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1
Toomey, David Colbert. "South African small business growth through interfirm linkages." Thesis, Rhodes University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003046.
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Economic stagnation in sub-Saharan Africa since 1970 is well documented. While the causes are varied, the paradigm of nationalistic state-led economic development has changed. Economic development occurs in a global marketplace. Manufacturing has shifted from developed to less developed countries, an opportunity that was seized in Asia and Latin America. South Africa’s labour, unskilled and costly by world standards, is at a disadvantage as an agile and competitive world market seeks skilled labour at the lowest cost. South Africa’s Gear economic policy suggests that 300 000 new jobs need to be created annually until 2004 in order to reduce unemployment. Small, medium and microenterprise growth is central to meeting this target. Numerous government structures to assist small enterprises have been created. Few, however, assist small business with the demands of the marketplace. Most focus on generic skills training and questionable small business finance. This thesis suggests that interfirm linkages between large and small enterprises is one strategy that can assist the growth of small business, create employment and, increase labour skills. International experience shows that generic training is less effective in promoting small business than linking business training to actual market-demands. Interfirm linkages, most often through subcontracting, is a strategy used successfully in Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil. Such linkages are usually government supported and provide incentives for both large and small businesses to work together productively. Three South African interfirm linkage case studies are critiqued. Case study findings indicate that interfirm linkages expose emerging businesses to market conditions, and can provide access to process technology training, low cost raw materials, creative finance, and new markets. Small business ‘learns by doing’ and also ‘learns while earning’. The state has a role in the development of a vibrant small, medium and microenterprise sector in South Africa. Current support strategies are largely unrelated to market conditions. Interfirm linkages are an approach that applies market forces in the development of small business. Government policy would be wisely directed to support such business interactions.
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Boniwe, Sihlangule. "Growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14598.
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The situation in South Africa throws up a trickier and more unconventional challenge. The country has symptoms of a spatial realm that is not fully connected with the urban systems (spatially, socially, or structurally) and is certainly disconnected from the rural economy. This is the realm of the country’s townships and informal settlements. Conceptually, they are relics of the country’s special past, but the policies of post-apartheid South Africa have inadvertently kept their contemporary reality alive. In many ways, the townships and especially the informal settlements are similar to the slums in much of the developing world, although never was a slum formed with as much central planning and purpose as were some of the larger South African townships. This paper undertakes to understand the growth strategies of black township entrepreneurs in South Africa. This paper also undertakes to investigate the perceived influence of education, government policies, access to funding, market constraints, crime and social norms on the development or perceived growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs. Propositions are made and tested through conducting interviews with individuals involved with the dynamics presented by this subject on a day to day basis. Evidence collected is interpreted into knowledge and finally recommendations are made.
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Musengi, Sandra. "The role of bank finance in small firm growth : a case study." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2003. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/2317/1/MUSENGI-MCom-TR03-75.pdf.
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Ras, Waleed. "Woodstock small business development initiatives : an impact study." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2441.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.This research study explored perceptions which small business owners and managers have of the impact that initiatives, aimed at revitalisation, have on small business development. The Woodstock Salt-River Revitalisation Framework (WSRRF, 2002) served to guide these initiatives in order to achieve their various objectives, which included, inter alia, the development of small business. Often, official initiatives cannot adequately meet the needs of all stakeholders. The benefits that are derived from these initiatives may differ amongst stakeholders owing to their varying expectations and perceptions. The main research problem that was identified relates to reasons why the impact of this framework initiative is currently not appropriately understood and, as a result, not effectively and efficiently implemented. Hence, this research study evaluates the extent to which the Revitalisation Framework has affected the development of small businesses within the study area.
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Sha, Shafeek. "An investigation into problems facing small-to-medium sized enterprises in achieving growth in the Eastern Cape : enhancing the strategy for developing small 'growth potential' firms in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2006. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/288/.
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Redelinghuys, Gerhardus Wynand. "Impact of tax legislation on economic growth in relation to small business development in South Africa." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2008. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02182009-143037/.
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Samson, Nambei Asoba. "Factors influencing the growth of African immigrant-owned business in selected craft markets in the Cape metropolitan area of South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2349.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2014.The majority of craft retail outlets in Cape Town are owned by immigrants mostly from the SADC and elsewhere on the continent. However, a notable proportion of African immigrant-owned survivalist and micro businesses that do not grow and develop into small and medium size enterprises (SMEs). Despite many studies conducted on craft businesses generally, little information exists on factors affecting the growth of African immigrant-owned craft businesses. The main objective of this study is to determine these factors. This study focused on four craft markets in the Cape Town area: Greenmarket Square, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Hout Bay.The population of the study comprised all African immigrants at the selected craft markets and the municipal managers responsible for managing these selected markets. The sample frame of this study constitutes African immigrant entrepreneur-owned businesses that are three or more years old, registered and located in one of the selected markets. The study utilised a mixed method approach to collect and analyse data. Questionnaires (Quantitative) were administered to 122 African immigrant entrepreneurs and in-depth interviews (Qualitative) were conducted with the three municipal managers responsible for the four selected craft markets. Quantitative data was analysed separately using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software, and face-to-face interviews were analysed by means of content analysis. The results of both methods were presented in tabulated format. Pushed by the need to survive and pulled by the many tourists in South Africa, African immigrant entrepreneurs turned to the craft business. In terms of the challenges faced, it was noted that limited access to finance and difficulty in acquiring a business location were start-up challenges, whereas the growth challenges were the seasonal and irregular nature of trade and xenophobia. Emanating from the findings of this study, recommendations were made to municipality managers to persuade the financial agencies to extend their funding assistance to deserving African immigrant entrepreneurs. Local government should grant immigrants trading permits and relax some of the restrictions to allow them to have a stall and do business. The municipalities should organise workshops to educate African immigrant entrepreneurs on the benefits of selling unique products and anti-xenophobic sentiment.
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Mthimkhulu, Alfred Mbekezeli. "Small enterprise development in South Africa : an exploration of the constraints and job creation potential." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/97117.
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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis, presented in six thematic chapters, investigates an approach for promoting the growth of small businesses in South Africa. Chapter 1 motivates the thesis by discussing the contested role of small businesses in reducing unemployment and fostering social equity. Chapter 2 reviews the small business development policy in South Africa and explicates the socioeconomic conditions underpinning the policy. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 are empirical analyses using data from the World Bank Enterprise Surveys of 2003 and 2007, and the World Bank Financial Crisis Survey of 2010 to determine key impediments to the growth of small businesses and characteristics of firms creating and retaining most jobs in South Africa. Chapter 3 uses two methods to investigate the key impediments. The first method is based on a count of obstacles that entrepreneurs rate as seriously affecting enterprise operations. The second estimates the effects of the obstacles on growth through sequential multivariate regressions and identifies binding constraints for different categories of firms. It emerges that medium-sized firms are mildly affected by most obstacles but micro and small firms are significantly affected by crime, electricity and transportation problems. The chapter provides important insight on the sequencing of interventions to address the impediments to growth. Chapter 4 studies the finance constraint. It evaluates the importance of the constraint firstly by assessing whether firms rating finance as a serious problem underperform firms rating the problem as less important. Thereafter, the chapter studies the experiences of firms when seeking external finance and identifies four levels of the finance constraint. Using an ordered logit model and a binary logit model, the chapter explores the profile of financially constrained firms. Results show that firms owned by ethnic groups disadvantaged in the apartheid era are more likely to be credit-constrained. The results also suggest that the likelihood of being credit-constrained decreases with higher levels of formal education. The results inform policy on the types of firms that financial interventions must target. Chapter 5 builds on a growing body of evidence which shows that a small proportion of firms in an economy account for over 50 percent of net new jobs. The evidence from the literature suggests that such high-growth enterprises have distinct characteristics that could make it possible for interventions to nurture or for other firms to emulate. The chapter employs two methods to investigate the characteristics of high-growth firms. The first is logit regression, which the investigation uses to determine characteristics of firms that create more jobs than the average firm. The characteristics are also interacted to identify interaction terms most associated with growth. The second method is quantile regression, which makes it possible to assess the importance of each characteristic for firms in different levels of growth rates. The results show that the typical high-growth firm is more likely to be black-owned. The results of the chapter however highlight the need for further research into characteristics that may perhaps explain high-growth firms more robustly than variables in the survey instrument. The research ends with a summary, a discussion of areas of further research, and policy recommendations in Chapter 6.
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Richards, Amanda Dale. "Sustainable micro-entrepreneurship to ensure positive economic growth in the Western Cape." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1012.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, 2006The high unemployment rate in South Africa has forced many people to think of creative ways to derive an income. This in turn has resulted in the increase of microentrepreneurs who could contribute positively to the economy if given the opportunity. According to the White Paper on National Strategy for the Development and Promotion of Small Business in South Africa (1995), the objective is to stimulate and promote small businesses by providing access to requisite resources. However, what has become apparent is the lack of resources for micro-entrepreneurs, as well as problems with accessibility to the few available resources. Popular literature often refers to money being made available by government or foreign donors to assist micro-entrepreneurs in getting businesses started. There is also much talk about empowerment of entrepreneurs via financial resources as well as through skills training. However, much of the assistance is available for opportunity entrepreneurs and not for the survivalist entrepreneurs. Although there has been a commitment by government to promote small business, it yet again focuses on the opportunist entrepreneur rather than the survivalist entrepreneur. Survivalist micro-entrepreneurs face huge challenges in accessing any type of resources. Although there is much talk about promotion of small business, there seems to be a gap in what is being advocated and what is being done. What has happened thus far is that small and medium enterprises have been branded under one label, proving detrimental to the micro-entrepreneur. The opportunist entrepreneur and the survivalist entrepreneur have vasy different needs and the resources made available should address the different needs. This study focused on micro-entrepreneurship in the Cape Flats area of the Western Cape, specifically on survivalist micro-entrepreneurs, and excluded the opportunist entrepreneur.
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Maswanganyi, Willie Masiza. "The constraints and prospects facing the development of growth of the small businesses in the Giyani area - a case study of the Giyani Business Centre." Thesis, University of Limpopo, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/10386/2348.
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Mukwarami, Josephat. "Factors affecting the growth of locally owned spaza shops in selected townships in South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2719.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.The ANC government relaxed a great many restrictions enforced by the apartheid regime. The restrictions included the illegal status of the spaza shops which operated in the townships. Faced with the challenge of unemployment, the present government crafted policies and programmes to support and promote the creation of Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises or SMMEs. However, despite all of these initiatives, the small grocery shops which are commonly known as spaza shops, and particularly those owned by South Africans, are faced with a number of obstacles with respect to the establishment, operation and growth. This study was undertaken in order to determine the factors which affect the startup and growth of locally owned spaza shops in the Gugulethu and Nyanga townships in Cape Town, and to identify the support strategies necessary to assist these shops to grow into sustainable businesses. The study was motivated by the growing informal economy which, if it is effectively taken advantage of and made use of, can, to some extent, create employment opportunities, particularly for the previously disadvantaged people in both the Gugulethu and the Nyanga townships. The study employed an exploratory and descriptive research design, and a quantitative empirical research approach, through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. The findings of the research study revealed that there are significant challenges which adversely affect South African-owned spaza shops, and that obstacles are encountered during the startup and growth phases. Although the factors which affect the spaza shops adversely are many, it is important to single out the most significant ones. The significant factors evidence from the study were a lack of startup and expansion capital, load shedding, the lack of a network to buy cheaply in bulk, competition from non-South African entrepreneurs, crime, costs incurred by transportation of stock, a lack of collateral security to obtain finance from lenders, inadequate ability to handle financial records, a lack of management skills and a lack of information concerning government services.
