<p><strong>Problem: </strong>In bid to stay competitive in the industry, SMEs have to apply several  formal marketing techniques which will help them edge past their competitors regardless of the many operational challenges they are facing. Moreover, through the first questionnaire the authors realized that if the case company could appreciate the use of marketing techniques in the market, it would gain more market share hence realizing organic growth. However this entirely depends on the leadership and management teams which also have to be innovative in the market place which will eventually create value for the customers who tend to be loyal and as such purchase the service or product repeatedly. In addition, the management and leadership teams should seek cultural integration and talent which will enable the SMEs to achieve their vision hence survival in the business.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The issue under investigation during this research will be “the effect of differential pricing and promotion on the growth of SMEs which offer standardized services.” This research will add to the existing knowledge relevant to the SMEs in line with the marketing activities and growth. In addition, this research will help Snowhite Dry Cleaners in particular, to achieve growth if the managerial implications are put into consideration as highlighted in this thesis. For the authors, this thesis is a pre-requisite to the award of a masters‟ degree in marketing with a major in business administration once successfully completed.</p><p><strong>Method:</strong> An inductive approach has been used through out this thesis while we adopted a case study design. In order to fulfill the purpose of this thesis, three unstructured questionnaires were sent to the director of operations of the case company.</p><p><strong>Theories: </strong>The theoretical areas  that were used in this thesis consisted of theories regarding; Competitive strategy,  Pricing of services,  Promotion of services,  Services marketing management, Business growth, Marketing management etc</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The authors came to a conclusion that promotion strategies induce trial of product or service hence organic growth in the long-run. They also impact on customer choice of product or service and service provider which leads to increased demand hence organic growth. As well, value-adding promotions for services increase the demand and market share arising from less competitor activity due to fear of adverse price wars. In addition, promotions increase perceived customer value which results into repeated purchases of a product or service hence organic growth. However, value-increasing promotions are recommended for product firms otherwise they will have a negative impact on sales save for objectives like margin reduction or tarnishing the competitors‟ image. Notably, if value adding promotions are run for a long time, they risk becoming obsolete to the customers who seek value on a daily basis. In addition, differential pricing has no effect on sales growth for a service firms which offer standardized services  like laundry but rather, it is likely to have a positive impact on firms which sell tangible products as a primary objective and treating the services offered as peripheral.</p>

The choice of the geographical location of the premises for the business is of extreme importance for all kinds of enterprises, although for some it may be more important than for others. Some of the most important location factors are : social environment, climate, existing business environment, the attitude, regulations and tariffs of local authorities. The main purpose of this research is to map, and create a document for the small businesses (formal and informal businesses) in northwest greater Mafikeng. In pursuit of objective there will be at least, new knowledge and understanding of a specific geographic phenomenon (formal and informal businesses). The study is subdivided into seven major chapters. Chapter one includes the small-scale business sector in the South African context, statement problems, and objectives of the study and research hypotheses. The literature review (chapter two) covers a number of subtopics related to both the topic and objectives, to name few: an overview of small businesses, location, and size and diversity of small business, important and laws governing small business, education and training for small business. Methods of study and the research area (chapter three) cover the approaches and techniques used in this study. The research area includes the background information of the northwest greater Mafikeng. Maps analysis : spatial distribution of small businesses (chapter four) covers the analysis of spatial distribution of small businesses (non tax registered and registered) in northwest greater Mafikeng. Consumer perception (chapter five) covers the discussion report of the questionnaires from the sampled residents of northwest greater Mafikeng. Traders surveys (chapter six) follows with the discussion report of the interviewed conducted in the small businesspeople (non tax registered and registered) in northwest greater Mafikeng. Summary, conclusion and recommendations, (chapter seven) includes the main summary of the study, major conclusion and recommendations to government and local authorities. / M.A. (Geography) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

