Growth strategies for black township entrepreneurs
- Authors: Boniwe, Sihlangule
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14598 , vital:27800
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Boniwe, Sihlangule
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14598 , vital:27800
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
An entrepreneurial development framework for SMEs in South Africa
- Authors: Pyper, Regina Christina
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Sustainable development -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5411 , vital:20838
- Description: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are engines of growth. It has been determined globally that these enterprises are the largest employers in economies. Small and Medium Enterprises fail fundamentally to succeed in South Africa. Many challenges and barriers were identified as the reason why the enterprise fails to survive or succeed for at least 42 months. Poor performance of the SMEs could be blamed on the lack of meaningful support including an over-regulated environment, red tape and the poor quality of education and training. A number of Small and Medium Enterprise owners in Turkey were interviewed to determine if the enterprise development support system contributed to success and economic growth. The government succeeded to improve the economy of Turkey profoundly by investing and supporting this very important sector. Turkey is positioned 17th in the world based on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The purpose of this study was to develop an entrepreneurial development framework for SMEs in South Africa. The government needs to support and implement this framework to stimulate economic growth, to address the poor quality of education and training and to establish a system to measure the performance of critical success factors. A case study research approach was employed to address five propositions that were investigated in this research project. Semi-structured interviews studied the perceptions and experiences of the SME owners in Turkey. The study found a positive relationship between economic growth, a meaningful enterprise development support system, education and training, critical success factors and entrepreneurship and the perceived success of entrepreneurial ventures in South Africa. The establishment and implementation of an entrepreneurial development framework will encourage the creation of new ventures. The government will be able to achieve the goal of economic growth as set out in the National Development Plan. The establishment of SMEs will result in employment, social stability, economic growth and the generation of tax revenues. The purpose of an entrepreneurial development framework is to ensure the sustainable economic development and prosperity of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Pyper, Regina Christina
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Sustainable development -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5411 , vital:20838
- Description: Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are engines of growth. It has been determined globally that these enterprises are the largest employers in economies. Small and Medium Enterprises fail fundamentally to succeed in South Africa. Many challenges and barriers were identified as the reason why the enterprise fails to survive or succeed for at least 42 months. Poor performance of the SMEs could be blamed on the lack of meaningful support including an over-regulated environment, red tape and the poor quality of education and training. A number of Small and Medium Enterprise owners in Turkey were interviewed to determine if the enterprise development support system contributed to success and economic growth. The government succeeded to improve the economy of Turkey profoundly by investing and supporting this very important sector. Turkey is positioned 17th in the world based on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The purpose of this study was to develop an entrepreneurial development framework for SMEs in South Africa. The government needs to support and implement this framework to stimulate economic growth, to address the poor quality of education and training and to establish a system to measure the performance of critical success factors. A case study research approach was employed to address five propositions that were investigated in this research project. Semi-structured interviews studied the perceptions and experiences of the SME owners in Turkey. The study found a positive relationship between economic growth, a meaningful enterprise development support system, education and training, critical success factors and entrepreneurship and the perceived success of entrepreneurial ventures in South Africa. The establishment and implementation of an entrepreneurial development framework will encourage the creation of new ventures. The government will be able to achieve the goal of economic growth as set out in the National Development Plan. The establishment of SMEs will result in employment, social stability, economic growth and the generation of tax revenues. The purpose of an entrepreneurial development framework is to ensure the sustainable economic development and prosperity of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
An entrepreneurial framework for new venture property development projects
- Authors: Abrey, Mark Henry Shaw
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Real estate development -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Land subdivision -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9709 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020162
- Description: The business of real estate is one of the largest suppliers of employment, and contributes significantly to the gross domestic product of numerous countries worldwide. It is, therefore, imperative that new real estate development entrepreneurs entering the market identify key competitiveness indicators in order to survive and ensure their success within an ever-changing market. However, property development is a complex process and considered to be 'too risky' Consequently, property development entrepreneurs lack the skills and expertise to effectively manage their business enterprises and the associated risks from project inception to completion, and commissioning. The study was conducted by means of a review of the related literature and by conducting an empirical study. The empirical study was conducted using a quantitative statistical approach by distributing research questionnaires to members falling within the sample population. The primary objective of the study was to develop an entrepreneurial framework for perceived success of new venture property development projects. A descriptive survey was conducted among professionals registered with the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) and property development practitioners within South Africa. The salient findings suggest that the following variables positively influence the perceived success of new venture property development projects: Entrepreneurial vision; Strategic management; Stakeholders‘ interests; Professional feasibility and viability reporting; Procurement; Communication; Consumer confidence; Risk management; Governance structures; Specialist advice; The entrepreneurial framework, and The project management body of knowledge (PMBOK). Furthermore, the following variables were identified in the empirical framework affecting the perceived success of new venture property development projects: Entrepreneurial Vision; Strategic Management; Stakeholders‘ Interest; Professional Feasibility and Viability Reporting; Procurement; Communication; Consumer Confidence; Risk Management; Governance Structures; Specialist Advice, and The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This study contributed to the South African property development body of knowledge by addressing the challenges faced by inexperienced entrepreneurs entering the property development market. Furthermore, this study aimed to improve the framework utilised by emerging property developers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Abrey, Mark Henry Shaw
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Real estate development -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Land subdivision -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9709 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020162
