Entrepreneurship is key to growing and uplifting emerging economies like South Africa. There exists an extremely high failure rate amongst entrepreneurs in this country, this coupled with a lack of support for entrepreneurs, creates the conditions where an entrepreneurial culture cannot thrive. Entrepreneurship and education can be South Africa's most significant tools of liberation and unlock exponential growth which can, in turn, address the socio-economic problems that exist. This research aims to understand what the critical educational and support elements are that drive entrepreneurial learning and development. This research aims to discover what is required to create meaningful learning experiences for entrepreneurs and how this learning can be turned to practice and drive entrepreneurial growth. This growth may play a key role in addressing some of the gaps that exist between South Africa's entrepreneurial potential and its current state. Online and virtual education technologies, pedagogies and methodologies are explored as the core proponents of these learning experiences. Different models are explored and analysed in their distinct contexts to discover what it takes to create these learning experiences. New models of entrepreneur education and the supporting technology are examined to help understand how entrepreneur education programmes can create meaningful learning and development that produces and support high potential entrepreneurs. The research primarily explores an innovative model of an online entrepreneurship education offering that attempts to exponentially improve the impact of traditional models. An adapted design thinking methodology is applied; this allowed the study to examine various models and phenomena through a hyper-practical lens. This methodology supported the research process in uncovering what challenges exist for an education model of this nature to develop meaningful learning and development opportunities for entrepreneurs. 5 The impact of this research could be widespread in assisting with the understanding of how entrepreneurs learn and apply knowledge. The literature reviewed aimed to provide a view of what trends exist in social entrepreneurship globally and South Africa, and how these trends link to meaningful entrepreneurial learning and practice. This research is unique in that it takes a nascent concept such as virtual ecosystems in the social entrepreneurial context and explores how a model in which deep learning experiences are present for entrepreneurs, affects meaningful development and entrepreneurial outcomes. This research focuses on building theory through qualitative data sources collected through the research instruments of interviews, questionnaires, observations, discussions and practical prototyping.

The aim of this research was to develop a business model that will enhance the access to financial services by marginalised youth. In order to develop such a relevant business model it was necessary to understand the needs and challenges being faced by targeted clients in using and accessing formal financial services. Accessing such services will help them build assets in the long term, smooth cashflow and make savings as they transition from childhood to adulthood. Currently there are a number of barriers compounding financial exclusion and thus increasing the inequality gap. The study applied design thinking and systems thinking tools to undertake business model innovation and come out with a plausible alternative financial services model for youth and immigrants in Zimbabwe and South Africa respectively. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied to unpack the financial services needs of youth and how they are currently accessing service. An ethnographic approach as well as snowballing were applied in order to get to the respondents. Covert observations were done at a construction site in a bid to collect the immigrants' silent narrative of how they got to South Africa and are surviving from day to day. The research discovered that Zimbabwean youth residing in Zimbabwe and those who have migrated to South Africa are financially excluded yet they need financial services. It also discovered that there are business models being applied globally and in South Africa that are aimed at closing the financial exclusion gap. The study concluded that it is possible to have a business model that aims at serving youth, more so immigrants in South Africa, and provide them with low cost products that have a social impact on their livelihoods

Includes bibliographical references / This research project's main aim was a pragmatic investigation into the process of social techno logy design. Specifically, it was focused on the design of social utilities, which are technologies that enable new spheres of virtual social interaction. This aim was achieve d through the investigation and transcription of the experiences of engaging in the design of a new social technology. The proposed technological system was aimed at addressing computer literacy within the Western Cape, through the design of a virtual learning utility. This project was embedded within an already established learning programme (Western Cape Government's Cape Access Project), which had several limitations regarding g scalability, usability and accessibility. The main research aim therefore was the exploration of these areas of concern through the lens of ontological design. These research goals were achieved through a qualitative approach. The main approach undertaken was a phenomenological one, which was used to grasp the essential experiences present in the situation of context and to understand the experiences of the design process within that context. This phenomenological approach was taken from a researchers point of view while and ethnographical analysis was used in conjunction with phenomenology, to elicit the shared phenomena of the intervention. Design science and design thinking was used to integrate and combine both the phenomenological and ethnographic analysis into a coherent transcription of this design process.

