| Summary: | The essence of this study is to capture the dynamics of decision-making. The
context of this study is the engineering consultant industry consolidation in
South Africa over the last five years.
Decision-making is a complex phenomenon and highly influenced. To
understand the dynamic nature of decision-making, it is important to
understand the rationale or process that was followed to derive to the decision
made. This can be simplified or better understood when evaluated at the hand
of a context.
In South Africa, consolidation activity was relatively high during the last five
years when compared to previous years – engineering consulting companies
– with international groups teaming up with well-established domestic entities
to create new African-focused organisational platforms.
The research questions are predominantly “how” and “why” questions and this
is best answered through a qualitative research approach.
The research design uses a multi-case study design in that participants in this
research study are employed by different engineering consultant companies.
It does not follow the traditional multi-case design which determines
similarities and differences between the cases or similarities and differences
in the same case, but rather a view gathered on the same context from
different perspectives.
The participants are defined as key role players with a responsibility to make
strategic, financial and/or commercial decisions in a company and individuals
who directly faced decision-making in the context of this study. Data collection
is primarily by means of interviews.
The key findings indicate that decision-making is highly influenced and that
personal disposition is a prominent influencing factor. Another finding was that
industry consolidation was a global trend that could no longer be ignored in
South Africa and that companies had to strategically respond to a number of
key issues that they have been facing.
It is clear that decisions are made in context. The continuously changing
environment in which the engineering consultant industry operates means that
opportunities are never static and that decision making is always dynamic. It
is important to have strategic objectives and a list of expected outcomes at
the start of a decision making process and to monitor and control progress constantly against these as one advance through a life cycle of events, such
as a consolidation transaction.
This research study concludes in a sense that the engineering consultant
industry is looking forward, some recommendations to the industry and
recommendations for further research. === MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015
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