<p>This dissertation consists of three separate studies that examine patterns of immigrant incorporation in the United States. The first study tests competing hypotheses derived from conflicting theoretical frameworks−transnational perspective and cross-national framework− to determine whether transnational engagement and incorporation are concurrent processes among Chinese, Indian, and Mexican immigrants. This study measures transnational engagement and incorporation as home and home country asset ownership using multi-panel, nationally representative data from the New Immigrant Survey (NIS) collected in 2003 and 2007. Results support a cross-border framework and indicate that transnational asset ownership decreases among all immigrant groups, while U.S. asset ownership increases. Findings from this study also indicate that due to disadvantaged pre-migration SES and low human capital, Mexican immigrants are less likely than other immigrants to own home country assets during the year after receiving their green card. </p><p>The second study examines the doubly disadvantaged position of elderly immigrants in the U.S. wealth distribution by applying the life course perspective to the dominance-differentiation theory of immigrant wealth stratification. I analyze elderly immigrant wealth in respect to U.S.-born seniors and younger immigrant cohorts using two data sets: the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the New Immigrant Survey (NIS). The Survey of Income and Program Participation (2001 to 2005) is a nationally representative survey of U.S. households. The first series of analyses reveals a significant wealth gap between U.S.- and foreign-born seniors which is most pronounced among the wealthiest households in my sample; however, U.S. tenure explains much of this difference. The second series of analyses suggests that elderly immigrants experience greater barriers to incorporation compared to their younger counterparts. </p><p>In the third study, I apply a transnational lens to the forms-of-capital and opportunity structure models of entrepreneurship in order to analyze the role of foreign resources in immigrant business start-ups. I propose that home country property use represents financial, social, and class resources that facilitate immigrant entrepreneurship. I test my hypotheses using survey data on Latin American immigrants from the Comparative Immigrant Entrepreneurship Project. Findings from these analyses suggest that home country asset ownership provides financial and social capital that is related to an increased likelihood of immigrant entrepreneurship.</p> / Dissertation

<p> Affirmative action public procurement programs (AAPPP) stem from legislation related to the Civil Rights movement. Debates about program usefulness and relevance have occurred as well as court decisions challenging not only the legality of these programs, but their very existence. The problem is that, although minority small businesses are fast-growing, access to public procurement opportunities is minimal. An assessment of the perceived social and economic impact of affirmative action public procurement programs between participants and non-participants could provide needed information to inform stakeholders more about how these programs are experienced. The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental causal-comparative (ex post facto) study was to determine whether minority business owners who have participated in AAPPP perceive the economic benefits, economic costs, social benefits, and social costs in minority businesses differently than non-participants. A random sample of 128 minority business owners seeking government contracts in the information technology field participated in this study. The participants were requested to complete a survey to assess their perceptions of affirmative action public procurement program participation on its economic benefits, economic costs, social benefits, and social costs. The findings showed AAPPP participants and non-AAPPP participants perceived economic costs and economic benefits similarly. The findings also showed AAPPP participants perceived both the social costs and benefits significantly greater than non-participants. Although the findings lend support for the continued use of these programs, the results paradoxically lend some support for their discontinuance. Without any overwhelming evidence to the contrary, it can be argued that continuing with these programs is necessary, since an inherent form of discrimination based on race or gender within the economic system still appears to exist, although not coherently depicted or understood. </p>

M.Com. (Business Economics) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.B.A. / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Prof. D. de Villiers

<p>The recent economic recession in the U.S. and in the E.U. is enhancing entrepreneurship processes around the world. Old forms of production are becoming obsolete along with old ways of organizing the economy and society. This scenario and the emergence of new leadership processes have prompted an increase in entrepreneurship focused on the needs of new niches. However, not all entrepreneurship and leadership processes have been successful in achieving their goals. Research on entrepreneurship and leadership has identified the need to further understand the dynamic features of these processes and their complexity.</p><p> One of the sectors in the U.S. that has shown major growth during the last decade is the wine sector. The increase of national and international market competition in the wine sector has prompted new entrepreneurship and leadership processes in this sector. As a result, it seems timely and appropriate to expand our understanding of effective entrepreneurship and leadership processes in the U.S. wine industry.</p><p> The dissertation&rsquo;s main contributions are to: (a) expand the understanding of the dynamics of entrepreneurship, (b) expand the understanding of how human cognition relates to its contexts in order to make entrepreneurship effective, (c) identify two types of leadership that are key for achieving companies&rsquo; sustained competitive advantage, (d) expand the understanding of how human cognition relates to its contexts in order to make leadership effective, (e) identify the structures (traits and processes) that effective entrepreneurship and leadership share, (f) identify the synergies between entrepreneurship and leadership, and (g) bring useful insights to the nine wineries interviewed so that they can address their current challenges more effectively. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)</p>

