Little is known about responsible investment (RI) opportunities for retail investors in South Africa. Disconnect between RI demand and RI supply seems evident, undermining the growth of RI in this country, which in turn frustrates opportunities for economic growth and social well-being. “Over the past decade, environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations have been among the most important factors responsible for shifting the axes of the financial industry”. This research examines retail investor demand for RI and supply of RI opportunities for the same market segment, in South Africa, observing inclusionary investment practice via the application of co-production. The paper reflects a survey of retail investor demand, from which 14 indicators are developed. The indicators are utilised to assess the dynamic between RI demand and available RI supply across three investment subsectors (commercial banks, asset managers, and alternative investment platforms). The paper leverages industry perspective to support its interpretations of existent demand for RI and accessible RI supply, circa 2019 to 2022. It intones the importance of using co-production to create investment context, to find equilibrium between supply and demand, and to enable resilient RI practice at the retail level. Methods of enabling inclusivity within nascent but pertinent RI practice for retail investors are reified. Deeper understanding of retail investor demand and methods of leveraging RI supply are required in future iterations of this type of research.

The aim of this study was to develop a stakeholder accepted tool to monitor and measure service delivery. The question underlying this research was what drives service delivery and its related protests and what makes it so problematic? The need for this study arose out of continued reports of these protests in South Africa. Evidence suggests that there may be a disconnect between the real experiences of communities on the ground and the causes cited by politicians and often reported in the media. The study used a mixed method approach to examine where the disconnect lies and built on the data to develop an audit tool. The study used primary and secondary data to understand the nature of service delivery and its related protests. The primary and secondary data provided both qualitative and quantitative data that highlighted the nature of service delivery landscape in South Africa. The quantitative data was instrumental in shaping and informing data collection protocol and shaping the draft tool for monitoring and measuring service delivery protest. Qualitative methods (i.e. interviews) were used to collect data in a purposive manner and to gather information from knowledgeable respondents and who are directly involved in service delivery. The findings showed that there is a disconnect in information sharing and knowledge between officials to the communities. The information was either not available at all or did not reach the intended recipients in order for them to make informed decisions. Furthermore, fake news from various sources clouded the communities from making sound judgments about their livelihoods. This disconnect may be regarded as a one of many fundamental reasons for the nature of service delivery protests in South Africa. The study also generated helpful insights and guided the development of a ‘service-delivery tool' for organisations and practitioners aiming to introduce and improve on their monitoring and evaluation framework for service delivery and its related protests.

The alleged universality of entrepreneurship as a neutral, meritocratic, and accessible means through which individuals are free to realise their socioeconomic potential has been challenged. The entrepreneurship literature is dominated by a narrow stereotype of the entrepreneur (white, neoliberal, Western, male, heteronormative) but the interest in entrepreneurship as a mechanism for economic and social value creation is driving demand for more inclusive, diverse, and pluralist knowledge on entrepreneurship that is representative of marginalised populations' lived experiences. Many have already introduced alternative constructions of entrepreneurship; however, the literature on LGBT and queer entrepreneurs is still limited. This paper aims to help address this gap by queering entrepreneurship through a ‘de- and re-construction' of the norm. Drawing from both post-structural feminism and queer theory, this study problematises ‘normativity' both in entrepreneurship and in the methodologies used to study it. This study asked seven self-identified queer entrepreneurs in South Africa to develop and explain a queer-inclusive construction of entrepreneurship through collage. Collages were analysed through a visual grounded theory methodology and supplemented with interview data analysed through a constructivist grounded theory methodology. The findings confirm the pervasiveness of a normative construction of entrepreneurship and indicate the need to queer it by both including queer individuals and destabilising normative identities and methodologies in the entrepreneurship field. This study contributes to a more inclusive, diverse, and representative entrepreneurial discourse by illuminating specifically the lived experience of queer African entrepreneurs, highlighting the pressure they face to conform to both a Western stereotype of the entrepreneur and to being the ‘right' kind of queer as a product of queernormativity. This research also illustrates how fresh ontologies can inject the entrepreneurship literature with new perspectives that challenge normative, positivist hierarchies. Recommendations for practical interventions for inclusivity are discussed and future directions for research are suggested.

