PurposeSouth Africa (SA) has undertaken significant institutional reforms since the change in its political regime in 1994. During the same period, SA has also experienced rapid economic growth. Although it is widely accepted that institutional reform generally has positive impacts on firm competitiveness and economic growth, the extent to which institutional reforms in SA have been of benefit to businesses is not well understood. The purpose of this paper is to focus specifically on the rule of law and assesses the extent to which the rule of law affects business performance.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses multinomial logistic regression techniques and data, from a large‐scale firm level survey (n=751) of SA businesses undertaken by the World Bank in 2007, to estimate the effects of various elements of the rule of law on firm performance.FindingsCrime and theft were found to have the largest impact on business performance, followed by corruption and tax administration. Political instability and the effectiveness of the court system were not perceived to affect business performance significantly.Research limitations/implicationsOngoing institutional reforms aimed at improving business performance and competitiveness in SA should pay particular attention to the design of effective policies to address crime, theft, corruption and tax administration issues faced by businesses.Originality/valueThe study is one of the first to provide empirical evidence based on a large‐scale survey of the extent to which crime and theft, corruption and tax effectiveness inhibit business growth in SA.

Malaysia is one of the leading countries in Asia that are at the forefront in the development of a knowledge-based economy (KBE). The Malaysian government has been making substantial investments in both physical and technological infrastructure to facilitate knowledge-intensive economic activities. Foreign and local firms in Malaysia are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities brought by the emerging KBE. However, little is known as to how firms in Malaysia respond to this new trajectory of economic development. In particular, there is paucity in the literature as to how Malaysian firms manage knowledge in their organizations as they strive to achieve sustainable competitive performance. Little is known as to how and why firms in Malaysia develop and manage their intangible and knowledge-based resources as they operate and respond to the modern knowledge-based competitive economic arena. This paper examines a type of organizational culture that supports and promotes knowledge management (KM) within firms in Malaysia. The paper argues that KM-oriented culture shapes the overall KM strategy of firms, which consequently shapes the organizational process required to manage the firm's knowledge-based resources. The study uses survey data from a sample of 153 firms from Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to develop and test the measurement model of KM-oriented culture, KM strategy and KM process of the sample firms, as well as the structural model of their hypothesized relationships. The results show that firms with high level of KMoriented culture demonstrated well-defined KM strategies. Firms that implemented well-defined KM strategies also reported that they have better KM processes in place. Building a KM-oriented culture within the organization is a pre-requisite to the implementation of any KM systems in Malaysian firms. Successful implementation of KM strategies, processes and the supporting technological infrastructure depends on whether organizational members consider KM as a norm within the firm. The study's focus on the linkages between KM-oriented culture, strategy and process in the context of Malaysian firms contributes to a more nuanced understanding of KM among firms in the Asian context in general, and in the Malaysian context in particular.

I/We hereby assign world-wide copyright of the article named above (the Work) in all forms of media, whether now known or hereafter developed, to the publisher, Emerald. AbstractPurpose -The aim of the paper is to illustrate the use of Social Network Analysis (SNA) to map information and knowledge flow in six virtual project teams with members of diverse cultures in private and public sector companies in different sectors Methodology/approach -Due to the area of research, we supplemented the in-depth interviews with an embedded SNA questionnaire and two stage analysis.Findings -The SNA findings demonstrated that network ties are useful predictors of how information and knowledge flows in virtual project teams and can be better indicators than formal project structures. assessment of participants' prestige, activity and influence and their generic formal team functions, thus leadership, member and support roles. Research limitations/implications -SNA does not yield information about causal factors, context or history of the team contributing to the current team relationshipsPractical implications -SNA as a method in this study delivers information on diverse members' influence, prestige and specific team member-related brokerage roles. It highlights what boundarycrossing knowledge sharing activities they engage in and maps the knowledge and information flows between members of the virtual project teams within the companies Originality/value of paper. The multi-method research design represents a sound approach to target knowledge management in virtual project environments in international contexts.

The aim of this study is to assess whether the cross-cultural equivalence of the Organisational Culture Survey (OCS) persist in an Australian context. The nature of the instrument is presented which includes a clear statement of its South African origin and its' place within a logical positivist paradigm. The sample consisted of 326 respondents from a population of managers of the Australian Institute of Management. This study con¢rms the instrument's validity and internal consistency within an Australian context, but that further research is required into the functional and conceptual equivalence of the survey items and dimensions underpinning the items to conclusively establish its utility. Finally, aspects of the 'organisational culture'construct underlying the survey need revision given recent trends in related systems, complexity and chaos theories. OPSOMMINGDie doel van hierdie studie is om te bepaal of die kruis-kulturele ekwivalensie van die Organisational Culture Survey (OCS) in 'n Australiese konteks standhou. Die aard van die instrument word omskryf wat 'n duidelik standpunt rakende sy Suid-Afrikaanse oorsprong en sy plek in 'n logies-positivisitiese paradigma stel. Die steekproef het uit 326 respondente uit 'n populasie bestuurders van die Australiese Bestuursinstituut bestaan. Hierdie studie bevestig die instrument se geldigheid en interne konstantheid binne die Australiese konteks, maar ook dat verdere navorsing nodig is na die funksionele en konseptuele ekwivalensie van die items en die dimensies wat onderliggend daaraan is voordat die nutswaarde van die instrument ten volle bewys kan word. Ten slotte, moet aspekte van die konstruk 'organisasiekultuur' nader ondersoek word in die lig van verwikkelinge op die terrein van stelsel-, kompleksiteiten chaosteoriee« .

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