Critical Reflection: GIBS Study Trip & Business Development Insights

This report provides a detailed reflection on a business study trip organized by the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). The student's experience includes visits to Nedbank, where they explored the bank's expansion strategies using new technologies and its relationship with stakeholders. The trip also included a visit to Nondos restaurant, where the student learned about their expansion plans and distribution challenges. Furthermore, the student reflects on a visit to Alexandra, a township in South Africa, analyzing the socio-economic disparities and the impact of the Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) program. The report highlights key learnings from the study trip, including insights into business challenges, cultural nuances, and the importance of socio-economic factors in business development. The student also reflects on how these insights could be beneficial for their future career, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, cultural sensitivity, and understanding the broader socio-economic context in business. The report also touches upon the impact of corruption and labor issues on businesses, and the role of technology in business expansion.

Running head: OUR STUDY TRIP
OUR STUDY TRIP
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1OUR STUDY TRIP
Our faculty and management of “Gordon Institute of Business Science” decide to take us
on a study trip few days back. Our institute “Gordon Institute of Business Science” founded
by Sir Donald Gordon, is ranked one of the top “South African and African Business School”
according to the “UK Financial Times Executive Education rankings” chart. We visited
various places like the Nedbank and the Nondos restaurant. In the Nedbank, whose chairman
is Mr. Vassi Naidoo, their vision mainly focuses on the expansion of the bank branch and
maintain a good relationship with its stakeholder and employees. (Nedbank.co.za, 2019)
During our visit, they about their growing market and how the various new aged
technological tools like the apps helps in connecting with its customers. Taking the example
of the Fintech innovations as mentioned in our study lecture, it can be said that the digital
innovations plays a vital role in global expansion and recognition especially in the financial
sector. Digitization helps in smooth functioning especially for the technology savvy
consumers (Martins Oliveira and Popovič 2014).Now talking about the benefits and harmful
effects of internet as mentioned by Michael E Porter, while the benefits may outweigh the
harmful effects, still internet banking fraud and hacking posses a grave threat especially in
this financial sector. Now talking about the Nondos restaurant chain, which was founded by
Mr. Fernando Duarte in around 1987and, is famous for its Peri- Peri chicken. On the trip they
told us about us about their expansion plan and how they would want to open new restaurant
chains in foreign countries. They also told us the problems they face while distributing food
items in some foreign country. (Nandos.com, 2019) The main reason according to the article
by the author Maruis Oostuizen, Elrich Linde ,Kerry-lee Durrant and Ronak Gopaldas might
be the ever prevailing Corruption at different stages of Business along the Labor issues which
proves to be a major hindrance for any business organizations in terms of production and
human resource management. We also visited the Alexandra, which is a township in South
Africa in the province of Gauteng forming a side of the Johannesburg city and is also situated

2OUR STUDY TRIP
along the “upper-class suburb provinces of Sandton”. Surrounded by Wynberg in the west,
Lombardy west and Lombardy east on the south and Marlboro and Kelvin on the North,
Alexandra is also known as “Gomorrah”. Considered one of the poorest place in the whole
country, Alexandra is located near the banks of Jukskei River. Along with the so-called
“well-Build” bricks houses there are many around 20,000 not so formal living areas, also
known as sacks. Talking about the history of the city of Alexandra, it was formed in the year
1912 by a farmer name Mr H.B. Papenfus who owned the land. He tried to make a “white
residential township” and then naming it after his wife Alexandra. It was created under the
Land Act of South Africa in the year 1913.During the early 1960`s, the decision to remove all
the residential dwelling was taken by the government in the state of Alexandra. In addition,
“Single Sex hostels” was to be build in that place. However, later in the year 1979, the
scheme was written off because of the strong protest and riot around the country and in the
end only two hostels was finally constructed. Later in the year 2000, for the upliftment and
renewal of the people living in the Alexandra and its neighborhood, the new “Alexandra
Renewal Project” was started which causes a rift between the people residing there and the
companies like the waste disposal company - “SA Waste Holdings(Pty)Ltd. which is situated
near Marlboro. According to the latest official report, around 3000 houses were build under
this scheme. During the year 2008 in the month of May, there was a series of “Xenophobic
attack” that happened all over the country of South Africa. It began from the township of
Alexandra. The main reason was the undirected and misguided anxiety arising from the fact
that the rate of corruptions was high especially while distributing the resources like the
houses. As per the official reports, many foreign people especially from places like
Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Congolese along with people from North South Africa were mainly
the victims.

