Original Research

From fragmentation to fragile unity: Organizational fault-lines in South African business

Nicoli Nattrass
South African Journal of Business Management | Vol 29, No 1 | a767 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v29i1.767 | © 2018 Nicoli Nattrass | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 12 October 2018 | Published: 31 March 1998

About the author(s)

Nicoli Nattrass, School of Economics, University of Cape Town, South Africa

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Abstract

This article explores the nature and history of organized business in South Africa. It describes the major racial, sectoral and other fault-lines which fracture the business community, and indicates that many of these are the legacy of apartheid. It points out that the relationship between business and the state was ambiguous, varied between the economic sectors, and changed radically over time. The latter sections of the article discuss the role of business in South Africa's transition (and the collective action problems which were experienced), and charts the developments which lead up to the creation of the mega federation Business South Africa (BSA). It is argued that BSA represents an important, yet fragile, step towards unity.

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Crossref Citations

1. Ten Years After: South African Employment Relations Since the Negotiated Revolution
Eddy Donnelly, Stephen Dunn
British Journal of Industrial Relations  vol: 44  issue: 1  first page: 1  year: 2006  
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2006.00485.x