Short biography

Dr Kupangwa is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Nelson Mandela University Family Business Unit (FBU) and teaches Advanced Strategic Management to BCom Honours and Principles of Corporate Citizen and Business Research Principles to the Advanced Diploma qualification stream. Before this, he was a lecturing assistant in the Business Management Department (2013 – 2014) and a lecturer in the Department of Management Practice at Nelson Mandela University (2015 – 2023), teaching several modules such as Entrepreneurship, Strategic Management, Retail Management, and Management Research Project. He has been a member of the FBU since 2016. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Business Management in 2021, which focused on developing a framework for transmitting and entrenching values in indigenous Black South African family businesses. He also facilitates training and workshops to postgraduate students on the use of ATLAS.ti software for qualitative data analysis.
 
Qualifications
PhD (Business Management), MCom (Business Management), BCom Honours (Business Management), BCom (Business Management & General Accounting)
 
Professional Bodies
  • Member and Principal Business Advisor, Institute of Business Advisors Southern Africa (IBASA)
  • Member and Business Accountant, Chartered Institute of Business Accountants (CIBA)
  • Member, Southern African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS)
  • Member, Golden Key International Honour Society 
 
Current research interests
Entrepreneurship, Family Businesses, SMEs, Organisational Behaviour
 
 
Peer-reviewed article publications
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2025). Value sets of business-owning families: An indigenous African perspective. Journal of African Business, 26(1), 193-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228916.2024.2352951 [Taylor & Francis Journals]. 
  • Kupangwa, W. (2025). The African philosophy of Ubuntu and family businesses: A perspective article. Journal of Family Business Management, 15(1), 57-67. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-10-2023-0216 [Emerald Journals].
  • Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. M. (2025). Institutional carriers of values: Exploring values entrenchment strategies of founders and next generation leaders in family businesses. Journal of Management & Organisation, 31(1), 32-55https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.51 [Cambridge Journals].
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2024). Transgenerational value transmission in business-owning families: An indigenous African perspective. Journal of Family Business Management. 14(4), 748-770. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-06-2023-0091 [Emerald Journals]. 
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2023). Strategic business values in indigenous Black South African family businesses. South African Journal of Business Management, 54(1), a3836. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v54i1.3836 [AOSIS Journals].
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2023). The role of values in enhancing longevity among indigenous black South African family businesses. Southern African Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, 15(1), a555. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajesbm.v14i1.555 [AOSIS Journals]. 
  • Kupangwa, W., & Dubihlela, J. (2016). Influence of selected demographic variables on the adoption and use of electronic business technologies by small and medium-sized retailers. International Journal of eBusiness and eGovernment Studies, 8(1), 40-56. Link [Sobiad Journals]. 
  • Dubihlela, J., & Kupangwa, W. (2016). Employee perspectives of factors influencing e-business technology adoption and use by small and medium retail enterprises. International Journal of Business and Management Studies, 8(1), 1-19. Link [Sobiad Journals].
 
Presented, reviewed, & published in conference proceedings
  • Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. M. (2024). Exploring the role of values on innovation practices in indigenous black South African family businesses. To be published in the Proceeding of the 35th Southern African Institute of Management Scientists Conference. 8th – 11th September, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2023). Transgenerational Value Transmission: Socialisation mechanisms indigenous African business-owning families. Proceeding of the 16th International Business Conference. 24th – 27th September, Swakopmund, Namibia. [The paper won the first-Runner Best Paper Award].
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2023). Value transmission: Socialisation agents in the context of indigenous Black South African family businesses. Proceeding of the 34th Southern African Institute of Management Scientists Conference. 10th – 13th September, Centurion, South Africa.
     
  • Kupangwa, W., & Mohamed, H. (2019). Consumer purchase intention on purchase private label brands (PLBs) in South African food retail category. Proceeding of the 5th International Conference on Business and Management Dynamics. 2nd - 3rd September, Swakopmund, Namibia.
  • Kupangwa, W., Lillah, R., & Farrington, S. M. (2015). The influence of selected demographic variables on contemporary leadership styles. Proceeding of the 9th International Business Conference. 20th - 23rd September, Victoria Falls, Zambia.
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Lillah, R. (2015). The influence of contemporary leadership styles on the job satisfaction and organisational commitment of SME employees. Proceeding of the 27th Southern African Institute of Management Scientists Conference. 30th August - 2nd September, Cape Town, South Africa.
Research papers presented at conferences (not published)
  • Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. M. (2023). Institutional carriers of values: Exploring values entrenchment by founders and leaders in family businesses. Presented at the International Family Enterprise Research Academy (IFERA) conference on 6th – 8th of July, Kraków, Poland. [Nominated for Best Contribution to Practice Paper Award].
  • Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. M. (2022). Values as informal institutions: The interaction between indigenous black South African family businesses and the community. Presented at the 5th International Family Business Research Forum (IFBRF) on 27th – 29th September, Hasselt, Belgium. [STEP Project Global Consortium Best Paper Award].
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2022). Strategic business values in indigenous Black South African family businesses. Presented at the 33rd Conference of the Southern African Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS) on 11th – 13th September, Mpekweni Beach Resort, South Africa.
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2022). Strategic business values in indigenous Black South African family businesses. Presented at the 3rd African Family Business Research Conference on 10th - 11th August (Online Conference).
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2021). Values transmission and entrenchment in indigenous Black South African family businesses. Presented at the 2nd African Family Business Research Conference on 10th - 14th August (Online Conference).
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S.M., & Venter, E. (2020). The role of family values on the trans-generation success of Indigenous Black South African family businesses. Presented at the 1st African Family Business Research Conference on 10th - 14th August (Online Conference).
  • Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2019). The role of family values on the trans-generation success of indigenous Black South African family businesses. Presented at the 31st Conference of the Southern African Institute for Management Scientists (SAIMS) on 8th - 9th September, Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
  • Kupangwa, W., & Mohamed, H. (2017). Entrepreneurial competencies on business performance: Meeting the competency needs of small and medium-sized enterprises. Presented at the 8th International Conference on Social Sciences (ICSS) on 24th - 25th August, Durban, South Africa.
 
Contact information
Dr Welcome Kupangwa
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Tel: +27(0) 415042475
Welcome.Kupangwa@mandela.ac.za

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