- Description: The business of real estate is one of the largest suppliers of employment, and contributes significantly to the gross domestic product of numerous countries worldwide. It is, therefore, imperative that new real estate development entrepreneurs entering the market identify key competitiveness indicators in order to survive and ensure their success within an ever-changing market. However, property development is a complex process and considered to be 'too risky' Consequently, property development entrepreneurs lack the skills and expertise to effectively manage their business enterprises and the associated risks from project inception to completion, and commissioning. The study was conducted by means of a review of the related literature and by conducting an empirical study. The empirical study was conducted using a quantitative statistical approach by distributing research questionnaires to members falling within the sample population. The primary objective of the study was to develop an entrepreneurial framework for perceived success of new venture property development projects. A descriptive survey was conducted among professionals registered with the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) and property development practitioners within South Africa. The salient findings suggest that the following variables positively influence the perceived success of new venture property development projects: Entrepreneurial vision; Strategic management; Stakeholders‘ interests; Professional feasibility and viability reporting; Procurement; Communication; Consumer confidence; Risk management; Governance structures; Specialist advice; The entrepreneurial framework, and The project management body of knowledge (PMBOK). Furthermore, the following variables were identified in the empirical framework affecting the perceived success of new venture property development projects: Entrepreneurial Vision; Strategic Management; Stakeholders‘ Interest; Professional Feasibility and Viability Reporting; Procurement; Communication; Consumer Confidence; Risk Management; Governance Structures; Specialist Advice, and The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). This study contributed to the South African property development body of knowledge by addressing the challenges faced by inexperienced entrepreneurs entering the property development market. Furthermore, this study aimed to improve the framework utilised by emerging property developers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An investigation on the role of Development Finance Institutions (DFI) in building small emerging enterprises for property development initiatives in South Africa
- Authors: Noholoza, Alex
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Real estate development -- South Africa -- Finance , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9714 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020646
- Description: Purpose of this treatise: The aim of this treatise is to identify the challenges facing emerging entrepreneurs in accessing funding for property development initiatives which results in high levels of declined loans thereby limiting participation in the property market as well as the interventions necessary to improve access to finance. Design / methodology / approach: The questionnaires were emailed to funding institutions and emerging property developers. The questionnaire investigates the respondents‟ perception of importance and evidence of questions on property development, finance and managerial skills drawn from the literature. Findings: The findings of this study are consistent with and support the findings of previous local and international literature on constraints that SME‟s have in accessing finance for various initiatives. The findings indicate that the emerging property developers in South Africa are characterised by insufficient number in representation in the property sector, high risk averse financial institutions that requires collateral to lend. The findings of the study indicate that broader and bolder initiatives aimed at improving the emerging property developer's representation in the market needs a holistic and collaborative approach from the various institutions to aide these entrepreneurs. Value of paper: The research is of importance to all stakeholders involved in the property sector, financial institutions and economic development of the SME sector. The results of the study will contribute to the understanding of the current financing limitations facing SMEs and will assist funding institutions to better understand the role and importance of effective collaboration in improving access to finance to emerging property developers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Noholoza, Alex
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Real estate development -- South Africa -- Finance , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:9714 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020646
- Description: Purpose of this treatise: The aim of this treatise is to identify the challenges facing emerging entrepreneurs in accessing funding for property development initiatives which results in high levels of declined loans thereby limiting participation in the property market as well as the interventions necessary to improve access to finance. Design / methodology / approach: The questionnaires were emailed to funding institutions and emerging property developers. The questionnaire investigates the respondents‟ perception of importance and evidence of questions on property development, finance and managerial skills drawn from the literature. Findings: The findings of this study are consistent with and support the findings of previous local and international literature on constraints that SME‟s have in accessing finance for various initiatives. The findings indicate that the emerging property developers in South Africa are characterised by insufficient number in representation in the property sector, high risk averse financial institutions that requires collateral to lend. The findings of the study indicate that broader and bolder initiatives aimed at improving the emerging property developer's representation in the market needs a holistic and collaborative approach from the various institutions to aide these entrepreneurs. Value of paper: The research is of importance to all stakeholders involved in the property sector, financial institutions and economic development of the SME sector. The results of the study will contribute to the understanding of the current financing limitations facing SMEs and will assist funding institutions to better understand the role and importance of effective collaboration in improving access to finance to emerging property developers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Enterpreneurial orientation at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Fadairo, Feyisara Olufunmilayo
- Authors: Fadairo, Feyisara Olufunmilayo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , University-based new business enterprises -- South Africa , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9348 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020293
- Description: In the knowledge world into which mankind has progressed, universities are engines of economic growth. Their role has changed from producers of labour force to equal contributors - along with government and industry- in regional and national economic and social growth and development. Universities that will survive and succeed in this new climate must embrace entrepreneurship - become entrepreneurially oriented. As in any other organisation corporate entrepreneurship processes explain how entrepreneurship is implemented and diffused throughout a university, and its members must perceive the internal organisational culture as innovation supporting for entrepreneurship to flourish. Hence, the importance of studying internal environmental conditions that influence / enable corporate entrepreneurship. This study investigated NMMU’s entrepreneurial orientation by first determining what an entrepreneurial university is and its key attributes. Next it identified the key structural factors influencing university entrepreneurship and enquired how these structural factors can be influenced to enhance entrepreneurship at NMMU. To this end, survey method was used to sample perception of the university middle managers. The study first determined the level of entrepreneurship in NMMU by measuring its entrepreneurial intensity and then attempted to locate its position on the entrepreneurial grid. Next the level of the university’s internal environmental support for entrepreneurship was determined. The university’s culture was found to be the key factor influencing entrepreneurship with time availability and work discretion as key internal factors through which NMMU’s entrepreneurial culture could be improved. Proactivity and frequency dimensions of entrepreneurship were found to lead to significant improvement in the university’s entrepreneurial output and based on the outcome of the study; suggestions were made on ways of incorporating findings to better improve entrepreneurial orientation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Fadairo, Feyisara Olufunmilayo
