Voedseltuisnywerhede (hierna genoem tuisnywerhede) word in 'n toenemende mate van aktuele belang as gevolg van verskeie redes soos die veranderde rol van die hedendaagse vrou en omdat 'n sekere behoefte eie aan vandag vervul word. Bekostigbare voedsel van goeie gehalte is van die uiterste belang. Dit is belangrik om bestanddele van swak gehalte vroegtydig te ontdek voordat produkte van swak gehalte gelewer word en 'n markaandeel verloor word. Tuisnywerhede het 'n verantwoordelikheid teenoor kliente om produkte van goeie gehalte teen bekostigbare pryse te voorsien. Daar word toenemende druk op tuisnywerhede geplaas om produkte van gewenste gehalte te verskaf en om aan kliente se verwagtinge te voldoen. 'n Totalegehaltebestuurprojek kan tuisnywerhede help om hul totale stelsel te ondersoek en te verbeter. In die studie is aile dimensies van die bestuur van gehalte by tuisnywerhede in SuidAfrika ondersoek en geevalueer en 'n TQM model vir tuisnywerhede is ontwikkel. Die probleem is ontleed deur 'n literatuurstudie te doen waarop die empiriese ondersoek gebaseer is. Verskeie inligtingsbronne, in die vorm van artikels, referate en ander geskrewe literatuur oor TQM en tuisnywerhede, is geraadpleeg. 'n Proto-model vir totalegehaltebestuur by tuisnywerhede is uit die literatuur ontwikkel en na die ondersoek aangepas. Die empiriese ondersoek was tweeledig van aard, naamlik op makro- en mikrovlak. Empiriese data is deur middel van posvraelyste aan aile tuisnywerhede in Suid-Afrika verkry. Dieptestudie-ondersoeke deur middel van waarneming, onderhoude en gestruktureerde vraelyste aan tuisnywerheidbestuur, verskaffers en kliente van drie gekose tuisnywerhede is op mikrovlak uitgevoer om hul persepsies oor die gehalte van produkte en bestuur van totale gehalte in tuisnywerhede te ontleed. Die resultate wat uit hierdie studie voortspruit dui daarop dat: • tuisnywerhede wat as 'n handelsko6perasie bedryf word, die meeste voordele bied vir aile partye wat betrokke is. tuisnywerhede met 'n formele gehaltebestuursprogram sonder uitsondering beter resultate toon teenoor die wat nie formele gehaltebestuur toepas nie. • verskaffers se werksfasiliteite nog nooit op enige wyse ge"inspekteer is of vir higieniese praktyke getoets is nie. / Food home industries (hereafter referred to as home industries) are increasingly becoming more important in our society due to several reasons such as the changing role of the modern woman and because a specific need peculiar to today is met. Affordable, high quality food is of the utmost importance. It is essential to identify ingredients of a low standard in good time before poor quality products are supplied and market share is lost. It is the responsibility of home industries to provide the customer with affordable products of a high quality. Home industries are increasingly pressurised to measure up to the customers' expectations and to supply them with top quality products. A total quality management project can assist home industries in examining their total system and can identify areas for improvement. In this study all dimensions of management and quality in home industries were examined and evaluated. A TQM model for home industries was developed. The problem was analysed by means of a literature study on which the empirical investigation was based. Various sources of information such as articles, papers read at conferences and other written literature on TQM and home industries were consulted. A proto model for total quality management for home industries was developed from the literature and was adapted after the investigation. The empirical investigation was executed at both a macro- and a microlevel. Empirical data was obtained through questionnaires distributed to all managers of home industries in South Africa. In-depth studies by means of observation, interviews and structured questionnaires to home industry management, suppliers and customers of three selected home industries were done at microlevel in order to analyse the quality of products and the management of total quality in home industries. The results that emerge from this study indicate that • home industries which are run as trade co-operatives hold more advantages for all parties concerned. home industries which follow a formal quality management programme prove, without exception, to have better results than those which do not implement formal quality management. • the working facilities of suppliers have never been inspected or tested for hygienic practices in any way. / Business Management / DCOM (Sakebestuur)