Bakgrund och problemdiskussion: Mikroföretag och små företag kan tillsammans definieras som mindre företag. Det som kännetecknar ett mindre företag är att ägaren ofta är en individ eller en mindre grupp. Målet i ett mindre företag är ofta att ledaren vill försäkra sig om överlevnad, bra levnadsstandard och god avkastning. Detta kan nås genom tillväxt och den kan ske både organiskt och genom expansion. Hur bra tillväxtmöjligheter ett mindre företag har beror på ett flertal aspekter, t.ex. karaktäristiska drag hos entreprenören, kunskapsnivån i företaget och vilka strategier som appliceras. Mindre företag upplever att det finns ett flertal olika hinder som hämmar deras tillväxt. Höga personalkostnader, begränsningar i företagets lönsamhet, administrationsarbete och begränsningar i marknadens efterfrågan lyfts fram som de hinder företag har svårast att bemästra. Solcellsmarknaden i Sverige är under tillväxt och det råder hög konkurrens på marknaden där ett flertal företag vill åt samma marknadsandelar. Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att utreda vilka tillväxthinder och -möjligheter som finns i en extern mikrokontext utifrån ett mindre företagsperspektiv, på en ny och växande marknad. Syftet är även att ta fram rekommendationer för hur ett mindre företag kan agera på en sådan marknad. Metod: Studien har en deduktiv ansats och utgår ifrån en kvalitativ metod. En flerfallsstudie har genomförts med tre stycken företag för att skapa en god empirisk grund. Det empiriska materialet består av fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer genomförda med företag verksamma inom installation och försäljning av solceller. Slutsats: De tillväxthinder som finns är låga inträdesbarriärer, många redan etablerade företag och kunder med hög förhandlingsstyrka. Tillväxtmöjligheterna ligger framförallt i de relationer som företagen bygger upp vertikalt bakåt mot leverantörer men även framåt mot montörer och kunder. Företagets interna kontext påverkas av entreprenörens tidigare erfarenheter och förmåga att knyta kontakter, motivationen hos de anställda samt företagets kvalitet i utföranden. En möjlig strategi är fokus på en nischad marknad och ett specifikt kundsegment. / Background and problem discussion: Micro enterprises and small business can be defined together as smaller companies. What characterizes a smaller company is that the owner often is an individual or a smaller group. The goal of a smaller company is often that the leader wants to ensure survival, good living standards and good economic returns. This can be achieved through growth and it can be done both organically and through expansion. How good growth opportunities a smaller company has depends on several aspects such as characteristic features of the entrepreneur, the level of knowledge in the company and the strategies applied. Smaller companies experience that there are many obstacles that inhibit their growth. High personnel costs, limitations in the company's profitability, management work and demand limitations are highlighted as the obstacles companies have the most difficult to master. The solar cell market in Sweden is under growth and there is high competition on the market where a number of companies want the same market share. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the growth potentials and opportunities that exist in an external micro context based on a smaller business perspective, acting on a new and growing market. The aim is also to make recommendations for how a smaller company can act in such a market. Method: This bachelor thesis has a deductive approach based on a qualitative method. A multiple comparative study has been conducted with three different companies to build solid data. The data consists of three different semi-structured interviews with companies acting on the Swedish solar cell market through sales and installation. Conclusion: The threats for growth that exist are low entry barriers, many already established companies and customers with high negotiating power. Growth opportunities lie mainly in the relationships the companies build vertically backwards towards suppliers, but also towards fitters and customers. The company's internal context is influenced by the entrepreneur's previous experience and ability to connect, motivate employees and the company's quality in performance. A possible strategy is to focus on a niche market and a specific customer segment.

The aim of this research is to explore the contextual characteristics of a particular group of Dutch restaurant owner’s (SSUSCROs) and practitioners, to examine how these contextual characteristics might be used in a professional hospitality education programme. This very small segment of the Dutch restaurant business (0,2-0,5% of the total restaurants) is known for its strong commitment to competitiveness, in delivering quality service and products. No previous research in The Netherlands had embarked on a search for connecting this specific category of practitioners to education. As owners of their restaurants, the SSUSCROs were aware of the potential contribution that participating in this research would make. The research was designed from a constructionist epistemological point of view. This means that the data supplied by the respondents, and the background and vision of the researcher provided an interplay. By using grounded theory methodology, theory is constructed from the empirical data. The main instrument for the primary research was in-depth, interviewing. Six retired and four practising restaurant owners, and a connoisseur of the business were interviewed in one to three hour depth interviews that were digitally recorded. The transcripts of the recorded interviews were analysed, applying the specific constructivist version of grounded theory methodology as described by Charmaz’s (2006). The research generated a grounded theory in the form of a narrative about the SSUSCRO social construct and its central theme ‘Living the business’. The narrative informs future practitioners i.e. students, about how they can prepare for possible future business ventures in the culinary restaurant business. Furthermore, it confronts future practitioners with the notion of particular contextual characteristics and value systems that need to be incorporated in order to successfully engage in and sustain a career in the culinary restaurant sector. Elements of the narrative, connected to Covey’s 7-Habits of Highly Effective People framework for personal leadership. The findings from this research confirmed the importance of providing students in hospitality management education with a approach towards professional development that is grounded in the social construct of a remarkable group of entrepreneurs such as the SSUSCROs. The conclusions suggested that faculty and academic management of hospitality management programmes need to become more knowledgeable about the particular nature of the discipline, and the specific category of practitioners researched here.

