Doctoral Research

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) matured over the last years. We have entered an era of global business responsibility where a growing number of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) laws and regulations are pushing multinational corporations (MNCs) to ‘adapt or die’. This evolution appears to be based on two primary arguments. The first being the case for the long-term survival of our species: a compelling case, with an abundance of mounting environmental evidence to support it. The second is more subtle: a global shift in orientation towards ‘post-materialist values’, such as social justice, self-expression, and tolerance (Inglehart, 1997). This shift, recorded by social scientists since the 1970s, was largely driven by a younger population while their parents still cared for ‘materialist’ values such as financial success, security and individual achievements (Diermeier, 2022). The new context for doing business, is a situation numerous companies have embraced and some continue to reject. Many more may still be ‘on the fence’. Regardless, the evidence suggests that the strategic questions for business have moved on from understanding the need to change, to the realities of how it can, and should, be done (IBM Institute for Business Value, 2022).

South Africa has one of the highest recidivism rates in the world, estimated to be between 50% and 90% (Schoeman, 2010; Khwela, 2014; Karrim, 2018; Cronje & Peacock, 2023). Approximately 11.5 million offenders are incarcerated in the world’s correctional facilities, 6.9% of them are women and girls. The global number of incarcerated women has increased by 53% since the year 2000 (Heard, 2017) and it is assumed that recidivism contributes to this increase. The pathways that lead women to crime are largely due to layered discrimination, deprivation by their partners, families and communities, violence (Critoph, 2019), changing personal economic and social positions and the increasing feminization of poverty (Penal Reform International, 2017). The identified reasons for female criminality are directly linked to the Target Priority Areas of several Sustainable Development Goals. Failure to address these results in recidivism has the potential to negate any progress made on SDGs.

Strategic managerial decision-making in a new era of quantum computing (“QC”) and Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) may become pivotal to the competitive edge of interconnected corporate success (Cavers, 2017; El Karoui, 2022; Klioutchnikov, 2017; Orrell, 2020). In recent years, traditional computing methods, driven by Moore’s Law and inundated with vast amounts of big data, have exhibited limitations in accurately predicting financial outcomes, particularly during periods of economic crises. Maverick (2024) indicates in Investopedia that the derivatives market is often estimated at over USD 1 quadrillion, and Investment Banks have allocated Billions of USD in derivatives market products alone. Therefore, QCs are being used by expert guided teams from some of the largest technology corporations and Investment Banks around the globe to solve some of corporate finance’s toughest problems (Orrell & Wilmott, 2021; Baaquie, 2023).

Developing, growing and sustaining relationships with customers is fundamental to the success of an organisation. In a rapidly changing environment where work has become vulnerable, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (“VUCA”), this remains a key challenge (Raja, 2021). Amid this VUCA world, a variety of tri-partite relationships exist, specifically between organisations, employees and customers. Organisations assess how they can generate product or service value and offer it as brand promises to customers to indicate how they will solve the product or service issue of the customer. Brand promises are, more specifically in the service industries, brought to life through engagements between employees and customers.

Developing, growing and sustaining relationships with customers is fundamental to the success of an organisation. In a rapidly changing environment where work has become vulnerable, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (“VUCA”), this remains a key challenge (Raja, 2021). Amid this VUCA world, a variety of tri-partite relationships exist, specifically between organisations, employees and customers. Organisations assess how they can generate product or service value and offer it as brand promises to customers to indicate how they will solve the product or service issue of the customer. Brand promises are, more specifically in the service industries, brought to life through engagements between employees and customers.

Oil and Gas has been produced from UK reservoirs since 1967, and although the industry is past its peak, it remains an important contributor to the UK economy (Green & Keogh, 2000). UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) Production Efficiency (PE) and Well Delivery (WD) productive time is at 80%. This reflects continuing efforts by industry to improve operational efficiencies (Oil & Gas Authority, 2020). The 20% operational inefficiency in the UKCS is lost time and cost which could be invested to accelerate the energy transition to reliable renewable options that can be added into the energy mix. The HS&E Report (2022) notes that improvements in human performance and data sharing are important to tackle these inefficiencies.

The Ugandan financial sector comprises non-deposit-taking microfinance institutions and deposit-taking institutions. Microfinance institutions provide financial assistance to the underprivileged worldwide to finance their small businesses. According to Ssekiziyivu et al. (2018), microfinance institutions in Uganda are essential in providing loans to support small and medium-sized firms that employ a large portion of the country’s workforce. Most microfinance institutions are non- deposit-taking microfinance institutions which lend to the majority of the small and medium-sized firms that contribute 20% of the gross domestic product and employ more than 60% of the labour force.

The analysis of economic challenges in developing countries reveals several flaws and dysfunctions including (i) high rates of unemployment; (ii) rising inequality; (iii) disruption of major economic activities due to the pandemic; and (iv) low productity due to poor human capital development (UNICEF, 2021). To address some of these challenges, development efforts, including the Global Partnership for Education, the Malala Fund, and others, have been devoted to the implementation of education reforms to improve quality (Bruns, Macdonald, & Schneider, 2019; Ditlev-Simonsen, 2021). The emphasis on education quality emanates from the reality that it equips students with the necessary skills to enhance national competitiveness, reduce inequality within a country, and eventually foster economic growth (Callender & Dougherty, 2018; Ramirez, 2014).