There are costs associated with fragmentation, both financially and structurally, therefore Madzix Management Solutions (Pty) Ltd is offering the following services to MGC (Pty) Ltd entities:

• Internal and external process integration
• Cost saving strategies and internal controls
• Budgets and financial flow projections
• Internal and external audit coordination
• Setting, monitoring and tracking key performance indicators
• Tender process and management
• Contract management (including reporting coordination)
• Facilities and service management
• Risk management services
• Hospitality and events management
• Technology platforms to manage facility requirements
• Change management processes
• Branding, public relations and marketing

Madzix Professional Services (Pty) Ltd offers an intellectual or knowledge-based service through employed staff and a group of associates (i.e. either as individuals or partner organizations). The following services are offered in the three areas of:

1. Agrarian Reform,
2. Land, and
3. Water Resources Management

The service here is to provide tangible products sold on a fixed-price basis in a product-like manner. Madzix Consultancy (Pty) Ltd focuses on procurement and supply of agricultural (and sometimes general) supplies - for example, small to large farming equipment and machinery. The service focuses only on the supply chain management (SCM) of tangible goods.

Civil Engineering
Will support projects that deal with infrastructure development through conceiving, designing, constructing/building, supervising, operating and maintaining related infrastructure projects or systems. Examples include building of farm facilities, fences, irrigation systems, water harvesting technologies, post-harvest-loss technologies, food processing and value addition, which are “green”.

Mechanical Engineering
Will support farm mechanization in agriculture and food industries focusing on the installation and maintenance of agricultural production and food processing technologies and equipment. These can be on-farm and off-farm. Central to mechanical engineering projects will be automation services.

Electrical Engineering
Farmstead electric distribution for use in arable, pasture, beef dairy, poultry and aquaculture farming, and horticulture - for example, electric fencing, pumping and irrigation and general mechanical and domestic services on farms. The core is promotion of renewable energy (e.g. solar energy, bio-gas).

Applied Chemical Engineering
Deals with chemical production and the manufacture of products through chemical processes. Will support projects in agriculture concerned with the design, construction and operation of machines and plants that perform chemical reactions to solve practical problems or make useful products, from experimentation in the laboratory to implementation of the technology in full-scale production.

The core business area of Madzix Audit and Finance Advisory (MAFA) (Pty) Ltd is the development and application of financial tools, practices and services that could support farmers and agribusinesses, especially in rural areas, to develop their businesses and contribute to food and nutrition security.

Activities related to Madzix ICT (Pty) Ltd include:

• Provision of off-the-shelf hardware and software
• Computer programming services and software development
• Process and systems analysis and solutions (e.g. business processes re-engineering (BPR) and automation solutions)
• Data storage and management (ensuring data integrity and security)
• Information management and services solutions (e-extension and advisory services – e.g. market prices information platform)
• Computer-controlled devices (automated systems for irrigation, controlled feeding systems in livestock sector, etc.)
• E-learning (i.e. digitization and animation of learning materials)
• E-commerce (e.g. access to finance, communication of market prices, buyer and seller matching, agricultural products tracking and traceability, selling agricultural products online through a dedicated platform)
• ICT support in the areas of:
• Internal and external process integration
• Cost saving strategies and internal controls
• Budgets and financial flow projections
• Internal and external audit coordination

Public policies are defined as government policies that affect the whole population. Here the policies of interest pertain to agriculture and food systems, land reform, and water resources management.

The Training Academy's focus is to provide quality, up-to-date informal but mostly accredited capacity strengthening initiatives for relevant stakeholders in agriculture (farmers, researchers, practitioners, intermediaries and policy makers) so that they are able to perform their functions.

The organizational design of MGC (Pty) Ltd brings together different service providers for a common goal. MGC (Pty) Ltd is unifying them under a common identity and institutional arrangement, both formally and informally. All entities under MGC (Pty) Ltd have similar branding, contracting schemes, policy arrangements and rules of the game which include regulations, norms, beliefs, values and behaviours.

MGC (Pty) Ltd will not produce goods and services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of each of the MADZIX® branded companies to form a cooperate group. However, MGC (Pty) Ltd will have limited liability to its subsidiary companies and vice versa, as they are all (Pty) Ltd in their own right. For a similar look and feel, the MADZIX® logo, which will be trademarked, is the marketing name to ensure common identity and/or branding across all the related MGC (Pty) Ltd entities.

This is the beginning phase of organizational development. General characteristics of a start-up are: few individuals involved; not much history; generally, very small; and not yet stable. Start-up activities include: (i) ensuring that all MGC Pty (Ltd) entities are compliant and ready to trade; (ii) establishing organizational systems and processes; (iii) engaging in a publicity drive (e.g. branding, website); (iv) cultivating relationships and fostering partnerships at individual and organizational level; (v) screening opportunities and bidding; and (vi) undergoing business incubation and mentoring programmes.

This stage, also called the developing stage, will be characterized by rapid growth, high energy and many activities. Time will be spent establishing the service delivery side of the organization. Administrative functions might lag because of the rapid growth rate. High levels of learning necessitated by the rapid growth and documentation will be harnessed. This stage also includes more aggressive initiatives of targeted screening of opportunities and bidding.

This stage is characterized by continued high quality service delivery and intensified focus on the other five areas of organizational development. It is a time when the learning of the developing phase is incorporated into the organization - perfecting the skills of “doing it” and “doing it well” (i.e. focusing on what works where, how and under what circumstances). Consolidating will include (i) delivery of quality services to customer satisfaction; (ii) deepening of business relationships and partnerships; and (iii) deliberate differentiation and specialized service offerings.

This will happen when MGC Pty (Ltd) entities are trusted and are service providers of choice. It is a time when the learning of the developing phase is incorporated into the organization for continuous improvement and innovation. A mature organization can move into this mode when it attempts a new area of focus or enters a new geographical area: (i) spreading service offerings to other geographic areas beyond the borders of South Africa; and (ii) providing generic services beyond agriculture to other sectors.