Den svenska vård-och omsorgsmarknaden har sedan dess avreglering för ca 20 år sedan utvecklats. Från att ha varit ett offentligt monopol har vi nu istället en starkt konkurrensutsatt marknad. Konkurrensfördelar som tillväxtstrategi kan nu vara avgörande för ett bolags framgång. Genom en närmast unik möjlighet att ta del av bolagsdata från ett av Sveriges största vård- och omsorgskoncerner har denna studie undersökt huruvida organiska eller oorganiska tillväxtstrategier lämpar sig bäst för vård- och omsorgsbolag som ämnar öka sin omsättning på ett kapitalmässigt effektivt sätt. Datat som tillhandahölls sträckte sig över fem år och innefattade 56 bolag. Studien genomfördes i form av två analyser. En kvantitativ regressionsanalys för att ta fram ett jämförelsetal motsvarande omsättning per krona spenderad i organiska investeringar och en delvis kvantitativ analys för att ta fram ett jämförelsetal motsvarande omsättning per krona spenderad i oorganiska investeringar. Analyserna visade sammanlagt att oorganiska tillväxtstrategier enligt datat är mer kapitalmässigt effektiva med avseende till omsättningstillväxt än organiska tillväxtstrategier. Studien tog dock bland annat inte hänsyn till potentiella synergieffekter från förvärv eller riskprofilen förknippad med de olika strategierna. Det framgick även från datat att investeringar i personal är positivt korrelerad med omsättningstillväxt, medan det inte gick att påvisa en korrelation mellan omsättningstillväxt och investeringar i IT eller generella investeringar. / The Swedish welfare industry has since its deregulation 20 years ago evolved. What was previously a publicly owned monopoly is now a competitive market. Competitive advantages such as growth strategies is now a key for a company’s success. Through an almost unique opportunity to use data from one of Sweden’s largest welfare groups this study has investigated whether organic or inorganic growth strategies is best suited for welfare companies looking to increase their total revenue in an, in terms of capital, effective way. The data provided spanned over five years and included data from 56 companies. The study was conducted as two separate analyses. A quantitative regression analysis was made to calculate a comparison number corresponding to revenue per SEK spent on organic investments. The second, in part quantitative analysis aimed to create a corresponding number for inorganic investments. The conclusion from the analyses was that according to the data, the inorganic growth strategies outperformed the organic growth strategies. The study did however not consider the potential synergy effects from acquisitions or the risk profile associated with the strategies. The study also revealed that according to the data investments in staff is positively correlated with revenue growth, but a correlation between revenue growth and both investments in IT and general investments could not be proven.

The focus of this study is to examine the factors that lead to growth in small firms in a Least Developed Country (LDC). The research is based on the manufacturing sector in Ghana. The main objectives of the research are to identify the key variables that lead to small firms' growth and to ascertain the critical barriers that impede growth. A research model which is developed out of an initial exploratory research and existing literature focuses on how the characteristics of the owner/manager, the characteristics of the firm and the business strategy variables interact to affect growth in employment. In addition factors that are perceived to have constrained the growth of the small firms during the study period are ascertained and discussed. To properly test the hypotheses developed a face to face interview survey involving 122 owner/managers of small manufacturing firms is conducted. This resulted in a range of variables that allowed for the construction of a comprehensive multivariate model of small firm growth. A resulting regression model provides about 68 percent of the explanation for the growth of the small firms sampled. It also indicates that the owner/manager characteristics variables offer the most powerful explanation to small firm growth. We find that the owner/manager's growth aspiration is the most influential factor in achieving growth. The other owner/manager characteristics variables that have positive influence on growth are level of education, prior industry experience and entrepreneurial family background. Owner/managers with local experience and/or with other business interests are less likely to achieve faster growth. Foreign owned/managed firms grow faster. Younger and smaller firms appear to grow faster. While firms with multiple ownerships tend to grow at a slower rate than firms owned and managed by one person. Business planning, marketing and export have positive and significant impacts on growth. Other business strategies such as innovations and staff training also have direct relationships with growth but not significant. Some of the main constraining factors to growth are cost of borrowing, lack of access to credit, high cost of inputs, lack of trust within the business community, high bureaucracy, late payments and lack of efficient support system. While the external environment plays important role in small firm growth and development, the behaviours, response and strategies pursued by individual owner/manager are significant factors that determine the rate at which a firm will grow. / Ghana Leasing Company Limited.