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , University-based new business enterprises -- South Africa , Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9348 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020293
- Description: In the knowledge world into which mankind has progressed, universities are engines of economic growth. Their role has changed from producers of labour force to equal contributors - along with government and industry- in regional and national economic and social growth and development. Universities that will survive and succeed in this new climate must embrace entrepreneurship - become entrepreneurially oriented. As in any other organisation corporate entrepreneurship processes explain how entrepreneurship is implemented and diffused throughout a university, and its members must perceive the internal organisational culture as innovation supporting for entrepreneurship to flourish. Hence, the importance of studying internal environmental conditions that influence / enable corporate entrepreneurship. This study investigated NMMU’s entrepreneurial orientation by first determining what an entrepreneurial university is and its key attributes. Next it identified the key structural factors influencing university entrepreneurship and enquired how these structural factors can be influenced to enhance entrepreneurship at NMMU. To this end, survey method was used to sample perception of the university middle managers. The study first determined the level of entrepreneurship in NMMU by measuring its entrepreneurial intensity and then attempted to locate its position on the entrepreneurial grid. Next the level of the university’s internal environmental support for entrepreneurship was determined. The university’s culture was found to be the key factor influencing entrepreneurship with time availability and work discretion as key internal factors through which NMMU’s entrepreneurial culture could be improved. Proactivity and frequency dimensions of entrepreneurship were found to lead to significant improvement in the university’s entrepreneurial output and based on the outcome of the study; suggestions were made on ways of incorporating findings to better improve entrepreneurial orientation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Establishing perceptions of an entrepreneur using word associations
- Authors: Goliath, Jasmine Estonia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Businesspeople -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9321 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020785
- Description: Entrepreneurship as a source of economic growth and competitiveness as well as job creation and the advancement of social interests is well documented. Despite these important contributions to the economies of countries, a shortage of entrepreneurial activity exists across borders and specifically in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and image of an entrepreneur in the eyes of various stakeholders. The reasoning behind this was that if the image of an entrepreneur could be determined, one could establish whether the image positively or negatively influences entrepreneurial intentions as well as potential future entrepreneurial activity. More specifically, the primary objective was to identify the perception and image that potential entrepreneurs (students) and existing entrepreneurs (small business owners) have of an entrepreneur. In the body of knowledge or general literature on entrepreneurship, the most commonly discussed topics are the nature and importance of entrepreneurship, the attributes (personality traits, characteristics and skills) associated with an entrepreneur, various push and pull factors, various rewards and drawbacks of such a career and the challenges entrepreneurs face. It is these aspects of entrepreneurship that stakeholders will most likely have been exposed to, and that most possibly have influenced their perception and image of an entrepreneur. The aforementioned aspects provided an overview of the theoretical body of knowledge on which the perception and image of an entrepreneur is based. The present study adopted a qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological approach to achieve the research objectives of the study. Within this context, the study made use of a qualitative method for data collection and a quantitative method for data analysis. As such, a mixed methods approach was adopted. More specifically, a qualitative dominant mixed research method was implemented. A continuous word association test, which is a projective technique, was adopted as the qualitative means of data collection. This test involved asking participants to recall the words that come to mind when presented with the word “entrepreneur”. This method was selected because of its ability to reveal both affective and cognitive associations with the concept “entrepreneur”. A quantitative summative (manifest) content analysis was used as the quantitative research method for analysing the data. The continuous word association test was conducted among three sample groups, namely students prior to commencing, and students after completing a module in entrepreneurship, and small business owners. Student and small business owner participants were asked to write down as many words or phrases as possible that came to mind when they thought of the word “entrepreneur”, which was the stimulus word, within a ten-minute period. These responses were then collated and coded by developing a coding framework based on brand image and entrepreneurship literature. In studies on brand image, the components of image are considered to be tristructured in nature, consisting of cognitive (what the individual knows), affective (how the individual feels) and holistic (overall symbolism, combination of affective and cognitive) evaluations. The words generated by the participants in this study were broadly coded according to these categories and further subcategorised by searching for themes within the broad categories, which was facilitated and guided by an in-depth investigation of the entrepreneurship literature. The findings of this study show that the words generated by all three groups of participants were mostly of a cognitive nature, followed by words of a general or affective nature. As such, the vast majority of words generated by all three groups related to what the participants knew about an entrepreneur (cognitive) versus how they felt about one (affective), and were grounded in the management or entrepreneurship literature. When comparing the top ten words most frequently associated with the term “entrepreneur” by the three groups of participants, the attribute risk-taker was the most frequently recalled word among all three groups. Students prior to undertaking the entrepreneurship module associated an entrepreneur with being creative and a risk-taker, having a business enterprise and being involved in the selling of goods and services. Students after completing the module in entrepreneurship associated an entrepreneur with being profit-orientated, a risk-taker, innovative and original, and being opportunistic. Small business owners, on the other hand, associated an entrepreneur with being a risk-taker, innovative and original, goal- and achievement-orientated and profit-orientated. The findings show that all groups of participants associated an entrepreneur principally with certain attributes rather than with learned skills and competencies, and that all groups had a more positive than negative image of an entrepreneur. It was also found that exposure to entrepreneurship literature has an influence on the perception and image that students have of an entrepreneur. Because the words recalled by students after completing the entrepreneurship module were more in line with those recalled by small business owners, than with those recalled by students before starting the module, it can be suggested that entrepreneurship literature contributes to a more realistic image of an entrepreneur among students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by adopting a qualitative dominant research paradigm in conjunction with quantitative research methods to explore the complexity of the term “entrepreneur”. Furthermore, this study has been able to establish how individuals feel about entrepreneurship, in terms of being either positive or negative, by adding an affective aspect to the cognitive aspect of entrepreneurial decision-making. By conducting a continuous word association test among students prior to beginning and after completing a module in entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial knowledge of students before being exposed to entrepreneurship literature was established, and subsequently the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship module determined. It is hoped that the findings of this study have added value to the entrepreneurship body of knowledge and can be used in future studies as a tool to address the problem of low entrepreneurial intention and activity among South Africans. Furthermore, it is hoped that by creating a positive image of an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship as a desirable career choice can be promoted and an entrepreneurial culture developed within communities and broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Goliath, Jasmine Estonia