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Chipunza, Lovemore Tendayi. "Driving innovation in small accommodation businesses : a comparative study of Zimbabwe and South Africa." Thesis, Bloemfontein: Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/274.
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Thesis (D. Tech. (Business Administration )) - Central University of Technology, Free StateThe purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which certain selected factors serve as drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses (SABs) in two developing economies in Southern Africa namely South Africa and Zimbabwe with the ultimate aim of assisting policy makers and support agencies in formulating innovation oriented strategies for the sector. Two samples were randomly selected from SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa- two neighbouring Southern African countries. Parametric tests which include t-tests and one-way ANOVAs as well as Bonferonni tests as post-hoc measures were used to test whether SAB propensity to engage in different dimensions of innovation differs by gender; firm size, owner-managers’ years of experience and level of education respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were employed to assess the relationships between market orientation, learning orientation and innovation while Chi-square tests were performed to establish the inter-relationships between independent demographic variables, namely age, gender, education and work experience. In order to investigate whether there are any significant interaction effects between the age of the respondents and their experience in the accommodation sector on each of the five innovation measures, a series of two-way ANOVA tests were performed. Lastly, regression analysis was used to determine the relative efficacy of market orientation (MO), learning orientation (LO) and country in predicting innovation in a business. The results demonstrate that unlike firm size, gender and level of education, which have no association with innovation, there is a strong association between market orientation, learning orientation, owner/managers age and experience and innovation in the two countries. This positive association implies that SABs that are committed to, listen attentively to and learn proactively about their customers’ needs and expectations are better inclined to engage in all the different dimensions of innovation (product/service, process, marketing and organisational) than their counterparts who do not engage in these activities. Among other drivers of innovation, market orientation emerged as the main predictor implying that SABs that invest more in marketing tend to be better innovators than those that invest in learning irrespective of their country of operation. The study also revealed that younger owner/managers of SABs tend to be more innovative than their older, experienced counterparts. The study makes an important contribution to literature on the drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses in developing economies by dispelling firm size, gender and level of education which were regarded as drivers of innovation across industries previously. Practice and policy wise, the study led to the development of a conceptual framework for investigating how best to drive innovation in local SABs in order to make them more competitive, survive and grow in the face of competition from large accommodation businesses that often happen to be multinational.
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Myeni, Sibongiseni Selby. "The effect of occupational health and safety programmes in the growth of small businesses in Gauteng province, South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8846.
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Introduction: Managers in small businesses are faced with a dilemma of meeting the requirements of health and safety legislation and trying to grow their businesses. It is important that they understand the business value of occupational health and safety programs. For them to allocate resources to occupational health and safety programs they need to understand if there are any economic benefits attached to such programs. Thus this study was designed to investigate the benefits of occupational health services on economic performance and growth of small businesses in Gauteng, South Africa. Method: This was a descriptive quantitative study. A self administered structured questionnaire was developed and distributed to 200 small businesses in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Thirty completed questionnaires were received back, representing a response rate of 15%. Data was analysed by the NMMU Unit for Statistical Consultation, using STATISTICA. Results: Economic performance moderately correlated with the presence of occupational health and safety professionals. It moderately correlated with the categories of occupational health and safety professionals in a small business. The level of knowledge, awareness, attitude and perception on occupational health and safety was rated high. Eighty three percent (83%) of the respondents had a clear understanding of their responsibility in terms of the health and safety function at work. The level of employee engagement was rated high with seventy six percent (76%) of respondents reporting that they get recognition for their work, and eighty six percent (86%) indicated that they were happy with the relationship they had with their boss. There was a difference between managers and employees in terms of how they view economic performance and growth of their companies. Conclusion: The presence of occupational health and safety professionals as well as different categories of occupational health and safety professionals are factors of importance in the economic performance and growth of small businesses in Gauteng, Republic of South Africa. The weak correlation between economic performance and growth of small businesses requires a further study with a bigger sample size.
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Nzawou, Arnaud. "E-commerce strategies for SMME sustained growth in the manufacturing sector." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/989.
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Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of
Master of Technology: Business Information System
In the Faculty of Business
At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013The South African manufacturing industry landscape has changed due to the pressures of globalisation and liberalisation of trade policy regimes. The structural shift of this industry has led to a global market in which many small businesses in the manufacturing sector find it difficult to compete with competitors for example, in Asian countries. Companies are required to improve their competitiveness by using various strategies such as e-commerce. However, these strategies are changing economics, markets, industry structure, products and services, the flow of products and services, consumer segmentation, consumer values, consumer behaviour and labour markets. An e-commerce strategy could assist small businesses in emerging markets to streamline their business processes in their respective sectors and industries, thus enabling them to enhance their business activities. Yet, literature reveals that most SMMEs do not take full advantage of e-commerce applications in their business activities. A qualitative approach using a case study methodology is used for this research. The researcher adopted models such as the Technology-Organisational-Environmental model, a value proposition model and a key assets model to collect and analyse evidence to propose guidelines for e-commerce initiatives in the selected environment. The findings indicate that SMMEs could improve their performance by establishing formal strategies and structures to increase their worth. This is done by creating e-commerce strategies to fit their organisational goals and objectives. Furthermore, manufacturing SMMEs need appropriate online platforms to transact and build strong relationships with suppliers, customers and partners. In addition, it is essential for SMMEs to establish and monitor quality standards in their e-commerce activities. It was found that the key assets needed by SMMEs in the manufacturing sector could impact their ability to sustain their business activities. Finally, manufacturing SMMEs need to deliver targeted and contextual marketing messages to help influence potential decision makers. This research contributes to the field of e-commerce by providing guidelines which manufacturing SMMEs could use as a starting point, to understand and improve their current e-commerce strategies and sustain their business growth.
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Ponelis, S. R. (Shana Rachel). "An exploratory study of business intelligence in knowledge-based growth small, medium and micro-enterprises in South Africa." Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/28042.
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Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) play an important part in all economies but particularly in developing economies. Growth 'SMMEs seek to grow either in size, revenue and/or asset value by reinvesting available resources; these enterprises tend to spend their available resources on operational when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT). But these systems, whilst necessary are not sufficient. They are geared toward capturing data but not producing information. Business intelligence (BI) can provide decision-makers, who in SMMEs are predominantly owner-managers, with access to information that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply limited resources. Because BI requires operational systems to be in place to gather the data it is the logical next step. Despite increasing discussion in the press and amongst BI practitioners, academic research with regard to BI in SMMEs remains sparse. Since the potential contribution of BI to SMMEs can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of use of BI to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. This research uses an interpretive approach to collect data using semi-structured interviews from the owner-managers of six knowledge-based growth SMMEs in South Africa selected through purposive sampling. The research results suggest that BI can play an important role in knowledge-based growth SMMEs but that support and guidance is needed to ensure that BI is used appropriately to fully exploit available data for decision-making in addition to expanding available data sources. Future research can adopt a more rigorous positivist approach to confirm the findings of this study, expand the population to other sectors in South Africa and/or SMMEs in other countries. An action research methodology can also be used to apply BI interventions in SMMEs to investigate specific BI solutions in-depth. The research may be of value to participating and other SMME owner-managers, policy makers, government agencies, business advisers, and academic researchers.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Information Science
unrestricted
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Fildes, J. "Constraints to small firm growth and the role of business advice in townships on the Cape Flats, South Africa." Thesis, Open University, 2001. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.503483.
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Van, Heerden Garth William. "Constraints to the implementation of a market development approach to the delivery of business Development Services within the Makana municipal area." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007746.
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South Africa's biggest challenge remains the high rate of unemployment especially among the country's youth. Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have been shown to be instrumental in many third world economies as a sustainable means not only to address unemployment but also to contribute significantly to economic growth. Despite government's good intentions and support, the South African SMME sector is not growing as expected and this is impacting negatively on unemployment creation in the country. Good business development services (BDS) is necessary to support SMMEs and specifically the Market Development Approach to the provision of BDS, where subsidies are replaced by private payment for services. Makana municipal area provided scope for analysing the constraints to the implementation of such business development services. Analysing the scope and magnitude of the constraints in this setting would contribute to understanding the constraints also in other parts of the country and help officials in local economic development make better informed decisions regarding support to SMMEs. Authors like Rogerson (2011), UNDP (2004), Miehlbradt and McVay, (2003), the Committee of Donor Agencies for SME Development (Blue book) (2001) and Bear et al., (2001) Gibson (2001), propose that the key to sustainable BDS is the implementation of the Market Development approach which focusses on for-profit activities in the provision of BDS to SMMEs. The aim of this study was to examine perceptions of key stakeholders towards SMME support and development, to identify the constraints to the implementation of a Market Development approach to the provision of business development services to SMMEs in the Makana area and to make recommendations to the Makana LED office of possible intervention strategies to address identified constraints. Purposive sampling was used to identify key stakeholders in SMME support in the Makana area in the categories of, big institutional buyers, public and private BDS providers as well the municipal LED office. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with each stakeholder using questions shown in appendixes A to D. Perceptions of all key stakeholders were very positive with good intentions to support SMMEs. However, this was not consistent with procurement practice at the big institutional buyers. Constraints are summarized in the following five themes: Theme 1. Inconsistent practice in dealing with SMMEs across the organisation. Theme 2. Absence of a cooperative body or Chamber of Commerce. Theme 3. Fragmented Business Development Services. Theme 4. A lack of a culture of cost recovery. Theme 5. Limited awareness of BDS in the Makana area. A number of recommendations were suggested. Big institutional buyers like Rhodes University and Makana municipality need to take a longer term view and move the focus from employment creation to enterprise support which is a more sustainable and empowering source of employment (ILO, 2009). The Grahamstown Chamber of Commerce should become more representative and big institutional buyers also need to be convinced of the value of private BDS. Stakeholders should work together to combine resources to offer a comprehensive one-stop BDS for the Makana area (Chetty, 2009) and this comprehensive BDS should be provided according to the Market Development approach focusing on those services that lend themselves better to this approach whilst using subsidies only for those services with a low potential for cost recovery (UNDP, 2004).
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Wyeth, Charles Anthony. "The role of local industrial parks in stimulating and supporting the growth and development of small, medium and micro enterprises in the Western Cape Province." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/52018.