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Youth today are constantly faced with enormous challenges and are continually faced with job uncertainty and scarce opportunities with almost no means to personal growth. Faced with bleak future livelihood prospects, youth make up a large number of the world’s working poor. Inadequate youth education and lack of labour market preparation still pose challenges for South African youth. They face sizeable constraints to entrepreneurship such as a lack of entrepreneurship culture; lack of entrepreneurship knowledge through formal and informal education; relevant business development services, unsatisfactory business support and insufficient access to financing. Despite this, the extent of research on youth entrepreneurship in Africa is deficient, even non-existent in some contexts. In response to the alarming rate of youth unemployment, the South African government had embarked on realising some of the aspects of the National Youth Policy through youth empowerment via a number of interventions. The implementing agency of all youth development policies and interventions is the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA). The agency has rolled out a number of interventions to address various issues pertinent to the state of the youth in South Africa. However, the specific interventions this study addresses are those related to entrepreneurship, specifically the NYDA Grant programme. Under the Grant programme, a number of issues are addressed such as provision of physical capital, access to resources in the form of advice, guidance and mentorship made available by the National Youth Development Agency to the unemployed youth in the Western Cape. While many youth development programmes have been rolled out both around the world and in South Africa, very little monitoring and evaluation has been conducted in identifying which programmes are effective and sustainable in the long run. At the time of this research, limited information had been accessible with respect to the benefits of entrepreneurship development programmes in South Africa. This research is significant in the sense that it bridges the gaps in the literature on youth entrepreneurship interventions and practical interventions in the field. Furthermore, it provides a lens with which to determine whether they are indeed a sustainable way forward for unemployed youth. Therefore this study conducted a process evaluation using qualitative research methods in order to ascertain if the NYDA is efficiently and effectively executing its mandate with respect to the Grant programme. The research objectives of this study were 1) to conduct a process evaluation of the National Youth Development Agency’s Grant programme, 2) to develop a theoretical and legislative framework underpinning youth in South Africa, 3) to describe and analyse the NYDA’s Grant programme, 4) to highlight the opportunities and challenges that affect the current implementation of the Grant programme and 5) to present recommendations. The findings suggest that the Grant programme has been relevant, timely and useful to young aspiring entrepreneurs providing them with the necessary support through the provision of stock, physical capital and other business support services such as mandatory entrepreneurial training. Despite this, young entrepreneurs still face challenges in sustaining their businesses financially and struggle with establishing a physical space in which they can trade. A number of recommendations were made from the perspectives of the beneficiaries and the NYDA Cape Town Branch implementing staff, namely: increasing staff to improve the administration of the Grant Programme, increasing the grant turnaround time, providing recourse to further funding and physical space and uploading the grant application process onto the internet to save time and money for both beneficiaries and implementing staff.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation Johannesburg, 2017 / The study analysed dimensions of entrepreneurial motivations that drive sustainable entrepreneurship in Gauteng Province and estimated the relationships between these motivations and enterprise performance. Despite the growing field of sustainable entrepreneurship, most of the available literature has been mainly theoretical and qualitative, or has focused on developed countries, and very little has been done in developing countries such as South Africa. This study contributed to addressing this gap. The study was based on quantitative research methods based on a positivist research paradigm to test the conceptual framework. The empirical analysis of these hypotheses was based on primary survey data collected from 91 sustainable entrepreneurs in Gauteng Province. Reliability of the enterprise performance and motivation scales was tested with the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient test and the results were acceptable. The test of the factorability of the scale items into specific factors was based on exploratory factor analysis and the items were found to relate to the respective scales. Multiple regression analysis (both OLS and robust estimations) were used to test the relationships in the conceptual framework. The empirical analyses were done using 2016 SAS Studio University Edition. The Exploratory Factor Analysis results indicated that the motivations of sustainable entrepreneurship in Gauteng Province could be factored into four dimensions: extrinsic motivations, intrinsic motivations, income security and financial independence motivations, and necessity motivations. Multiple regression analysis results revealed that extrinsic and intrinsic motivations are important determinants of enterprise performance. Analysis of the effect of individual and enterprise control factors revealed that owner/manager business management experience; and years of operation of the enterprise and number of full-time employees positively and significantly affected enterprise performance. The study makes a contribution to empirical findings on entrepreneurial motivations for sustainable entrepreneurship and their effects on enterprise performance in a developing country context. The research findings provide evidence of how different dimensions of motivations can affect enterprise performance. Interventions aimed at helping sustainable enterprises perform better and grow can target support in these dimensions as well as improve business management skills and competencies of sustainable entrepreneurs. The research on motivations of sustainable entrepreneurship could be broadened by undertaking a nationwide study to better understand the drivers of entrepreneurial behaviour related to sustainable entrepreneurship across the country. This can also be extended to the regional and continental levels. / MT2017

