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Research at Henley Business School

African knowledge. Global relevance. Designed to be used

Innovations, provocations, explanations

Research at Henley Business School is driven by a singular ambition: to build a better Africa. We focus on the most pressing issues facing African business and society, injecting practical meaning into every project and piece of thought leadership we undertake. By collaborating across the spectrum of the African business community, we turn innovative ideas into credible, accessible research. Our goal is to add a sharp, practical, African perspective to the global conversation – because the challenges we are wrestling with on the African continent are often early versions of global problems. Browse our annual research magazines for sharp, digestible insights into critical challenges facing the continent, and how we can tackle these.

Magazines

Issue 3: 2026

It has never been more essential for responsible researchers and students of both business and human behaviour to demonstrate a commitment to knowledge, truth, and the sharing of ideas. Our third edition reflects this urgency.

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Issue 3: 2026

Henley's core research strengths

Research at Henley Business School Africa is multidisciplinary and designed to be useful. The core of our research is driven by specialised centres of excellence, each dedicated to solving specific industry challenges, from navigating global markets to understanding the African consumer.

 

The Henley Centre for Leadership Africa

Leadership in complexity

A sister centre of the Henley Centre for Leadership in the UK, focused on recognising, developing, transforming, and sustaining positive and optimistic leadership in Africa. 

More info

Dunning Africa Centre

International trade and investment

Straddling the fields of international business, strategic management, innovation, and human resource management in African business, this is a sister centre to the John Dunning Centre for International Business in the UK.

More info

The Henley Africa Centre for Emerging Market Consumer Studies

The African consumer

A Henley Africa research centre focused on studying and understanding consumer behaviour among African consumers. 

More info

The John Madjeski Centre for Reputation Africa

Reputation management

A sister centre of the John Madejski Centre for Reputation in the UK, focused on building sustainability and societal impact with respect to reputation and relationships in African businesses.

More info

Henley Explore: Immersive Cases and Immersive Experiences

Immersive learning

A unique case centre that is focused on producing African case studies accompanied by virtual reality (VR) films that immerse delegates and students within a rich learning environment. 

More info
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Research and insights to navigate complexity

Making decisions across diverse African markets requires more than generic global data; it demands insights generated on the ground. Henley research serves as an active commercial resource, translating the distinct dynamics of the continent’s business landscape into actionable strategic intelligence. Our work provides rigorous, localised frameworks designed to challenge conventional assumptions and guide your organisation’s next move. Explore our full ecosystem of intelligence from white papers, teaching case studies, and research papers to published articles and conference proceedings to find the specific insights you need today. 

White papers Magazines Research reports Booklet Case studies
Sustainability and ESG reporting: can institutional investors and South African public companies find common ground?
White papers

Sustainability and ESG reporting: can institutional investors and South African public companies find common ground?

Environmental, social, and governance reporting has become imperative to reflecting companies’ performance and attracting much-needed investment. Companies’ commitment to enhancing environmental and social well-being must be clearly reflected in their business strategies and operations, and culminate in tangible evidence. However, internal challenges and external complexities continue to complicate adherence to regulatory requirements, making it difficult to confidently assert that South African companies are fully on board and in control. 

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A framework for transmission infrastructure expansion in South Africa: addressing investment, regulatory,  and execution constraints
White papers

A framework for transmission infrastructure expansion in South Africa: addressing investment, regulatory,  and execution constraints

South Africa’s Just Energy Transition is constrained by a R400 billion transmission infrastructure funding gap that the public sector cannot close alone, making private-sector investment urgent. This paper offers recommendations to strengthen the energy sector’s competitiveness through innovation and a supportive investment environment. It proposes a sequenced three-pillar framework: targeted government support, robust regulatory design, and innovative financing models. Specialised financing structures are recommended to make transmission projects bankable, with the government central to attracting private capital and driving sustainable growth.

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Leadership style: not a magic wand, but significant in enhancing employee performance
White papers

Leadership style: not a magic wand, but significant in enhancing employee performance

Leadership styles’ effect on employee performance in a selected department of the South African public service is examined from the perspectives of 11 middle and senior managers. Their insights serve as a foundation for recommendations on leader appointments and training to boost workplace performance, restore employees’ confidence, and regain the public’s trust in the public service.