Levels of indebtedness amongst South African consumers are increasing year on year and the formal lending system is not structured or incentivised to reverse this. In lieu of fundamental change in regulation and to current institutionalised lending and debt collection practices, the best way to reverse the negative cycle of ever-increasing indebtedness is by shifting control to the consumer themselves. Industry collection mechanisms are functional and blunt, treating any arrear debt as ‘bad' and by association all indebted consumers are labelled ‘bad' with no recognition of the circumstance an individual might find themselves in. Covid has had a devastating effect on consumer psychology and the ability for individuals and households to meet their financial obligations. A more empathy-led approach to supporting indebted consumers is necessary. The aim of this study is to establish the most important factors within credit self-efficacy that enable certain consumers to make better credit decisions and reverse the downward, self-reinforcing spiral to greater indebtedness, It has supported the development of a business model aimed at making it attractive and profitable for the lenders to actively support the enablement of consumer capability in relation to credit. Using an online survey, a quota-controlled sample of n=874 consumers was achieved, adequately representing the adult population active in the formal South African credit market. Through the development of a structured equation model using n=794 of the collected data records, the study has found that the typical treatment of the indebted is ineffectual in helping consumers return to a healthier financial state. The perception that consumer desire of material goods alone drives poor credit behaviour and therefore greater levels of indebtedness is unfounded, as is the idea of profligate spending and its impact on credit behaviour. Living a good lifestyle is important to consumers and does affect credit behaviour but this does not translate into a significant effect on financial state. Rather, it is the combination of financial credit self-efficacy, financial confidence and financial management, as composite credit self-efficacy, that has a significant and strong influence on credit behaviour. In turn, credit behaviour as a mediating variable significantly and strongly influences financial state, more so than the direct effect of composite credit self-efficacy. Financial state also has a significant and extremely strong influence on composite credit self-efficacy, proving that a healthier financial state actually empowers greater consumer self-efficacy in relation to credit and financial matters. It is therefore incumbent on lenders of credit to have a more sensitive appreciation of consumer context and support consumers along their whole credit journey, by better understanding their personal circumstances, related psychosocial factors and how this affects their level of composite credit self-efficacy and credit behaviour. Future studies should concentrate on how credit self-efficacy can be instilled and tracked from an early age, especially amongst consumers who are new to the credit market, as data suggests that a single event can trigger a life-long journey down a ladder of increasing indebtedness.

One of the biggest challenges facing leaders and policymakers is successfully transitioning young people from education into gainful livelihoods. Reputable bodies such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have argued that promoting financial inclusion among young people is an important aspect of promoting their entry into the labour markets (Friedline & Rauktis, 2014). Rather than compare the experiences of the included against those who are excluded, this research explored the experiences of young people who are already included in the financial system to understand which broader social dynamics contribute towards young people's financial and social outcomes. The research took the form of a field study based on a qualitative research approach using an contextual social constructionism lens to conduct a thematic analysis to understand the experiences of young people using the South African financial system. The sample was drawn from the population of young people between the ages of 23 – 35, an age range that falls within the South African definition of youth. The 30 participants who volunteered for the study were from different cities within the Gauteng province. The research results demonstrated the increasingly large role played by the financial sector in the transition from childhood to adulthood. Through the experiences of the included youths, financial outcomes were found to result from complex interconnections between the structural, social, household, and personal attributes. The study results suggest that six interrelated dynamics contribute to young people's financial system experiences. These dynamics are parents' financial capacity, education, income/cash transfers, expectations on young people, and the social policy context. This suggests that the financial system is a social construct, impacted by public policy, global and local economic trends, and the context in which its users find themselves. Despite this, young people are not socialised within the home to deal with the realities of early and sustained usage of increasingly complex financial products. Prevailing definitions of financial inclusion are largely confined to the functioning of financial institutions. This disconnect was found to lead to incomplete recommendations from policy makers on what might improve the experiences and social outcomes of youth from lower income backgrounds. The study's findings suggestions are that programs to build people's financial skills should pay attention to the whole situation in which young people learn about money. Parents should be able to teach their kids about debt and insurance, as well as other financial products. Policies for financial inclusion need to be aware of how regressive welfare policies make it so that younger people have to carry more complicated products like student loans earlier in their lives. Financial institutions are making products that are good for young people, and regulators should pay more attention to market conduct reform to strengthen the consumer protection parts of youth-specific financial sector rules. Keywords: Youth Transitions, Financial Inclusion, Social Constructionism

Waste reclaimers create a significant impact through their role in the recycling industry. Yet, the majority perform their role undignifiedly and with little or no support. Over the past few years, this impact has been researched, acknowledged and publicised by the government and private sector. As a result, the Waste Picker Integration Guideline for South Africa was developed to assist organisations working with waste reclaimers. However, these guidelines were mainly derived from case studies where waste reclaimers were more organised than most South African waste reclaimers and none based in the Western Cape. The difference in organisation, location and demographics is significant as it alters the process used to integrate waste reclaimers. This research sought to understand better the processes used to integrate unorganised waste reclaimers into formal recycling operations or projects in the Western Cape. The case studies were selected based on an existing integration process between a formal entity, either public or private, and an informal waste entity, a group of unorganised waste reclaimers. Five case study projects were chosen. The case study analysis resulted in a process model that highlighted the central finding, the role of the “key broker”, who can build trust among the waste reclaimers and successfully integrate unorganised waste reclaimers. The findings show characteristics to play such a role and how crucial such trust-building is because waste reclaimers have a deep-seated distrust of actors in the formal sector. This research contributes to prior work by exploring what makes such integration processes successful even in the absence of large associations or intermediating NGOs.