Voedseltuisnywerhede (hierna genoem tuisnywerhede) word in 'n toenemende mate van aktuele belang as gevolg van verskeie redes soos die veranderde rol van die hedendaagse vrou en omdat 'n sekere behoefte eie aan vandag vervul word. Bekostigbare voedsel van goeie gehalte is van die uiterste belang. Dit is belangrik om bestanddele van swak gehalte vroegtydig te ontdek voordat produkte van swak gehalte gelewer word en 'n markaandeel verloor word. Tuisnywerhede het 'n verantwoordelikheid teenoor kliente om produkte van goeie gehalte teen bekostigbare pryse te voorsien. Daar word toenemende druk op tuisnywerhede geplaas om produkte van gewenste gehalte te verskaf en om aan kliente se verwagtinge te voldoen. 'n Totalegehaltebestuurprojek kan tuisnywerhede help om hul totale stelsel te ondersoek en te verbeter. In die studie is aile dimensies van die bestuur van gehalte by tuisnywerhede in SuidAfrika ondersoek en geevalueer en 'n TQM model vir tuisnywerhede is ontwikkel. Die probleem is ontleed deur 'n literatuurstudie te doen waarop die empiriese ondersoek gebaseer is. Verskeie inligtingsbronne, in die vorm van artikels, referate en ander geskrewe literatuur oor TQM en tuisnywerhede, is geraadpleeg. 'n Proto-model vir totalegehaltebestuur by tuisnywerhede is uit die literatuur ontwikkel en na die ondersoek aangepas. Die empiriese ondersoek was tweeledig van aard, naamlik op makro- en mikrovlak. Empiriese data is deur middel van posvraelyste aan aile tuisnywerhede in Suid-Afrika verkry. Dieptestudie-ondersoeke deur middel van waarneming, onderhoude en gestruktureerde vraelyste aan tuisnywerheidbestuur, verskaffers en kliente van drie gekose tuisnywerhede is op mikrovlak uitgevoer om hul persepsies oor die gehalte van produkte en bestuur van totale gehalte in tuisnywerhede te ontleed. Die resultate wat uit hierdie studie voortspruit dui daarop dat: • tuisnywerhede wat as 'n handelsko6perasie bedryf word, die meeste voordele bied vir aile partye wat betrokke is. tuisnywerhede met 'n formele gehaltebestuursprogram sonder uitsondering beter resultate toon teenoor die wat nie formele gehaltebestuur toepas nie. • verskaffers se werksfasiliteite nog nooit op enige wyse ge"inspekteer is of vir higieniese praktyke getoets is nie. / Food home industries (hereafter referred to as home industries) are increasingly becoming more important in our society due to several reasons such as the changing role of the modern woman and because a specific need peculiar to today is met. Affordable, high quality food is of the utmost importance. It is essential to identify ingredients of a low standard in good time before poor quality products are supplied and market share is lost. It is the responsibility of home industries to provide the customer with affordable products of a high quality. Home industries are increasingly pressurised to measure up to the customers' expectations and to supply them with top quality products. A total quality management project can assist home industries in examining their total system and can identify areas for improvement. In this study all dimensions of management and quality in home industries were examined and evaluated. A TQM model for home industries was developed. The problem was analysed by means of a literature study on which the empirical investigation was based. Various sources of information such as articles, papers read at conferences and other written literature on TQM and home industries were consulted. A proto model for total quality management for home industries was developed from the literature and was adapted after the investigation. The empirical investigation was executed at both a macro- and a microlevel. Empirical data was obtained through questionnaires distributed to all managers of home industries in South Africa. In-depth studies by means of observation, interviews and structured questionnaires to home industry management, suppliers and customers of three selected home industries were done at microlevel in order to analyse the quality of products and the management of total quality in home industries. The results that emerge from this study indicate that • home industries which are run as trade co-operatives hold more advantages for all parties concerned. home industries which follow a formal quality management programme prove, without exception, to have better results than those which do not implement formal quality management. • the working facilities of suppliers have never been inspected or tested for hygienic practices in any way. / Business Management / DCOM (Sakebestuur)

D. Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are the mainstay of economies and societies of many countries around the world. These enterprises are critical to the economy because of the way in which they contribute to the Gross Domestic Product, export revenue generation, innovation, the provision of goods and services thatlarge enterprises depend upon, and the creation of employment opportunities, social stability and improvement of economic welfare. SMEs operate within the economic environment characterised by volatility, dynamism and competitive markets that may seriously threaten their survival. In South Africa, the operating environment for SMEs is constantly changing in the face of a volatile economic environment and a highly competitive market. For SMEs to weather the storm of such volatility and competitive climate, they need to engage in strategic planning processes. While strategic planning research in large organisations has been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to strategic planning of small and medium sized enterprises. Strategic planning has not significantly filtered down to the SME sector. SMEs which practice strategic planning have plans, which are unstructured, less comprehensive and sporadic. There is little evidence of empirical research that has sought to evaluate strategic planning within the sphere of small business research. Therefore, despite the widespread recognition of the importance and significant contributions of SMEs, research on these small businesses remains scarce. There is need for more systematic research aimed at revealing the true nature of strategic planning in SMEs. Despite the contributions of a number of researchers in the field, there is still no universal agreement as to the impact of particular types of planning on SME performance. The study analyses the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs. It is unique in that rather than using the traditional objective performance measures, subjective measures are used to measure the performance of SMEs. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It also sought to ascertain the relationship between strategic planning and the plans of the business, as well as determining the relationship between business performance and its plans. Another objective was to examine the extent to which SMEs in South Africa have adopted the strategic planning practices. Finally, this study sought to determine if there are differences in strategic planning practices with regard to demographic variables, namely gender, age, and position occupied in the business. A quantitative method was used. Surveys were conducted with 415250 SMEs, which were identified by convenience sampling method. Data from owners/managers of these SMEs was collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. Factor, correlation and regression analyses were conducted and the findings were discussed. The main components of strategic planning include environmental scanning, business mission and vision, formality of strategic planning, employee participation in the strategic planning process, source of information about the environment, strategy implementation incentives, monitoring, evaluation and control, and time horizon of strategic planning. The finding of this study shows that there is a positive causal relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It was also found that there is a mixed relationship between strategic planning and future plans of the SMEs. An additional finding is that business performance has a positive relationship with the plans of the business. The results also indicate that the majority of SMEs practice strategic planning. Finally, the results reveal that the gender, age and occupation of the respondent do not influence the strategic planning practices in SMEs. The only strategic component that depends on the occupation of the respondent is the use of mission and vision statements. Given that today’s business environments for SMEs are characterised by high levels of competition, uncertainty and turbulence, it is recommended that SMEs should adopt more strategic planning practices so that they can make informed decisions. In order to ensure their success and sustainability, SMEs should scan the environment more frequently and seriously than they currently do.

This qualitative study explored and described the role and contribution of training and skills development for sustainability in SMEs in the manufacturing sector in Durban and East London, South Africa. Individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews took place with 15 SME owners. Five themes and 11 sub-themes emerged in a content thematic analysis. The findings indicate that SMEs acknowledge that training and skills development positively influences their financial performance and sustainability. Whilst SMEs implement learning and skills development interventions, they lack suitably structured human resource development (HRD) policies and strategies; do not properly document training and skills development activities; and experience difficulty in evaluating learning. This study recommends that SMEs formulate and implement well-structured learning and development plans and schedules. It is also advised that SMEs liaise with academics and form Communities of Practice (CoPs), among other initiatives, to implement and monitor training and skills development for their sustainability. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

A prestudy by the author of the assistance available to small business owners in South Africa revealed that although much assistance is available, many small businesses still fail. The question that arose was whether small business owners are receiving the proper assistance in respect of the right functional areas of the business, for the appropriate duration, at the right stage of the business life cycle and by the right people. Taking all these issues into account, the main purpose of this study was to determine what types of business interventions have the greatest impact on the success of entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprise owners. The literature study includes the history of small business development in South Africa and the interventions that have taken place in this and other countries. It also provides a definition of a successful small business and the generic business needs of small business owners. The sample used in this study was drawn from the members of the Confederation of Employers of South Africa (Cofesa). The research findings of this study are reliable for the SME owners who are members of Cofesa. The Cofesa group is not representative with regards to demographics, location, economic sectors or qualifications of South African SMEs. The following are some of the findings of the study of successful small business owners: * They generally make use of assistance in the areas of finance, marketing and human resources. * Most of them make use of assistance on a continuous basis during all the stages of the business life cycle, suggesting the way forward for aspirant business owners who should start making use of assistance even before starting their businesses. * Consultants or business specialists are mainly used for assistance. * More than two-thirds of the business owners thought that their businesses were more successful after they had received assistance. * The assistance was neither the cause of failure nor was it the main cause of their success. Assistance is a contributing factor to success but not the main reason for it. The success of a SME will depend mainly on other factors such as type of product, product quality and marketing. Assistance, however, proves vital and should first be provided for the areas as identified by the respondents in this study (mainly finance, marketing and human resources). / Business Management / D. Com.

