Theses and Dissertations

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations by Subject "Africa"

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    Anti-impunity vs. Sovereignty: Why the planned African mass exodus from the ICC failed to materialise
    (The IIE, 2021) Banda, Manyika Suzanne
    The establishment of the International Criminal Court as a permanent court that can dispense justice in the interest of all peoples came after a century of devastating human loss and human terror. African States were enthusiastic about the creation of the Court and ensured that certain Human Rights provisions were included in the Court’s founding document, the Rome Statute. Behind this rosy image of all countries working towards a common goal, however, the seeds of discord between the Court and its Member States were inadvertently sown. In 2009, the International Criminal Court issued its first arrest warrant for former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. In the years that followed, resistance to the ICC grew within Africa and eventually resulted in calls for a mass withdrawal of African states from the Rome Statute. Bias and disregard for sovereign immunity of African heads of states became the tagline reasoning for why Africa should no longer be a part of the ICC. A regional alternative was sought and against this backdrop, three African States formally issued notices of withdrawal. In the end, the regional alternative was created but not ratified, and only one African country withdrew from the ICC. By the end of 2017, the momentum for a mass withdrawal had been lost and African states seemed once again willing to cooperate with the institution. This dissertation explored this unique phenomenon against the backdrop of only around 200 voluntary withdrawals from any international institutions to date. Much research exists into why states join international institutions. However, far less research is focused on why states voluntarily leave international institutions. Even less focuses on the motivations for blocs of countries to withdraw from an institution and therefore this study attempt to analyse the case study of the failed mass withdrawal of African states from the ICC after 2015. By using historical and documentary data, the identities and therefore preferences of African states were constructed, and their goals explained. Through this, the conclusion was reached that the mass withdrawal was not truly an effort to withdraw from the ICC, but rather an exercise in diplomacy that yielded cooperation and open channels between African Member States of the Rome Statute and the International Criminal Court.
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    The influence of cultural differences on MTN's brand identity and brand experience in South Africa, Ghana and Cameroon
    (The IIE, 2025) Mahlase, Sharon
    This study investigates how cultural differences shape consumer perceptions of MTN’s brand identity and brand experience across three key African markets: South Africa, Ghana, and Cameroon. Using a qualitative, interpretivist design, the research engaged twelve MTN users through semi-structured interviews and analysed the data using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Guided by Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, Kapferer’s Brand Identity Prism, and the Brand Experience Model, the study identifies both shared and context-specific interpretations of MTN’s brand. MTN maintains a strong, recognisable Pan-African brand anchored in its distinct yellow identity and widespread visibility, but the meanings attached to these brand elements differ across cultural contexts. In South Africa, perceptions are shaped by family heritage, respect-driven interactions, and trust in functional reliability. In Ghana, high power distance, collectivism, and strong community values frame MTN as a friendly, accessible, and culturally embedded brand. In Cameroon, MTN’s youthful and expressive personality resonates with a highly indulgent and socially vibrant culture, although recent service challenges have led to increased customer scepticism. This study makes three key contributions. First, it fills a significant gap in African cross-cultural branding research, where intra-continental comparative studies remain limited. Second, it demonstrates how cultural values can actively reconstruct a multinational brand’s identity and experience, providing empirical evidence from under-researched African telecommunications markets. Third, it offers actionable insights on balancing global brand consistency with culturally grounded execution across diverse markets. The study concludes that cultural alignment is central to building strong, resonant brand identities and experiences in Africa. It therefore recommends that MTN and similar African multinationals adopt more context-sensitive branding strategies tailored to local cultural needs. Key recommendations include improving service performance in markets with lower perceived reliability (for example, prioritising network stability and transparent communication in Cameroon); enhancing emotional engagement through culturally relevant touchpoints (such as leveraging community festivals in Ghana and reinforcing trust-building initiatives in South Africa); strengthening sensory and cultural familiarity (for instance, using local languages, symbols, and relatable brand ambassadors in marketing); ensuring consistency in customer relationships through standardised service practices (e.g., improved customer service training and quality benchmarks across all markets); and introducing market-specific experience enhancements (for example, expanding mobile money services in Ghana or rolling out digital selfservice tools in South Africa). Together, these measures aim to help MTN and similar organisations balance their Pan-African brand consistency with deep local relevance, supporting more culturally attuned branding strategies in diverse African markets.