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Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2000.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the past few years considerable debate has taken place regarding the role of Local lndustrial Parks (LIPs) in stimulating the growth and development of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa. LIPs are normally established to achieve specific development objectives, namely, job creation, sector specific support, entrepreneurship/small business promotion and the provision of affordable workspace. Through interviews with centre managersof each of the LIPs located in the Western Cape Province, and the collection of other relevant information, this document appraises the performance of UPs against those criteria. The author further postulates that the term UP has evolved from a variety of other "period-names" for facilities that provide accommodation/business premises to SMMEs, and has become the current term for defining such facilities. Given the high demand for appropriately priced business premises for SMMEs, and the decision by the Cape Metropolitan Council to actively promote the establishment of UPs as a core activity in its local economic development strategy, this document recommends what services should be provided by UPs to ensure that the services offered represent value for money, and achieve the desired goals of an UP programme.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die afgelope paar jaar is daar hewig gedebateer oor die rol wat Plaasklike Industriële Parke (PIP) in die stimulering van ontwikkeling en groei van Klein-, Medium- en Mikro- Besighede (KMMB) in Suid Afrika speel. PIP's word normaalweg ontwikkel om spesifieke mikpunte te behaal, naamlik werksskepping, sektor-spesifieke ondersteuning, entrepreneurship/kleinbesigheids promosie en verskaffing van bekostigbare werksareas. Deur 'n proses van onderhoude met sentrum bestuurders van elk van die PIPs geleë in die Wes-Kaap Provinsie, en die versameling van ander tersaaklike inligting, meet hierdie dokument die sukses van PIP's in die lig van bogenoemde kriteria. Die outeur postuleer verder dat die term PIP 'n uitvloeisel van ander "periode-name" van fasiliteite wat werksareas en besigheids persele aan KMMB's verskaf het, is en dat dit die huidige term is om na sulke fasiliteite te verwys. Met die hoë vraag na besigheidspersele vir KMMB's teen 'n redelike tarief, en die besluit deur die Kaapse Metropolitaanse Raad om PIP's aktief te bevorder as 'n sleutel aktiwiteit in die plaaslike ekonomiese ontwikkeling strategie, meld hierdie dokument aanbevelings in terme van dienste wat deur PIP's verskaf behoort te word om te verseker dat hierdie dienste waarde vir geld verteenwoordig, en die beoogte mikpunte van die PIP bereik.
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Nkem, Linus C. "Assessing the role of stokvels in the start-up and growth of Cameroonian owned businesses in the Cape Metropole." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2655.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration (Entrepreneurship)))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.Entrepreneurial activities are very evident within the Cape Metropole as the proliferation of small, medium and micro-sized enterprises (SMMEs) will attest. The most recent literature confirms the preponderance of immigrants in these economic activities. This phenomenon is unfolding against the backdrop of the contingent of challenges which they face which are not limited to discrimination, limited access to finance from formal financial institutions, inadequate skills, and language barriers. The limited access which they have to obtaining finance from formal financial institutions constitutes one of the most significant obstacles for many immigrant entrepreneurs. There is evidence to suggest that in response to this state of affairs, immigrants resort to unconventional means to obtain finance for their entrepreneurial activities. It has been found that, immigrants form self-help financial associations which are known as stokvels in South Africa as a means of obtaining the finances which are needed for the start-ups and even for the growth of their businesses. In fact, it could be asserted that the inability of immigrant entrepreneurs to obtain loans from commercial banks and other related financial institutions has resulted directly in the creation of immigrant-run informal financial institutions such as stokvels. Consequently, the main objective of this study was to assess the role which stokvels which are known in Cameroon as “njangis” or “tontines”, play in the start-ups and growth of businesses which are owned by Cameroonian immigrants in the Cape Metropole. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches and research methods were used to conduct this study. The quantitative and qualitative data was collected through the administration of a questionnaire and the conducting of face-to face interviews respectively, owing to the nature of the target population. The data which was collected from the respondents who completed the questionnaires was captured, categorised and analysed in relation to the research questions through the use of SPSS statistical software and the findings were presented in the form of frequency tables and pie charts. The study ascertained that “njangis” play a very important role in the businesses of Cameroonian immigrants and in their daily lives as they are not only a source of capital for the start-ups and expansion of the businesses of their members, but they also provide a means of saving money, as most of them do not have access to bank accounts. According to some of the respondents, some of the “njangis” even serve as forums for discussing business ideas. Like most other organisations, stokvels have their own unique challenges, which will be discussed comprehensively in Chapter Four, particularly with respect to the methods which are employed to overcome them. It is the considered opinion of the researcher that it is in the domain of entrepreneurship in particular that South African citizens could learn a great deal from immigrants from other African countries about the successful starting and running of small, medium and micro sized businesses as recent literature has demonstrated quite conclusively the significant contribution which their entrepreneurial enterprises make to the development of the South African economy, in terms of both earning revenue for the South African government and providing employment to South African citizens.
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Fortuin, Christiaan Jacobus. "Interaction between Seda and other small-business organisations as forerunner to integrated service delivery." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/880.
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Thesis (MDF (Development Finance))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The need for Small, Micro and Medium Enterprise (SMME) growth in South Africa is beyond question. Government sees SMMEs as an important vehicle to boost the economy of the country because of the contribution they make to job creation. According to recent estimates by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), small businesses represent 98% of the total number of registered firms, employ 55% of the country’s labour force and account for 35% of GDP. Unfortunately South Africa has a low survival rate among start-up businesses compared to other developing economies. Some believe that the reason for the failure of government programmes to support small businesses is due to poor delivery. This is one of the key issues to be addressed by all business support players. The key to success is to pursue a private sector led approach where experienced business advisors and mentors can add value to the businesses of customers. The research focuses solely on support organisations within the Siyanda region. The findings support the notion that Seda, as government’s small business support vehicle, will have to utilise support organisations more in order to make a success of its mandate. The investigation has identified some recommendations that may lead to an improvement in the current environment. The first approach is to ensure that people who render small business support have business experience and understand small enterprises. Secondly, to ensure that sector programmes are focused on a particular objective and that the overall strategy remains integrated and focused. In order to achieve this, the private sector should participate and share the costs. In recommending measures to improve the promotion of small business support at a local level, it is important to focus on what works best and that is ultimately privatesector organisations.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die behoefte aan groei van Klein, Mikro en Medium Ondernemings (SMMEs) in Suid-Afrika word nie debateer nie. Die regering sien SMMEs as ‘n belangrike medium om die land se ekonomie ‘n hupstoot te gee vanweë die bydrae wat hulle tot werkskeppping maak. Volgens onlangse skattings van die Departement van Handel en Nywerheid, verteenwoordig kleinsake-ondernemings 98% van die totale aantal geregistreerde ondernemings en verskaf hulle werk aan 55% van die land se arbeidsmag, en dra hulle by tot 35% van die bruto binnelandse produk. Ongelukkig het Suid-Afrika ‘n lae oorlewingsyfer onder nuwe besighede in vergelyking met ander ontwikkelende ekonomieë. Sommige mense glo die rede vir die mislukkig van regeringsprogramme wat kleinsake-ondernemings ondersteun, is swak dienslewering. Hierdie is een van die sleutelkwessies wat aangespreek behoort te word deur alle sake-ondersteuningspartye. Die sleutel tot sukses is om ‘n privaatsektor-gedrewe aanslag te volg waar ervare sake-adviseurs en -mentors waarde kan toevoeg tot kliënte se besighede. Die ondersoek het sekere aanbevelings geidentifiseer wat mag lei tot ‘n verbetering van die huidige omstandighede. Die eerste stap is om te verseker dat mense wat kleinsake-ondersteuning bied wel sake-ondervinding het en die kleinsakebedryf verstaan. Tweedens, om te verseker dat die sektor se programme wel gefokus is op ‘n spesifieke doelwit en dat die oorkoepelende strategieë geïntegreerd en gefokus bly. Ten einde dit te bereik, moet die privaatsektor deelneem en die kostes deel. By die soeke na stappe om die bevordering van kleinsake op plaaslike vlak te verbeter, is dit belangrik om te kyk wat (elders) reeds geslaag het. Dit is alte dikwels stappe wat deur die privaatsektor onderneem word.
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Petrus, Henry George. "An investigation into causes of success and failure in small businesses within the Department of Social Development in the Eastern Cape." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003942.
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The failure rate of small business initiatives in South Africa is phenomenal, and much is needed to unravel the causes contributing to such failures. Yet small businesses are playing a vital part in our global economy and in particular in terms of job creation and poverty eradication. There are internal as well as external factors that play a significant role in determining the success of these small businesses. In South Africa much emphasis is placed by national, provincial and local governments on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to drive wealth creation and black economic empowerment. Therefore, an investigation into the factors contributing to the success and failure of SMEs is of vital importance. The South African government’s poverty eradication strategy, which is driven by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), allocated funds for job creation programmes as a method to combat poverty and more importantly, to develop young entrepreneurs. Among the seven departments mandated by DTI was the Department of Social Development. Since the birth of the new democracy, this department has transformed from offering a traditional remedial method of service delivery to an integrated developmental approach. This approach included extensive community work, which includes job creation and economic empowerment through the establishment of small businesses. Given the availability of funding, the inability to spend fiscal budgets as per allocation as well as the charity element of receiving involved, it is important to explore whether factors contributing to the success of these SMEs are any different to the traditional business strategies. In this study, the researcher gave special consideration to the social capital element and its contribution in the context of community support as well as the ability of SMEs to become sustainable business ventures over time. The research study aims to highlight unique factors contributing to the success and failures of SMEs established by the Department of Social Development and in doing so hopes to manifest an improved understanding of the management of these SMEs. In chapter one, the researcher gives a brief description of the activities of the Department of Social Development and its mandate to establish SMEs for job creation. A brief explanation regarding the context of the problem that was investigated is also given. Chapter two provides a detailed theoretical overview of the study, focusing in particular on factors contributing to the success and failure of small businesses. In chapter three, the research design and the various instruments used are discussed. Here, emphasis is placed on procedural issues and ethical considerations. The validity and reliability of the research is strongly motivated. In chapter four the research results are discussed. Chapter five aims to discuss the findings of the research with reference to the theoretical overview outlined in chapter two. Lastly, chapter six makes recommendations to the various stakeholders who may benefit from this research. These recommendations are the most important objectives of the research and should add value with regards to the management of SMEs in future, with special reference to the Department of Social Development in the Eastern Cape.
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Tinta, Akhona Nelisa. "An assessment of industrial development zones in growing SMMEs: the East London industrial development zone case." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21427.
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The small, medium and micro enterprises sector in South Africa is critical in addressing poverty, job creation and social instability inherited by the democratic government. The transformation of the economy has seen various pieces of legislation being enacted in order to promote a favourable environment for the growth of the SMME sector. As such, instruments such as the Industrial Development Zones were put in place to facilitate investment, create jobs and promote exports with one of the main objectives to grow the SMME sector. In this study, the case of the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) in supporting the growth of the SMME sector in economic growth and addressing socio-economic challenges was analysed. The exploratory qualitative research methodology was used in the study. Structured questionnaires and a semi-structured interview guide were used to collect data from the 49 identified participants and an Executive Management representative from the ELIDZ in order to present the data obtained precisely. The study recommends that an integrated model of SMME growth by the private and public sector be developed in ensuring that there are clear expectations on the determinants of growth for the sector. In addition, the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality must have in place a consolidated database of SMMEs in order for the private and public institutions to elect the SMMEs which can be participants in their SMME development programmes.
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Mbedzi, Khaukanani Percival. "The role of government agencies in promoting SMME's in Limpopo : a critical assessment." Thesis, Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/8541.