Social responsibility (SR) is a business management concept that originated in the early 1930s after the Wall Street crash of 1929 exposed corporate irresponsibility in large organizations. Whilst the initial interpretation of SR has been modified and refined since it was first used, the significance of this multidimensional concept for the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector has continued to be overshadowed by its application to large and multinational organizations. The knowledge of social activities in the SME sector, particularly in South Africa, has remained unexplored due to relatively little attention being given until recent years. In cognizance of the above mentioned, this study wishes to expand the body of knowledge in respect of the social responsibility of small businesses. This study presented a qualitative content analysis of annual reports from 2008 to 2012 of companies listed on the JSE ALT exchange to explore small business social responsibility practices using NVIVO to analyze data. Findings from this study support the view that small businesses are not always profit driven and that they are therefore fundamentally distinct from large organizations. South African small businesses are however not yet strategic about SR. Creating and maintaining their reputation as good corporate citizens through relationships with stakeholders is their primary motivation for participating in social activities. The study results show that SR in small businesses is still evolving and that year after year there is an increase in involvement and interest in SR issues. The findings of this study, and confirmation of the new knowledge gained will assist policy makers and practitioners in designing plans and policies that will increase socially responsible behaviour of small businesses and develop a comprehensive theory of SR in small businesses in South Africa. This can potentially enhance inclusive economic growth while simultaneously dealing with the country’s socio economic problems. Future studies can be extended to include other SMEs in South Africa, specifically micro enterprises and comparisons formed by a larger population may demonstrate and explain trends more clearly. The results of this study can also be compared with large companies listed on the JSE and to other African economies. A longitudinal study investigating SMEs’ participation in SR in different economic conditions could test the fact that a change has occurred in the attitudes of small businesses from 2008 to 2012 towards social responsibility / Business Management / D.B.L

A prestudy by the author of the assistance available to small business owners in South Africa revealed that although much assistance is available, many small businesses still fail. The question that arose was whether small business owners are receiving the proper assistance in respect of the right functional areas of the business, for the appropriate duration, at the right stage of the business life cycle and by the right people. Taking all these issues into account, the main purpose of this study was to determine what types of business interventions have the greatest impact on the success of entrepreneurs and small and medium enterprise owners. The literature study includes the history of small business development in South Africa and the interventions that have taken place in this and other countries. It also provides a definition of a successful small business and the generic business needs of small business owners. The sample used in this study was drawn from the members of the Confederation of Employers of South Africa (Cofesa). The research findings of this study are reliable for the SME owners who are members of Cofesa. The Cofesa group is not representative with regards to demographics, location, economic sectors or qualifications of South African SMEs. The following are some of the findings of the study of successful small business owners: * They generally make use of assistance in the areas of finance, marketing and human resources. * Most of them make use of assistance on a continuous basis during all the stages of the business life cycle, suggesting the way forward for aspirant business owners who should start making use of assistance even before starting their businesses. * Consultants or business specialists are mainly used for assistance. * More than two-thirds of the business owners thought that their businesses were more successful after they had received assistance. * The assistance was neither the cause of failure nor was it the main cause of their success. Assistance is a contributing factor to success but not the main reason for it. The success of a SME will depend mainly on other factors such as type of product, product quality and marketing. Assistance, however, proves vital and should first be provided for the areas as identified by the respondents in this study (mainly finance, marketing and human resources). / Business Management / D. Com.

Social responsibility (SR) is a business management concept that originated in the early 1930s after the Wall Street crash of 1929 exposed corporate irresponsibility in large organizations. Whilst the initial interpretation of SR has been modified and refined since it was first used, the significance of this multidimensional concept for the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector has continued to be overshadowed by its application to large and multinational organizations. The knowledge of social activities in the SME sector, particularly in South Africa, has remained unexplored due to relatively little attention being given until recent years. In cognizance of the above mentioned, this study wishes to expand the body of knowledge in respect of the social responsibility of small businesses. This study presented a qualitative content analysis of annual reports from 2008 to 2012 of companies listed on the JSE ALT exchange to explore small business social responsibility practices using NVIVO to analyze data. Findings from this study support the view that small businesses are not always profit driven and that they are therefore fundamentally distinct from large organizations. South African small businesses are however not yet strategic about SR. Creating and maintaining their reputation as good corporate citizens through relationships with stakeholders is their primary motivation for participating in social activities. The study results show that SR in small businesses is still evolving and that year after year there is an increase in involvement and interest in SR issues. The findings of this study, and confirmation of the new knowledge gained will assist policy makers and practitioners in designing plans and policies that will increase socially responsible behaviour of small businesses and develop a comprehensive theory of SR in small businesses in South Africa. This can potentially enhance inclusive economic growth while simultaneously dealing with the country’s socio economic problems. Future studies can be extended to include other SMEs in South Africa, specifically micro enterprises and comparisons formed by a larger population may demonstrate and explain trends more clearly. The results of this study can also be compared with large companies listed on the JSE and to other African economies. A longitudinal study investigating SMEs’ participation in SR in different economic conditions could test the fact that a change has occurred in the attitudes of small businesses from 2008 to 2012 towards social responsibility / Business Management / D.B.L