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Economic development -- South Africa , Businesspeople -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9321 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020785
- Description: Entrepreneurship as a source of economic growth and competitiveness as well as job creation and the advancement of social interests is well documented. Despite these important contributions to the economies of countries, a shortage of entrepreneurial activity exists across borders and specifically in developing countries such as South Africa. The purpose of this study was to determine the perception and image of an entrepreneur in the eyes of various stakeholders. The reasoning behind this was that if the image of an entrepreneur could be determined, one could establish whether the image positively or negatively influences entrepreneurial intentions as well as potential future entrepreneurial activity. More specifically, the primary objective was to identify the perception and image that potential entrepreneurs (students) and existing entrepreneurs (small business owners) have of an entrepreneur. In the body of knowledge or general literature on entrepreneurship, the most commonly discussed topics are the nature and importance of entrepreneurship, the attributes (personality traits, characteristics and skills) associated with an entrepreneur, various push and pull factors, various rewards and drawbacks of such a career and the challenges entrepreneurs face. It is these aspects of entrepreneurship that stakeholders will most likely have been exposed to, and that most possibly have influenced their perception and image of an entrepreneur. The aforementioned aspects provided an overview of the theoretical body of knowledge on which the perception and image of an entrepreneur is based. The present study adopted a qualitative research paradigm with a phenomenological approach to achieve the research objectives of the study. Within this context, the study made use of a qualitative method for data collection and a quantitative method for data analysis. As such, a mixed methods approach was adopted. More specifically, a qualitative dominant mixed research method was implemented. A continuous word association test, which is a projective technique, was adopted as the qualitative means of data collection. This test involved asking participants to recall the words that come to mind when presented with the word “entrepreneur”. This method was selected because of its ability to reveal both affective and cognitive associations with the concept “entrepreneur”. A quantitative summative (manifest) content analysis was used as the quantitative research method for analysing the data. The continuous word association test was conducted among three sample groups, namely students prior to commencing, and students after completing a module in entrepreneurship, and small business owners. Student and small business owner participants were asked to write down as many words or phrases as possible that came to mind when they thought of the word “entrepreneur”, which was the stimulus word, within a ten-minute period. These responses were then collated and coded by developing a coding framework based on brand image and entrepreneurship literature. In studies on brand image, the components of image are considered to be tristructured in nature, consisting of cognitive (what the individual knows), affective (how the individual feels) and holistic (overall symbolism, combination of affective and cognitive) evaluations. The words generated by the participants in this study were broadly coded according to these categories and further subcategorised by searching for themes within the broad categories, which was facilitated and guided by an in-depth investigation of the entrepreneurship literature. The findings of this study show that the words generated by all three groups of participants were mostly of a cognitive nature, followed by words of a general or affective nature. As such, the vast majority of words generated by all three groups related to what the participants knew about an entrepreneur (cognitive) versus how they felt about one (affective), and were grounded in the management or entrepreneurship literature. When comparing the top ten words most frequently associated with the term “entrepreneur” by the three groups of participants, the attribute risk-taker was the most frequently recalled word among all three groups. Students prior to undertaking the entrepreneurship module associated an entrepreneur with being creative and a risk-taker, having a business enterprise and being involved in the selling of goods and services. Students after completing the module in entrepreneurship associated an entrepreneur with being profit-orientated, a risk-taker, innovative and original, and being opportunistic. Small business owners, on the other hand, associated an entrepreneur with being a risk-taker, innovative and original, goal- and achievement-orientated and profit-orientated. The findings show that all groups of participants associated an entrepreneur principally with certain attributes rather than with learned skills and competencies, and that all groups had a more positive than negative image of an entrepreneur. It was also found that exposure to entrepreneurship literature has an influence on the perception and image that students have of an entrepreneur. Because the words recalled by students after completing the entrepreneurship module were more in line with those recalled by small business owners, than with those recalled by students before starting the module, it can be suggested that entrepreneurship literature contributes to a more realistic image of an entrepreneur among students. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by adopting a qualitative dominant research paradigm in conjunction with quantitative research methods to explore the complexity of the term “entrepreneur”. Furthermore, this study has been able to establish how individuals feel about entrepreneurship, in terms of being either positive or negative, by adding an affective aspect to the cognitive aspect of entrepreneurial decision-making. By conducting a continuous word association test among students prior to beginning and after completing a module in entrepreneurship, the entrepreneurial knowledge of students before being exposed to entrepreneurship literature was established, and subsequently the effectiveness of the entrepreneurship module determined. It is hoped that the findings of this study have added value to the entrepreneurship body of knowledge and can be used in future studies as a tool to address the problem of low entrepreneurial intention and activity among South Africans. Furthermore, it is hoped that by creating a positive image of an entrepreneur, entrepreneurship as a desirable career choice can be promoted and an entrepreneurial culture developed within communities and broader society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
An exploratory study of the ability of small, micro, medium enterprises development to create jobs and serve as centres of skills development in the construction industry : a case study in King WIlliams Town
- Authors: Nkonya, Nolubabalo Grace
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Job creation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Construction industry
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9150 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018927