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Thesis (MDF)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.In 2003, the then president of the Republic of South Africa, Mr Thabo Mbeki, alluded to the dual nature of the South African economy which, on the one hand, is well developed with sound macroeconomic management, while, on the other hand, it has characteristics of an underdeveloped Third World economy. The province of Limpopo is no exception to this anomalous economic phenomenon. It can be argued that, due to its preponderant rural character, the dual economy phenomenon is more pronounced in Limpopo than in other parts of the country. According to the government’s Integrated Strategy on the Promotion of Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprises, “the promotion of entrepreneurship and small businesses remains an important priority of the government of South Africa” (Department of Trade and Industry, 2005: 3). In line with this strategy, the government has committed itself to ensuring that small businesses increase their contribution to economic growth and job creation. To realise this goal, the government has taken measures to ensure that small business development becomes a key policy focus. In South Africa, the importance of developing small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) becomes even more critical for the achievement of social stability by creating jobs to solve the high unemployment rate. Apart from their contribution to job creation and economic growth, SMMEs can play a significant role in the economy of the country by introducing new innovative products and services, thereby improving the quality of life of the people. The challenge facing the province of Limpopo and indeed South Africa as a whole is how to effectively mobilise small enterprise support agencies to help in developing sustainable SMMEs that can contribute meaningfully to economic growth and development. The provincial government looks upon the support agencies to implement its SMME support strategy. This study provides a critical review of all the relevant institutions, agencies and programmes – operational at national, provincial, district and local level – which try to address support needs of small, medium and micro-enterprises. Many of these efforts are effective and reach significant numbers of small enterprises, yet many of the initiatives fail or remain ineffective. In many areas local staff is too limited to implement programmes or just to effectively publicise available support programmes. In a brief comparative section, we try to show that South Africa’s problems with inadequate SMMEsupport are far from unique. We are part of worldwide concern about practical steps to expand, strengthen and streamline SMME-support – and Limpopo is part of that challenge.
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Smulders, Sharon Ann. "Taxation compliance burden for small business in South Africa." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2009. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-04282009-172111/.
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Exner, Justin. "An entrepreneurial framework for starting a small tourism business in Cape Town." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/995.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009.The 2010 FIFA World Cup toumament could provide valuable opportunities for the tourism entrepreneur in Cape Town. This study focuses on the factors that affect the entrepreneurwho chooses to make tourism a career in Cape Town. The aim of the study is to examine the tourism entrepreneurs' ability to be sustainable and is focused on the single tourism owner operating a service business in the Cape Town CBO such as small tour operators, tour guides and accommodation agents. Using the quantitative research method, a questionnaire as well as individual interviews, the data collection techniques have helped to provide valuable information as to the influencing factors on entrepreneurship, operational challenges and the extemal environment affecting tourism business in Cape Town. The results which could be useful to an aspirant entrepreneur indicate that the survey participants were generally positive about the FIFA event and that success for them is the ability to understand the market and plan strategically in order to operate a business effectively that will meet specific market requirements.
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Zhang, Li. "Quality Management in the small business environment of South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1210.
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Dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
Master Technologiae: Quality
in the Faculty of Engineering
at the Cape Peninsula University of TechnologyBeginning in the United States in December 2007, and with much greater intensity since September 2008, much of the industrialised world is being subjected to an economic downturn, which manifests in unemployment, small-business lending, and in particular, the closing of small business enterprises, etc. Customer satisfaction, quality and retention are global issues that affect all organisations, no matter whether they are large or small, profit or non-profit, global or local. In a globally changing landscape characterised by continuous structural changes and enhanced competitive pressures, the role of small business in society has become even more important as providers of employment opportunities and key players for the well-being of local and regional communities. Under the current global worldwide economic crisis, small business is considered to be a major force behind the South Africa‟s economy. Regarding the implementation of quality, probably the most serious constraints a small firm has is that the manager is almost constantly under time pressure, usually dealing with the urgent staff and operational matters.Especially in very small companies, the manager usually has to cope with to all issues irrespective of their nature, in addition to day to day duties such as record keeper, inventory management and scheduling. Ironically, it is this type of small business that needs quality solutions because quality strategies do not from the basis of the traditional small business enterprises, thus impacting on the successful management of the business environment.
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Stols, J. A. (Jeanne Anine). "Review of small business tax relief measures in South Africa." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/41575.
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Small businesses form an essential part of any country’s economy and these businesses are essential for growth and employment opportunities. It is however recognised that the success of small businesses are dependent on a few factors of which tax relief measures are one. The South African Government is supporting small businesses in our country through various initiatives and current small business tax relief measures form part of these initiatives.
This study focuses on only two such tax relief measures namely section 12E of the Income Tax Act for entities that qualify as a small business corporation and Turnover Tax for entities that qualify as micro businesses. These two tax relief measures aim to give small businesses reduced tax rates to assist them to grow and contribute towards job creation in South Africa. The unemployment rate in South Africa in the second quarter of 2013 was 25.6%. This is thus one indication that the tax relief measures per section 12E of the Income Tax Act and Turnover Tax are possibly not meeting the objectives of assisting small businesses to grow and alleviate unemployment.
This study focuses on researching the current small business tax relief measures in South Africa. The study thus commences with a literature review regarding the small business tax relief measures per section 12E of the Income Tax Act and Turnover Tax. It also includes detailed discussions regarding the criteria which should be met by small businesses to qualify for the tax relief per section 12E and Turnover Tax. The study then proceeds to obtain and analyse data through a questionnaire to accountants regarding their opinion of the current small business tax relief measures. Finally the study researches the objectives set out by SARS for section 12E of the Income Tax Act and Turnover Tax to determine whether these objectives have been met or not and to critically compare this to the responses from the accountants on the same subject.
As a result this study will assist the South African Government to determine areas for possible improvement in the current small business tax relief measures. Improvements in such tax relief measures could then contribute positively towards the economy of South Africa as a whole.
The small business tax relief measures were however limited to those already implemented in South Africa and further research could possibly be conducted regarding such tax relief measures in other developing countries similar to South Africa.Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2013.
lmchunu2014
Taxation
unrestricted
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Makumbila, Louis Boy. "Supplier development for competitive advantage in manufacturing small medium enterprises." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18102.
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Competitive advantage is crucial for a business to be sustainable, yet many small- and medium-sized enterprises are not engaging in supplier development in order to achieve a competitive advantage. This empirical study was conducted on a sample of 64 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the manufacturing industry in Kempton Park, Gauteng. The factors that influence engagement in supplier development were analysed to assess whether supplier development can lead to competitive advantage and other benefits. The findings indicate that supplier development can create and improve competitive advantage, as well as lead to other benefits. Four factors were found to have a relationship with supplier development, and therefore could influence the decision to take part in supplier development. Small- and medium-sized enterprises can use tools such as supplier development in order to be competitive and have an advantage over their competitors. The awareness of operational performance measures, competitive advantage, judgment of the absence or existence of trust, and a buyer’s relative power can all influence participation in supplier development.
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Mwanza, Phales Mbewe. "Utilisation of budgets by small and medium enterprises in the manufacturing industry in the Cape Metropole." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2684.
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Thesis (MTech (Cost and Management Accounting))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.Background: Research has shown that a high percentage of SMMEs in South Africa are not sustainable, most of them failing in their infancy stage. In order to make sound decisions and achieve desirable results, owners/managers need to make use of budgets in managing their businesses. Utilisation of budgets is the core of financial planning and decision-making in manufacturing enterprises. Lack of utilisation of budgets in managing businesses can lead to business failure. There is need to conduct a study on the utilisation of budgets by SMEs in the manufacturing industry. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which SMEs in the manufacturing industry in the Cape Metropolis use budgets for managing their businesses. This was achieved by determining whether the SMEs in the manufacturing industry used budgets or not, what types of budgets were used, the purposes for which the budgets were used and what challenges if any were faced by these SMEs when using budgets. Methodology: Data was collected from 108 respondents by means of a questionnaire comprising closed-ended questions. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the data in SPSS version 24. Frequency tables and pie charts were used to present the findings. Findings: The findings of the study reveal that most SMEs in the manufacturing industry in the Cape Metropolis use budgets for managing their businesses. The SMEs prepare budgets which are used for various purposes. The SMEs however face challenges when utilising budgets. Recommendations: Future interventions by Department of Small Business Development on financial planning should focus more on micro and very small enterprises. Other categories of enterprises may apply this information and emulate the utilisation of budgets from the SMEs in the manufacturing industry as they strive to survive and grow.
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Eybers, Carey. "Copreneurships in South African small and medium-sized family business." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1207.
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Taking cognisance of the increasingly important role that copreneurial businesses play in national economies, the unique challenges that they face, and the lack of research attention given to such spousal teams, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the more effective functioning of copreneurships in South Africa by identifying the factors that impact on their success. Consequently, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the factors that influence the Perceived success of copreneurships in South Africa, as well as the conditions required for the effective and harmonious functioning of such spousal partnerships. This study seeks to incorporate previous findings and studies on team effectiveness and spousal relationships into a comprehensive conceptual model. After conducting a comprehensive literature study, as well as examining the different teamwork models proposed and the study by Farrington (2009), it became clear that successful teams have validated their proficiency with regard to two types of factors, namely, relational-based and organisational-based factors. Within these two categories of factors, 14 independent variables were identified and hypothesised to influence the measures of effectiveness of copreneurships, namely the dependent variable Perceived success; and the intervening variable Financial performance. All of the factors in this study were clearly defined and operationalised. Reliable and valid items sourced from Farrington’s (2009) measuring instrument, as well as several measuring instruments used in other studies, were used in the operationalisation of these factors. In addition, several items were self-generated from secondary sources. Respondents were identified using the convenience snowball sampling technique, and a structured questionnaire was made available to them. The data gathered from the 380 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument was confirmed by means of an exploratory factor analysis, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated for this purpose. The original intervening variable Financial performance could not be confirmed as originally intended in the conceptual model. Instead, Financial performance split into v two separate variables which were named Financial performance and Growth performance. The original dependent variable Perceived success was confirmed by the factor analyses. The relational- and organisational-based factors could not be confirmed as originally intended in the conceptual model. Instead, seven new relational- and seven new organisational-based factors emerged, and where necessary these factors were renamed. The primary statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the independent and dependent variables in this study, was Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Owing to the sample-size restrictions, the conceptual model could not be subjected to SEM as a whole. Instead, seven submodels were identified and subjected to further analysis. The following independent variables were identified as influencing the dependent and intervening variables in this study: • Spousal relationship • Commitment to spouse • Equal status • Commitment to the business • Emotional attachment • Non-family involvement • Personal needs alignment • Leadership • Competencies • Internal context In order to investigate the influence of the various demographic variables on the intervening and dependent variables, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Multiple Linear Regression analysis and t-tests were performed. How leadership occurs in a copreneurial business, the tenure of the business, the location of the business, the status of the copreneurship, the level of spousal involvement in the business and the vi number of employees were found to have an influence on the intervening and dependent variables of this study. By empirically investigating copreneurships, this study has added to the limited amount of family business literature on these complex partnerships. By way of the conceptual models developed in this study a significant contribution has been made towards understanding the factors influencing the success of copreneurships. As a result, this study presents recommendations and suggestions to assist couples in managing their copreneurships in such a way as to nurture their marriage relationships and at the same time enhance the performance of their businesses.
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Herholdt, Petrus Stephanus. "Assessing the competitiveness of small and medium sized retail business in South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020279.
