Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Advanced Research in Management, Business and Finance, 2024
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Cultural Diversity on Business Performance in the Automotive Component Manufacturing Organizations in South Africa
Philani Mndeni Khumalo, Robert Walter Dumisani Zondo
ABSTRACT:
Organisations remain competitive, flexible and relevant thus reacting to cultural diversity changes. There are sensitive cultural issues that organisations need to properly understand and manage in order to perform and be highly competitive. This view describes the importance of cultural diversity in organisations. The aim of this study was to determine the significance of cultural diversity on business performance in automotive component manufacturers in the eThekwini District Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study was quantitative in design and middle-level managers in the two large automotive component manufacturers in the eThekwini District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal participated in the study. Of the 168 individuals identified for participation, 118 participated in the study, representing a 70.2 per cent response rate. Descriptive, correlative and t-tests, using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used to analyse the data. The results indicate that cultural diversity should be effectively managed in the organisation to improve business performance. Organisations that seek to remain successful in the contemporary gendered world, must appreciate cultural diversity and integrate it with the organisation’s strategy. The original value of this study is its approach in uncovering the strengths and weaknesses of cultural diversity on business performance in South Africa.
keywords: automotive component manufacturing; business performance; cultural diversity; organisational performance