Impact of procurement regulations relating to educational publishing industry in South Africa.

Abstract

Today’s business competitive environment compels organizations to craft a strategy that takes into account the impact of macroeconomic factors on the normal running of the business. Macroeconomic factors such as government regulations and policy reforms are part of the external factors that could affect businesses negatively. In this context, supply chain and procurement processes of industries that do business with government often get disrupted when government, through public procurement legislative framework, implement regulations and policies that pose major risks, leading to volatility, certainty, vulnerability and instability in the industry. Research, in this regard, provides more insights on the impact of procurement regulations and equip operators and affected businesses with strategies to mitigate various risks associated with the implementation of regulations and related policies. In this study, macroeconomic disruptions in South African educational publishing, posed by government regulations and policy reforms, are examined and sources of vulnerability investigated with the view to provide relevant solutions. This qualitative study sought to investigate the impact of procurement regulations relating to educational publishing industry in South Africa. The study aims to provide solutions to the educational publishers that would contribute to the sustainability of the industry. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and structured interviews to determine the extent procurement regulations impacted educational publishing industry in South Africa. The study was framed within the neoclassical economic model. The findings of the study highlighted the impact of procurement regulations on the educational publishing industry. Subsequently, the study makes recommendations to aid leaders and mangers of educational publishing companies to design and implement strategies that proactively respond to procurement regulations risks and vulnerabilities. In this way, the managers and owners of educational publishing houses will be better able to build resilience, much needed to prevent and to reduce inherent disruptions, in the businesses.