Before the formation of Union in 1910 there were a few scattered boot and shoe factories in South Africa. Unfortunately, owing to lack of statistics, it is impossible to tell which of these establishments were actually manufacturing boots and shoes, and which were only engaged in repair work.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree Master of Technology: Quality, Durban University of Technology, 2013. / The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) elements of Leadership, Customer Focus, and Employee Involvement on Quality Improvement and Organisational Performance, as well as the relationship between Quality Improvement and Organisational Performance. A questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 32 footwear manufacturing organisations in the eThekwini region of Kwazulu-Natal. Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to verify the reliability and validity of the measuring instrument. Regression and correlation analysis was developed to test the relationship between the TQM elements, Quality Improvement and Organisational Performance. The TQM elements used in this study were Leadership, Customer Focus, and Employee involvement. The findings of this showed that Leadership and Customer Focus had a positive influence on Quality Improvement. Also, Leadership was found to have a positive influence on Organisational Performance. In addition, a positive relationship existed between Quality Improvement and Organisational Performance. The results of this study could provide valuable information to managers of footwear manufacturing organisations in identifying those elements that have a positive effect on improving quality. Hence, allocating resources to these elements would enable footwear manufacturing organisations to enhance the performance of their organisations.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: South Africa has been integrated into the global economy since the abolishment of the apartheid era in 1994 through a rapid programme of trade liberalisation. Its footwear industry illustrates the effects of these policies on companies and their real output, employment and wage payments, which are among the most important channels through which the market forces (supply and demand) affect poverty in a developing economy. Exporting has been driven by trade liberalisation, but the restructuring of companies to keep up with technology and the effect of cheaper imports from the East have been the main reasons for a substantial fall in total employment, while manufacturing has stagnated. Labour productivity has increased with better production methods and some innovation, which had a positive effect on wage payments to workers in this labour-intensive industry. South Africa has not been isolated from the world recession that began in 2008, therefore manufacturing – the second biggest sector in SA – has been in free-fall this year, sliding by double digits on a year-on-year basis. The footwear industry’s attractiveness is therefore seen as moderate, but with potential once the economy starts growing again. A factor that needs to be taken into account is the exchange rate of the South African rand, which has gained more than 20 per cent to the dollar so far this year. This has been the main reason why the fall in exports has been larger than that of imports. These lower imports also highlighted weak consumer demand. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vanaf 1994, met die beëindiging van die apartheidsera, het Suid-Afrika se toetrede tot die wêreldekonomie voortgesnel danksy handelsintegrasie. Die Suid-Afrikaanse skoenbedryf is ’n tipiese voorbeeld hiervan, en maatskappye in die bedryf getuig daarvan deur werklike uitsette, werkverskaffing en loonbetalings wat die belangrikste vorme is om markewewigte (vraag en aanbod) in a onderontwikkelde ekonomie te bevredig. Uitvoere is die gevolg van hierdie handelsintegrasie, maar vele maatskappye het agterweë gebly om tegnologies vooruit te gaan. Tesame met goedkoper invoere uit die Ooste, was dit die vernaamste rede vir werkloosheid in die skoenbedryf terwyl produksie gestagneer het. In sekere gevalle het werkers se produktiwiteit verhoog as gevolg van beter produksiemetodes en innovasie, wat ’n positiewe effek op die salarisse en lone van werkers in die bedryf gehad het. Die wêreldresessie in 2008 het Suid-Afrika ook negatief beïnvloed, veral die tweede grootste sektor, naamlik vervaardiging, wat tot dubbelsyfers gedaal het op ’n jaar-op-jaar basis. Die skoenbedryf word gesien as ’n gematigde bedryf om in besigheid te doen, maar met heelwat potensiaal wanneer die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie weer begin groei. ’n Belangrike faktor is die wisselkoers van die Suid-Afrikaanse rand teenoor die Amerikaanse dollar, wat met meer as 20 persent toegeneem het. Dit is die hoofrede vir ’n groter daling in uitvoere as invoere. Laer invoere beklemtoon ook die swak verbruikersvraag.