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The South African economy and especially its retail environment are continuously experiencing the impact of globalisation. The continuous expansions of large public retail businesses that consist of numerous chain stores are evident in both the local and international arena. South Africa has witnessed large amounts of foreign direct investment (FDI) invested into its retail sector. The above mentioned facts hold a serious challenge for small and medium retail businesses in South Africa (SMEs). In order for SME retail businesses to stay competitive against these global retail businesses, it needs to be able to withstand the competition in the environment it operates. This is not always an easy challenge given the limited access to resources that the majority of SME businesses have access to. This study presents how South African SME retail businesses can remain competent and profitable in spite of serious competition from large retail businesses of both local and international origin. In order to suggest recommendations for South African SME retail businesses to be more competent in relation to large retail businesses, the researcher identified some areas of improvement, which is perceived to be the most important for enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs. These variables include uniqueness, entrepreneurial leadership, cost effectiveness, technology and quality management. These variables were researched to understand how they affect SME retail businesses and where tested using quantitative analysis to ascertain if managers and owners of SME retail businesses believed that these variables would help them to improve the level of competitiveness in relation to large retail businesses. The results indicated that SME owners and managers felt that uniqueness, entrepreneurial leadership, cost effectiveness, technology and quality management all contributes to the competitiveness of their business. Empirical evidence shows that owners and managers of SME retail business felt that all of the above factors will result in their SME retail business being more competitive as compared to large retail businesses. The former will lead to better chances of success which again are most likely to lead to increased probability.
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Monks, Patrick Grant Standish. "Sustainable growth of SME's." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1488.
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South Africa and more specifically Port Elizabeth is faced with many challenges with regard to economic growth and unemployment. It is generally acknowledged that the “Small to Medium Enterprises” (SME) are the largest employers in any economy, additionally SME’s are large contributors to the gross domestic product. Successful SME’s are the catalysts of the economy and over time they can develop into large enterprises. It is clear that in order for a country to have a strong and sustainable economy it needs to have a strong and successful SME sector. Unfortunately the South African SME sector performs relatively poorly in comparison with the SME sectors around the world (Herrington, Kew & Kew, 2009). With the knowledge of the importance of the SME sector to the economy and the knowledge that the South African SME’s are generally underperforming, this study will identify how to improve the relative success rate of the SME sector in Port Elizabeth South Africa. In order to achieve this, this study needs to identify why the SME sector is not performing on a par with other SME sectors from around the globe and what initiatives need to be implemented in Port Elizabeth that will enable its SME sector to perform at the same level or better than other SME sectors from around the globe. This study identifies that the South African SME’s are provided with a number of support initiatives. Some of these support initiatives have been very effective, while other support initiatives have been unsuccessful or have failed. This study concludes by identifying a number of areas that need improvement; of these areas two are identified as being critical to SME’s success and sustainability, these two areas are: · The need to make SME’s more aware of the government / business initiatives that are available; and · Establish more effective mentoring and coaching. In order to address these critical areas, the study suggests the use of an internet portal that can be used to coordinate all the activities between the mentors and the SME’s. This internet portal will be expanded to become the core information hub and collaboration centre for the flow of information between the SME’s and any of their stakeholders. Once all this information is centralised it will be a relatively simple process to measure the success rate of the SME’s and the effectiveness of the different mentors.
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Matabooe, Makatleho Julia. "A proposed framework for mentoring in black-owned small businesses in South Africa." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6520.
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In view of the important role that small businesses play in the economic development of most economies in the world, including South Africa (Adeniran & Johnston, 2012:4088; Kongolo, 2010:2290), as well as the survival challenges that they face, the purpose of this study was to propose a framework for effective mentoring. This framework can be used to develop the business management skills of black small business owner–managers which will eventually increase the survival of small businesses in South Africa. As such, the primary objective of this study was to gain an understanding of the conditions required for effective mentoring of black-owned small businesses by empirically identifying the factors that influence effective mentoring of these businesses. If mentoring programmes for black-owned small businesses can be effective, the high failure rate of these businesses could be reduced, which may influence the South African economy positively. This study sought to review previous findings and theories on mentoring and small business development, and then contextualise these to black-owned small businesses. A comprehensive literature review revealed potential factors which could influence the effectiveness of mentoring of black-owned small businesses. Four categories of these factors were identified, namely relational-based, non-relational based, cultural and demographical factors. These factors guided the collection of primary data in this study.
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Tai-Hing, Paul. "Research into entrepreneurship and small business in South Africa: current status and future challenges." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015981.
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This research seeks to advance knowledge of the current state of entrepreneurship and small businesses in South Africa, and reports on a review of 32 articles and 244 research abstracts in the field. The studies as a whole indicate that entrepreneurs in South Africa require more knowledge in the fields of: Networking in business, Internationalisation of business, Entrepreneurship training. Since the 1990s, research in entrepreneurship has grown in terms of the number of articles published and conference papers presented. In many countries entrepreneurship has also become part of the political agenda as it is perceived as a possible solution to high unemployment rates. In addition, interest in entrepreneurship has heightened during the 2000s, especially in business schools. Much of this interest is driven by student demand for courses in entrepreneurship, either because of genuine interest in the subject, or because students see entrepreneurship education as a useful hedge given uncertain corporate careers. Most of the entrepreneurship research abstracts reviewed for this study focused on race, gender and ethical issues in South Africa. These three research topics focused on: Attitudes and experiences of black women: differ from other racial groups in business with the results indicating that black women were competent and highly-motivated, but lacked communication skills and Western business orientation. Many black women also desired equality although their male counterparts opposed this. Black women also lacked role models and career guidance. Different population groups participate in the economy: reflect regional, income, expenditure, skill, occupational and labour differences, including labour supply and demand. Ethics concerns: include whether it should be taught in the human resources management curricula taught in universities. From the findings it appeared that entrepreneurship research in South Africa is fairly similar to international research contexts. As entrepreneurship and small businesses are diverse and multi-disciplinary, the studies reviewed indicated a wide range of different models, theories, frameworks, and combinations of these. However, the theoretical richness of the studies reviewed was, in many cases, relatively low, and only a few of the studies could be regarded as highly-theoretical. In addition, the presentation of the various theories and models applied was very often inadequately reported. It is also important to note that altogether between 7 and 11 percent of the studies were without any well-argued theoretical framework. Thus, researchers in the field should discuss the theoretical frameworks applied in their empirical analyses, to ensure this will improve the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon. Although this study made use of the mixed-method approach to conduct the research, it is also important to note that, in 12 percent of cases, methodological issues were poorly described. Most of the studies often did not describe the data collection response rate provide sample demographic and firm size details as well as identify the target industry. These details were often missing or loosely defined. The reasons for the selection of a certain research approach were also poorly explained, making many of the research studies deficient or limited methodologically. These omissions present a challenge, not only to authors in the field, but also to reviewers and editors in academic journals, as this impacts on the scientific rigor of published papers. On the basis of published papers reviewed, it seems that, personally-administered data collection works best in South Africa. From the research studies undertaken in South Africa, it is evident that much has been researched in the areas of gender (specifically the role of women in business), entrepreneurship training and ethics in business. It is evident that during the 1980s, no research was conducted in South Africa in the areas of family businesses and entrepreneurship training, while international research focuses on these topics. During the 1990s, no research focused on networking in small businesses, and. during the 2000s, there was a lack of research on internationalisation of businesses as only six articles were published from 2000 until 2011 on these topics. This highlights a need for internationalisation research especially as it is well-documented that the South African economy cannot survive if it does not take cognisance of its international competitors. On the basis of the articles and abstracts reviewed, the current state of knowledge concerning entrepreneurship and small businesses in South Africa was assessed, especially the need for the internationalisation of South African small businesses. Moreover, research studies could also focus on the obstacles encountered in the internationalisation process of South African small businesses.
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Mazibuko, Palasta. "Economic growth and commodity-market volatility in South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/6170.
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Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This research studies the relationship between economic growth and commodity-market volatility in South Africa. The mining industry, largely supported by gold, diamonds, coal, iron ore and platinum-group metals, has played a central role in South Africa's economic development. The commodities that were selected for the study are the five major minerals, namely gold, coal, iron are, platinum-group metals and diamonds. It investigates two central questions, the first of which is whether the mining of the above commodities still makes a significant contribution to the South African economy in terms of employment, revenue and foreign-currency earning. The second is whether there is a link that reflects a statistically and economically significant association between commodity-price volatility and economic growth in South Africa. The economic environment in South Africa has been extremely positive, with a growth averaging around 5% for the period 2004-2006. An important contributing factor to this favourable environment has been the behaviour of mineral commodity prices. Mining makes a direct and indirect contribution of approximately 15% to GOP, accounts for around 50% of merchandise exports (including primary and beneficiated mineral exports), 12% of fixed investment, 30% of the market value of the JSE limited and 20% of formal-sector employment. Therefore, mining remains a key foundation of the South African economy. Time series data analysis confirms that the volatility of the major foreign currency-earning commodities - gold, platinum, coal, diamonds and iron ore - are negatively or weakly related. This relationship actually reflects the harmful effect of the volatility of these commodities on economic growth. Until recently, South Africa was heavily dependent on exports of primary commodities. Since the commodity prices are highly volatile, South Africa has to cope with large shocks, both positive and negative. Commodity cycles used to be determined by the growth cycle in the United States, but more recently, with the emergence of the Asian economies and China, in particular, the dominant influence of the United States economy on the commodity cycle has waned. The continuing instability in commodity prices and export earnings of South Africa has to be addressed by diversifying the exports towards more dynamic products; particularly manufactured goods and services.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die verwantskap tussen ekonomiese groei in Suid-Afrika en die mynbedryf, wat hoofsaaklik ondersteun word deur goud, diamante, steenkool, ystererts en die platinumgroepmetale, het 'n sentrale rol in Suid-Afrika se ekonomiese ontwikkeling gespeel. Die kommoditeite wat vir hierdie navorsing gebruik word, is die vyf belangrikste minerale, naamlik goud, steenkool, ystererts, die platinumgroepmetale en diamante. Twee sleutelvraagstukke word hier ondersoek, waarvan die eerste dit bevraagteken of die ontginning van bogenoemde kommoditeite nog steeds 'n belangrike bydrae tot die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie lewer wat indiensneming, inkomste en buitelandse valuta betref. Tweedens word daar ondersoek of daar enige skakel is wat 'n statistiese en ekonomies betekenisvolle verwantskap tussen kommoditeitsprysonbestendigheid en die ekonomiese groei van Suid-Afrika weerspieel. Die ekonomiese omgewing in Suid-Afrika was besonder positief, met 'n groeikoers van ongeveer 5% gedurende die 2004-2006-tydperk. Die gedrag van mineraalkommoditeitspryse het 'n belangrike bydrae tot die gunstige ekonomiese omgewing gelewer. Mynwese lewer 'n direkte en indirekte bydrae van ongeveer 15% tot die algemene binnelandse produk, is verantwoordelik vir ongeveer 50% van die uitvoer van handelsware (insluitend primere en veredelde mineraaluitvoere), 12% van vaste beleggings, 30% van die markwaarde van die Johannesburgse Aandelebeurs en 20% van die werksgeleenthede in die formele sektor. Daarom is mynwese 'n sentrale deel van die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie. Die ontleding van tydreeksdata bevestig dat die onbestendigheid van die belangrikste kommoditeite wat buitelandse valuta verdien, naamlik goud, platinum, steenkool, diamante en ystererts, negatief of swak verwant is. Hierdie verwantskap weerspieel eerder die skadelike uitwerking van hierdie kommoditeite se onbestendigheid op ekonomiese groei. Tot onlangs was Suid-Afrika grootliks afhanklik van die uitvoer van primere kommoditeite en die pryse van hierdie kommoditeite is baie onbestendig. Suid-Afrika moes dus groot skokke, positief sowel as negatief, die hoof bied. Die groeisiklus in Amerika het in die verlede die kommoditeitsiklusse bepaal, maar meer onlangs het die Asiatiese ekonomiee en veral China die dominante invloed van ekonomiese Amerika laat afneem. Die voortdurende onstabiliteit in kommoditeitspryse en buitelandse inkomste vir Suid-Afrika moet meer aandag geniet deur uitvoere te diversifiseer na meer dinamiese produkte, veral vervaardigde produkte en dienslewering.