Owing to the fact that entrepreneurship is widely considered to be a mechanism for reducing unemployment, the purpose of the study was to assess whether final-year Commerce students in the predominantly rural provinces, the Eastern Cape Province and the Limpopo Province, have the intention to start their own businesses.The study draws heavily from entrepreneurial intent models and focuses on the relationship between three key variables, namely, exposure to entrepreneurship education, awareness of entrepreneurial support and social capital to establish whether they are related to the intention of final-year Commerce studentsto start their own businesses. The literature review concentrated on entrepreneurial intent and entrepreneurial intent models; government entrepreneurial support initiatives in South Africa and in other countries and their role in the development of entrepreneurial intent, emergence of new ventures and the growth of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs); entrepreneurship education and its role in enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial intent;the influence of social capital on entrepreneurial intent and the different stages on the new venture life-cycle; and concludes with the link between entrepreneurship and the establishment of SMMEs. A survey was conducted among National Diploma (ND): Internal Auditing, Cost and Management Accounting and Financial information systems students (IAUD, CMA and FIS) (who had six months exposure to entrepreneurship education), ND: Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management (E/SBM) (who had three years exposure to entrepreneurship education) and ND: Management (without exposure to entrepreneurship education). The respondents for the study comprised 355 final year students of which 276 were from Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape Province and 79 were from Tshwane University of Technology (Polokwane Campus) in the LimpopoProvince.Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistics. The findings reveal that the majority of the respondents had the intention to start a business in the future.The entrepreneurial intent of the ND: E/SBM students was v stronger than the entrepreneurial intent of the ND: IAUD, CMA and FIS students and ND: Management students. Some significant relationships were found between entrepreneurial intent and the key variables of the study. / Business Management / D.Com. (Business Management)

Owing to the fact that entrepreneurship is widely considered to be a mechanism for reducing unemployment, the purpose of the study was to assess whether final-year Commerce students in the predominantly rural provinces, the Eastern Cape Province and the Limpopo Province, have the intention to start their own businesses.The study draws heavily from entrepreneurial intent models and focuses on the relationship between three key variables, namely, exposure to entrepreneurship education, awareness of entrepreneurial support and social capital to establish whether they are related to the intention of final-year Commerce studentsto start their own businesses. The literature review concentrated on entrepreneurial intent and entrepreneurial intent models; government entrepreneurial support initiatives in South Africa and in other countries and their role in the development of entrepreneurial intent, emergence of new ventures and the growth of small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs); entrepreneurship education and its role in enhancing entrepreneurial self-efficacy, entrepreneurial competencies and entrepreneurial intent;the influence of social capital on entrepreneurial intent and the different stages on the new venture life-cycle; and concludes with the link between entrepreneurship and the establishment of SMMEs. A survey was conducted among National Diploma (ND): Internal Auditing, Cost and Management Accounting and Financial information systems students (IAUD, CMA and FIS) (who had six months exposure to entrepreneurship education), ND: Entrepreneurship/Small Business Management (E/SBM) (who had three years exposure to entrepreneurship education) and ND: Management (without exposure to entrepreneurship education). The respondents for the study comprised 355 final year students of which 276 were from Walter Sisulu University in the Eastern Cape Province and 79 were from Tshwane University of Technology (Polokwane Campus) in the LimpopoProvince.Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and nonparametric statistics. The findings reveal that the majority of the respondents had the intention to start a business in the future.The entrepreneurial intent of the ND: E/SBM students was v stronger than the entrepreneurial intent of the ND: IAUD, CMA and FIS students and ND: Management students. Some significant relationships were found between entrepreneurial intent and the key variables of the study. / Business Management / D.Com. (Business Management)