By way of their geographic range and financial spend, South Africa's national parks have the potential for significant economic impact in the country's rural and urban areas. The research used three small-cap case studies to examine government's Public Private Partnership (PPP) Toolkit for Tourism for its ability to deliver economic benefit to communities around South African National Parks. The study identified areas of disjuncture between policy intention and policy implementation and suggests that the measures used to assess the contribution of small-cap PPPs be revised if the Toolkit is to become a meaningful instrument for small business growth and economic transformation. Findings reveal that simplifying the Toolkit bidding process is not likely to broaden entry for small businesses as the due diligence elements embedded in it are necessary to restrict corruption and abuse. Instead, it concluded that the ecosystem in which small businesses are required to operate is more important for creating economically sustainable small businesses. The most significant feature of this ecosystem would be the empowerment culture of the recipient institutions and the contractual binding of big business to enterprise development targets. The barriers to entry do not necessarily arise from the design of the Toolkit itself, but from the support institutions that have not transformed sufficiently to become the fertile grounds for the mentoring of small businesses expected of these institutions.

Leprosy, as one of the neglected tropical diseases, is an ancient disease that requires a slow and patient approach for its diagnosis and treatment involving various actors along the way. This care system has traditionally been supported by a paper based health information system still in use today in many endemic countries. In Mozambique, various attempts at modernizing the system have failed. The continued transmission of the disease is again highlighting the need for sharper strategic approaches supported by detailed information and better coordination between the various care actors in the system. This study coincided with the design and implementation of a new health information system for the case managed neglected tropical diseases (NTD) care sector in Mozambique. A Soft Systems Methodology (Action Research) approach was followed during this implementation process in an attempt to incorporate the perspectives of various actors and many institutional relationships that have an impact on the outcomes of this complex disease. The aim of the study was not only to identify factors that would contribute to the successful introduction of the health information system, but also to contribute to better knowledge management within this specific NTD care context. The study utilized group work, rich picture creation and individual interviews to build conceptual models for knowledge management in this context. It also tried to ground this by analyzing lessons from previous unsuccessful NTD information systems as well as the experiences from other countries in Africa where a similar infrastructure was implemented successfully.

This study analyses the level of student engagement at youth skills development organisations which are situated in low-income, high-stress communities. It asks the following questions: What motivates youth to be engaged in their learning environments? What are youths reporting on experiencing while in the learning environment? How might we use this data to help us develop the skills of the youth better? Through capturing a day in the life of youth from a cognitive, emotional and contextual point of view, we are better able to understand what drives youth to learn and achieve. Eight themes were identified which influenced the students to be highly engaged according to Flow Theory. An important context to be taken into account in the design of learning environments for youth is the psychological impact of living in a high-stress community. An emergent case for self-managed Flow is presented, where students drive and hold themselves accountable for high levels of engagement around the eight themes.

This study explores the experiences and perceptions of older beneficiaries of private medical aid schemes and retirement annuities. Its main research question is: What motivates, challenges and concerns older research participants when it comes to maintaining their good health and financial well-being? Its research objective is to place these lived experiences within the context of the private health and finance sectors of South Africa in order to develop healthy ageing models. It arises out of the increase in longevity and the potential increase of healthcare expenses in old age. The key concepts in this study are ageing frameworks and whealthcare: the relationship between the financial services industry and healthcare sector. A qualitative approach is used with semi-structured interviews with professionals in the healthcare and finance sectors and individuals in the retirement phase of their lives. The study is significant as it gives a deeper understanding of the realities of older people who access private sector services and it provides a framework for greater synergy between the finance and health sectors to promote healthy ageing and prepare individuals for the financial implications of healthcare costs in later age.

