A phenomenological study of how South African entrepreneurs experience and deal with ethical dilemmas
- Authors: Robinson, David Alan
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship -- South Africa Business ethics -- South Africa Decision making -- Moral and ethical aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1175 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002791
- Description: This research sets out to examine how entrepreneurs experience and deal with ethical dilemmas. An entrepreneur is defined as a person who creates something of value and assumes the risk of establishing and managing a business around it. An ethical dilemma comes about when the entrepreneur must choose between alternatives and where the morally correct choice is unclear. This may be due to conflicting personal values or loyalties, tensions arising out of the realization that the moral action is not in line with his self-interest, cross-cultural conflict, or moral ambiguity. Because of the nature of entrepreneurship, the entrepreneur typically lives with ever-present threats arising from limited resources, competition, and the risk of business failure. His actions must simultaneously ensure survival, maximize profit, limit risk, counter threats, optimize the use of resources, and reward him with a feeling of satisfaction. It is hardly surprising that conflicting priorities sometimes ensue. It is also widely believed that these entrepreneurial pursuits supersede the more general need to act in morally appropriate ways. This is a phenomenological study, based on interviews with seven entrepreneurs in established service-oriented ventures. They were asked to describe their business, any dilemmas they have experienced, how they were handled, and what challenges they experience as entrepreneurs in South Africa today. Using phenomenology as my vehicle for data collection and analysis, I sought to enter the lived-worlds of my participants to discover the essence of how ethical dilemmas are experienced in the entrepreneurial milieu. The study’s findings reflect that each entrepreneur has a distinctive world-view, which is represented by a complex mosaic of virtue ethics, deontology, utilitarianism and metaethical perspectives. The permutations are numerous, thus negating the possibility of typecasting entrepreneurs. Instead this research introduces the reader to aspects of entrepreneurial reality such as the complexity of cultural diversity, the freedom to limit the amount of personal energy given to business, and the existence of a more sensitive, searching inner soul beneath the apparent hard-nosed business-oriented public image. While examining entrepreneurial dilemmas in depth, this research introduces the dilemma drum as a tool to portray the argument form of any dilemma by making explicit the ethical component inherent in every business decision and facilitating its effective resolution in a non-prescriptive way. The findings identify certain individual characteristics of participant entrepreneurs that are unlike anything in the mainstream literature, dispelling notions of the entrepreneur as a societal misfit, an essential innovator with vision and flair, or a compulsive risk-taker, while confirming success as the key motivator rather than money per se, the importance of significant others, and the influence of culture and gender. They provide fresh insights into the psyche of the entrepreneur, which include: the existence of inner conviction - marrying the concept of goal-directedness with that of making a contribution to society; exercising the virtues in order to support a delicate balance between business and ethical imperatives; learning to respect energy flow; an alternative morality based on attracting and allowing benevolent or serendipitous events to happen naturally and redefining success as ‘being able to create what is needed as and when needed’; focusing one’s energy on the telos; developing a personal marketing formula suited to a culturallydiverse society; and the anxiety associated with being out-there on one’s own. The general statement, which is ultimately distilled from the seven situated descriptions, introduces a theory of entrepreneurial ethics that presents a new and different view of the lived-world of entrepreneurship, consisting of: Firstly, the key components of entrepreneurial success – having clear goals, energy, making a contribution to society, being connected, getting others on board, and work as an extension of self; secondly, what drives entrepreneurs – goal-orientation, sense of personal excitement, inner conviction, autonomy, and external recognition of success; thirdly, the entrepreneurial ethic – concern for credibility, commitment to service, contributing to quality of life; fourthly, the nature of entrepreneurial dilemmas - conflicting responsibilities, authenticity and credibility, risk and expansion, and awareness of diversity; fifthly, how entrepreneurs deal with ethical issues in their own distinctive ways – by holding fast to authentic virtues, bowing to community expectations, avoiding friction, adopting a ‘come-what-may’ or ‘what’s in it for me’ attitude, or pursuing a higher purpose where both parties benefit; sixthly, entrepreneurs’ world -views – beliefs, goals, ways of deriving satisfaction, virtuous behaviour; pen-ultimately, the challenges facing entrepreneurs in South Africa – overcoming the legacies of apartheid, containing crime, fostering an acceptable business ethic, and facilitating reconciliation between ethnic groups; and lastly, finding the power within – that illusive entrepreneurial spirit – self-reliance, looking beyond immediate obstacles, grasping opportunities, and understanding serendipity.
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- Date Issued: 2003
An entrepreneurial framework for deciding on the implementation of large format digital printing internationally
- Authors: Adendorff, Christian Michael
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1169 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002785 , Entrepreneurship , Success in business , Business -- Technological innovations , Digital printing
- Description: This study focuses on entrepreneurs within the SME sector using large format digital printing (LFDP) because of the changes in technology that influences the decisionmaking processes of the entrepreneur in the purchasing of a new LFDP. These fast changes are likely to continue and can cause technologies to become obsolete overnight. The entrepreneurs within the LFDP industry find themselves in the midst of these fast changes and are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, they need to make sure that the technology used produces consistent and quality products. On the other hand, the entrepreneur needs to ensure an optimal return on investments. From the literature and the findings of the study, the researcher recommends a change to an existing model on a consultant involvement purchase of high technology products, which is then adapted to integrate resource-forecasting areas together with timing and type of information required as well as external environment scanning. The existing model’s focus is on the individual’s ability to make decisions based on their own knowledge. However, by integrating technology forecasting components, and scanning the business environment and resource forecasting needed the decision-maker will be better equipped to make decisions that also takes into account the external environment. This will also allow them to plan and manage growth in a systematic way. Therefore the proposed model takes into account individual capabilities and technology forecasting components that can facilitate the decision-making process. The adapted model on decision-making clearly delineates that the combination of entrepreneurial qualities and technology forecasting techniques in the LFDP industry will ultimately assist the entrepreneur on various levels in deciding on a new LFDP.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The role of bank finance in small firm growth : a case study
- Authors: Musengi, Sandra
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Banks and banking -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance , Small business -- South Africa -- Growth -- Case studies , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa , Bank loans -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1176 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002793 , Banks and banking -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance , Small business -- South Africa -- Growth -- Case studies , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa , Bank loans -- South Africa
- Description: The debate concerning small firm access to finance continues. The proliferation of research of the issue underlines the importance attached in promoting a strong entrepreneurial culture within a country. Small firms are significant to economic growth if they are growing. Central to this significance is ascertaining the role of finance and in particular bank finance in accelerating small growth potential. The case study, through its ontological, epistemological and methodological position, draws on a document review and interview material from small firm owners and key informants to explore the role of bank finance in small firm growth. Case study evidence reveals that small firm owners do not intend to finance firm growth with bank finance but prefer to finance growth with internally generated funds. The owners indicate that non-financial and behavioural factors, such as, maintaining decision-making control, experience accessing bank finance, the perception of the banking relationship and growth aspirations of owners may be more important in dertermining the finance structure for firm growth. From the bank's perspective, findings suggest that risk assessment, financial viability of the enterprise and provision of collateral are more important in the lending decisions; findings supported by an analysis of selected documents. The small sample of small firm owners, bank representatives, experts and documents makes it difficult to generalize the findings. However, the findings are significant because exploring the issue from different perspectives presents invaluable insights, which can be investigated further to assist small firm owners, to develop finance products geared for small firm operations, and in the development of the knowledge base on finance-related issues in the South African context.
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- Date Issued: 2003