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Kanguru, Rutendo Melody. "Inventory management practices of small, medium and micro enterprises in the Cape Metropole, South Africa." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2431.
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Thesis (MTech (Cost and Management Accounting))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016.Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) in South Africa are perceived to be failing partly due to ineffective management practices. Using a questionnaire survey, this study sought to determine the inventory-management practices of SMMEs operating in the Cape Metropole, and to evaluate the effectiveness of the inventory-management practices currently used by these entities. In addition, the study sought to determine the challenges, if any, that are experienced by SMMEs from the inventory-management practices currently used. This study was motivated by a dearth of research on inventory-management practices of SMMEs. The findings of the study revealed that most of the SMMEs used ‘Rule of Thumb’ as an inventory-management practice. Regarding the effectiveness of the practices used, the study revealed that the SMMEs investigated were perceived to be moderately effective, with SMMEs practising good inventory management techniques such as warehousing, stocktaking, budgeting, good ordering habits and segregation of warehouse duties. In relation to the challenges faced by SMMEs from the inventory-management practices currently used, the findings suggested that theft, shortage of inventory, errors due to incompetent staff, physical inventory not matching up with records and an inability to keep up with the demand of the customers were some of the main challenges faced. This study contributes to the literature on inventory-management practices of SMMEs and fills the gap of knowledge in this neglected area of research. The findings of this study are of significance to the decision-makers of SMEs as they will be enlightened on the best practices and different inventory-management practices that are vital for their businesses’ survival and that have been adopted by their competitors. This should enable them to evaluate their own inventory-management practices and to decide whether to improve, change or continue with their current practice. The South African Government could also draw on the findings of this research to inform its future intervention strategies meant to improve the survival rates of these entities. This could be in the form of the creation of short courses meant to assist SMMEs to improve their inventory-management practices.
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Wilmot, Chloé Margot. "An investigation into the factors that influence the success of small business in Port Elizabeth." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001629.
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South Africa has one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, currently 23.90%. One way for the government and policy-makers of South Africa to address this dire statistic is through the fostering and promotion of entrepreneurship and small business creation. The benefits of entrepreneurship are numerous and can include: increasing a country’s productivity, enhancing the welfare and well-being of its citizens, reducing emigration rates, improving economic development and perhaps, most importantly, increasing employment rates. Worldwide, small businesses within the private sector have become indispensable to sustainable job creation and therefore it is of the utmost importance that small businesses in any economy develop, grow and succeed. Despite the fact that research pertaining to small businesses has increased over the years, little empirical evidence has been established. In particular, research into what makes small businesses successful has been limited. Entrepreneurial activity in South Africa remains less than ideal and therefore it is appropriate that research into the success factors of small businesses in South Africa be investigated. Furthermore, the survival of South African small businesses beyond four to five years of being in operation is estimated at only 20.00%. It is evident that a lack of knowledge exists and with respect to this research the factors found to be the most common determinants of success for small businesses in Port Elizabeth were determined and investigated. Convenience- and snowball sampling techniques were used to identify potential participants. In total 43 usable questionnaires were returned. Methodological triangulation was used to analyse the data, according to descriptive- and inferential statistics, as well as content analysis. This being so, the research was conducted within two paradigms, primarily, the positivist research paradigm and also the phenomenological research paradigm. The key findings of this study indicate personal factors to be the most important success factor group, while the environmental success factor group is considered the least important. The most important factors attributable to the success of participants’ small businesses include: maintaining good customer services skills and relationships; having a strong commitment to product/service quality; and having honest employees with sound professional ii knowledge and a positive morale. The least important success factors include: trade exhibitions and business fairs; small business legislation; and industry structure and competition. Finally, the hypothesis tests indicate that significant differences only exist between: the relationship statuses and business factors and the business sectors and environmental factors. The results of this research have significant practical implications for the various stakeholders of entrepreneurship. It is hoped that the results will add to the existing body of knowledge and in turn aid South Africa in becoming aware of the factors essential for small business success. In doing so, South Africa at large will be able to take full advantage of entrepreneurship and small business creation, which continue to remain well within its reach
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Boubala, Helene Gesika Oumbahouin. "Risk management of SMMEs." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1723.
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Thesis (MTech (Internal Auditing))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010Developing countries face the great challenge of balancing growth with equity and justice. Growth, in all its fairness, should translate into equitable opportunity for all, but as is observed, the distributional effect of growth often does not filter down to the majority of the socially and economically disadvantaged communities. It is imperative in these situations to embark on a process of developmental change to improve the quality of life of the majority of the disadvantaged community. South Africa used this strategy to endeavour to encounter or reverse the political history of the country, by encouraging entrepreneurs of previously disadvantaged racial groups through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to open small businesses. The South African Government believes that the development, growth and sustainability of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) sector will help the country to decrease the high unemployment rate, and lead the country as a whole to a sustainable economical development. Research has shown that this aim can no longer be achieved by only facilitating access to finance to entrepreneurs. They argue that some management strategies such as risk management should be introduced, understood and applied by small business owners, in order for their businesses to go beyond their actual estimated survival period referred as 3 to 5 years maximum. This research provides background to which risk management techniques are applied within the ambit of small enterprises. The data were collected from eighty eight companies drawn from a possible of 150 small enterprises found in the Cape Metropole. The analysis of data of those who responded has shown that very few SMME owners, managers, entrepreneurs or key designated employees make use of risk management tools and techniques within their businesses, to achieve growth and sustainability. However, the majority agreed to the high importance of risk management in the success of a business enterprise.
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Farrington, Shelley Maeva. "Sibling partnerships in South African small and medium-sized family businesses." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/952.
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Given the predicted increase in the number of family businesses owned and/or managed by siblings (Sibling Partnerships), as well as the lack of understanding and research attention given to such sibling teams, the purpose of this study was to contribute to the more effective functioning of such family businesses in South Africa by identifying the factors that impact on their success. With this purpose in mind, the primary objective was to identify, investigate and empirically test the possible influences of, and relationships between, various factors and the Perceived success of Sibling Partnerships. This study sets out to integrate prior findings and theories on team effectiveness and family relationships, to find support for these theories in the family business literature, and to incorporate these findings into a comprehensive model. The literature study revealed 5 main categories (context, composition, structure, processes, and people) of constructs influencing the Perceived success of sibling teams. Within these 5 main constructs, 13 underlying independent variables were identified and hypothesised to influence measures of effectiveness of sibling teams, namely the dependent variable Perceived success, and the 2 intermediate variables Financial performance and Family harmony. Of the 13 underlying independent variables, 6 were categorised as task-based and 7 as relational-based factors. In addition, hypotheses were formulated for possible relationships between the various task-based constructs (context, composition and structure) and the processes and people constructs. Each construct was clearly defined and then operationalised. Operationalisation was done by using reliable and valid items sourced from tested measuring instruments used in previous studies, as well as several self-generated items based on secondary sources. A structured questionnaire was made available to respondents identified by means of the convenience snowball sampling technique, and the data collected from 371 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated to confirm the validity and reliability of the measuring instrument. The 6 task-based latent variables were confirmed by the exploratory factor analysis. However, all the other latent variables, as originally intended in the theoretical model, could not be confirmed. Instead, 3 dependent variables were identified, namely Financial performance, Growth performance and Satisfaction with work and family relationships, and 6 relational-based constructs, with some changes, did emerge. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was the main statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent and dependent variables. Because of sample size restrictions the conceptual model could not be subjected to SEM as a whole; consequently 10 submodels were identified and subjected to further analysis. The following independent variables were identified as influencing the dependent variables in this study: • Internal context • Complementary skills • Leadership • Shared dream • Fairness • Sibling relationship • Non-family members • No other family members (spouses and non-active siblings) In addition, the factors Complementary skills, Leadership, Past parent involvement, No present parent involvement, and No other family members, were identified as significantly influencing the relationship between the siblings involved in the Sibling Partnership. Furthermore, an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Multiple Linear Regression analysis and t-tests were undertaken to determine the influence of demographic variables on the dependent variables. How ownership is shared in a family business involving siblings, the shareholding between the siblings themselves, and the nature of leadership between the siblings, has been found to influence the iv dependent variables in the present study. In addition, a Sibling Partnership is likely to perform most effectively when it is composed of a relatively young sibling team that has a small age gap between the members, and business performance will improve as the siblings gain work experience together, and as the number of employees increase. This study has added to the empirical body of family business research by investigating a particularly limited segment of the literature, namely Sibling Partnerships in family businesses. By identifying and developing various models that outline the most significant factors that influence the success of such family business partnerships, this study offers recommendations and suggestions for managing family businesses involving siblings, in such a way as to enrich their family relationships and to improve the financial performance of their businesses.
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Mgoduka, Bulelwa Keitumetse. "Impact of microfinance institutions on small business sustainability in Nelson Mandela Bay." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8564.
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The rise of microfinance in South Africa as a development trajectory has dismissed ideas that small business enterprises have no significant contribution to the economic growth and development of the country. The primary objective of the study is to assess the impact of microfinance service providers on the success and sustainability of small business enterprises in the Nelson Mandela Bay. By applying descriptive statistics, 2 ordinary least square regression analyses as well as correlation matrix; the results reveal that microfinance has a positive and significant impact on the success and sustainability on small business enterprises in the Nelson Mandela Bay. The research findings hold a variety of implications for Government and policymakers. The study recommends that the microfinance sector must be under good governance through the microfinance regulatory and supervisory structures, since the sector contributes a great deal towards one of the most important objectives of the Post-Apartheid Government. Further, small business entrepreneurs must be well exposed to the requirements, standards and norms which govern the financial sector. This is particularly important in terms of the National Credit Act provisions.
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Visser, Dirk Jacobus. "An investigation into aspects of transformational leadership in South African small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/49840.
