Management Studies in South Africa: From Practice to a Scholarly Discipline

Management as a subject of study and scholarship is distinctive in its development and future trajectory. Course offerings and research conducted in the discipline secure management studies a favourable position amongst other disciplines in South Africa. Having had politically distinctive phases such as apartheid and democracy, South Africa makes an interesting area of study for a discipline like management. While existing studies contribute to our understanding of the discipline and its characteristics, its history and patterns of knowledge production are underexplored and can open doors to new insights. It is also vital to know how the discipline has grown into a profession and practice and who produces the knowledge in the field.