- Description: The significance of SMME development as a route to creating jobs and enhancing skills development has been and is still on top of South Africa‟s developmental agenda. The escalating unemployment rate and skills shortage to meet with demands of globalization compels the government to develop strategies to respond to the crisis. It is eighteen years since South Africa became a democratic country but the job creation and skills development sectors remain in a crisis. Stagnant economic growth is as a result of high unemployment which is a factor of skills shortage in the black South African labour force. The government creates an enabling environment by developing flexible regulations for equal participation of historically disadvantaged individuals to participate the in mainstream economic activities. Public investment through infrastructure development is one of the labour intensive programmes to promote SMME development, job creation and skills development. It is against this background that this research aims to explore the effect of SMME development in creating jobs and its ability to serve as centres of skills development. Also, it is against this background that this study aims to assess the extent of government support in creating an enabling environment for SMME development to achieve its ultimate goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Nkonya, Nolubabalo Grace
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Business enterprises -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Job creation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Construction industry
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:9150 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018927
- Description: The significance of SMME development as a route to creating jobs and enhancing skills development has been and is still on top of South Africa‟s developmental agenda. The escalating unemployment rate and skills shortage to meet with demands of globalization compels the government to develop strategies to respond to the crisis. It is eighteen years since South Africa became a democratic country but the job creation and skills development sectors remain in a crisis. Stagnant economic growth is as a result of high unemployment which is a factor of skills shortage in the black South African labour force. The government creates an enabling environment by developing flexible regulations for equal participation of historically disadvantaged individuals to participate the in mainstream economic activities. Public investment through infrastructure development is one of the labour intensive programmes to promote SMME development, job creation and skills development. It is against this background that this research aims to explore the effect of SMME development in creating jobs and its ability to serve as centres of skills development. Also, it is against this background that this study aims to assess the extent of government support in creating an enabling environment for SMME development to achieve its ultimate goals.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Employee perceptions of self-employment
- Authors: Gongxeka, Vuyokazi
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Self-employed -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1603 , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Self-employed -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa
- Description: The perception that someone has of an entrepreneurial career ultimately influences his/her decision to pursue such a career path. By investigating employees' perceptions of owning a business, this study provides insights regarding the question of why so few South Africans embark on this path. Entrepreneurship is regarded by many as the solution to South Africa’s employment and economic problems. As such, an understanding of the reason why some people become entrepreneurs and others do not could provide solutions on how to stimulate entrepreneurship among all South Africans, and hopefully increase the levels of entrepreneurship in the country. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the field of entrepreneurship by investigating the perceptions and attitudes that employees have regarding an entrepreneurial career, that is, to ask employees what they think having their own business might be like. By investigating these perceptions, the researcher looked for reasons why many individuals remain in the employment of others rather than embarking on an entrepreneurial career, as well as establishing whether these employees had intentions of starting their own businesses, Therefore the primary objective of this study was twofold, namely to establish the perceptions that employees have regarding self-employment, running their own business or following an entrepreneurial career, and to establish the influence of these perceptions on their entrepreneurial intentions. After conducting a comprehensive literature study and examining the various models of intentions, attitude towards the behaviour was identified as having the strongest influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Attitude towards the behaviour is the extent to which an individual makes a favourable or unfavourable evaluation of the behaviour in question, and additionally is a function of beliefs applicable to the behaviour. Attitude towards the behaviour is closely related to perceived desirability, and “desirability” is a form of value. More specifically, work values have the propensity to significantly predict career choice. For the purpose of this study, the 14 work values identified by Farrington et al. (2011) served as the factors to be investigated in establishing the perceptions of an entrepreneurial career. The independent (work values) and dependent (entrepreneurial intentions) variables investigated in this study were defined and operationalised. Reliable and valid items were sourced from existing studies. Respondents were identified by means of convenience and snowball sampling, and a structured questionnaire was made available to the respondents. The data gathered from the 184 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument were confirmed by means of an exploratory factor analysis and calculating Cronbach-alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarise the sample data distribution. Pearson’s moment product correlations were calculated to establish the correlations between the various work values and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis was undertaken to investigate whether relationships existed between the perceptions of an entrepreneurial career in terms of several work values and entrepreneurial intentions. The following work values were identified as influencing the entrepreneurial intentions of employees working in small businesses: - Stimulating; - Stability and advancement; - Flexibility; - Autonomy. The more the work values above were perceived to be experienced when following an entrepreneurial career, the more likely it was that the respondents in this study reported intentions of following such a career. In order to investigate the influence of the various demographic variables on the independent and dependent variables, an Analysis of Variance was performed. In addition, the post-hoc Bonferroni test was done to identify significant differences between the means scores of the various categories within each demographic variable. The practical significance of these differences was assessed by means of calculating Cohen’s d. The results showed a significant positive relationship between the demographic variable Population group and the dependent variable Entrepreneurial v intentions. In addition, relationships were identified between Population group and the intrinsic work values Challenging and Stimulating, the extrinsic-related work values Financial benefit and security and Stability and advancement, and the social-related work value Serving the community. A significant positive relationship was also reported between the demographic variable Entrepreneurial parents and the intrinsic-related work value Stimulating, the extrinsic-related work value Future prospects and the social-related work value Serving the community. The demographic variable Age showed a significant positive relationship with the extrinsic-related work value Financial benefit and security. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by focusing on employee perceptions of entrepreneurship, and the influence of these perceptions on their intentions to become entrepreneurs. As far as can be established, no other study has adopted this perspective for understanding entrepreneurial behaviour in South Africa or abroad. Furthermore, no study has specifically focused on investigating entrepreneurial intentions among employees of small businesses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Gongxeka, Vuyokazi
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Self-employed -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1603 , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Self-employed -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa
- Description: The perception that someone has of an entrepreneurial career ultimately influences his/her decision to pursue such a career path. By investigating employees' perceptions of owning a business, this study provides insights regarding the question of why so few South Africans embark on this path. Entrepreneurship is regarded by many as the solution to South Africa’s employment and economic problems. As such, an understanding of the reason why some people become entrepreneurs and others do not could provide solutions on how to stimulate entrepreneurship among all South Africans, and hopefully increase the levels of entrepreneurship in the country. The purpose of the study was to contribute to the field of entrepreneurship by investigating the perceptions and attitudes that employees have regarding an entrepreneurial career, that is, to ask employees what they think having their own business might be like. By investigating these perceptions, the researcher looked for reasons why many individuals remain in the employment of others rather than embarking on an entrepreneurial career, as well as establishing whether these employees had intentions of starting their own businesses, Therefore the primary objective of this study was twofold, namely to establish the perceptions that employees have regarding self-employment, running their own business or following an entrepreneurial career, and to establish the influence of these perceptions on their entrepreneurial intentions. After conducting a comprehensive literature study and examining the various models of intentions, attitude towards the behaviour was identified as having the strongest influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Attitude towards the behaviour is the extent to which an individual makes a favourable or unfavourable evaluation of the behaviour in question, and additionally is a function of beliefs applicable to the behaviour. Attitude towards the behaviour is closely related to perceived desirability, and “desirability” is a form of value. More specifically, work values have the propensity to significantly predict career choice. For the purpose of this study, the 14 work values identified by Farrington et al. (2011) served as the factors to be investigated in establishing the perceptions of an entrepreneurial career. The independent (work values) and dependent (entrepreneurial intentions) variables investigated in this study were defined and operationalised. Reliable and valid items were sourced from existing studies. Respondents were identified by means of convenience and snowball sampling, and a structured questionnaire was made available to the respondents. The data gathered from the 184 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument were confirmed by means of an exploratory factor analysis and calculating Cronbach-alpha coefficients. Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarise the sample data distribution. Pearson’s moment product correlations were calculated to establish the correlations between the various work values and entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis was undertaken to investigate whether relationships existed between the perceptions of an entrepreneurial career in terms of several work values and entrepreneurial intentions. The following work values were identified as influencing the entrepreneurial intentions of employees working in small businesses: - Stimulating; - Stability and advancement; - Flexibility; - Autonomy. The more the work values above were perceived to be experienced when following an entrepreneurial career, the more likely it was that the respondents in this study reported intentions of following such a career. In order to investigate the influence of the various demographic variables on the independent and dependent variables, an Analysis of Variance was performed. In addition, the post-hoc Bonferroni test was done to identify significant differences between the means scores of the various categories within each demographic variable. The practical significance of these differences was assessed by means of calculating Cohen’s d. The results showed a significant positive relationship between the demographic variable Population group and the dependent variable Entrepreneurial v intentions. In addition, relationships were identified between Population group and the intrinsic work values Challenging and Stimulating, the extrinsic-related work values Financial benefit and security and Stability and advancement, and the social-related work value Serving the community. A significant positive relationship was also reported between the demographic variable Entrepreneurial parents and the intrinsic-related work value Stimulating, the extrinsic-related work value Future prospects and the social-related work value Serving the community. The demographic variable Age showed a significant positive relationship with the extrinsic-related work value Financial benefit and security. This study has contributed to the field of entrepreneurship research by focusing on employee perceptions of entrepreneurship, and the influence of these perceptions on their intentions to become entrepreneurs. As far as can be established, no other study has adopted this perspective for understanding entrepreneurial behaviour in South Africa or abroad. Furthermore, no study has specifically focused on investigating entrepreneurial intentions among employees of small businesses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Entrepreneurship : key to organisational performance a case of Volkswagen Group of South Africa
- Authors: Lechaba, Junior
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Bureaucracy -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Organizational sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8832 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019791
- Description: Intrapreneurship expresses organisational activities aimed at increasing quality of products, reducing production cost, capture or creates new product markets, and/or improving processes and services. This research study covers the investigation of potential influences on the intrapreneurial activity within an established organisation, and the possible outcome on financial performance. In the rapidly changing business environment of today, it has become necessary for the organisations to move from boundary-oriented thinking to continuous improvement in order to provide the disruptive competitive advantages necessary to survive and thrive in an environment where the ‘rules of the game’ change quickly in almost all companies and industries (Voelpel, Leibold and Tekie, 2005). Moreover, the automotive industry is no exception to this rule. In general, established companies deal with two significant challenges. First, they have to adapt to the external challenges of constantly changing and developing markets to keep pace with rapid technological evolution, globalisation, and progressively sophisticated competitors (Kemelgor, 2002; Kuratko, Hornsby and Goldsby, 2004). Second, they must deal with the internal challenges of modernising bureaucratic structures and processes, which can lead to slow development, decision-making and an inability to adapt easily to new situations (Hammer and Champy, 1994). In today's context of increasing market globalisation, companies wishing to maintain their competitiveness must innovate constantly (Carrier, 2001). Recognising the importance of meeting these challenges, organisational leaders must create high performance organisations in order to compete in a global mega-economic world. The old ways of doing business as usual and overwhelmed policies and procedures must be rooted out in order for the organisation to compete by identifying and sustaining diversified employees within a global economy (Kennedy, 2010). Companies generally engage in innovation for achieving an increase in quality of products, a reduction in production cost, capture or create new product markets, and reduce the firm’s reliance upon unreliable factors of production (Webster, 2004). There is a growing consensus that established companies must nurture intrapreneurial activity throughout their operations to continue to compete successfully (Sathe, 2003). Numerous authors have suggested intrapreneurship as a method of stimulating innovation and using the creative energy of employees by giving them the resources and independence they need to innovate within the firm (Carrier, 2001; Amo and Kolvereid, 2005). However, there is a certain amount of ambiguity around the concept of intrapreneurship, and this may lead to questions about the difference between intrapreneurship and intrapreneurship (Carrier, 2001). It is therefore important, before introducing