Failure to implement a turnaround strategy at South African Airways

Reflections from strategic players

Bibliographic Data

ID21540919
AuthorsKaizer M Nyatsumba (University of Johannesburg), Kaizer Nyatsumba (0000-0001-6799-1353, University of Johannesburg), R I David Pooe (University of Johannesburg, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume40
Issue1
Pages76-90
Publication date2023-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueDevelopment Southern Africa (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0376-835X • E-ISSN: 1470-3637
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0376835x.2021.1965865
OpenAlexW3195177203
LanguageEN
References cited33

For a number of years now, the South African Airways limped from one turnaround strategy to another, with little or no success. While there is a body of knowledge on turnaround strategies, little is known about the implementation of turnaround strategies in developing economies such as South Africa and of state-owned enterprises at that. The aim of this article was to explore some constraints experienced by SAA in the implementation of its Long-Term Turnaround Strategy. Purposive sampling was used to select participants to be interviewed for this study. Data were collected primarily through semi-structured interviews from 37 participants. Using thematic analysis, the following six themes emerged from the data analysis: shareholder’s slow decision making, undercapitalisation of the airline, unstable political leadership, unhealthy board dynamics, leadership instability, and lack of management skills

Business · Corporate governance · Economics · Nonprobability sampling · Operations management · Political science · Politics · Population · Qualitative research · Shareholder · Sociology · Thematic analysis · Corporate Finance and Governance · Corporate Insolvency and Governance · Legal Issues in South Africa · Finance · Marketing

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