Thesis (D. Tech. (Business Administration )) - Central University of Technology, Free State / The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which certain selected factors serve as drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses (SABs) in two developing economies in Southern Africa namely South Africa and Zimbabwe with the ultimate aim of assisting policy makers and support agencies in formulating innovation oriented strategies for the sector. Two samples were randomly selected from SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa- two neighbouring Southern African countries. Parametric tests which include t-tests and one-way ANOVAs as well as Bonferonni tests as post-hoc measures were used to test whether SAB propensity to engage in different dimensions of innovation differs by gender; firm size, owner-managers’ years of experience and level of education respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were employed to assess the relationships between market orientation, learning orientation and innovation while Chi-square tests were performed to establish the inter-relationships between independent demographic variables, namely age, gender, education and work experience. In order to investigate whether there are any significant interaction effects between the age of the respondents and their experience in the accommodation sector on each of the five innovation measures, a series of two-way ANOVA tests were performed. Lastly, regression analysis was used to determine the relative efficacy of market orientation (MO), learning orientation (LO) and country in predicting innovation in a business. The results demonstrate that unlike firm size, gender and level of education, which have no association with innovation, there is a strong association between market orientation, learning orientation, owner/managers age and experience and innovation in the two countries. This positive association implies that SABs that are committed to, listen attentively to and learn proactively about their customers’ needs and expectations are better inclined to engage in all the different dimensions of innovation (product/service, process, marketing and organisational) than their counterparts who do not engage in these activities. Among other drivers of innovation, market orientation emerged as the main predictor implying that SABs that invest more in marketing tend to be better innovators than those that invest in learning irrespective of their country of operation. The study also revealed that younger owner/managers of SABs tend to be more innovative than their older, experienced counterparts. The study makes an important contribution to literature on the drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses in developing economies by dispelling firm size, gender and level of education which were regarded as drivers of innovation across industries previously. Practice and policy wise, the study led to the development of a conceptual framework for investigating how best to drive innovation in local SABs in order to make them more competitive, survive and grow in the face of competition from large accommodation businesses that often happen to be multinational.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Business Studies Unit--Durban University of Technology, 2008 / The ability of the South African Small Medium Enterprise Development Programme to promote economic growth and employment. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) offers the Small Medium Enterprise Development Programme (SMEDP) incentive grant programme to qualifying manufacturers in South Africa. The status of the progress of this incentive grant programme is unknown. The DTI alluded to an impact study in the 2004 DTI Annual Report but no further reference or publication of results of the impact study has been made. The objectives of the study are to investigate the following three criteria of the SMEDP and to develop benchmarks and recommendations for future incentive grants offered by the DTI. • Rationale for implementation of SMEDP; • Exploration of SMEDP merits; and • Measure of SMEDP success. The study is a secondary analysis design with both qualitative and quantitative components. The qualitative component allows the researcher to reflect on the process by which the incentive programme under investigation came into being, whilst the quantitative component allows for comment on the result of the process as per the markers developed in the qualitative component of the design. There were 152 sample cases used in the study. The outcome measures are the output measures stated in the Medium Term Strategic Plan which are: • The number of jobs sustained. v i • The number of jobs created. • The number of Greenfield’s projects supported. • The fixed investment in Rand terms. • The improvement in employment levels. The DTI achieved certain of the stated objectives. The empirical data analysed confirms the achievement of these objectives. There is scope for further empirical investigation for the future development of incentive grants. The contribution of the SMEDP to economic growth and employment growth is evident and such government interventions should be continued. The recommendations from the study include further investigation into the following areas to improve the benefits provided by manufacturing incentive programmes: • Limit the incentive to a specified Rand value per job created; • Volume driven turnover growth not price driven turnover growth; • The continued inclusion of expansions in future programme; and • Specified sector programmes i.e. textile sector.

