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
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Member and Principal Business Advisor, Institute of Business Advisors Southern Africa (IBASA)
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Member, Southern African Institute of Management Scientists (SAIMS)
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Member, Golden Key International Honour Society
Current research interests
Entrepreneurship, Family Businesses, SMEs, Organisational Behaviour
Peer-reviewed article publications [last 5 years]
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Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. (2026). Manifestations of ethical values in indigenous African family businesses: An application of the Ubuntu philosophy. South African Journal of Business Management, 57(1), 14 pages. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajbm.v57i1.5592 [AOSIS].
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Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2026). The nature of values in indigenous African family businesses. Journal of Small Business & Entrepreneurship, 38(2), 353-398. https://doi.org/10.1080/08276331.2025.2598200 [Taylor & Francis].
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Kupangwa, W., Venter, E., & Farrington, S. M. (2026). Exploring value systems and community engagement in indigenous Black South African family businesses: A sociocultural perspective. Social Responsibility Journal, 21(1), 134-177. https://doi.org/10.1108/SRJ-08-2024-0529 [Emerald].
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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].
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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].
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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), 32-55. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2024.51 [Cambridge].
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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].
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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].
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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].
Presented, reviewed, & published in conference proceedings [last 5 years]
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Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2025). Values entrenchment: Organisational strategy formulation among indigenous Black South African family businesses. Pages 250-273. Proceedings of the 36th Southern African Institute for Management Scientists Conference. 14th – 17th September, Sun City Convention Centre, South Africa. [The paper was nominated for the Best Paper Award].
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Kupangwa, W., Farrington, S. M., & Venter, E. (2024). Exploring the role of values on innovation practices in indigenous black South African family businesses. Pages 284-310. Proceedings of the 35th Southern African Institute for Management Scientists Conference. 8th – 11th September, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
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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].
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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.