Case Studies

Frontier Advisory (Pty) Ltd has assisted an array of private and public sector clients in frontier and emerging market economies. Our reputation in the market and track record is based on project success and client satisfaction – a large number of our project engagements are for long-term clients. Some examples are:

Investment advisory for Provincial Government

The Client:	Provincial Government investment authority
Objective:	To identify potential Asian investor companies to invest in a specific South African provincial economy
Methodology:	Leveraging our strong networks in the region, our firm carried out in-market research in targeted Asian economies and engaged with private sector stakeholders. Full evaluations of potential investor firms were carried out matching the business strategy and industry focus of the investor with the sectoral priorities of our client.
Country/Region:	Asia – People’s Republic of China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore
Outcome:	Following project finalisation, our client was able to focus its marketing efforts on short-listed investment targets and is currently in negotiation with two Asian multinational firms to make large and job creating investments in the provincial economy.

Best practice financing models

The Client:	A JSE-listed South African bank
Objective:	To identify best practice SME financing models from comparative emerging market economies
Methodology:	Frontier Advisory went through a process of evaluating a number of comparative economies to South Africa which are successfully growing an SME sector through innovative finance schemes. Two economies were selected – India and Malaysia which our team would analyse. We carried out in-depth in-market research in the two states interviewing banks, financial institutions and regulatory bodies to compile a best practice model for our South African banking client.
Country/Region:	Asia – India and Malaysia
Outcome:	The SME financing models that our firm has devised from the two country case studies is being implemented by our banking client in their SME financing division. This will result in more affordable and accessible finance for small and emerging business in the South African economy.

Strategic positioning & procurement

The Client:	A JSE-listed construction company
Objective:	To inform through market research a procurement strategy from the Chinese economy on behalf of our client
Methodology:	Prior to designing the procurement strategy, China Frontier Advisory carried out a detailed trade analysis of key engineering and construction-related products currently imported from China to South Africa. We identified key Chinese suppliers already supplying Chinese construction companies in numerous Southern African economies with this information fed into the procurement strategy design.
Country/Region:	People’s Republic of China and Southern African countries
Outcome:	The client is utilising Frontier Advisory’s research and in-market business intelligence to design a procurement strategy from the Chinese economy. Our recommendations were thus used to inform a coherent approach to procurement across the various business divisions of the group.

Market prioritisation in Africa

The Client:	A South African export association associated to the DTI
Objective:	To identify and prioritise markets in Sub-Saharan Africa for South African manufacturers and exporters
Methodology:	Frontier Advisory interviewed all of the export associations’ members in order to ascertain which of the Sub-Saharan African markets were the most viable for exports, and why. Our team then selected two markets, Ghana and Zambia, and embarked on a 5-day in-market visit of each meeting key stakeholders in both the private and public sector to gain insight into the opportunities and challenges for SA exporters. In addition to these two markets, we carried out an extensive analysis of a further four countries: Angola, DRC, Kenya and Nigeria through desktop research and contributions from our in-market representatives
Country/Region:	Africa - Ghana and Zambia
Outcome:	Our firm’s suggestions have been presented to DTI and all export associations in the country and are being used by South African firms interested in expanding their export market into Africa but without the insight regarding the dynamics in the most viable markets on the sub-continent. The result will be a greater expansion of SA firms throughout Africa, particularly in the manufacturing and construction sectors.