As business environments become more complex, with varying degrees of uncertainty, organizations must become more entrepreneurial in order to identify emerging and new opportunities for sustained superior performance. Several factors can promote/enhance corporate entrepreneurship within organizations. This research study examined the role of compensation practices in the process of elevating employees‘ intrapreneurial behaviour. Drawing on the agency theory, hypotheses relating actual and desired compensation practices to elevated employees‘ intrapreneurial behaviour were empirically examined among different employees from various organizations. The moderating role of department‘s risk control on the relationship between desired compensation practices and elevated intrapreneurial behaviour was also examined. Empirical data were collected from 209 respondents in different organizations via a survey questionnaire. The measures included actual compensation practices, desired compensation practices, actual intrapreneurial behaviour, elevated intrapreneurial behaviour, and department‘s risk control. The main analytical techniques used in this study were t-test for dependent/related groups, canonical correlation and moderation regression analyses. The findings of this study indicated that non-monetary compensation practices were the best predictors of elevated intrapreneurial behaviour and that department‘s risk control did not moderate this relationship. However, it is unknown how the selection of industries will affect this study‘s findings. In addition, desired compensation practices explained only 25% of the variance in elevated intrapreneurial behaviour, suggesting that compensation systems are not enough to elevate employees‘ intrapreneurial behaviour. Compensation systems should be an integral part of an overall entrepreneurial strategy of an organization.

In July 2011, I began to lay the foundation of the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra (TFO) in Branson, Missouri, and we completed our fourth successful concert season in June 2015. The TFO is a two-week classical music festival in Branson, Missouri that thrives on experimentation—both programmatically and institutionally—and community building through music. I wanted to create something that is satisfying for musicians and accessible to modern audiences. This is its mission: The Taneycomo Festival Orchestra is a nonprofit organization that provides a free two-week concert series of classical music in Branson, Missouri. We seek to break the 19th century tradition that attending a symphony concert is a formal and elitist event by providing an accessible and casual series of concerts and educational programs while continuing to preserve these great works of art in our destination city. Come as you are and enjoy the beautiful music! I embarked on this adventure with little administrative experience. However, I had a strong background in clarinet performance and music composition, a great network of friends and colleagues, and determination to bring my dream to fruition. In laying the TFO's foundation, I completed almost every administrative task on my own. I filed all of the legal documents (Articles of Incorporation, Employee Identification Number, and 501(c)(3)) successfully and without any legal aid. In the first year, I also recruited thirty-five musicians to perform in the orchestra and programmed eight concerts (two orchestral, six chamber) for the two-week series. In 2015, we had one hundred musicians and gave fourteen concerts (four orchestral, nine chamber, one big band) over the course of our two-week series. Our programming is diverse and includes standard repertoire, contemporary repertoire, commissioned repertoire, children's programming, and jazz. Our venues are eclectic and include schools, hotels, cafés, bars, shops, churches, and homes. We save a lot of money while simultaneously engaging the community by placing each of our traveling musicians with host families and providing the orchestra with nightly dinner parties at various community members' homes. The Festival continues to grow and is immersed deeper into the community each year. After our fourth season, community members have remarked that the TFO is no longer a luxury but a necessity. This paper is a concise guide to music festival creation for performers. It discusses the path that I took to create the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra and reveals the successes and failures of the process. I started the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra to make classical music more accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to a modern, rural community. The events created under these circumstances are often high-quality musical experiences that are fun for audiences. I also aspired to separate music festival creation from traditional institutional structure. If a performer takes a similar path and wishes to create such an organization, he or she will have little to no familiarity with the traditional or nontraditional institutional structures. My unique perspective offers a multidisciplinary approach to music festival foundation. Most of this paper is structured around a narrative about my experiences in running TFO, but also refers to many valuable resources to aid the beginning arts administrator in the creation and management of a music festival. / A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music. / Fall Semester 2015. / November 13, 2015. / Branson, Festival, Music, Nonprofit, Orchestra, Taneycomo / Includes bibliographical references. / Deborah Bish, Professor Directing Treatise; Steven Kelly, University Representative; Eva Amsler, Committee Member; Anne Hodges, Committee Member.