From Introduction: During the past three decades or more, the study of absenteeism in industry has been carried on in many different ways, by numerous investigators and in a wide range of industries. The purpose of such studies has varied; sometimes they have been stimulated by purely academic interest and have sought to investigate the relationship between absenteeism and various other measurable factors in the work situation such as age, race, sex, length of service and wage rates. Most studies, however, have been prompted by the urgent necessity to determine whether an absence problem existed within a specific factory, community or industry and to discover some effective means of dealing with it. Most studies have been empirical and pragmatic as has befitted their intentions. Inevitably, those who have conducted studies of the latter type have asked two questions (a) how do the absence rates emerging from this investigation compare with those from other studies and (b) are they 'normal' or 'abnormal'? In other words, does the data which has been gathered indicate the existence of an absence problem? The main purpose of this monograph is to demonstrate that the Gross Absence Rate is not an effective basis for the discovery of answers to either of these questions. It will seek, in other words, to demonstrate the truth of the following fundamental postulate: THE GROSS ABSENCE RATE IS NOT, IN ITSELF, A SUFFICIENT BASIS FOR THE COMPARISON OF THE ABSENCE BEHAVIOUR OF ONE GROUP OF WORKERS WITH THAT OF ANOTHER OR WITH A PRE-ESTABLISHED NORM, NOR IS IT AN ADEQUATE INDICATOR OF THE PRESENCE OR OTHERWISE OF AN ABSENCE PROBLEM AMONG ANY GIVEN GROUP OF WORKERS. Although this study will include some account of investigations into the relationship between absence rates and various socio-economic factors, it will do so primarily in order to seek support for the above postulate.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is normally very difficult for an entrepreneur to start a new business. One of the most difficult things is to raise capital from financial institutions or venture capitalists. This mini study project shows the importance of a well thought-through business plan. The business plan not only concentrates on the positives, but will also indicate the risks involved. This will show financial institutions that the entrepreneur is serious about his idea and positive about its chances for success. In the business plan a lot of emphasis are put on the importance of a successful marketing plan. The marketing plan will determine the success of a new business. It is however very important not to loose site of the importance of a very thorough financial and economic review. There will always be risks involved in starting a new business. Entrepreneurship is all about risk-taking by individuals willing to pioneer new paradigms. A successful business plan will however remove some of the risk and make it more attractive to financial institutions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit is normaalweg baie moeilik vir 'n entrepreneur on 'n nuwe besigheid te begin. Een van die struikelblokke is die verkryging van kapitaal by finansiële instansies. Hierdie mini werkstuk wys die belangrikheid van 'n wel deurdagte besigheidsplan. Die besigheidsplan konsentreer nie net op die positiewe punte nie, maar wys ook alle risiko's betrokke. Dit wys aan finansiële instansies dat die entrepreneur ernstig is oor sy idee en die kanse vir sukses. In die besigheidsplan word daar baie klem gelê op die belangrikheid van 'n suksesvolle bemarkingsplan. Die bemarkingsplan sal die sukses van die besigheid bepaal. Dit is egter baie belangrik om nie die belangrikheid van 'n volledige finansiële en ekonomiese ondersoek te vergeet nie. Daar sal altyd risiko's betrokke wees by die begin van 'n nuwe besigheid. Entrepeneurskap in essensie is die neem van risiko's deur individue wat bereid is om nuwe paradigmas te ontwikkel.

