The corporate strategic planning of businesses in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) largely focuses on immediate financial performance with minimal credence to social sustainability. Thus, studies on the linkage between corporate governance (CG) and sustainability reporting have focused on developed economies. This study therefore investigated the role of institutional ownership in the impact of board committee characteristics on social sustainability reporting. This study involved strongly balanced panel data with 1969 observations of 275 publicly listed non-financial firms in SSA within the timeframe of 2012 to 2021. Data were analyzed using STATA 14.1. The hypotheses were tested using the two-step system of the generalized method of moment (GMM) using the Arellano–Bond dynamic panel data estimation method. The rate of social sustainability reporting was 39.4%. Relatively, Mauritian and South African firms had the most effective board committee characteristics and higher levels of social sustainability reporting. Although institutional ownership had no significant effect on social sustainability reporting, it moderated the effect of sustainability committee independence and sustainability committee gender diversity on social sustainability reporting. This paper presents a new perspective on the corporate governance and social sustainability literature by examining the effect of institutional ownership on board committee characteristics and social sustainability reporting in SSA. In terms of policy implication, there is the need for mandatory regulatory and legal CG framework that is regularly updated at national and regional levels in SSA to motivate listed firms to establish sustainability committees with efficient characteristics to promote social sustainability reporting.

Background: South Africa has evolved new policies and legislations to renew the governance and administrative systems of the country in the wake of multiparty democracy. However, public institutions, including the South African Police Service (SAPS), are still criticised for poor service delivery. The SAPS has often blamed its perceived poor performance on inadequate resources despite the existence of a supply chain management (SCM) policy that seeks to bring efficiency in the acquisition and deployment of resources for service delivery. Therefore, using the framework of public policy theory, this study sought to assess the perceptions of personnel at SAPS in Northern Cape province on the SCM policy’s impact on service delivery and the challenges thereof. Aim: The aim is to contribute to the understanding of how SCM policies enhance the service delivery capabilities of government departments. Setting: The setting is SAPS in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Methods: The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design with a main survey and a follow-up survey being conducted. The main survey involved data collection from 174 staff members while the follow-up survey involved 70 respondents. Results: Statistical analysis of the two sets of data revealed that the SCM policy has had some positive on service delivery. Staffing inadequacy was found to be the biggest challenge. In fact, 12 out of the 15 challenges are attributable to the human factor. Conclusion: The SCM policy has had some positive impact on service delivery in SAPS NC, but there is room for improvement.

Background: Many of the total quality management (TQM) implementation challenges substantiated in the literature seem oriented towards various facets, including organisation, management, or clients, casting doubts about the effectiveness of the concept in service delivery. The ever-increasing demand for quality services solicits more attention to the desired performance outcomes that define and reflect more of clients’ needs. Such demand presents quality management concerns for many healthcare organisations targeting service delivery. Aim: The TQM concept gets less logical given the increasing challenges in its implementation for service delivery. This research aimed to determine the significance of such challenges. Setting: Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH), Lesotho. Methods: Based on a questionnaire survey of 297 participants, comprising 98 staff and 199 clients, the study obtains survey data from a 5-year result of TQM implementation attempts at Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH), Lesotho. Results: TQM demonstrates great potential to support service delivery as a strategic approach. The study isolates the management-oriented facet of TQM implementation challenges and finds them considerably influenced by the various TQM components. Conclusion: This study establishes and classifies the TQM implementation challenges in QMMH, which are mostly organization, management, and client-oriented. It further addresses assumptions relating to their classifications. Overall, the result suggests that the significance of the underlying challenges in service delivery is more management-oriented. Contribution: The study provides directions that strengthen the effectiveness of the TQM concept and its implementation. It suggests the capacity-building of a hospital’s management team drives TQM implementation.

The implementation and impact of inclusivity and accessibility in the banking sector are crucial to the banking sector’s participation of any country in achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16 and 17. This study examines the implementation and impact of inclusivity and accessibility in the South African banking sector, with a focus on the Free State province. Guided by the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) and Institutional Theory, this research employs a quantitative, deductive approach to assess two core objectives: (1) the alignment of fintech banking practices with selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and (2) the identification of barriers to inclusivity and accessibility for women and youth. A stratified random sample of 208 banking professionals—comprising front-line employees, supervisors, and managers—was surveyed using a Likert-type questionnaire. Data were analysed using SPSS version 21. The findings reveal significant progress toward SDGs 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 16, and 17, reflected in a female-majority workforce, a youthful and educated employee base, and a nationally oriented employment strategy. These attributes signal a strong institutional commitment to inclusive growth and sustainable development. The sector also demonstrates readiness for fintech innovation, supported by high levels of training adequacy, relevance, and accessibility, indicating robust human capital and institutional adaptability to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and AI-driven transformation. However, persistent structural barriers—particularly in leadership representation and digital access for women and youth—highlight the need for targeted policy interventions. Integrating inclusive fintech strategies, equitable training frameworks, and development programs is essential to sustaining progress and achieving the goals of the National Development Plan (NDP) and the SDGs. The Free State banking sector offers a promising model for inclusive institutional transformation aligned with global sustainability agendas.

Land, Labour and Capital are regarded as factors necessary for production to occur. In this frame, entrepreneurship is seen as that part of labour which combines other production factors to create goods and services that satisfy society’s needs whilst making profit, bearing all the associated risks. Naturally, risk implies ambiguity with the reverse also true. Ambiguity is therefore a permanent feature of the entrepreneurship environment. That entrepreneurs are able to recognize and exploit opportunities in an ambiguous environment is a sign of ingenuity. Based on the interpretivist approach, we conducted a qualitative (desk) research by reviewing the literature on entrepreneurship and its associated themes. Drawing from insights and patterns of meanings provided by these prior works, we identify those special attributes of entrepreneurs that make them so ingenious. We are of the view that generally speaking, the ingenuity of entrepreneurs or enterprising individuals (the human factor) lies in cognitive; fear-conquering; and self-reliance characteristics of individuals. This is in line with the assertion that entrepreneurs’ personal characteristics are the most important factors for business success. In our view, these three broad characteristics enable entrepreneurs to: create or discover opportunities; identify real opportunities that are less obvious to the general population; identify geographical locations that are endowed with social and economic resources conducive for a particular venture; and chose the organizational arrangement that best serve as a vehicle to exploit the opportunity – the hallmarks of ingenuity. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p11

This study adopted the interpretivist position on social science enquiry to understand why moral values do not always inspire firms and individuals to act ethically and to consider whether rules promote ethics and if so, to what extent. Design wise, the qualitative methodology was used with the specific method being desk research where the literature on ethics was analysed to understand what previous researchers think about the issue. Thereafter, own subjective judgements were made. Based on the literature analysis, it was found that cognitive biases, information asymmetry and the multiplicity of moral frameworks in a heterogeneous society militate against ethics. It was also found that in a plural society, rules have the potential to harmonize the divergent moral frameworks of the different segments.