Thesis (MTech(Business Administration))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 1998 / The importance of small and medium businesses, (SMB's), and specifically the important role that they perfonn in a country's national economy, have long been realized. In South Africa, the emphasis being placed on promoting small businesses in the government's GEAR strategy is an indication of how important small and medium businesses are regarded, even at national government level. Statistical evidence underlining the valuable contribution ofSME's is frequently quoted in the literature. The following statistics are an indication of the contribution of SME's to the South African economy: • in 1991 there were approximately 800 000 formal businesses in South Africa of which approximately 700 000 or 85% could be classified as 5MB's; • their estimated contribution to the GDP at that stage was in the region of30%; • in 1991 SME's employed more than 2.4 million people (2.7 million people in 1994) which represented about 17% ofthe economically active population of 14.3 million at that stage; • "informal" Small Enterprises in 1991 was thought to be employing about 4.4 million additional people. If the high rate of insolvency's amongst SME's, relative to larger businesses in the economy are to be taken as a guideline, it is clear that the financial risks involved in managing, owning and/or investing in a small to medium sized business are relatively high. With the above being a stated filct, the question was asked as to what can be done to make this important sector ofthe economy more effective. A great deal ofresearch was done in the past as to what actually causes 5MB's to go bankrupt. Problem factors ranging from a lack of funding, high interest rates, hostile labour relations and inflation to unsupportive governments were named in various studies as primary reasons for the failure of these businesses. Previous research has also found that the use ofstrategic management as a management tool in smaller businesses, such as 5MB's, is being neglected by the managers/owners ofSME's.

Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / Many companies are currently focusing on how to stay innovative, how to innovate and how to create an innovation climate in their companies. Why is innovation vital to companies? New Product Development (NPD) can be a key factor in this regard. Companies believe that NPD is their life blood; it can be the better way to survive firmly and be more competitive. In addition, the strategy of how to manage NPD process effectively and efficiently is becoming a powerful way of achieving a competitive edge. As Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in South African economic development, it is critical for companies especially (SMEs) to seek an ideal way to manage innovation productively. However, to be innovative is not easy for any organization and it should be managed effectively. The effective management of innovation and NPD in SMEs is investigated in this study. Innovation and NPD has already become the key drivers of sustainability and competitiveness for many companies especially SMEs. Innovation and NPD as the main subjects that are carefully studied, discussed and understood in larger corporations and multinational enterprises. It would appear that the same cannot always be said when it comes to SMEs.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007 / E-commerce, as one of the applications of the Internet, has been considered as a possible channel for small businesses to be benefIted. However, due to their nature, it is challenging to involve e-commerce in small businesses; some new risks arise that typically are not adequately addressed in SMMEs' (Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises) established risk management programs. Therefore, to obtain the benefits from e-commerce adoption, SMME owner/managers need to identify and manage these risks. Identifying SMME owner/managers' perceptions of e-commerce related risks, and how they manage them is crucial for ascertaining the factors that affect the successful small business e-commerce adoption, as their perceptions influence their decision-making process. This research identified South African SMME owner/managers' perceptions of e-commerce related risks, and their effects on e-commerce and SMMEs' development. The investigation was conducted by using a quantitative research methodology, drawing on the data obtained from a sample of 50 questionnaires, and the 17 interviews out of the 50, by using qualitative research methodology to achieve the research objectives. The SMME owner/managers' perceptions imply that they are unaware of e-commerce related risks, they lack risk management attention to and skills in e-commerce related risks and their businesses, which can affect the development of e-commerce adoption and SMMEs. The perceptions also exhibited the SMME owner/managers' attitudes to risk-taking; the research provides a platform for SMMEs to understand their risk management performance. On the other hand, the perceptions reflect the orientations of developing SMMEs' e-commerce adoption such as: how to provide SMMEs with a better understanding of obtaining the benefits from e-commerce adoption? How to help SMMEs to manage e-commerce related risks? In conclusion, this research study proposed a model to assist SMMEs to understand e-commerce related risks in order to obtain the maximum benefits of e-commerce adoption.