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Leadership Style: Succession planning's incremental importance for ensuring organisations' success
White papers

Leadership Style: Succession planning's incremental importance for ensuring organisations' success

This is the third part of the Leadership series. The paper shifts the focus to the importance of effective succession planning within organisations to ensure a pipeline of competent leaders to replace those who retire or resign. It explores the complexities of succession planning and identifies how organisations and employees benefit, emphasising how strategic planning fosters continuity, employee engagement, and organisational resilience.

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Critical factors influencing the success of IT projects within the financial industry
White papers

Critical factors influencing the success of IT projects within the financial industry

Guided by established literature, a survey was conducted among 101 professionals from various financial organisations to elicit their views across different types of organisations within the financial industry, such as insurance, commercial banking, and governance companies. Data were collected from professionals specifically involved in IT projects through an online survey. Using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, Pearson correlation analyses identified factors that significantly enhance the success of IT projects.

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Collaboration in action: Exploring strategic partnerships between businesses and non-profit organisations. Summary Report 2026
Research reports

Collaboration in action: Exploring strategic partnerships between businesses and non-profit organisations. Summary Report 2026

NPOs are often viewed narrowly as charitable entities that do good work for society but don’t contribute significantly to the economy. This study, commissioned by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s NPO Portfolio in consultation, widens this lens, demonstrating the significant economic impact that NPOs in the Western Cape are having on key economic indicators, including employment, revenue generation, and skills development.

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Our collaborative approach to research

There’s an African proverb that says if you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, you’ve got to go together. At Henley, we aim to go far, so we leverage connections with global and local institutions, including clients, businesses, and our sister research centres in the UK and at the University of Reading, to ensure our research agenda is as practical and useful as it is intellectually rigorous.

Applied research built around real business challenges

When markets move fast, organisations need the right information and insights to make decisions with wisdom and clarity. Henley researchers partner with a variety of organisations to ensure research is practical and immediately relevant to today's business context.

Global collaboration

As an international business school, Henley Africa is automatically tapped into a global research agenda. Our researchers are collaborating with peers at institutions around the world, as well as with those at other South African and African institutions.

Advancing sustainability: The management research challenge

The Renewal Foundation sponsors an annual award for the best Henley Management Research Challenge (MRC) project to drive business solutions for the climate and ecological crisis. Every year, dozens of MBA students embark on the MRC, turning their own organisations into living laboratories and applying what they've learned on the MBA to a high-stakes, real-world challenge. The resulting body of research is powerful and brimming with actionable ideas designed to drive systemic impact across Africa and beyond. 

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What is the judging panel looking for?

Judges evaluate projects based on six criteria:
1) Does the project have the potential to be scaled up and sustained over time?
2) Can the project show measurable positive benefit for one or more of the following: the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, including rivers, lakes, and oceans, biodiversity, and/or soil and sustainable agriculture?
3) How many parts of the organisation does the project engage?
4) Can the project be written up and published in a way that will inspire others?
5) Does it offer a new and original approach or methodology?
6) Can the project change how human beings are thinking, being and acting in relation to the wider ecology?

Winners will receive a cash award plus expert mentoring support.

Sense-making for better business

True to our mission – we build the people who build the businesses that build Africa – our diverse academics and practitioners work at the forefront of management practice. We foster sense-making capabilities that directly benefit our students, clients, partners, and society. Our growing research output benefits from the targeted support we provide to researchers to hone their research, writing, and publishing skills to produce relevant and insightful research that advances African knowledge and helps our students learn better. 


Recent publications include an article published by E Van Tonder  and D Petzer (2022) in European Business Review, entitled 'Factors promoting customer citizenship behaviours and the moderating role of self-monitoring: a study of ride-hailing services', and an article in the International Journal of Anthropology, by L Spini and A  Innes. (2022): 'Johnny Clegg: a polycultural anthropologist on stage for social justice'. 

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Have a proposal? Talk to the research team

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Professor Danie Petzer

Pro Dean Research and Doctoral Programmes

Professor Petzer ensures that research at Henley is not just academically rigorous but also practically relevant. He champions a research culture that puts African insights on the global stage, guiding DBA candidates through the complex journey of becoming published scholars.
082 337 4417
daniep@henleysa.ac.za
Shirlene Smits

Shirlene Smits

Research Manager

Shirlene is your one-stop shop for all things research. She manages the research team on a day-to-day basis. 
064 522 1012
shirlenes@henleysa.ac.za