Traditional trade theories, such as the Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin models, posit that comparative advantage determines a country’s industrial structure in a liberalized trade environment. However, developments in contemporary trade theory challenge the central tenants of this approach. Ricardian and Heckscher-Ohlin models assume that industries are comprised of homogeneous firms that can be modeled using a representative firm. Under this conception, industrial evolution is driven by comparative advantages. However, empirical evidence of post-liberalisation industrial change indicates that industrial performance is significantly more variable than predicted by traditional models. Even within industries, firms exhibit markedly divergent performance. The new trade theory of heterogeneous firms thus argues that there are fundamental differences between firms, even within narrowly defined industries, and these differences drive a post-liberalisation churning process that results in the reallocation of capital and labour within an industry. This study takes an innovative approach. Instead of comparing productivity across a large sample of firms in different industries, it uses a case study to examine, in depth, the differences between firms within a particular industry. The industry selected for the study is the South African footwear manufacturing sector. The study employs qualitative research techniques to interrogate the applicability of the new trade theory of heterogeneous firms and, importantly, to investigate the scope for constructive development policy. It finds that there are marked differences between firms in the South African footwear manufacturing sector, and provides evidence that these differences matter. Additionally, it finds evidence of intra-industry reallocations in the period following trade liberalisation. These findings are significant in that they emphasise that in a liberalised trade environment, individual firms possess agency that allows them to develop a competitive advantage that may run contrary to the comparative advantage of the country in which they operate. These findings are helpful in developing a more accurate understanding of trade liberalisation dynamics, and they support the argument for industrial policy support in strategic industries. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

There is an emerging consensus amongst economic policy makers that amongst the most important development problems facing South Africa today are the extremely high unemployment levels (estimated at 40% of the formal labour force) and the need to satisfy the basic needs of South Africa's population (ie, food, shelter, clothing and footwear etc). There is also agreement that in order to achieve these twin objectives it is necessary to obtain positive and increasing economic growth rates. The question of how these high and sustainable economic growth rates can be achieved has spawned an intense debate about South Africa's future growth path. This debate about South Africa's economic future after Apartheid is based on differing evaluations of the opportunities offered by the country's current resource endowments and the constraints inhibiting growth (Moll, 1991a, 1991b; Kaplinsky, 1991; Jordan, 1991, Levy, 1991). Some writers1 have argued that a low wage, labour intensive export strategy is the only way that South Africa can rapidly create employment and meet the needs of international competition (Moll, 1991a). Moll therefore argues that increasing the demand for unskilled labour will benefit the poor most. To compete successfully internationally on the basis of low wages (as Moll suggests) is only possible by increasing relative poverty, resulting in increases in absolute poverty, it has been argued (Kaplinsky, 1992). The recent literature (Amsden, 1989; Wade, 1990) on the success of the East Asian NICs (particularly South Korea and Taiwan) strongly refutes the neo-classical view (Little, 1979; Lai, 1983) that developing countries should grow by exploiting their static Comparative Advantage (CA), that is, exploiting the availability of abundant cheap labour. These writers (Amsden, 1989; Wade, 1990) argue that developing countries can move up the value added chain - making it possible for them to pay relatively higher wages - by selective intervention in the market A recent World Bank study (Levy, 1991) analyses the potential of South Africa's manufacturing sector to move on to a dynamic labour-demanding growth path. In analysing the potential of the Garment Sector (the most labour-intensive sector), Levy (1991) argues that South Africa's international comparative advantage lies in the mid- to-upper end of the world garment industry and expanding expons from this sector will increase employment and allow "moderate increases in real wages". In this paper we develop Levy's proposition - that a labour-demanding expon strategy is possible in South Africa for the Garment subsector - for the Footwear subsector. This study will focus on the Footwear subsector for the following reasons. This is a mature industry which is well-established in South Africa. It still remains labour-intensive and well suited like the garment subsector for a labour demanding growth strategy (Levy, 1992). It has a well developed infrastructure in South Africa. However the relative performance of this sector in comparison to that of countries at similar levels of development (the NICs) has been poor (discussed below). It is striking that Footwear has been a leading export sector for the most dynamic, Developing, as well as, Southern European economies during the 1970s and 1980s (Taiwan, Korea, Brazil, Italy, Spain, Portugal, China). Two sets of questions arise from the above discussion. Firstly, like the manufacturing sector as a whole, the performance of the South Afi can Footwear subsector has been unspectacular during the 1970s and 1980s. Why has ihis been so? What is the capability of the Footwear sector to supply the domestic market and to compete internationally ie, export? What are the implications of this for industrial policy? What incentives have been supplied to support the development of this sector and how effective have they been? What incentives will be required to advance the restructuring and development of this sector? What institutions exist in support of this industry and how can these institutions be developed and extended? Secondly, as South Africa develops a more outward oriented manufacturing strategy, it will have to understand the changing nature of international markets and international competition. How have these markets changed? What is the new basis of international competitiveness? What are the implications for South Africa? The objective of this study is to attempt to answer these two sets of questions. The second set of questions will not be answered in any detail in this study, but will draw extensively on a study undertaken by the author (see Ismail, 1992). Previous attempts at developing an analyses and strategy for the industry have been inward oriented (see Van Wyk's IDC Report, 1988) and ad hoc (BTI, 1990). Whilst Sid Cohn's Strat Plan 2000 has gone furthest in developing a systemic approach to the footwear industry, his focus on subcontracting as the main (labour) cost cutting measure has only served to gloss over the underlying inefficiencies of the industry in the management of raw materials and production. We provide a brief summary and critique of these strategies below before presenting a summary of our argument.