This study investigates how knowledge is created in a small business organization. Knowledge creation refers to organizational learning which results in innovation. The research design was a qualitative, single site case study of three firms in the point of sale industry. Data collection took place during a six month field study and employed multiple methods including participant observations, interviews, document reviews, and field journal entries. The study was informed by a conceptual framework which focused on the importance of both tacit and explicit knowledge forms, multiple modes of knowledge conversion (socialization, externalization, combination, internalization), and a knowledge spiraling process. Six themes emerged from the data. The first theme, "the people are the business" indicated that individuals become a knowledge creating structure that transcends office boundaries. A second theme, "we just spend tons of time talking", emphasized the importance of dialogue and informal communication structures to the sharing of tacit knowledge. A third theme, "there hasn't been a new idea in a million years", illustrated the predominance of incremental rather than radical innovation, the strategy of mimicking concept successes, and the importance of learning with other organizations through strategic alliances. A fourth theme, "you learn from your mistakes", represented the experiential nature of learning within the firm. A fifth theme, "it's one of those crystal ball kind of things" depicted the intuitive nature of personal knowledge and its limitations. Finally, the sixth theme, "a day late and a dollar short" explored how time and money pressures both enhance and hinder knowledge creation within a small business context. By comparing the themes to the conceptual framework the study concluded that small business organizations create knowledge in accordance with the nature of interpersonal interactions as they occur in context. The theoretical knowledge spiral was reconceptualized as a web structure in order to accommodate more diversity of approaches to knowledge creation and the complex nature of innovations. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Successful economies are dependent on successful industries.The present study explores how business success could be improved in three selected industries, namely the motorcar, high-technology and food manufacturing industries. These industries are vital to growing the economy of countries. The present study made a significant contribution towords identifying a theoretical model to improve the business success of the motorcar, high technology amd the food manufacturing industries. The study showed that various combinations of product launching stategies (distribution channel development, product image, third-party agreements, pricing, e-business, and e-saving), as well as organisational variables (TQM and market culture) are important agreements to achieve increased sales growth and CRM effectiveness.

My thesis has a dual focus. It is an account of both the journey of my inquiry, and the outcome of that inquiry. The Professional Doctorate, for which this work is submitted, emphasises practice development and at all times I have kept a watchful eye on my progress towards becoming a 'scholarly professional'. I am a facilitator - this means taking a variety of roles, including group leader, supervisor, coach, mentor, change agent. I use the term 'facilitator' as shorthand for all of these. My thesis makes a contribution to practical knowledge in relation to the subject matter and the methodology. My main focus is the practice of group facilitation, especially the way that a facilitator can work in a distress free manner, when the presence of the facilitator is apparent and distinct through an individual signature. I take the optimistic stance that facilitator presence can be developed, and have gathered a range of ideas that may support the practitioner in this respect, predominantly drawn from my own experiential and theoretical learning. With regard to autoethnography, the issue of judgement criteria is a particular offering. I see the whole of my thesis as autoethnographic, and have navigated a fine line between doing autoethnography, and finding out what an autoethnography is. In fully committing to this methodology, I take on the responsibility of writing from my own experience, whilst incorporating insights from the work of predecessors and peers.

This phenomenological study explores how certain “innovative” pedagogies were experienced by a group of Chinese students studying Business Management at a mid-ranking UK university. Analysis of the transcripts of interviews (some in Chinese) with 24 students using NVivo shows that whilst most students felt that Active Learning pedagogies effectively supported their learning, for some students the “zone of indeterminacy” in which group projects and simulations were carried out was an uncomfortable space. Salient aspects of these students’ experiences were language, relationships and metacognitive skills, and the discussion explores the way in which these three experiential themes can be conceptualised as interrelated elements of the action (Biesta, 2006) which takes place in Active Learning classrooms. The following recommendations are made: HEIs should attempt to provide students with the advanced skills of negotiation which they will need to use in the flexible, ill-structured environments associated with Active Learning pedagogies; tutors should develop consistent approaches to collaborative assignments focussing on group work processes as well as task completion; the development of metacognitive skills through Active Learning pedagogies should be promoted through the use of explicit reflective elements embedded within the teaching, learning and assessment activities. The concluding discussion proposes that the successful use of Active Learning pedagogies requires a reconceptualisation of the purpose of education and that these pedagogies provide a potential readjustment of the balance between the functions of qualification, socialisation and subjectification (Biesta, 2010).