An orthopaedic medical device refers to a part, implant, prosthetic or orthotic which is used to address damage to the body's musculoskeletal system, primarily by providing stability and mobility. Orthopaedic medical devices play a role in injury-related disorders, which have been highlighted as a key element of the quadruple burden of disease in South Africa. In this thesis, orthopaedic devices are conceptualised as a technological field and a technological innovation system (TIS) framework is applied to understand orthopaedic device development in South Africa. Knowledge development and knowledge diffusion are fundamental components of any innovation system. The thesis hypothesises that the functions “knowledge development” and “knowledge diffusion through networks” of the orthopaedic devices TIS are influenced by contextual factors. The objectives of the study are: to identify the actors who generate knowledge for orthopaedic device development and to characterise the relationships between them; to identify focus areas of orthopaedic device development; to provide insight into the drivers and barriers to knowledge development and diffusion in the TIS; and to identify the contextual factors that influence knowledge dynamics in the TIS. These objectives are investigated using social network analysis based on bibliometric data (scientific publications and patents), keyword networks, a review of institutions, and a set of case studies where the primary data source are interviews with actors. Actors producing knowledge were from the university, healthcare, industry and science council sectors, although science councils played a small role. International actors were shown to bring new ideas into the TIS. The networks were fragmented, illustrating that knowledge diffusion through the networks was limited. This was especially the case in the patent networks as many actors patent in isolation. The keyword networks highlighted unrealised collaboration potential between actors based on their common research interests. The case studies revealed features of cross-sector interaction for orthopaedic device development not evident from network analysis based on bibliometric data. Drivers of knowledge development and knowledge diffusion were: inter-sectoral collaboration; the availability of resources; the affordability of available devices; and the positive externalities of allied TISs. The main barrier to knowledge development and diffusion was in the form of barriers to intersectoral collaboration. These include unmatched expectations from partners in collaboration, different views on intellectual property ownership, and burdensome university administrative processes. The orthopaedic devices TIS was structurally coupled to the embedded TIS and sectoral contexts, and externally linked and structurally coupled to its political context. Knowledge development and diffusion was found to be positively enhanced by innovation in the additive manufacturing TIS, with shared structural elements and resources. Knowledge development and diffusion was influenced by sectoral dynamics of the university, healthcare and industry sectors. This thesis makes the following contributions. First, it applies the TIS framework to a new focus area, namely medical device development, in a developing country context. Second, it makes two unique methodological contributions: it presents an index to capture the extent of sectoral collaboration in a network; and it develops a method for determining the collaboration potential of actors in a network based on cognitive distance.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led to the global shutdown of Higher Education Institutions (HEI) forcing the move from residential campuses to online learning. In South Africa, the shutdown further exacerbated the lack of access to Higher Education (HE) amongst youth, which adds to higher unemployment rates and perpetuates the cycle of poverty with detrimental consequences for society. However, in 2020 the forced move to online learning, and the use of freely available Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) provided an opportunity to rethink accessto HE for youth from marginalised areas. In some cases, a blended learning approach has been adopted by universities to provide more flexible pathways to HE. The wrapping of MOOCs follows a similar process but can be specifically used to be inclusive of students traditionally excluded from HE. The aim of the research explores the extent to which wrapped MOOCs made in South Africa could serve as effective ‘boundary objects' for students to experience HE. This research aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) specifically in relation to the fourth goal that targets inclusive and quality education and promotes lifelong learning for all. It explores how MOOCs, if wrapped or blended in a face-to-face programmes could prepare young people from marginalised communities for the workplace in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The research aims to explore the characteristics of two wrapped MOOCs made in South Africa to make them more accessible to youth from marginalised communities. The researcher utilised a case study methodology and employed ethnographic methods to explore how MOOCs were wrapped to make them more accessible to youth in marginalised communities in South Africa. The cases were two learning contexts where MOOCs were wrapped for the youth from those communities. The data was analysed using concepts from Wenger-Trayner et al.'s (2015) Landscapes of Practice. One of the key concepts is the boundary object, which can ideally play a mediating role between knowledge practices across contexts. It can thus grant different forms of access to those who would otherwise have been excluded from specific ways of knowing, identity work and experience of digital technologies. The data found that some students were unaware that MOOCs existed. Students desired and accepted that MOOCs could be part of an offering of HE programmes or courses but mostly agreed that they would not take it on their own as they required the digital literacy, computer facilities and Internet to complete it. They preferred that it was wrapped within a face-to-face programme. Still, once they experienced taking it, they saw themselves as knowledgeable in taking MOOCs and the confidence to take online courses in the future. They attributed the social and epistemological access they received more to the programme than to the MOOCs. Most participants did not want MOOCs to replace HE institutions as they valued face-to-face engagement, that the wrapped MOOC format made possible. But the opportunity to learn on a digital platform and work online made them feel more equipped to choose their own pathways in the HE landscape. The study culminated in a set of characteristics that could make wrapped MOOCs effective ‘boundary objects'. The research recommends that future MOOCs be wrapped to be inclusive of these characteristics to enhance social and epistemological access to HE for students from marginalised areas. The contribution of this research would be to create a list of principles that allows for relevant MOOCs out of approximately 13500 MOOCs, that currently exist, to be used, adapted and wrapped by the HE sector or various stakeholders that provide training, education and skills to youth in marginalised or refugee communities. The Covid-19 pandemic shutdown impacted on the popularity of MOOCs where platforms like Coursera, edX, and FutureLearn attracted as many users in one month as they did in an entire year of 2019. The significance of the study was evident during the HE shutdown when access to educational resources became crucial in the remote and online teaching format. The research contributed theoretically in terms of applying a landscapes of practice framework to understand and extend online and blended learning provision to marginalised communities. Future studies can take the recommendations of this research and apply the list of principles to wrap MOOCs and other online courses within particular landscapes of practice to explore their effectiveness in promoting access to HE.

