This research explores the factors that impede the growth of retail home based enterprises in South Africa. The potential contribution of home based micro and small enterprises (MSEs), or Spaza shops to generating income and employment to people in the informal sector of the economy is becoming increasingly recognised. This paper provides the primary data which consists of a non-random sample of 47 Spaza shop owners and managers in the four different areas (old establishments, new establishments, informal and reconstruction and development programme (RDP)) in the township of Mamelodi, applying a quantitative research methodology. The level of human capital, gender, and entrepreneurial mindset of the proprietor are found to have an inverse relationship to the firm’s growth. Key results of the research are that women owners tend to struggle to grow their businesses given the temptation to direct the earnings from the home based business to the needs of the household, and Spaza shops tend to sell the same, if not identical, products as competitors thereby gaining no competitive advantage necessary for growth. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The ubiquitous urban informality that characterises the cityscape of most sub-Saharan cities, has been impacted by states’ rationalised urban planning interventions to make urban spaces, and the activities of citizens more legible and governable. This study aimed at understanding the effects of urban planning and the regulatory environment on the business operations of the home-based entrepreneurial households and the strategies employed by these households to ensure their livelihood survival. The study used Katanga slum in Kampala, Uganda as a case study. The study approaches urban planning as a dialectical process, and therefore critically discusses the production and use of space (through urban planning) at different spatial scales of the city, slum and household, while highlighting the challenges experienced by the households and how they cope with these challenges. To facilitate the understanding of these issues, the study employed an integrated theoretical framework that comprised of Lefebvre’s theory of the production of space, Scott’s concept of state legibility, Jalan & Ravallion’s concept of urban spatial poverty traps, and Clark’s border theory.

Thesis (MA (Geography and Environmental Studies)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Issues relating to self-employment and the development of the so-called New Economy gained not only new founded momentum, but also more all round interest over the last two decades, especially from academic researchers. During this time, new emphasis was placed on the importance and significance of location. Consequently, urban areas were finally regarded as instrumental within providing the central backdrop for the competing nature of the global economy. Due to this fact, the emphasis again shifted from competition to the stimulation of investment. Local Economic Development (LED) was the South African method of doing so. Entrepreneurship became a major driving force of the South African market. Within the same past two decades substantial growth took place within Home-based Work, especially within Home-based Enterprise (HBE) activities. This can be attributed to the flexible organization of production that a home-based work (HBW) lifestyle can provide. Within the South-African context there does exists some empirical observations relating to HBW and TBE activities, but these studies have mostly focused on informal neighborhoods and other less affluent areas. This study however places the emphasis on the existence of HBW, selfemployment and HBE’s within all the income-group neighbourhoods in George. The existence of the traditional Spazashops and Shebeens is included, because these examples are extremely relevant within the South African context, but other specialized careers such as medical practitioners, childcare professionals, consultants, and producers of various products are also examined. The study wants to contribute to the discussion of urban sustainable development through the inclusion of HBW and HBE’s as potential strategies to reach sustainability within communities. Because of this, the primary aims and objectives of this study include the nature and extent of HBE activities throughout various neighbourhoods located on the periphery of the urban centre in George. A deeper understanding regarding the reasons behind the locational decision process (thus why participating home- businesses chose George as the location for their Small, Medium or Micro Enterprises (SMME’s) and the consequential location movement of these businesses was also examined. The spatial and structural relationships that exist between the growth and/or movement of formal businesses in the study area was further observed by the creation of a database stretching from 1995 to 2005 that lists and map these locational changes. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Kwessies wat verband hou met selfwerksaamheid en die ontwikkeling van die sogenaamde Nuwe Ekonomie het oor die afgelope twee dekades reeds heelwat aandag vanaf navorsers geniet. Hernieude klem is geplaas op die belangrikheid van ligging, en stede word deesdae beleef as instrumenteel om ’n sentrale en mededingende rol te speel binne die globale ekonomie. As gevolg van hierdie stedelike mededingendheid het die fokus verskuif na die bevordering van investering. Gevolglik het Plaaslike Ekonomiese Ontwikkeling (PEO) in Suid-Afrika toenemende verandering na markgedrewe entrepreneurskap veroorsaak. Daar het ook tydens die afgelope twee dekades ’n aansienlike groei in Tuisgebaseerde Werk (TGW), veral onder Tuisgebaseerde Besigheid (TGB) aktiwiteite plaasgevind. Hierdie fenomeen kan toegeskryf word aan faktore soos die buigbare organisasie van produksie wat met ʼn TGW lewenswyse kan voorsien. Daar bestaan wel ’n aantal empiriese waarnemings rakende TGW en TGB aktiwiteite in Suid-Afrika maar hierdie studies is meestal gemik op informelenedersettings en mindergegoede areas. Hierdie studie plaas dus groter klem op die bestaan van TGW, selfwerksaamheid en TGB’e binne al die inkomste woonbuurte in George. Die bestaan van TGB’e in die minder-gegoede areas vorm ook deel van hierdie studie (byvoorbeeld die tradisionele Spaza of Huiswinkel en Smokkelhuis/ "Shebeen“ aangesien dit onmisbaar is binne die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, maar ander gespesialiseerde beroepe wat ook in ’n woonbuurt kan voorkom (byvoorbeeld mediese praktisyns, kinderbewaarskole, konsultante en vervaardigers van allerlei) word ook ondersoek. Hierdie studie will graag bydra tot die bespreking van stedelike volhoubare ontwikkeling deur TGB’e te oorweeg as potensiële strategie om hierdie volhoubaarheid te bereik in gemeenskappe. Daarom is die primêre doelstellings van hierdie studie om die aard en omvang van TGB aktiwiteite tussen verskillende woonbuurte op die stedelikehinderland (in die omtrek van die stedelike kern) in George te ondersoek, ’n diepere begrip te bereik rakende die redes vir die besluite van hierdie deelnemende tuisondernemings (Klein-, Medium- en Mikro-ondernemings) om spesifiek George as vestiging te kies en laastens, die ruimtelike en strukturele verhoudinge wat duidelik is vanuit die formele groei (formele besighede se uitbreiding en/of verskuiwing) in George sedert 1995.