A severe capital shortage in South Africa during the 1980s resulted in significant losses for both freight and passenger rail, which gave rise to cutbacks in new investments for rail. By 1986 expenditure on fixed rail assets was reduced from R1.44 billion to R500 million; this was the beginning of the decline of freight rail. During this period freight transport was deregulated and road freight used this opportunity to compete with rail transport in the same market segment by transporting bulk goods on long hauls. The result of this was an increase in truck traffic on the roads, causing a negative impact on the conditions of the road and placing freight rail in a continuous decline, leading to the obsolete state of the rail infrastructure, rolling stock and its under-utilisation. This had a detrimental impact on freight rail and the economy. Having realised the extent of the problem, government, through the Department of Transport (DoT), decided to intervene by changing the current model of the freight transport system. To that effect the DoT is in the process of developing a National Rail Policy, with the main focus being to encourage the shift of freight transportation of bulk commodities from road to rail. As the National Rail Agency, Transnet undertakes all South Africa‟s freight rail operations through its Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) division. As such, TFR is ultimately responsible for the implementation of the road to rail implementation project. To that effect, TFR developed the MDS to revitalise itself and ensure its success. The objective of this research is to (a) assess the capacity of TFR to successfully implement the road to rail policy; (b) determine whether the implementation of road to rail will lead to freight rail efficiency and competitiveness, reliability and sustainability; and (c) establish the industry‟s reaction towards the shift from road to rail. In order to respond to the research question, qualitative research was chosen as the most appropriate approach. This facilitated an in-depth exploration and understanding of the issues around the road to rail project including how the industry feels about the issue, as well as an exploration of other possible alternatives which could provide the same or better results in a simpler and more effective manner. This research may serve as additional information for authorities to consider during the implementation of the road to rail project, and could render a better chance of success. Upon completion of this research the author concluded that Transnet Freight Rail has a good chance of success. The implementation of road to rail is being given adequate attention. Integration is possible as the industry welcomes and supports the road to rail programme, in fact a number of collaboration agreements already exist between rail and other transport modes. This will enable Transnet Freight Rail to achieve efficiency, sustainability and a competitive advantage within the seven year timeframe of the MDS. / Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) / M. B. A. (Business Leadership)

published_or_final_version / Asian Studies / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

Introduction – The scene for this thesis is set in the highly regulated automotive industry. Recent scandals in the automotive industry have shown that companies have manipulated their emission results in order to pass regulations. The regulations are from the beginning implemented to protect the environment and encourage companies to develop green innovation but the authors question if regulations puts more pressure on the companies than they can handle. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate how regulations affect green innovation. Method – The authors adopted a pragmatist research philosophy and used an abductive research method. The empirical data has been gathered through a qualitative study, conducting semi structured interviews with companies within the automotive industry. The abductive research approach meant that the frame of reference has been updated and revised when new data, which was previously not covered in the theory, was gained from the interviews. With a five-step process the authors have analyzed the empirical data with the frame of references and from the result drawn conclusion. Conclusion – The conclusions drawn in this thesis is that regulations have a positive impact on companies green incremental innovation and can have both an inhibitory and a positive effect on radical green innovation. However, there are few underlying factors affecting the outcome such as infrastructure, technology neutrality and communication. Contribution – The contribution of this thesis has added new qualitative knowledge to the research field on how regulations affect green innovation. By localizing and highlighting the factors found in the conclusion, companies and policy makers can cooperate to enhance the development of green radical innovations in the future. Future research - Future researcher are encouraged to investigate how infrastructure, technology neutrality and communication each are affecting green radical innovation. Key words: Green innovation, Regulations, Government policy and the Automotive Industry Paper type: Master thesis

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

published_or_final_version / abstract / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

abstract / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management