Ubuntu and Social Capital factors in Family Businesses

Abstract

The current study is an investigation of social capital, and more particularly the support of the concept of ubuntu in large family businesses in South Africa. Insights into the social responsibility activities of some of the largest family businesses in South Africa, obtained through semi-structured interviews, clearly indicate the important role which the social responsibility ubuntu activities of these businesses play in caring for the community. As South Africa has a mainly “individualistic economic community”, it is interesting to observe how the collectivistic notion of ubuntu is practised in the social responsibility activities of family business groups.

Key words and phrases: ubuntu, social responsibility, social capital, family business, conditional matrix