the object of this research, to look more closely at the concept on which intrapreneurship is based, and to examine the trends in the research on intrapreneurship. The research conducted by Eesley and Longenecker (2006) suggest that intrapreneurship is a practice of creating new business products and opportunities in an organisation through proactive empowerment and risk-taking. This is considered a key component to organisational success; especially in organisations that operate in rapidly changing industries (Eesley and Longenecker, 2006). Intrapreneurship can manifest itself at every level of the company and regardless of the nature of the position held. Hence, we could have intrapreneurs in technical or non-technical functions; senior, middle or junior management levels; line or staff functions, and manufacturing or service related roles. Beyond this wide perspective, other authors have suggested that intrapreneurship requires a culture built around emotional commitment, autonomy, empowerment, earned respect, and a strong work ethic (Axtell, Holman, Unsworth, Wall, Waterson and Harrington, 2000). They believed intrapreneurship is inseparably connected with leadership, since it involves mobilising teams of people towards a cause much greater than the individuals involved often in the face of significant resistance from status quo preserving forces within and outside the organisation (Seshadri and Tripathy, 2006). Therefore, the failure of organisations to take members inputs on organisational improvement; sanction, promote and encourage risk-taking, empowerment, and improvement actions; give clear organisational direction, priorities, and objectives; and lack of top management support in risk-taking and improvement initiatives, could stifle intrapreneurship (Eesley and Longenecker, 2006). In light of the scope and the group target, intrapreneurship can be considered beneficial for the revitalisation and performance of companies, both large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises. Previous research conceptualised intrapreneurship in terms of four dimensions that were somewhat distinct in terms of their activities and orientations (Antoncic and Hisrich, 2001): New business venturing; Innovativeness; Self-renewal; and, Proactiveness. The intended contribution of this study is to make use of a self-constructed measuring instrument to demonstrate that intrapreneurship has had a positive influence on corporate performance within an established organisation, in the automotive industry of South Africa. This study can be viewed as a reciprocal contribution to companies seeking to create an intrapreneurial climate aimed, on the other hand at creating high performance organisation and on the other hand to motivate professionals in these companies requiring a wider portfolio of significant knowledge and skills development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Lechaba, Junior
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa , Bureaucracy -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Organizational sociology
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8832 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1019791
- Description: Intrapreneurship expresses organisational activities aimed at increasing quality of products, reducing production cost, capture or creates new product markets, and/or improving processes and services. This research study covers the investigation of potential influences on the intrapreneurial activity within an established organisation, and the possible outcome on financial performance. In the rapidly changing business environment of today, it has become necessary for the organisations to move from boundary-oriented thinking to continuous improvement in order to provide the disruptive competitive advantages necessary to survive and thrive in an environment where the ‘rules of the game’ change quickly in almost all companies and industries (Voelpel, Leibold and Tekie, 2005). Moreover, the automotive industry is no exception to this rule. In general, established companies deal with two significant challenges. First, they have to adapt to the external challenges of constantly changing and developing markets to keep pace with rapid technological evolution, globalisation, and progressively sophisticated competitors (Kemelgor, 2002; Kuratko, Hornsby and Goldsby, 2004). Second, they must deal with the internal challenges of modernising bureaucratic structures and processes, which can lead to slow development, decision-making and an inability to adapt easily to new situations (Hammer and Champy, 1994). In today's context of increasing market globalisation, companies wishing to maintain their competitiveness must innovate constantly (Carrier, 2001). Recognising the importance of meeting these challenges, organisational leaders must create high performance organisations in order to compete in a global mega-economic world. The old ways of doing business as usual and overwhelmed policies and procedures must be rooted out in order for the organisation to compete by identifying and sustaining diversified employees within a global economy (Kennedy, 2010). Companies generally engage in innovation for achieving an increase in quality of products, a reduction in production cost, capture or create new product markets, and reduce the firm’s reliance upon unreliable factors of production (Webster, 2004). There is a growing consensus that established companies must nurture intrapreneurial activity throughout their operations to continue to compete successfully (Sathe, 2003). Numerous authors have suggested intrapreneurship as a method of stimulating innovation and using the creative energy of employees by giving them the resources and independence they need to innovate within the firm (Carrier, 2001; Amo and Kolvereid, 2005). However, there is a certain amount of ambiguity around the concept of intrapreneurship, and this may lead to questions about the difference between intrapreneurship and intrapreneurship (Carrier, 2001). It is therefore important, before introducing the object of this research, to look more closely at the concept on which intrapreneurship is based, and to examine the trends in the research on intrapreneurship. The research conducted by Eesley and Longenecker (2006) suggest that intrapreneurship is a practice of creating new business products and opportunities in an organisation through proactive empowerment and risk-taking. This is considered a key component to organisational success; especially in organisations that operate in rapidly changing industries (Eesley and Longenecker, 2006). Intrapreneurship can manifest itself at every level of the company and regardless of the nature of the position held. Hence, we could have intrapreneurs in technical or non-technical functions; senior, middle or junior management levels; line or staff functions, and manufacturing or service related roles. Beyond this wide perspective, other authors have suggested that intrapreneurship requires a culture built around emotional commitment, autonomy, empowerment, earned respect, and a strong work ethic (Axtell, Holman, Unsworth, Wall, Waterson and Harrington, 2000). They believed intrapreneurship is inseparably connected with leadership, since it involves mobilising teams of people towards a cause much greater than the individuals involved often in the face of significant resistance from status quo preserving forces within and outside the organisation (Seshadri and Tripathy, 2006). Therefore, the failure of organisations to take members inputs on organisational improvement; sanction, promote and encourage risk-taking, empowerment, and improvement actions; give clear organisational direction, priorities, and objectives; and lack of top management support in risk-taking and improvement initiatives, could stifle intrapreneurship (Eesley and Longenecker, 2006). In light of the scope and the group target, intrapreneurship can be considered beneficial for the revitalisation and performance of companies, both large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises. Previous research conceptualised intrapreneurship in terms of four dimensions that were somewhat distinct in terms of their activities and orientations (Antoncic and Hisrich, 2001): New business venturing; Innovativeness; Self-renewal; and, Proactiveness. The intended contribution of this study is to make use of a self-constructed measuring instrument to demonstrate that intrapreneurship has had a positive influence on corporate performance within an established organisation, in the automotive industry of South Africa. This study can be viewed as a reciprocal contribution to companies seeking to create an intrapreneurial climate aimed, on the other hand at creating high performance organisation and on the other hand to motivate professionals in these companies requiring a wider portfolio of significant knowledge and skills development.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Research into entrepreneurship and small business in South Africa: current status and future challenges
