The objective of this report was to establish the strategies and factors responsible for successful family businesses and in particular the reasons for success for Indian family-owned businesses in Kenya, determining if these are indicators to increased profitability and growth. This understanding could lead to informed decision making by the management in family businesses and an increased survival rate for Indian family businesses in Kenya. The researcher’s objectives were to confirm the 8 different propositions that were identified. On examination of the literature on family-owned businesses, several factors were identified as common to most family businesses and critical to success. Of these the most frequent 8 factors were narrowed down for the research . The questionnaire was then designed based on theses 8 factors and propositions. The Kenya-based research, used the questionnaires to target second or third generation members of family businesses for its data collection. The researcher collected 123 usable questionnaires from Indian family businesses entrepreneurs in Kenya, which was then used determine their responses to the identified propositions and if those factors identified made Indian family businesses successful in Kenya. Various quantitative statistical techniques were used to collect and analyse the data. Regression analysis was used to investigate the data collected from the sample. The research found that despite all the literature written about the factors that affect family businesses, not all these factors apply to Indian family businesses in Kenya. This paper identifies which factors do not relate to these businesses and which ones play an important role for family business success. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

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Thesis (M.B.A.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

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Submitted in fulfilment of part of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Technology in the Faculty of Management Sciences at Durban University of Technology, 2007 / The South African small business sector, particularly the manufacturing industries, such as textile, clothing, and automotive industries, are not considered internationally competitive. This shortcoming is seen in the context of liberalizing and transforming the South African economy, and the threat of foreign competition such as China. This study takes a systems view of the problems that are facing small businesses in South Africa, drawing on historical, theoretical and empirical sources within a proposed framework for small business international learning. The various elements in the framework include international competitiveness challenges facing small businesses, which, the author argues, create tension for survival within small businesses; the limited role of the small business support regime in South Africa; and the role of Foreign Direct Investment through Transnational Corporations (TNCs). Therefore, this study investigates the international learning processes of small businesses and develops a new theoretical model to illustrate and elucidate interventions to strengthen international learning processes of these small businesses. Methodology The manufacturing sector was chosen as the ideal sector for this study since it contributes significantly to the GDP and levels of employment of a country, and is at the receiving end of new production methodologies and technologies and other competition dynamics. This sector, at a small business level, is currently experiencing international competitiveness challenges in South Africa. The methodology followed an initial exploratory, qualitative approach followed by a formal, empirical, quantitative approach. The research questionnaire met the quality criteria as established through content validity, criterion related validity, and reliability criteria. This questionnaire was administered to a sample of 300 out of a population of 800 manufacturing small firms in Durban, using an unrestricted random probability sampling method. A total of 255 completed questionnaires were returned, and the results were expressed at the 95% confidence level with a confidence interval of 0.05. Results and Discussions From the correlation analysis of the level of importance and extent of implementation of international learning processes, four international learning processes, whose implementation can be enhanced by an improvement in the importance of international competitiveness challenges and support, were extracted. These international learning processes include increased learning activities on management, sales and marketing, finance, and also the image of small businesses. Through the consolidation of the results of the correlation analysis, a theoretical model for the identification and development of international learning processes was created. Conclusion From the small business practice and policy point of view, this study s findings suggest that the international learning processes of small businesses confronted by international competitiveness challenges in transforming developing economies can be strengthened by applying the theoretical model developed in this study. From the government, TNCs, and small businesses perspective, this study s findings also suggest that the establishment of linkage programmes and enhancement of learning activities, which revolve around the identified international learning processes as established in the theoretical model, will enable the attainment of international competitiveness of small businesses. This study, therefore, proposes the implementation, in the short-term, of information and linkage support at sector level that addresses the enhancement of the identified international learning processes; and the implementation, in the longterm, of a grand-scale small businesses and TNCs linkage programme in line with the premise provided in the theoretical model.

What is the nature and processes of creativity in small businesses? My fine-grained qualitative study of a small UK software business, GoTravel, suggests that such businesses often show tremendous creativity in the everyday processes they use to negotiate complex problems that their internal and external limitations induce. The empirical findings that I use to support this view are in three main parts. First, internal organisational problems, which seemed to restrict employee engagement in creative actions, provoked novel and appropriate — i.e. creative —actions by the small business in pursuing opportunities to access inputs they needed to build competitive software. Second, these actions entailed the tactical creation of fertile sites within collaborations held with product users in line with principles of agile software development, to enable activities relevant for accessing required inputs for building improved software. Third, within these sites, GoTravel advanced its creative actions by leading product users in ‘play’ activities with the purpose of accessing their inputs, which included their time, money, autonomy and actions, and ameliorating the disadvantaged position the small business occupied in the agile-inspired collaborations. To explicate my findings, I draw on the entrepreneurship literature, particularly work conducted to study processes that entrepreneurs use to orient themselves amid problems, while creating opportunities for establishing new ventures. Here, I focus specifically on spatial concepts Hjorth used to study how entrepreneurial processes unfold under constraining managerial orders, as well as insights from critical perspectives from the co-creation literature. I use these lenses to illuminate the tactical and creative actions that GoTravel manifested in the ways they reassigned ‘managerial orders’ in their software industry, which threatened their ability to access inputs from their product users into other uses — i.e. ‘spaces of play’. Here, they seemed to have ‘lured’ their product users into co-creation activities to accomplish goals for developing new products and, indeed, ‘conquer’ managerial orders in their external environments, even if temporarily. This study contributes to current research on organisational creativity by drawing attention to creativity inherent in the processes that small businesses use to negotiate problems they often confront in the journey to building novel and impactful solutions. In addition, I bring conceptual lenses from entrepreneurship, a field that is sympathetic to the characteristics of small businesses, particularly their constraints and limitations, to expand current knowledge we have of creativity by such businesses. My research also contributes to current valuable work on co-creation, especially in how organisations may use various forms of co-creation as a tactical and creative tool to address their own limitations.

Cybercriminals threaten strategic and efficient use of the Internet within the business environment. Each year, cybercrimes in the United States cost business leaders approximately $6 billion, and globally, $445 billion. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the operational strategies chief information security officers of high-technology companies used to protect their businesses from cyberattacks. Organizational learning theory was the conceptual framework for the study. The population of the study was 3 high-technology business owners operating in Florida who have Internet expertise and successfully protected their businesses from cyberattacks. Member checking and methodological triangulation were used to valid the data gathered through semistructured interviews, a review of company websites, and social media pages. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which supported the identification of 4 themes: effective leadership, cybersecurity awareness, reliance on third-party vendors, and cybersecurity training. The implications of this study for positive social change include a safe and secure environment for conducting electronic transactions, which may result in increased business and consumer confidence strengthened by the protection of personal and confidential information. The creation and sustainability of a safe Internet environment may lead to increased usage and trust in online business activities, leading to greater online business through consumer confidence and communication.