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Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2004ENGLISH ABSTRACT: To the world community at large globalisation has been a gradual process, whereas its impact in South Africa was more intensive and concentrated over a shorter period of time - in particular since South Africa's return to the international community in the early to middle 1990s, its economy, inter alia, has had to adjust to this phenomenon. It is within this environment that all enterprises constituting the South African economy also had to adapt and adjust to a new world environment. From the middle 1980s a new discourse in the literature on the effect of a "new" style of leadership (based on continuous learning, renewal, innovation and entrepreneurship) was reported on in which these leaders brought about significant change in organisations. These leaders recognise the need for change in their organisations. They create a new vision. They bring about change in their organisations to meet the challenges from the changing environment and have been accordingly recognised as transformational leaders. This leadership style has been extensively reported on in large organisations, in both the private and the public sectors. For example, literature and research abound on the impact of transformational leaders in large business enterprises (e.g. Lee lacocca of Chrysler, Jack Welch of General Electric) and government institutions, such as education, the military and health (e.g. Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Mahatma Ghandi of India). A review of the literature on the impact of transformational leadership in large organisations, without fail, reports significant manifestations of success in those organisations' growth, cohesion and development into' more successful and competitive units. Concomitantly, it is generally acknowledged by the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the European Union, the Asian Development Bank and other organisations of similar position, that small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) shape the very foundation of the majority of successful economies. The impact of transformational leadership in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has not been measured and reported on in an empirical appraisal and surprisingly little has been forthcoming on the role and impact of transformational leadership in SMEs globally. However, from an entrepreneurial perspective, much has been researched and written on the qualities that support risk-taking, innovation and competition in SMEs. It is within this context that it was decided to investigate the concept of transformational leadership in entrepreneurs, i.e. that group of people who are generally referred to as the drivers of the economy. This dissertation reviews the literature on leadership practices and styles in organisations as a basis to specifically identify the co-producers of leadership in entrepreneurs in SMEs. It is within this context that an empirical study on aspects of transformational leadership in SMEs in a South African context was conducted. This empirical survey verifies the relationship between characteristics of these entrepreneurs and characteristics typically associated with transformational leaders, as manifested in large organisations. Therefore, given the above empirical evidence, the model developed for this study defines the qualities of a transformational leader which will enable those leaders/entrepreneurs (in SMEs with growth potential) to take their organisations from average performance levels to levels comparable to world-class leadership and competitiveness.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vir die wêreldgemeenskap in sy geheel was globalisering 'n geleidelike proses, terwyl die impak daarvan op Suid-Afrika meer intensief en gekonsentreerd oor 'n korter tydperk plaasgevind het - meer spesifiek sedert Suid-Afrika se terugkeer gedurende die vroeë tot middel 1990s tot die internasionale gemeenskap waartydens die ekonomie, onder andere, tot hierdie verskynsel moes aanpas. Dit is binne hierdie omgewing waarbinne alle ondernemings wat die basis van die ekonomie vorm, tot die nuwe wêreldomgewing moes aanpas. Vanaf die middel 1980s is daar redevoering in die literatuur oor die invloed van 'n "nuwe" leierskapstyl (met die uitgangspunte van verandering, innovering en entrepreneurskap) waarvolgens hierdie leiers aansienlike verandering in hul organisasies teweegbring. Hierdie leiers begryp die noodsaaklikheid van verandering en skep sodoende 'n nuwe visie binne hulorganisasies. Hulle bring verandering binne hierdie organisasies teweeg en aanvaar die uitdagings vanuit die omgewing - hierdie leiers word as transformasieleiers uitgeken. Vanuit die oogpunt van beide groot, privaat- en openbare organisasies, word hierdie leierskapstyl omvattend vermeld; byvoorbeeld, in navorsing en literatuur is voldoende verwysings oor die invloed van transformasieleierskap in groot ondernemings (bv. Lee lacocca van Chrysler, Jack Welch van General Electric) en in staatorganisasies, soos in opvoeding, die militêre asook gesondheid (bv. Nelson Mandela van Suid-Afrika, Mahatma Ghandi van Indië). 'n Literatuuroorsig oor die invloed van transformasieleierskap op groot organisasies dui sonder uitsondering op 'n beduidende invloed van sukses in die groei van hierdie ondernemings aan, asook beter spanwerk en die ontplooiing van meer suksesvolle en mededingengde eenhede binne hierdie organisasies. Insgelyks, word dit algemeen deur die Wêreldbank, die Internasionale Monetêre Fonds, die Europese Gemeenskap, die Asiese Ontwikkelingsbank en ander soortgelyke organisasies aanvaar dat klein tot middelgroot-ondernemings (KMOs) die onderbou van die meerderheid van susksesvolle ekonomië vorm. Vanuit 'n entrepreneuriese perspektief is 'n aansienlike hoeveelheid navorsing en publikasies reeds oor die faktore gedoen wat entrepreneurskap in KMOs ondersteun, naamlik risikoneming, innovering en mededining. Dog, vanuit 'n empiriese benadering, is daar nog nie navorsing oor die invloed van transformasieleierskap in KMOs gelewer nie. Dit is binne hierdie konteks dat die besluit geneem is om die konsep van transformasieleierskap in entrepreneurs te ondersoek, m.a.w. daardie groep mense waarna oor die algemeen as die dryfkrag van die ekonomie verwys word. As vertrekpunt ondersoek hierdie verhandeling die literatuur met betrekking tot leierskapgebruike en -style in organisasies, om sodoende meer spesifiek die medeprodusente van leierskap in entrepreneurs in KMOs te bepaal. Vanaf hierdie vertrekpunt word die empiriese ondersoek geloods en voltooi om die teenwoordigheid van transformasieleierskap in KMOs in Suid-Afrika te bepaal. Die empiriese navorsing bevestig die verwantskap tussen die eienskappe van hierdie entrepreneurs en die eienskappe wat tipies aan transformasieleiers in groot organisasies toegeskryf word. Gegewe die bogenoemde empiriese bevindinge omskryf die model (wat gevolglik vir hierdie studie ontwikkel is) die eienskappe van transformasieleiers wat vir leiers/entrepreneurs (in KMOs met groeimoontlikhede) van nut sal wees om sodoende hulondernemings tot prestasievlakke te neem wat met wêreldleierskap en mededingingheid vergelyk kan word.
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Booth-Jones, Laurene. "Assesssing small business training programme effectiveness in an incubator setting and beyond." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1014074.
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The focus on entrepreneurs as drivers of the economies of nations has catapulted them into the forefront of the local and international marketplace. This has led to a demand for entrepreneurial education and training resulting in a plethora of different and often divergent views. One commonality that has emerged is that entrepreneurship can be taught; although it cannot be taught in conventional and traditional ways. It requires a move from traditional education and training to more enterprising participative and supportive forms of business development. It requires investments of time, resources and support. Incubators are facilities that are engaged with entrepreneurs and offer a variety of support including education and training. This study has assessed the effectiveness of training offered by the Seda Nelson Mandela Bay ICT incubator. There has been limited research undertaken on entrepreneurial education and training in an incubator setting. This study followed the qualitative paradigm. The sample comprised of 10 small businesses at the Seda Nelson Mandela Bay ICT incubator. Empirical data was obtained by interviewing the owners of the small businesses using an interview schedule. Issues such as the most effective training programme, content that it contained, methodology used and quality of the facilitator and applicability of the training programme were explored. The study found that the small businesses were opportunity driven rather than necessity driven and that the incubator served as a bridging facility in moving the businesses from the informal sector to the formal sector. The content of the training programmes was found to be effective when a mix of both theoretical and practical is offered especially with an emphasis on the underlying entrepreneurial themes of confidence, persistence and uncertainty and so on. It also found that training programmes should be linked to the life cycle of the business and address the specific needs of the small business owner. The start-up phase requires very specific training. Most of the facilitators were found to be experienced and empathetic. However, only a few were using a wider range of preferred learning styles favoured by entrepreneurs such as role playing, simulation, brainstorming and problem-solving techniques. The study also found that when generic training programmes are offered there was less recall on the part of the trainees. The management team of the incubator is an important determinant of the success of the incubatees and it is recommended that they need to be well versed in their sector and have good networking skills. There is a strong link between the theoretical and the practical content of training programmes especially where the emphasis is more on the practical content. It is recommended that facilitators pay attention to their relationship with trainees as it is a critical success factor in the training programme. Training programmes offered over a period of time add more value to the incubatee. This might be because of the mentoring and counselling that is available after each training module is completed. Finally, more research needs to be undertaken on the quality and effectiveness of training programmes offered by incubators to small businesses.
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Babalola, Oluwanifesimi Omolade. "Development finance in small and medium enterprises in Matjhabeng Municipality." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020215.
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It has been generally accepted within the developed and developing countries of the world that SMES contributes significantly to employment creation as the world population increases and that it also contributes to the economic growth of the areas they are situated in. Finance is the blood (life) of any business, for a business to be successful it needs steady successful access to funds and post financial support which leads to actualization of ideas, leads to investment and expansion, improves access to market amongst others. This is why the impact of development finance can never be over emphasized. The aims of the study are: To understand the extent to which small and medium businesses are supported through the availability of financial assistance in Matjabeng Municipality. To establish the survival rates of businesses that has been funded and or supported and whether they are or not sustainable. In achieving the aims and objectives of the research, the researcher looked at development funds both from the supply side and the demand side. The supply side which involved semi structured interviews with consultants of government parastatals (the FDC and DETEA) who are involved in financing Small Medium Enterprises in Matjhabeng municipality. The demand side involved administering of questionnaires to Entrepreneurs in the municipality who are registered with the Local Economic Department (LED), which led to the acceptance of the hypothesis of the research that development finance actually helps in the growth of small medium enterprises but in conjunction with post financial support such as bookkeeping, accounting, monitoring and evaluation. The researcher also discovered some findings amongst others which includes: The most effective ways entrepreneurs heard about funding in the municipality are through the media and word of mouth. Most of the entrepreneurs that received some type of funding are startups. More entrepreneurs that had access to funds also got some post financial business support. Financial assistance to entrepreneurs yielded improvements after respondents received financial assistance, the range of goods offered was improved and more jobs were created, entrepreneurs were able to obtain better business premises either by renting or buying and entrepreneurs had access to better equipment. Some of the recommendations of this study includes; The municipal government should help small and medium enterprises in the municipality by linking them to new markets. Effective monitoring and evaluation systems should be put in place by development funders and non-financial support services. Entrepreneurial skills development should be provided by the public and private agencies by organizing workshops for aspiring entrepreneurs in order to expose them to business opportunities that are sustainable and viable.
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Abor, Joshua. "Capital structure and financing of SMEs : empirical evidence from Ghana and South Africa." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/21522.