3OUR STUDY TRIP
Talking about the overall study trip experience, it was very enriching and delighting.
I got to know a lot about the culture and heritage of the people living in South Africa. We got
to visit the famous Nedbank and learn a lot about their policy of expansion with the help of
new age technology and internet which I fell is a double edged sword. We also got to visit the
well know Nondos restaurant chain in South Africa and have my favorite peri peri chicken.
From them we got to know about the problem they are suffering in respect to distribution of
food products like the chicken or the vegetable in other foreign country (Fatoki 2014), which
according to me is because of the increasing corruption at almost all business stage giving
rise to lots of labor disputes(Parboteeah Seriki and Hoegl 2014). We also got to visit the
beautiful neighboring township of Alexandra situated near Johannesburg which is also
considered one of the poorest city. The main problem lies with the fact the most of Alexandra
faces poverty. In addition, there is a great extent of income disparity especially between the
so-called back people and the white people. Their lies an inconsistent difference in a structure
of the business organizations which denies the chance to the poor for betterment. In addition,
there is no such thing as the middle class people. There are primarily two basic classes of
people. The two basic classes of people mainly consist of the rich and effluent white people
as the high-class people and the lower poor class, which mainly consist of the black people.
In addition, the availability of proper funding especially for the development of the country is
also a big question mark. The availability and the proper utilizations of the funds depend
upon the government of the country and the leaders running it. Along with it, the socio
economic and political environment of a country is also a vital factor in determining the
overall development of a country. Now taking about the disparity and inequality between the
rich high-class white people and the poor lower class black people, I would like talk about the
importance of the “Black Economic Empowerment Programme”(BEE). Now Black

4OUR STUDY TRIP
Economic Empowerment (BEE) which was implemented in the year 2003, is “basically a
racially selective programme launched by the South African government to redress the
inequalities of Apartheid by giving black (African, Colored and Indians) South African
citizens economic privileges that are not available to Whites. It is a form of Affirmative
action. Although race is the overriding factor, it includes measures such as Employment
Preference, skills development, ownership, management, socioeconomic development, and
preferential procurement. By 2015 around R350 billion (equivalent to US$24 billion) worth
BEE deals had been done by the top 100 companies on the JSE with an additional R50 billion
by private South African companies indicating that 10 percent of South Africa's GDP had
been transferred to 20 percent of the population in the 15 years since 2000."As mentioned by
Kruger and Kleynhans E.P., (2014)
Now talking about the good or bad of the overall trip, I really love the fact how the
Ned bank are using the new media like the mobile application in order to connect with the
costumers. The new media has a much higher reach since nowadays almost everyone has a
smart phone with good internet connection. A costumer having the mobile app of the Ned
bank could access all of the facilities available as per his or her own convenience of place and
time from his or her own mobile phone. It is more fast and easy especially for the tech savvy
people like me. They are also trying to expand their business market in the financial business
sector (Peters and Panayi 2016). In addition, one of benefits of the study tour was the visit to
my favorite restaurant the Nondos, which is absolute well know for the Peri Peri Chicken. I
was quite happy to know that the Nondos Resturant is trying to open up more and more
restaurant chain especially in the international market and thus expand their business. The
fact that they were facing the problem of the distribution of the food products like the chicken
and the vegetables mainly in the international market is big setback especially for restaurant

5OUR STUDY TRIP
chain in the restaurant business who are looking for expansion. This according to me
highlights the infamous fact of corruption that is present in more or less all the business
organizations in almost all the countries across the world. In addition, the visit to the lovely
neighborhood township of Alexandra situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was really
saddening to knows about the hardships and difficulties people living there especially the
black are facing. Still the people there are always cheerful and happy and thus they remain
highly motivated,
As mentioned earlier socio economic and political environment prevailing in a
country helps in determining the overall development of a country. As mentioned in the Geert
Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, the natural culture should be rich and not similar. Everyone
should respect the diversity in the culture of the other people weather it is based on language,
gender or most importantly religion, it should not matter (Nistor et al. 2014). Everyone
should be treated equally irrespective of the cast creed sex or religion. People with
different religion loyalty, people of different gender having preferences or people speaking
different languages are bound to have different views and opinions. We may not agree with
every views and opinions of other but then we should not discriminate or disrespect the other
on the basis of that. The concepts of equality, fraternity and brotherhood should be promoted.
More emphasis should be given to the concept of “collective responsibility and community
relationship” promoting sensitivity (Mazanec et al. 2015). The various social norms those are
present especially among the people of South Africans like one should speak loud as
speaking softly or whispering is considered ill mannered, One is able to laugh or cry in public
without being judged, One should not call or address an senior people by their first name
which is considered as disrespectful. In addition, direct eye contact is also not considered
appropriate. Talking specifically about the two genders male and female, the males can hold
hand in public out of friendship and respect not female. The male members of the family

6OUR STUDY TRIP
should be greeted first followed by the female members. While male members should move
in some critical situation in order to protect the female members, and can sit among the
presence of the elders , the same is not true in the case of the vice versa, the female
members. Talking about the various rituals present during a marriage ceremony includes the
male member of the family offering the cattle that is also known as the Labola or the money
to the family, the practice of polygamy marriage is also very evident. The marriages that last
more than a couple of days involve sacrificing of animals and more number of children in a
family signifies more wealth and prosperity. In a marriage as per the traditions of the South
Africans, the male members of the family are considered to be superior while the female
members of the family are considered inferior they are suppose to live with the male
members and serve them for rest of their life. All these various norms helps in creating a
socio cultural background of a country.
According to me, the main importance especially for the issue at Alexandra should be
given in the formation of a strong solid government with the concept of collective leadership,
which gives importance to empathy , open communication and respect the opinions of others.
The good leader acts as a role model for other (Ramchunder and Martins 2014).
Lastly, I would like to conclude by saying that a good stable government is essential
for proper functioning of a country. If given a opportunity and chance I would like to take
part in the formation of the government and work for the betterment of the country.

7OUR STUDY TRIP
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8OUR STUDY TRIP
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