Electoral Rules and Leader Selection: Experimental Evidence from Ugandan Community Groups. Despite a large body of work documenting how electoral systems affect policy outcomes, less is known about their impact on leader selection. We study this by comparing two types of participatory decision making in Ugandan community groups: (i) vote by secret ballot and (ii) open discussion with consensus. Random assignment allows us to estimate the causal impact of the rules on leader types and social service delivery. Vote groups are found to elect leaders more similar to the average member while discussion group leaders are positively selected on socio-economic characteristics. Further, dropout rates are significantly higher in discussion groups, particularly for poorer members. After 3.5 years, vote groups are larger in size and their members save less and get smaller loans. We conclude that the secret ballot vote creates more inclusive groups while open discussion groups favor the already economically successful. Preparing for Genocide: Community Meetings in Rwanda. How do political elites prepare the civilian population for participation in violent conflict? We empirically investigate this question using data from the Rwandan Genocide in 1994. Every Saturday before 1994, Rwandan villagers had to meet to work on community infrastructure. The practice was highly politicized and, according to anecdotal evidence, regularly used by the political elites for spreading propaganda in the years before the genocide. This paper presents the first quantitative evidence of this abuse of the community meetings. To establish causality, we exploit cross-sectional variation in meeting intensity induced by exogenous weather fluctuations. We find that an additional rainy Saturday resulted in a five percent lower civilian participation rate in genocide violence. Selection into Borrowing: Survey Evidence from Uganda. In this paper, I study how changes to the standard credit contract affect loan demand and selection into borrowing, using a representative sample of urban micro enterprises, most with no borrowing experience. Hypothetical loan demand questions are used to test whether firm owners respond to changes in loans' contractual terms and whether take-up varies by firms' risk type and other firm owner characteristics. The results indicate that contracts with lower interest rates and less stringent collateral requirements attract less risky borrowers, suggesting that there is scope for improvement of standard financial contract terms. Credit Contract Structure and Firm Growth: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial. We study the effects of credit contract structure on firm outcomes among small and medium sized firms. A randomized control trial was carried out to distinguish between some of the key constraints to efficient credit use connected to the firms' business environment and production function, namely (i) backloaded returns (ii) uncertain returns and (iii) indivisible fixed costs. Each firm was followed for the 1-year loan cycle. We describe the experiment and present preliminary results from the first 754 out of 2,340 firms to have completed the loan cycle. Firms offered a grace period have higher profits and higher household income than firms receiving a rebate later on as well as the control group. They also increased the number of paid employees  and reduced the number of unpaid employees, an effect also found among firms that received a cash subsidy at the beginning of the loan cycle. We discuss potential mechanisms behind these effects.

Understanding how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) support their growth strategies through the development of management capacity (MC) is of fundamental importance, particularly given the central role SMEs play in the economies of their respective countries, and the fact that there is a lack of research and useful theories in this specific field. The objective of this study is to develop a framework for MC development (MCD) in growth-oriented SMEs. This study builds on grounded theory by conducting 14 interviews with key informants: 12 founders/CEOs and 2 top managers of German SMEs (and former SMEs). Data analysis was performed by using the qualitative data analysis software ATLAS.ti. The major findings of the study are that, contrary to previous SME HR research, most companies in this study had formal processes for HR practices in place, and there was clear evidence of certain forms of strategic plans, the pursuit of strategic objectives and the taking of strategic decisions manifested itself. In addition, most participants considered their organisation to have an alignment between growth strategy and MCD strategy. However, implementing it into business practice was perceived as extremely challenging. This study thus contributes to the field of SHRM literature by showing how MC is instantiated in SMEs. Furthermore, there is, arguably, a valuable practical application of the research study as it provides growth-oriented SMEs with a clear and logical framework from which to develop MC pro-actively as a major facet of their growth strategy.