Supply chain integration (SCI) is a phenomenon that has received growing attention from academia and industry practitioners alike. Studies suggest that firms with highly integrated supply chains can positively influence firm performance from both an operational and financial standpoint. The literature emphasizes three distinct dimensions of SCI; internal integration, supplier integration and customer integration. However, the scarcity of highly integrated supply chains could be widespread in South Africa due to the SCI perception gaps prevalent among supply chain practitioners in South Africa. The literature reveals that there are countless inconsistencies pertaining to the interpretation and execution of supply chain management practices among supply chain practitioners, across myriads of industries. This study aimed to investigate the various perceptions of the SCI construct harboured by supply chain practitioners in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturing firms. A generic qualitative research strategy was used as the method of inquiry in this research. Five FMCG manufacturing firms were sampled and a total of fifteen participants were interviewed though semi-structured interviews. The main findings of the study reveal that supply chain practitioners in FMCG manufacturing firms interpret the SCI construct differently. While some supply chain practitioners interpret the SCI construct in line with what is documented in the literature, others have misaligned interpretations of the construct. These differences in interpretation span across all tiers (strategic, tactical and operational) within FMCG manufacturing firms. The findings also reveal that supply chain practitioners in South African FMCG manufacturing firms, to a significant extent, identify with all the supply chain integrative practices relating to supply chain collaboration, intra/inter firm interaction and information sharing, as documented in the literature. The study’s findings contribute to the supply chain discipline by helping researchers as well as supply chain practitioners develop a complete understanding of the SCI construct which deliberately elaborates on the associated SCI dimensions, and explicitly articulates the integrative practices associated with the phenomenon. Managerial implications emanating from this study suggest that supply chain functions should strive to create awareness around the focal firm’s end-to-end supply chain activities, and how these activities impact each other. This can be done through building a culture of frequent inter- and intra- organisational interaction, as well as implementing relevant organisational learning interventions across all tiers within the focal firm. In addition, focal firms should also adopt and leverage off new technologies to ensure more reliable and real-time data, thus enabling more effective decision-making. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Business Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: For years academic institutions regarded IQ as the be-all and end-all, leaving many people with lower IQ scores in a state of serious self-doubt. People are slowly starting to admit that there is more to life than straight A's at school. Management gurus sensed that IQ on its own is no guarantee for personal or business success. According to research conducted by Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence, emotional intelligence is twice as important as any other factor in predicting outstanding employee performance, accounting for more than 85% of star performance in top leaders. Emotional intelligence has a major impact on organisational performance, doubling and even tripling productivity, and greatly improving bottom-line results. The power of emotional intelligence has been underestimated in the business world. At the root of day-to-day organisational problems such as low productivity, absenteeism, staff turnover, company politics, strikes and stay-aways, there is an inability to optimise our emotional energy and that of our employees. At the root of problems such as drug abuse, alcoholism, workaholism, yuppie flu, divorce and teenage pregnancies, we find exactly the same cause. Emotional intelligence involves the ability to monitor your own and others' emotions, to discriminate between them, and to then be able to use this information to guide your thinking and your actions. Success in life is a result of how well you manage yourself, handle your relationships, and work with others. The mastery of being in control of yourself, your emotions and your interactions with others influences your ability to lead and be seen as a leader. Emotional intelligence by any definition is really a combination of cognitive and emotional abilities. The essence of emotional intelligence is the integration of the emotional centres of the brain (the limbic system) and the cognitive centres (prefrontal cortex). Interactive situations at school, in the community, on the sports field, in work teams, in our social lives and in superior-subordinate relations, all provide