- Authors: Tai-Hing, Paul
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8794 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015981
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Tai-Hing, Paul
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8794 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1015981
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
The influence of copreneurial relationships on the restaurant industry : a study in the Nelson Mandela Metropole
- Von Hoffman, Ethen Langeford
- Authors: Von Hoffman, Ethen Langeford
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Couple-owned business enterprises -- Management , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8839 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020003
- Description: Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the South African economy, especially in light of the recent global recession. For family businesses, namely copreneurs in the restaurant industry, to be afforded a better opportunity to perform better and be viable and sustainable, a deeper understanding and insight into their dynamics is required. Researching and implementing strategies or recommendations to improve the influence of copreneurial relationships in the restaurant industry is fundamentally important to the growth and sustainability of restaurants in the hospitality industry, in the Nelson Mandela Metropole (NMM). However, no known studies have been performed in this area of copreneurship. This study sought to present exploratory research in the rapidly expanding and critically important sector family business, namely copreneurships specifically in the restaurant industry in the NMM, in South Africa. The primary research objective of this study is to gain a deeper understanding and insight into the influence of copreneurial relationships in the restaurant industry in the NMM. A phenomenological, or qualitative, research paradigm, through the use of focused one-on-one interviews, was employed to probe and analyse relational factors of copreneurial relationships. A qualifying questionnaire was constructed to determine the most effective sample for the study followed by an extensive questionnaire constructed to probe into the demographics and the specifically identified relational factors of the ten qualifying copreneurships. The collected data was then analysed and inferences were derived from the findings of the study. The findings revealed that what restaurant copreneurships perceive to be the most important relationship factors are very closely linked to the relationship factors perceived important to personally work on and improve. Of the relational factors considered for this study, namely: Commitment, communication, conflict, division of labour, emotional attachment, relationship bond, respect, spousal harmony, trust and the spousal values system, several factors stood out as those baring greatest influence on copreneurial relationships and their business. This study, from an analysis of the collected interview data and subsequent findings, determined communication to stand out above all other factors as being the most critical to copreneurial relationships. All other factors emanated as important but division of labour, values system, respect and relationship bond were revealed as extremely important, just behind communication. In light of these findings, as well as the discovery of other affecting factors, the study concluded that the viability and sustainability of restaurant copreneurships is of paramount significance. In order to facilitate this, copreneurial couples must cherish their relationships with each other, understand the dynamics of the relational factors affecting their relationships, invoke relational improvements for their viability and sustainability, not neglect family responsibilities and preservation in light of business needs and work together as a team.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Von Hoffman, Ethen Langeford
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Couple-owned business enterprises -- Management , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8839 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020003
- Description: Entrepreneurship plays an important role in the South African economy, especially in light of the recent global recession. For family businesses, namely copreneurs in the restaurant industry, to be afforded a better opportunity to perform better and be viable and sustainable, a deeper understanding and insight into their dynamics is required. Researching and implementing strategies or recommendations to improve the influence of copreneurial relationships in the restaurant industry is fundamentally important to the growth and sustainability of restaurants in the hospitality industry, in the Nelson Mandela Metropole (NMM). However, no known studies have been performed in this area of copreneurship. This study sought to present exploratory research in the rapidly expanding and critically important sector family business, namely copreneurships specifically in the restaurant industry in the NMM, in South Africa. The primary research objective of this study is to gain a deeper understanding and insight into the influence of copreneurial relationships in the restaurant industry in the NMM. A phenomenological, or qualitative, research paradigm, through the use of focused one-on-one interviews, was employed to probe and analyse relational factors of copreneurial relationships. A qualifying questionnaire was constructed to determine the most effective sample for the study followed by an extensive questionnaire constructed to probe into the demographics and the specifically identified relational factors of the ten qualifying copreneurships. The collected data was then analysed and inferences were derived from the findings of the study. The findings revealed that what restaurant copreneurships perceive to be the most important relationship factors are very closely linked to the relationship factors perceived important to personally work on and improve. Of the relational factors considered for this study, namely: Commitment, communication, conflict, division of labour, emotional attachment, relationship bond, respect, spousal harmony, trust and the spousal values system, several factors stood out as those baring greatest influence on copreneurial relationships and their business. This study, from an analysis of the collected interview data and subsequent findings, determined communication to stand out above all other factors as being the most critical to copreneurial relationships. All other factors emanated as important but division of labour, values system, respect and relationship bond were revealed as extremely important, just behind communication. In light of these findings, as well as the discovery of other affecting factors, the study concluded that the viability and sustainability of restaurant copreneurships is of paramount significance. In order to facilitate this, copreneurial couples must cherish their relationships with each other, understand the dynamics of the relational factors affecting their relationships, invoke relational improvements for their viability and sustainability, not neglect family responsibilities and preservation in light of business needs and work together as a team.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Copreneurships in South African small and medium-sized family business
- Authors: Eybers, Carey
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Couple-owned business enterprises , Family-owned business enterprises -- Succession -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9285 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1207 , Couple-owned business enterprises , Family-owned business enterprises -- Succession -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Eybers, Carey
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Couple-owned business enterprises , Family-owned business enterprises -- Succession -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:9285 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1207 , Couple-owned business enterprises , Family-owned business enterprises -- Succession -- South Africa , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa
- Description: 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.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
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