Cette thèse traite de l’entreprise pour encourager les activités entrepreneuriales et innovantes. Le premier chapitre examine et évalue la réaction du secteur privé à la participation du public au capital-risque. Le deuxième chapitre étudie et estime l’écart de performance entre les fonds de capital-risque gouvernementaux et les fonds privés, et les facteurs déterminants de cet écart. Le troisième chapitre fournit un cadre théorique pour comprendre et analyser la motivation pour l’innovation de niveau de l’entreprise dans les réseaux industriels. Dans le Chapitre 1, intitulé « Les gouvernements peuvent-ils favoriser le développement du capital-risque ? », j’examine le rôle de l’intervention gouvernementale dans l’émergence du capital risque (VC, pour ’venture capital’) en Chine de 1999 à 2013, dans l’aide base de données novatrice et d’une expérience politique unique. L’analyse statistique, qui utilise la méthode des doubles différences, montre que le programme du gouvernement central conduit à une augmentation de l’investissement local de la part des fonds de VCs publics et privés. Dans le Chapitre 2, intitulé « (Sous-)performance de capital-risque public : preuves et explications », j’utilise un échantillon de la même source que celui du chapitre 1, et je trouve que les start-ups soutenues par des fonds de capital-risque gouvernementaux sont moins susceptibles d’être introduites en bourse que les fonds de VC privés. Les résultats indiquent que l’écart de performance est réduit lorsque le marché du capital-risque passe à un stade plus avancé. Dans le Chapitre 3, intitulé « l’Association d’entreprise dans un contexte d’information imparfaite le long de la chaîne de valeur mondiale », (co-écrit avec Rui Zhang), nous montrons l’existence d’équilibres multiples dans lesquels un fournisseur peut être associé à différents sièges, mais à des étapes différentes de la chaîne de valeur. Notre modèle comporte également des forces compensatoires d’incitations à l’innovation des entreprises et nous prédisons une tendance non monotone entre innovation et productivité des entreprises. / This dissertation investigates the firm incentives to participate in entrepreneurial and innovative activities. The first chapter examines and evaluates the private sector’s response to public involvement in venture capital. The second chapter studies and estimates the performance gap between government linked and private venture capitalists and the determining factors of this performance gap. The third chapter provides a theoretical framework to understand and analyze the firm-level innovation incentives in the industrial networks. In Chapter 1, titled "Can Governments Foster the Development of Venture Capital?", I examine the role of government intervention in the emergence of venture capital (VC) in China during 1999-2013 using a novel dataset and a unique policy experiment. The difference-indifference analysis shows that the central government program leads to an increase in local investment from both government and private VCs. In Chapter 2, titled "(Under)performance of government venture capitalists: Evidence and explanations", using the sample from the same source as in Chapter 1, I find that startups backed by government VCs are less likely to have Initial Public Offering (IPO) exits than private VCs. Evidence shows that the performance gap is narrowed down when the VC market develops into a more mature stage. In Chapter 3, titled "Firm Level Match under Imperfect Information Along the Global Value Chain", (joint with Rui Zhang), we develop a 1-m frictional positive assortative matching (PAM) model along the global value chain. We show the existence of multiple equilibria where a supplier could be matched to different headquarters, but at different stages on the value chain. Our model also features countervailing forces of firm innovation incentives and we predict a nonmonotonic pattern between innovation and firm productivity.