International Journal of Business Ecosystem & Strategy

The erosion of the South African state and its public services can be understood through various social, political and economic factors. These issues are complex and multifaceted, often intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Several theories and patterns can help explain the erosion of the state and public services in the country. The core objective of this paper is to elucidate the foregoing factors, using purposely selected theories as philosophical lenses through which to understand why service delivery dilemmas prevail, and why state institutions are eroding. This paper is located within a qualitative paradigm, in particular narrative reviews, where secondary sources of information was consulted. This paper makes a conceptual contribution to the notion of the erosion of South African public sector institutions in general, and the field of Public Administration in particular. The paper recognises that addressing the erosion of the South African state and public services requires comprehensive strategies and reforms, including tackling corruption, improving the education and healthcare systems, creating jobs, and addressing economic inequalities. It also necessitates strengthening institutions and promoting good governance to restore public trust and to ensure sustainable development.

Amid growing calls for efficiency, transparency, and value creation in public sector supply chain management (SCM) performance, this paper aims to investigate the impact of technological modernisation on SCM practices within the context of South Africa's public service operations. Framed by modernisation theory which historically guided structural reforms in developing economies, the study examines whether readiness to adopt Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies such as modern digital systems, automation, and data-driven tools enhance effectiveness while influencing SCM practices and performance. Despite its growing prominence in policy discourse, the adoption of 4IR in the public sector context remains uneven and not yet formally established, creating a need for empirical evidence on whether these technologies deliver tangible performance improvements. The research adopts a quantitative research design with primary data were collected via a structured, self-administered online survey from 120 purposively selected SCM officials based in the Gauteng Province, the economic hub of South Africa and the province consisting of the largest concentration of government departments. A linear multiple regression and ANOVA techniques within SPSS was employed to test for statistical significance of the relationships between the research constructs. The findings show a significant relationship between technological modernisation and SCM performance, reinforcing the role of digitally modernising business systems and practices that lead to improved efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The study contributes to business research by providing empirical evidence that technological modernisation enhances service delivery outcomes and improves operational efficiency in the public sector.

The study explored the challenges faced by principals in implementing policies with a focus on the Policy on the South African Standard for Principalship. The implementation of policies globally and in South Africa has experienced a high rate of failure. The problem is that in many organisations' implementing policies, policy implementers are not concerned with challenges that employees face when implementing policies. This lack of focus on challenges has often resulted in policy implementation failure. This article focuses on the perceptions of principals regarding challenges they encounter in implementing policies using a qualitative approach. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with fifteen principals from schools in Mopani East district, Limpopo province, and used a qualitative inductive analysis. The study revealed that principals encounter challenges that are both systemic DBE-based (Department of Basic Education) and school-based. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education should focus on mediating the challenges using effective strategies to enhance the chances of policy success. 

The sawmilling industry in South Africa consists of both formal and informal sawmills. How these sawmills operate and their costs of operation often differ from each other. This challenges regulations, product costings, and product offerings, as this often differs for the players. There is an urgent need to improve the competitiveness of the sawmilling industry; however, despite the various efforts from multiple stakeholders, the industry remains globally and even locally uncompetitive. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the competitiveness of the South African sawmill industry and how those factors impact the industry’s sustainable development. Research questions were formulated to achieve the objective. The study followed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted with seven personnel working in the South African sawmill industry. A non-probability purposive sampling method was employed to choose participants for the study based on their positions. By looking at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the PESTLE factors affecting the competitiveness of the South African sawmilling industry, we were able to see that there are several factors at play in the sawmill industry. The study highlighted that by looking at the sawmilling industry holistically, the stakeholders (private, public, communities, government, academia, etc) can work together to address the challenges affecting the sawmilling industry. This can be achieved by incentivising compliance with the regulations that support sustainability and competitiveness in the sawmilling industry. Future research should explore the effectiveness and success stories of initiatives, regulations and programs that address challenges in the sawmilling industry and see how they can be improved for sustainable development.