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Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis is made of stand-alone essays on the capital structure and financing of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Ghana and South Africa. Chapter Two reviews issues on SME development in Ghana and South Africa. Chapter Three compares the capital structures of large, quoted firms and SMEs in Ghana. The results show that quoted firms exhibit higher debt ratios than those of SMEs. The results suggest that age, size, asset structure, and profitability of the firm affect the capital structures of quoted firms and SMEs. For the SME, it is evident that level of education and gender of the entrepreneur, industry, and location of the firm are also important in explaining their capital structure. Chapter Four examines the determinants of bank financing of SMEs in Ghana. The results reveal that bank financing accounts for less than a quarter of SMEs’ debt financing, with short-term bank credit representing the greater proportion of bank finance. The results show that age, size, asset tangibility, and growth of the firm have positive associations with long-term bank debt, while profitability is negatively related to long-term bank debt. The short-term debt indicates a positive relationship with size, but negative relationships with profitability, and growth. Chapter Four also investigates the awareness and use of various financing schemes available to the Ghanaian SME sector. The results reveal low awareness and usage levels of these financing initiatives. Chapter Five explores the determinants of Ghanaian small and medium sized non-traditional exporters’ (NTEs) choice of formal/informal finance. The results show that NTEs depend on formal financing sources with bank finance representing the greater percentage of NTEs’ financing. The results suggest that, newer firms depend more on formal finance and less on informal finance. The results show positive relationships between formal finance and size, and growth of the firm. Chapter Six assesses how corporate governance affects the performance of SMEs in Ghana and what the implications are for financing opportunities. The results reveal that better corporate governance structures lead to better performance of SMEs. The paper concludes that the adoption of good corporate governance structures could lead to better management decisions and enable SMEs to attract financing resources. Chapter Seven examines the relationship between agency factors and the capital structure of quoted SMEs in South Africa. The results indicate that firms with one institutional blockholder are able to monitor the opportunistic behaviour of management more effectively than those with more than one institutional blockholders. Chapter Eight looks at the financial market and financing choice of SMEs and large firms in South Africa. The results indicate that developments in the financial market affect both longterm debt/equity and short-term debt/equity decisions of large firms. However, for SMEs, it is the long-term debt/equity decision that is affected by the financial market. The final essay examines the effect of debt policy on the performance of SMEs in Ghana and South Africa. The results indicate that long-term debt and total debt ratios negatively affect performance of SMEs. These findings have important implications for policy-makers, entrepreneurs and managers of SMEs.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis bestaan uit losstaande essays oor die kapitaalstruktuur en finansiering van kleinen middelgrootte-ondernemings (KMO's) in Ghana en Suid-Afrika. Hoofstuk Twee kyk na kwessies oor KMO-ontwikkeling in Ghana en Suid-Afrika. Hoofstuk Drie vergelyk die kapitaalstrukture van groot genoteerde maatskappye en KMO's in Ghana. Die resultate dui daarop dat genoteerde maatskappye groter skuldverhoudings as KMO's toon. Hierdie resultate wys ook dat ouderdom, grootte, batestruktuur en die winsgewendheid van die maatskappy die kapitaalstruktuur van genoteerde maatskappye en KMO's beïnvloed. Dit is vir die KMO voor die hand liggend dat die opvoedingsvlak en geslag van die entrepreneur, die bedryf en die ligging van die maatskappy ook belangrik is om die kapitaalstruktuur daarvan te verduidelik. Hoofstuk Vier ondersoek die bepalende faktore vir bankfinansiering vir KMO's in Ghana. Die resultate toon aan dat bankfinansiering rekenskap gee van minder as 'n kwart van die KMO se skuldfinansiering en dat korttermynbankkrediet die grootste gedeelte van die bankfinansiering verteenwoordig. Die resultate toon aan dat ouderdom, grootte, die tasbaarheid van bates en maatskappygroei op 'n positiewe verwantskap met langtermynskuld dui, terwyl winsgewendheid 'n negatiewe verband met langtermynbankskuld het. Die korttermynskuld toon 'n positiewe verwantskap met grootte maar 'n negatiewe verwantskap met winsgewendheid en groei aan. Hoofstuk Vier ondersoek ook die bewustheid en gebruik van verskeie finansieringskemas wat aan die Ghanese KMO-sektor beskikbaar is. Die resultate bring 'n lae bewustheid en gebruiksvlakke van hierdie finansieringsinisiatiewe aan die lig. Hoostuk Vyf verken die bepalende faktore van die Ghanese klein- en middelgrootte nie-tradisionele uitvoerders (NTU's) se keuse van formele/informele finansiering. Die resultate toon aan dat NTU's op formele finansieringsbronne staat maak en dat bankfinansiering die grootste persentasie van die NTU's se finansiering uitmaak. Uit die resultate kan afgelei word dat nuwer maatskappye meer op formele finansiering staat maak en minder op informele finansiering. Die resultate dui op 'n positiewe verwantskap tussen formele finansiering en grootte, en die groei van die maatskappy. Hoofstuk Ses evalueer die invloed van korporatiewe bestuur op die prestasie van KMO's in Ghana en watter implikasies dit vir finansieringsgeleenthede inhou. Die resultate toon aan dat beter korporatiewe finansieringstrukture by KMO's tot beter prestasie lei. Hierdie essay kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat die aanvaarding van goeie korporatiewe bestuurstrukture tot beter bestuursbesluite kan lei en KMO's in staat kan stel om finansieringsbronne te lok. Hoofstuk Sewe ondersoek die verwantskap tussen agentskapfaktorering en die kapitaalstruktuur van genoteerde KMO's in Suid-Afrika. Die resultate dui daarop dat maatskappye met een institusionele blokhouer die opportunistiese gedrag van bestuur meer doeltreffend kan monitor as dié met meer as een institusionele blokhouer. Hoofstuk Agt kyk na die keuses wat KMO's en groot maatskappye in Suid-Afrika ten opsigte van finansiële markte en finansiering maak. Resultate toon aan dat ontwikkelings in die finansiële mark besluite oor die langtermynskuld/aandelekapitaal sowel as die korttermynskuld/aandelekapitaal van groot maatskappye beïnvloed. By KMO's is dit egter besluite oor langtermynskuld/aandelekapitaal wat deur die finansiële mark beïnvloed word. Die laaste essay ondersoek die uitwerking van skuldbeleid op die prestasie van KMO's in Ghana en Suid-Afrika. Die resultate toon aan dat langtermynskuld en totale skuldverhoudings die prestasie van KMO's negatief beïnvloed. Hierdie bevindinge het belangrike implikasies vir beleidmakers, entrepreneurs en die bestuurders van KMO's.
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Inusa, Daniel Yakmut. "The use of e-commerce by rural communities for small business development." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1775.
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Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2006The emphasis on economic development of rural communities, especially small businesses within it has attracted the attention of most local, regional and national governments and non governmental agencies alike. As we move towards technology-oriented global market, community development now becomes a veritable strategy for ''pushing back the frontier of poverty" and maintaining socio-economic stability. This research argues that the deployment and use of appropriate e-commerce technology to facilitate this strategy is useful, and possibly, more suitable than any other tool or strategy. The research further examines the opportunities offered by ecommerce for small business development within the Western Cape. A framework that describes how e-commerce can support the addressing of the specific developmental needs of this community was developed. Six pilot communities involved in the pilot for the Cape Gateway Access Project initiated by the Centre for e-Innovation (Cel) of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape were investigated to find out how appropriate technologies are put to use and how they can be effectively deployed to promote entrepreneurship in these rural communities. The findings of this research reveal that the use of e-commerce by rural communities is a bit complicated. It is found that the availability and use of appropriate e-commerce technologies extend beyond provision of access, to provision of support outside technology and multi-stakeholder approach to addressing the economic situation of rural communities. The findings provide the basis for the recommendations and conclusions drawn in this research. However, the few entrepreneurs identified within the communities are found to be at different stages of e-commerce use. In general, most of the community members are unconsciously engaged in some form of e-commerce ranging from 828, 82C and G2C' , though not as significant as one would have envisaged.
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Toomey, David Colbert. "South African small business growth through interfirm linkages /." 1998. http://eprints.ru.ac.za/27/.
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Dekker, Johannes Marthinus. "The stimulation of small business." Thesis, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10210/5736.
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M.Comm.There has been renewed focus recently on the small business sector, particularly from the South African government. However, there are many and serious questions in the media with regard to the effectiveness of efforts made to stimulate this sector, especially from governement. This study attempts to determine effective and efficient ways of stimulating small business in South Africa and recommend changes in current strategies.
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Kuju, Adetayo. "Barries to growth and development of lower CIDB grade contractors." Thesis, 2017. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/24608.
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A research report submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in BuildingLiterature is replete with what constitutes barriers and challenges to the development of small, midsized and micro enterprise (SMME) contractors, often referred to as emerging contractors. The International Labour Organization (1987) proposed three solutions geared towards contractor development in developing countries. This research alludes to the importance of understanding the South African context wherein these proposed solutions are operational. The research begins with efforts made by the new democratic government, post 1994, to addressing the institutionalised inequalities - legacies of the previous regimes (colonization and apartheid) - via black economic empowerment, preferential procurement and construction industry development board (CIDB) legislations amongst others. The CIDB was instituted to promote amongst others the sustainable participation of emerging contractors in the construction industry; it is in this context that the national contractor development programme emerged. This research concerns itself with matters of knowledge or lack thereof as the underlying factor responsible for underdevelopment of emerging contractors. To do this, it looks at knowledge theories including its creation and transfer mechanism vis a vis organizational learning in an attempt to answer the question of nature and characteristics of learning in a specified contractor development programme (CDP). This research is a cross-sectional study that lends itself to an interpretivist paradigm and inductive logic with qualitative methods (semi-structure interviews). This research does not cover mentorship and its theories. It also does not cover issues of improvements to knowledge transfer between emerging contractors and mentor-engineers. The research concluded that much as knowledge transfer was observed within the contractor development programming, it occurred within a context and was content specific. However it is difficult to describe knowledge transfers in its entirety as it is multi-layered in nature and complexity of the make-up of emerging contractors and their interactions
GR2018
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Mtshali, Sbongiseni Sanele. "The relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, competitive advantage and business performance among small businesses in Durban." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10321/2606.
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Submitted in fulfillment oof part of the requirements for the Masters ooff Business Administration, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017.Small businesses form the backbone of any nation’s economy, especially where unemployment is extremely high. South Africa is one of the many countries that struggle with low economic growth resulting in low employment. This study investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation, business performance and competitive advantage. South Africa’s small business sector is under pressure as evidence exists that the failure rate is well above 70 percent, and to an extent, up to 90 percent depending on various conditions. This study was conducted in Durban, South Africa. The study sought to answer the two questions namely: a) Is there a significant relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance? and b) Is there a mediating role of competitive advantage in the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance? These questions were targeted to small business owners or managers in Durban, South Africa. Therefore, 177 participants responded, and both questions were tested and yielded positive results. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire consisting of 24 items. Indeed, the finding was that there is a positive and significant relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance, and that competitive advantage does mediate the relationship between business performance and entrepreneurial orientation. Finally, many studies examined in this study support the findings of this research pointing out that a strong positive relationship exists between business performance and entrepreneurial orientation. Similarly, there seems to be an agreement that there is some relationship between competitive advantage, entrepreneurial orientation and business performance. However, the literature reviewed did not clarify if competitive advantage does actually mediate the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business performance whilst this study found that mediation does exist between the entrepreneurial orientation and business performance link. Hence, small businesses need to learn more about this relationship so to take advantage of possible synergies that may arise from it. Further, both the government of South Africa and the private sector should keep supporting small businesses by making use of research studies like this one and many more which are based on theory and practice.
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Campbell, Harold. "Business intelligence, cooperative corporate venturing relating to SMME growth in South Africa." Thesis, 2014.
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Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) face significant challenges that include resource scarcity and information asymmetry (when competing with larger well-established firms), and the general problems associated with making timely, market-aware strategic decisions. SMMEs may be able to improve their firm performance by copying aspects of corporate entrepreneurship, such as cooperative corporate venturing, and by adopting of technological innovations such as the use of business intelligence. These are initiatives that are typically utilised by large well-established firms; however, SMMEs should derive similar benefits from cooperative corporate venturing and business intelligence, as would larger well-established firms.
This study sought to determine the relevance of business intelligence and cooperative corporate venturing in the operation of small, medium and micro enterprises and the relation thereof to the economic performance of these firms, as perceived by the owner-managers of the firm.
The study was performed by examining the perceived impact that the strategic initiatives, (namely business intelligence and cooperative corporate venturing) would have on SMME firm economic performance, from the perspective of owner-managers of the firm who participated in the survey. Quantitative data was obtained through a self-administered questionnaire, which was distributed electronically to SMMEs whose email addresses were found online, and physically to individuals attending forums (and workshops) for SMMEs and entrepreneurs; companies operating in and around industrial parks and villages; and, members of the Wits business school community.
It was shown in this study that there is indeed a relationship between the adoption of cooperative corporate venturing and the perceived level of SMME firm performance. Ample research has not been conducted that focuses on the hybrid strategy of business intelligence and cooperative corporate venturing on SMME firm performance. This is area of research that potentially benefits SMMEs, and both academic and business intelligence stakeholders.