They have therefore developed advantages over multinational enterprises from industrialized countries to doing business in these new frontiers.

Institutions and economic performance: Implications for African development

Abstract: The recent economic performance of Sub Saharan Africa has been very disappointing Its poverty has many dimensions and causes, both internal and external This paper focuses on the role of institutions in promoting or hindering economic development in Africa and the implications for doing business on the continent It questions our understanding of institutions and how they develop and warns against simplistic assumptions in this regard The paper examines how it is that institutions come to affect economic growth and the characteristics of what makes for good institutions Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Urban Working Class Credit Usage and Over-Indebtedness in South Africa*

Abstract: South Africa's political transition has resulted in an increase in the ability of a larger proportion of South African households to borrow. The reasons for this are partially market driven (i.e. recent increases in household wealth for the new middle classes, wealth redistribution, declining interest rates, improved risk management approaches and the pursuit of new markets on the part of financial institutions) and partially politically and legislatively driven (i.e. encouraged by changes to the regulatory and policy environment, encouraged ‘financial sector deepening’, and wider access to the formal financial sector). Growth in credit consumption in South Africa, however, has exceeded growth in incomes, leading to increasing levels of household debt. One of the groups most affected by these changes is the urban working class and this article explores some of the features of, and reasons for, their over-indebtedness through industry specialist interviews, primary fieldwork and credit bureau data analysis...

An economic analysis of sports performance in Africa

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to develop insight into the socio‐economic determinants of African sports performance. Previous studies have argued that a country's success in sports is directly related to the economic resources that are available for those sports. However, factors that are used to determine the levels of success for developed countries are not necessarily the same, or bear the same weight, as for developing countries.Design/methodology/approach – The premise of this study is to identify specific factors that increase success in sports in developing countries by means of several econometric specifications using cross sectional data for African countries.Findings – This study finds evidence that suggests that Africa's performance in sports is dependent on a range of socio‐economic factors, which in some respects confirms worldwide studies. Money does indeed matter: GDP was the overwhelmingly consistent dependent variable in all four models tested. Interestingly, important shades of ...

Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Abstract: NUDGE: IMPROVING DECISIONS ABOUT HEALTH, WEALTH, AND HAPPINESS by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein Penguin Books, 2009, 312 pp, ISBN 978-0-14-311526-7This book is best described formally as a general explanation of and advocacy for libertarian paternalism, a term coined by the authors in earlier publications. Informally, it is about how leaders, systems, organizations, and governments can nudge people to do the things the nudgers want and need done for the betterment of the nudgees, or of society. It is paternalism in the sense that "it is legitimate for choice architects to try to influence people's behavior in order to make their lives longer, healthier, and better", (p. 5) It is libertarian in that "people should be free to do what they like - and to opt out of undesirable arrangements if they want to do so", (p. 5) The built-in possibility of opting out or making a different choice preserves freedom of choice even though people's behavior has been influenced by the nature of the presentation of the information or by the structure of the decisionmaking system. I had never heard of libertarian paternalism before reading this book, and I now find it fascinating.Written for a general audience, this book contains mostly social and behavioral science theory and models, but there is considerable discussion of structure and process that has roots in mathematical and quantitative modeling. One of the main applications of this social system is economic choice in investing, selecting and purchasing products and services, systems of taxes, banking (mortgages, borrowing, savings), and retirement systems. Other quantitative social choice systems discussed include environmental effects, health care plans, gambling, and organ donations. Softer issues that are also subject to a nudge-based approach are marriage, education, eating, drinking, smoking, influence, spread of information, and politics. There is something in this book for everyone.The basis for this libertarian paternalism concept is in the social theory called "science of choice", the study of the design and implementation of influence systems on various kinds of people. The terms Econs and Humans, are used to refer to people with either considerable or little rational decision-making talent, respectively. The various libertarian paternalism concepts and systems presented are tested and compared in light of these two types of people. Two foundational issues that this book has in common with another book, Network of Echoes: Imitation, Innovation and Invisible Leaders, that was also reviewed for this issue of the Journal are that 1 ) there are two modes of thinking (or components of the brain) - an automatic (intuitive) process and a reflective (rational) process and 2) the need for conformity and the desire for imitation are powerful forces in human behavior. …

An Analysis of Frantz Fanon's Black Skin, White Masks

Abstract: Frantz Fanon’s explosive Black Skin, White Masks is a merciless expose of the psychological damage done by colonial rule across the world. Using Fanon’s incisive analytical abilities to expose the consequences of colonialism on the psyches of colonized peoples, it is both a crucial text in post-colonial theory, and a lesson in the power of analytical skills to reveal the realities that hide beneath the surface of things. Fanon was himself part of a colonized nation – Martinique – and grew up with the values and beliefs of French culture imposed upon him, while remaining relegated to an inferior status in society. Qualifying as a psychiatrist in France before working in Algeria (a French colony subject to brutal repression), his own experiences granted him a sharp insight into the psychological problems associated with colonial rule. Like any good analytical thinker, Fanon’s particular skill was in breaking things down and joining dots. His analysis of colonial rule exposed its implicit assumptions – and how they were replicated in colonised populations – allowing Fanon to unpick the hidden reasons behind his own conflicted psychological make up, and those of his patients. Unflinchingly clear-sighted in doing so, Black Skin White Masks remains a shocking read today.