The study explored the challenges faced by principals in implementing policies with a focus on the Policy on the South African Standard for Principalship. The implementation of policies globally and in South Africa has experienced a high rate of failure. The problem is that in many organisations' implementing policies, policy implementers are not concerned with challenges that employees face when implementing policies. This lack of focus on challenges has often resulted in policy implementation failure. This article focuses on the perceptions of principals regarding challenges they encounter in implementing policies using a qualitative approach. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with fifteen principals from schools in Mopani East district, Limpopo province, and used a qualitative inductive analysis. The study revealed that principals encounter challenges that are both systemic DBE-based (Department of Basic Education) and school-based. The study recommends that the Department of Basic Education should focus on mediating the challenges using effective strategies to enhance the chances of policy success. 

Amid growing calls for efficiency, transparency, and value creation in public sector supply chain management (SCM) performance, this paper aims to investigate the impact of technological modernisation on SCM practices within the context of South Africa's public service operations. Framed by modernisation theory which historically guided structural reforms in developing economies, the study examines whether readiness to adopt Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies such as modern digital systems, automation, and data-driven tools enhance effectiveness while influencing SCM practices and performance. Despite its growing prominence in policy discourse, the adoption of 4IR in the public sector context remains uneven and not yet formally established, creating a need for empirical evidence on whether these technologies deliver tangible performance improvements. The research adopts a quantitative research design with primary data were collected via a structured, self-administered online survey from 120 purposively selected SCM officials based in the Gauteng Province, the economic hub of South Africa and the province consisting of the largest concentration of government departments. A linear multiple regression and ANOVA techniques within SPSS was employed to test for statistical significance of the relationships between the research constructs. The findings show a significant relationship between technological modernisation and SCM performance, reinforcing the role of digitally modernising business systems and practices that lead to improved efficiency, transparency, and accountability. The study contributes to business research by providing empirical evidence that technological modernisation enhances service delivery outcomes and improves operational efficiency in the public sector.

The sawmilling industry in South Africa consists of both formal and informal sawmills. How these sawmills operate and their costs of operation often differ from each other. This challenges regulations, product costings, and product offerings, as this often differs for the players. There is an urgent need to improve the competitiveness of the sawmilling industry; however, despite the various efforts from multiple stakeholders, the industry remains globally and even locally uncompetitive. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the competitiveness of the South African sawmill industry and how those factors impact the industry’s sustainable development. Research questions were formulated to achieve the objective. The study followed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews. Interviews were conducted with seven personnel working in the South African sawmill industry. A non-probability purposive sampling method was employed to choose participants for the study based on their positions. By looking at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the PESTLE factors affecting the competitiveness of the South African sawmilling industry, we were able to see that there are several factors at play in the sawmill industry. The study highlighted that by looking at the sawmilling industry holistically, the stakeholders (private, public, communities, government, academia, etc) can work together to address the challenges affecting the sawmilling industry. This can be achieved by incentivising compliance with the regulations that support sustainability and competitiveness in the sawmilling industry. Future research should explore the effectiveness and success stories of initiatives, regulations and programs that address challenges in the sawmilling industry and see how they can be improved for sustainable development.

The erosion of the South African state and its public services can be understood through various social, political and economic factors. These issues are complex and multifaceted, often intertwined and mutually reinforcing. Several theories and patterns can help explain the erosion of the state and public services in the country. The core objective of this paper is to elucidate the foregoing factors, using purposely selected theories as philosophical lenses through which to understand why service delivery dilemmas prevail, and why state institutions are eroding. This paper is located within a qualitative paradigm, in particular narrative reviews, where secondary sources of information was consulted. This paper makes a conceptual contribution to the notion of the erosion of South African public sector institutions in general, and the field of Public Administration in particular. The paper recognises that addressing the erosion of the South African state and public services requires comprehensive strategies and reforms, including tackling corruption, improving the education and healthcare systems, creating jobs, and addressing economic inequalities. It also necessitates strengthening institutions and promoting good governance to restore public trust and to ensure sustainable development.