While the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is widely used, it is not seen as the most appropriate to describe responsible business activities in Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs). The concept of Responsible Business Practices (RBP) is better suited to SMMEs, although the theory is still based in the broader literature of CSR. Choices and decisions made by the owners/managers of SMMEs regarding the expenditures for RBP may reflect various influences. These influences may be conscious and purposely orientated toward a personal set of beliefs, but may also be indirectly, subconsciously influenced. This research will explore the influences behind expenditure decisions. Structured questionnaires will be used to reveal conscious influences that play a role in decision-making in SMMEs. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the aspects that consciously influence the decision-makers at SMMEs in Tshwane, South Africa, to expend resources on RBP. The study also aims to determine the awareness of, perceptions about and attitudes towards RBP among SMME decision-makers, as well as to determine the RBP activities SMMEs are involved in. Relationships between the extent of RBP engagement and the level of RBP awareness, the activities involved in, and the respondents’ highest level of education will be discussed. Key differences between the respondents’ age, highest level of education and gender with regards to the influencing aspects are also covered. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on individual-level studies in the RBP field and makes a contribution to the South African SMME literature that focuses on the doing of responsible business. It also addresses the gap in RBP knowledge by investigating the influences on RBP decisions in SMMEs, as the small business decision-making processes might prioritise influencing aspects differently than that in larger organisations. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Organisations do not know how to effectively employ information systems to their benefit because business and information system(IS) decisions are not aligned and due to a lack of understanding of the different types of IS decisions. The objectives of the study were stated as follows: • To confirm the existence of a relationship between business and information system decisions. A review of the literature supported the notion that IS decisions need to be aligned with business decisions. • To clarify the link between IS strategy and structural decisions. The study introduced a framework that suggested that to facilitate the link between business and IS decisions the respective strategy components need to be linked and that IS structural components will primarily be determined by IS strategy components. Information systems have become a strategic resource for all organisations and, not only is it perceived a very important competitive factor, but the importance will increase in the years to come. Organisations spend large amounts of money on information "':> systems. There is also the expectation that IS should CQ!ltribute_ to the achieve,£1:enμi, business goals and the overall financial performance of the company. Most senior executives believe that the amount of money invested in information systems and technology cannot be justified based on it's perceived contribution to the achievement of organisational objectives! Considerable effort was made to identify the relevant business strategy, IS strategy, and IS structural components. The business strategy components identified were selected specifically for their competitive focus. The population selected included the top companies in South Africa based on financial performance. The basis for the decision was that successful companies would link business and IS decisions and they would understand the intrinsic differences between IS strategy and structure components. / Business Leadership / D. B. L. (Business Leadership)

Today companies are competing on the basis of what they know, how fast they learn it, and how well they use what they learn. At the heart of this knowledge-based competition lie knowledge and even more important intelligence. Competitive Intelligence, as a discipline, is increasingly being viewed as a critical enabler to reach competitive advantage. Previous research, however, suggest that South African com¬panies showed a general lack of appropriate pro¬cesses or structures for competitive intelligence compared to their international counterparts. The research aims to demonstrate, through a case study, how the theoretical concepts associated with competitive intelligence can be translated into practice so as to ensure efficient and cost effective competitive intelligence practices and thus contribute to the future success of competitive intelligence programmes in South Africa. / Information Science / M. Inf.

Today companies are competing on the basis of what they know, how fast they learn it, and how well they use what they learn. At the heart of this knowledge-based competition lie knowledge and even more important intelligence. Competitive Intelligence, as a discipline, is increasingly being viewed as a critical enabler to reach competitive advantage. Previous research, however, suggest that South African com¬panies showed a general lack of appropriate pro¬cesses or structures for competitive intelligence compared to their international counterparts. The research aims to demonstrate, through a case study, how the theoretical concepts associated with competitive intelligence can be translated into practice so as to ensure efficient and cost effective competitive intelligence practices and thus contribute to the future success of competitive intelligence programmes in South Africa. / Information Science / M. Inf.