opportunities for personal and interpersonal growth. Fortunately scientists now consider emotional intelligence a learnable intelligence, one that can be developed and improved at any time and any age through assessment, training and coaching. Emotions are an integral part of organisational life. We demand competence from leaders and expect them to demonstrate virtually every known attribute of leadership characteristics, including honesty, energy, trust, integrity, intuition, imagination, resilience, purpose, commitment, influence, motivation, sensitivity, empathy, humour, courage, conscience and humility. We expect them to impart these attributes to others. Leadership goes beyond effective management to innovation and change. It means developing a vision, turning the vision into workable programmes in a manner that generates excitement and commitment, creating an environment for problem-solving and learning and making sure that everyone persists until the programme accomplishes what it intended. Managers who are leaders continuously pursue incremental change. The time has come to concentrate on building emotional muscle and developing active emotional awareness, both in ourselves and in others. Companies who hope to survive and prosper in the future, need to invest now in the development of the emotional intelligence of their people. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ouers, akademici en bestuurders het jare lank die standpunt gehuldig dat 'n hoë IK outomaties hoë akademiese prestasie tot gevolg het en werksekuriteit waarborg. Verskeie akademici soos Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Reuven Bar-On en John Mayer het relatief onlangs die standpunt ondersteun dat 'n hoë IK alleen nie voldoende is om 'n persoon te laat uitblink op akademiese gebied of in sy werkplek of gesinslewe nie. Volgens navorsing wat gedoen is deur Daniel Goleman, outeur van die baanbrekersboek "Working with Emotional Intelligence", is emosionele intelligensie twee keer belangriker as enige ander faktor wat uitstaande werkprestasie voorspel en verantwoordelik vir meer as 85% van uitmuntende werkprestasie van die korps van uitvoerende leiers van enige organisasie. Emosionele intelligensie speel 'n deurslaggewende rol om organisasiesukses te verseker en om produktiwiteit en winsmarges tweevoudig en selfs drievoudig te verhoog. Die invloed van emosionele intelligensie is onderskat in die besigheidsarena. Die oorsprong van dag-tot-dag organisasieprobleme soos verlaagde produktiwiteit, afwesigheid, personeelomset, maatskappypolitiek, stakings en uitsluitings, is ons onvermoë, om ons eie en ons werknemers se emosionele energie te optimaliseer. Negatiewe sosiale gedrag soos dwelm- en alkoholmisbruik, werkspanning, jappiegriep, egskeidings, ongewenste swangerskappe, geweld en misdaad is die gevolg van 'n gebrek aan langdurige opleidingsprogramme in sosiale en emosionele bevoegdhede wat as deel van 'n skoolkurrikulum aangebied word. Emosionele intelligensie bestaan uit die vermoë om jou eie en 'n ander persoon se emosies te herken, daartussen te onderskei, en die inligting te gebruik om jou handelinge en dade te rig. Sukses in die lewe word bepaal deur hoe goed jy jouself en jou verhoudings kan bestuur en hoe goed jy met medewerknemers oor die weg kom. Die kuns om in beheer van jouself en jou emosies te wees tesame met jou interaksie met medewerknemers beïnvloed jou vermoë om te lei en geïdentifiseer te word as 'n leier. Emosionele intelligensie is volgens baie akademici 'n kombinasie van kognitiewe en emosionele vermoëns. Die kern van emosionele intelligensie is die integrasie van die emosionele sentrums van die brein (die limbiese sisteem) en die kognitiewe sentrums (prefrontale korteks). Navorsing oor neurowetenskap en emosionele intelligensie is betreklik nuut. Min akademici, skoolhoofde, bestuur en beleidmakers is bewus van die rol wat die verwantskap tussen senuweenetwerke in die brein en emosionele bevoegdhede speel om uitstaande werkprestasie en organisasiesukses te verseker. Alle interaktiewe situasies by die skool, in die gemeenskap, op die sportveld, in spanverband in die werkplek, op sosiale gebied en in bestuurder-ondergeskikteverhoudings, verskaf geleenthede vir persoonlike en interpersoonlike groei. Emosionele intelligensie word beskou as 'n intelligensie wat aangeleer kan word en wat ontwikkel en verbeter kan word met verloop van tyd en ouderdom deur evaluering, opleiding en afrigting. Emosies is 'n integrale deel van enige organisasie. Ons vereis bevoegdheid van die leiers van 'n organisasie en verwag van hulle om feitlik alle leierseienskappe te openbaar soos eerlikheid, energie, geloofwaardigheid, integriteit, intuïsie, verbeelding, herstelvermoë, doelgerigtheid, pligsbesef, invloed, motivering, sensitiwiteit, empatie, humor, moed, nougesetheid en nederigheid. Verder word daar van leiers verwag om hierdie leierseienskappe aan werknemers oor te dra. Leierskap is veel meer as bloot effektiewe bestuur en sluit die vermoë in om innoverend te dink en aan te pas by verandering. Leierskap beteken om 'n visie te ontwikkel, om die visie op so 'n wyse in uitvoerbare programme weer te gee dat dit entoesiasme en pligsgetrouheid genereer, om 'n omgewing te skep vir probleemoplossing en opleiding en om te verseker dat alle werknemers volhou totdat die programme voldoen aan hul doelwitte. Uitmuntende leiers is voortdurend besig om stelselmatige verandering na te jaag. Die tyd het aangebreek om emosionele intelligensie doelbewus uit te bou en om 'n aktiewe emosionele bewustheid in onsself en ander persone te ontwikkel. Organisasies wat in die toekoms wil oorleef en winsgewend wil wees, is verplig om in die emosionele intelligensie van hul personeel te belê.