Nestlé SA (Nestlé), as a multinational company, engaged strategically with societal issues at the local level and had tasked Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) with evaluating its shared value initiatives. Nestlé ESAR’s chairperson and managing director had to determine whether to take forward one of the of the organization’s strategic initiatives, the Makhoba Trust initiative. The managing director believed the model that he and the team had created through the work developing the Makhoba Trust initiative could be a sustainable framework for future Nestlé stakeholder collaboration. He was keen to share the progress with the global leadership team, but he knew hard questions would be asked. Was the project a successful shared value partnership and therefore worthy of more investment? Any decisions would have widespread implications for the company and the community of 1,400 rural households and 7,000 people.
Circl Learning Limited (Circl), a United Kingdom–based organization that provided coaching training to professionals and diverse young leaders from under-represented groups, was facing a challenge regarding impact measurement. Founded in 2018, Circl had grown and established a significant client base in a short time. Measurement of impact was a core component of its philosophy and growth strategy. As the chief executive officer prepared for a team meeting, he contemplated the measurements that Circl had in place and was currently tracking. What other key metrics should the organization consider for 2023?
<p style="color: rgb(197, 183, 131);"><strong> AWARD WINNER - African Business Cases Category at European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Case Writing Competition</strong></p><br>On January 20, 2022, Shamini Harrington, vice president for climate change at Sasol Limited (Sasol), considered the recent announcement that the company had reaffirmed its commitment to climate change management. As she looked through the plans in place, she reflected back to Sasol’s evolution as an organization and its role within South Africa, and considered the complexities involved in the process of a just transition. Two questions particularly resonated with her as she thought of the report she needed to provide to her management in the next three months: What were the implications for a just energy transition in a developing country like South Africa? and, How should Sasol work with stakeholders who often held differing perspectives?
In 2016, a young South African left her secure office job to pursue her passion for social entrepreneurship in the youth development field. She had been volunteering with street children, but she wanted to do more by drawing on her entrepreneurial experience from high school and university. She followed her passion, and experienced a number of challenges, but also early successes over her first four years of social entrepreneurship, including the formation of her social business, Beyond the Lemonade Stand. Business was steady but she struggled with getting the commitment needed in poor township schools to make the program a success. She began to question the core purpose of her organization and wondered if she would be better off pursuing opportunities offered by middle-class and private schools that wanted her services.
Soweto Gold was a premium microbrewery in the township of Soweto, South Africa. In 2011, one of its co-founders got the idea to start a craft brewery while on an advanced brewing course in London. After a period of soul-searching and research, in 2013, he found a partner to begin producing and marketing a new craft beer. They found early success by focusing their efforts on getting to know the craft beer market and creating a sustainable value proposition. However, by 2016, they faced questions regarding how to grow the market for their iconic brand. How could they better reach some of their untapped markets and cement the brand in the minds of consumers? Should they contract out the brewing to a larger company outside Soweto in order to expand production? The challenge was to act boldly but not make any mistakes.
The large-scale abandonment of property in inner-city Johannesburg had brought waves of crime, illegal building occupation and general disinvestment. The founder of Olitzki Property Holdings (OPH) saw that an improvement at a precinct level, through carefully constructed partnerships with government, other property owners, tenants and illegal residents, was the key to building a sustainable, inclusive and socially grounded entrepreneurial business. OPH identified and bought derelict or illegally occupied buildings, then renovated and leased them to a combination of blue-chip and start-up businesses. While there was no doubt that OPH was profit focused, the ability to see the important role of development was a cornerstone of its success. Could the company — and the city — expand and maintain that success?
With the 2010 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, Johannesburg, South Africa, needs a much-improved public transport system. A bus rapid transit (BRT) system is proposed and the key challenge involves getting buy-in from the minibus-taxi industry, which serves current commuters with 22,000 minibus-taxis, but which sometimes threatens violence to ensure there is little change in its way of operating. The leader of the main Johannesburg taxi association embarks on a process of personal growth to find the courage and capacity to lead the taxi industry away from resistance and into a business partnership with the city. He and his small team undertake a personally risky journey to implement BRT through the Rea Vaya project, thus changing the landscape of Johannesburg and bringing safe transport to hundreds of thousands of residents. But only days after the launch of the BRT system, two people in a BRT bus are shot by a gunman. With the 2010 FIFA World Cup less than a year away, is it worth commuters and Rea Vaya workers being shot and potentially killed? Could anything have been done differently to avoid this? Should the whole project be put on hold? If they stop one more time, it might never get off the ground again.
The Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute (WRHI), a South African non-government organization, played a crucial role in turning the tide in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Africa. The organization significantly influenced the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic through its credibility, research output and multiple stakeholder engagement. The collaborative multiparty relationships between WRHI's stakeholders were a key component of the organization's success. However, WRHI’s sustainability faced serious challenges in the rapidly changing operating environment, particularly since the organization was totally dependent on funders. What strategic initiatives should WRHI pursue?