The key global mindset factors affecting competitiveness and performance of South African soft drinks companies

Abstract

The dominance of global markets has created a need for organisations to search for a new set of competences to enable them to survive into the future. Whether they operate in local or international markets, global challenges are felt in every business. Research posits global mindset as a prerequisite for internationalisation, but there is emerging debate about whether global mindset is also a competence required for companies perform and compete in a local context as well. This is a qualitative and largely descriptive study that was conducted in two companies. The primary research was undertaken using electronic surveys. These were structured questionnaires used to obtain data to ascertain global mindset maturity, performance and competitiveness. Secondary data was used for actual performance and competitiveness measures. Two propositions out of the three were supported. The global mindset factors in a local context fall within the bounds of the three core global mindset themes. Global mindset maturity was found to be significant in the performance of an organisation in a local context. However, the relationship between global mindset and competitive was not explained by the results. Contextual global mindset was the most significant variable in explaining the variation in performance.