Women-owned businesses are one of the fastest growing entrepreneurial populations, accounting for 8 million of the 28 million small businesses in the United States. Small businesses fail at a rate of 55% by the 5th year of operation and women, who own over 30% of all small businesses, contribute significantly to the 55% small business failure rate. Using Schumpeter's framework, this single exploratory case study investigated how women entrepreneurial small business owners use strategies to sustain their business operation beyond 5 years. A purposeful sample identified 2 women salon small business owners located in the Macon, Georgia metro area. Data were collected from semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Three emergent themes were identified using Yin's 5 step analytic strategy approach: motivation for business start-ups, which included the motivation, skills, and education needed for business sustainability; success factors, which included innovation and the overall business environment, and employee and customer satisfaction which included customer and human relations. The impact of these practices can enhance social change by contributing to the sustainability and profitability of the organization which can enhance the economic security of the family, community, and the nation. New knowledge from this study could impact entrepreneurship success strategies and increase the number of women-owned businesses beyond the first 5 years of operation.

This thesis provides an understanding of retailers’ performance metrics and measurement. In doing so it lays bare the over reliance on historic published accounting reports as the de facto standard for retail performance reporting. In addition, it exposes the weakness in retail accounting reports as well as retail failure prediction models that are dependent on financial ratios as key variables. This thesis also casts light on the non-financial performance metrics used by retailers. All retailers use performance metrics but do not always report them in a coherent and defined way to give a transparent picture of their actual performance. The subject of performance, and metrics in particular, can be approached from multiple disciplines, yet there is an absence of detailed guidance or discussion of retail performance metrics, for retail boards, in any literature. To comprehend a UK retailer’s performance, it is argued that there is a prerequisite to understand the full context of the UK retail landscape, and the multitude of metrics, both financial and non-financial, this brings into play when discussing performance measurement. Accordingly, the objectives of this thesis were to identify: what retail performance metrics are used by retail boards to manage their performance; what these boards claim about their performance in the public domain; and what disconnect there may be between these two areas. A pragmatic worldview in the interpretative tradition frames the research epistemology. This inductive approach is supported by a multiple case study design strategy using informed grounded theory to conduct research into six case companies (four successful and two failed) in order to discover the retail performance metrics they use and report. The findings show an abundance of metrics in use at retail boardroom level and a ‘sifting matrix’ is devised to cluster the metrics to aid comprehension and ranking into the 20 focus areas which retail boards consider important. These focus areas provide a basis for a suite of metrics, ‘the vital few’ within which six were found to be consistently and persistently used that could form an industry standard. In addition, there was evidence that retailers adapt their metrics as they change, giving substance to the notion of adaptive resilience in performance measurement. Any disconnect between metric use and disclosure was explored through a conceptual framework, ‘a journey matrix’, where retailers are on a journey to becoming trust intelligent with their disclosure of retail performance metrics. The transparent disclosure of retail performance metrics provides the explicit link to gaining trust and demonstrating good governance practice implicit within stewardship theory. The ‘journey matrix’ is also proposed as an alternative developmental viewpoint for analysing retailers’ annual reports and accounts. The development and disclosure of retail performance metrics lacks guidance on definitions, calculation bases and recommended disclosure. Without guidance, the voluntary proliferation of selective reporting is likely to render performance, as published by retailers themselves, opaque and confusing. This thesis starts the debate about board level retail performance metrics research and provides a framework to assist retail boards to evaluate what they use and what they disclose in their journey to gain the trust of stakeholders.

Non-profit organisations serve disadvantaged people by fulfilling their social needs, promoting social inclusion and building economies. Non-profit organisations are confronted with a tightening funding environment, growing competition for donors and grants, rising demand for services and increasing calls for accountability. The objective of the study was to investigate the way in which non-profit organisations in the Western Cape province apply fifteen management factors of the Lussier Business Success Versus Failure Model. This model was successfully used in various parts of the world to predict the success or failure of a business. A descriptive research design, using a qualitative case-study research approach was used in this study. A purposive non-probability sampling method was applied, and convenience sampling was used to identify twelve participants from four non-profit organisations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with founders, managers and staff. Descriptive and thematic analysis techniques were utilised, and a deductive coding approach was used to develop thematic areas. Thematic analysis showed three broad themes, namely people, management, and finance. The research established that the non-profit organisations applied nine success factors of the Lussier Business Success Versus Failure Model. Non-profit organisations keep accurate records and adequate financial controls. They do have staff with management experience, while the staff have limited NPO experience. The non-profit organisations make use of professional advisors and networks. The research also revealed that non-profit organisations experience challenges with income-generating activities. They do not plan for the long term and find it difficult to retain staff. Non-profit organisations also lack critical skills, such as strategic planning, marketing management, and administrative management. Non-profit organisations need to build and maintain relationships with government bodies, support organisations and other non-profit organisations. Enhanced information sharing and relationships will reduce the dependence on government grant funding. Applying management principles will enhance the long term survival of non-profit organisations. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)