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: A number of financial variables have received extensive attention from those analysts determined to obtain that significant set of variables that improve their forecasts of expected returns. Barbee. Mukherji and Raines (1996: 56-60) suggested that the focus shift to the sales-to-price (S/P) ratio. Their findings indicated that the S/P ratio exhibited greater explanatory power in assessing share returns on Standard and Poars (S&P) American data compared to those variables already in the spot light. This study focuses on a seventeen-year period extending from 1985 to 2002, and includes a sample of industrial sector JSE-listed companies. The set of variables assessed are referred to as the "explanatory variables" and include the following: • Debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio, • Book-to-market value (B/M) ratio, • Market value of equity (MVE) variable; and • Sales-to-price (S/P) ratio. Correlation tests and regression analyses on permutations of these explanatory variables against percentage share return data revealed the MVE variable to possess the dominant relationship with percentage share returns. All models were shown (through inference) to exhibit some validity, with the exception of that model which excluded the MVE variable as an independent variable. The coefficient of the B/M ratio becomes significant when combined with the MVE variable in a regression analysis, accounting for most of the explanatory power of the model. Results from this study were compared with those in Barbee, et al., (1996), Fricker (1996) and Mouton (1998). The comparison revealed that Barbee, et al., (1996) is the only study (of the authors considered) with sufficient evidence to infer significance in the S/P ratio as a more powerful explanatory variable for determining share returns. This study has therefore shown no support for the S/P ratio as an explanatory power in determining percentage share returns, based on JSE data. The MVE variable was instead shown to have the greatest explanatory power, specifically when combined with the BlM ratio. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Aantal finansiele veranderlikes het aansienlike aandag van die analiste gekry ten einde 'n betekenisvolle stel van veranderlikes daar te stel wat help om hul vooruitskattings van opbrengste te verbeter. Barbee, Mukherji and Raines (1996: 56-60) het voorgestel dat die fokus verskuif na die verkope tot prys (S/P) verhouding. Hul het bevind dat die S/P verhouding groter verduidelikingsvermoe het by die beoordeling van aandeel opbrengste op Standard en Poors (S&P) se Amerikaanse data as daardie veranderlikes wat reeds onder die soeklig was. Die studie fokus op 'n sewentienjaar-periode van 1985 tot 2002, en dek 'n monster van genoteerde industriele aandele op die Johannesburg se Effektebeurs. Hierdie stel veranderlikes word na verwys as die "verduidelikende veranderlikes" en sluit in: • Skuld tot aandeelhouersfondse (D/E) verhoudings, • Boek tot markwaarde (B/M) verhouding, • Markwaarde van aandeelhouersbelang (MVE) veranderlike, en • Verkope tot prys (S/P) verhouding. Korrelasietoetse en regressie-analises op permutasies van hierdie verduidelikende veranderlikes teenoor persentasie aandeel opbrengste het aangetoon dat die MVE die dominante veranderlike met die persentasie aandeel opbrengste getoon het. Alle modelle (deur gevolgtrekking) het 'n mate van betekenisvolheid openbaar, behalwe die model wat die MVE veranderlike as onafhanklike veranderlike uitgesluit het. Die koeffisient van die B/M verhouding het betekenisvol geword toe dit met die MVE-veranderlike in 'n regressie-analise gekombineer is, en wat dan die grootste gedeelte van die verduidelikingswaarde van die model verklaar. Die resultate van die studie is vergelyk met die van Barbee, et aI., (1996), Fricker (1996) en Mouton (1998). Die vergelyking het aangedui dat Barbee, et al., (1996) die enigste studie is (van die skrywers ondersoek) wat genoegsame getuienis verkry het om die belangrikheid van die S/P verhouding as 'n sterk veranderlike vir die aandeel opbrengste te verklaar. Hierdie studie kon dus geen ondersteuning vind dat die S/P verhouding as 'n verduidelikende veranderlike by die vasstelling van persentasie-opbrengste op die JSE data gebruik kan word nie. Daarenteen het die MVE-veranderlike die grootste voorspellingswaarde gehad, veral as dit gekombineer is met die B/M verhouding.