This thesis examines innovation, innovation management and the innovation process in SMEs (small and medium enterprises). There are many academic researchers who work on innovation management but there are very few studies on SME innovation management. The aim of this master thesis is to evaluate of the characteristics and obstacles for implementing innovation management in SMEs. The study is limited to the airport industry as an example of a customer service intensive company. By using case study and survey methods, the thesis analysis new trends of airport business and the problems of implementing innovation management in such customer service intensive company. Data was primarily collected through interviews, observations and questionnaires. Secondary data was collected from literary sources in order to provide context and background. The results display the characteristics of SMEs innovation management, which in this case for instance concern limited resources, short-term strategy and flexible administration management. The results also point out the obstacles on SMEs innovation management implementation, for example informal process model, low involvement of employees, limited budgets, slow upgraded technology and low degree of communications.

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la communication financière des PME cotées et se compose de trois chapitres distincts. L’objectif de chacun de ces chapitres vise à analyser les déterminants et les conséquences de l’asymétrie informationnelle dans un environnement incertain et complexe. Cette étude, composée d'une introduction générale et de trois chapitres, analyse sous différents angles la question centrale de l'asymétrie informationnelle et des coûts d'agence dans les PME cotées. Les trois chapitres visent à répondre aux questions de recherche suivantes: Première question de recherche: Quel type d'information financière concernant les PME est pertinent pour les investisseurs? Deuxième question de recherche: Est-ce que les attentes externes concernant la divulgation d’informations par les PME influencent (a) les décisions d'investissement des dirigeants et (b) la stratégie de communication des PME? Troisième question de recherche: Comment les nouvelles formes de communication, par exemple les médias sociaux, influencent l'environnement informationnel des PME cotées? Les résultats de cette thèse peuvent être intéressants pour les régulateurs. Ils illustrent les mécanismes que les entreprises suivent dans des contextes de complexité et d'incertitude. À la suite de ces résultats, les régulateurs pourraient envisager de promouvoir des politiques qui facilitent une divulgation plus flexible pour les PME cotées en termes de canaux de communication et de contenu de l’information. / This Ph.D. thesis studies the determinants and consequences of information asymmetry between investors and financers on the one hand, and managers on the other, in an uncertain and complex environment. I focus on Small and Medium Entities (SMEs) where the links between the two and the associated agency costs are particularly significant. SMEs are concerned by a whole host of contractual issues. The uncertainties surrounding SMEs’ activities also affect investor valuations due to the risk of adverse selection. SMEs’ disclosure may play an important part in reducing for market participants the uncertainty surrounding SMEs’ activities. My Ph.D. thesis, consisting of a general introduction and three chapters representing three self-contained essays, explores (1) the type of financial information relevant to SMEs’ investors and financers; (2) managerial decisions following market expectations about SMEs’ disclosure; and (3) the impact of social media on SMEs’ disclosure.

This dissertation is motivated by an overarching research question: How do firms leverage external resources residing in their ego network (portfolio of alliances) and their clusters in order to innovate in a sustained manner? Research suggests that firms often struggle and falter in their innovation efforts. However, past research has paid little systematic attention on why firms struggle in their innovation efforts. Further, though network and clusters—the key sources of external resources—may overlap in several ways, the extant literature has not examined their joint effect on a firm's technological innovation. In this dissertation, using a longitudinal research design I examine how the characteristics of a firm's ego network and of its cluster independently and jointly impact its patent output in the U.S. semiconductor industry. The research provides a framework showing how networks and clusters may work in tandem in helping a firm overcome innovation barriers. The study demonstrates how firms can leverage network and cluster resources. The empirical evidence indicates that the efficacy of cluster resources increases in the presence of network ties within the cluster. It also shows that firms can mobilize resources of distant clusters using their network ties. The study further demonstrates that resource-rich firms leverage networks resources more effectively than the resource-deficient firms do while resource-deficient firms leverage cluster resources more effectively than the resource-rich firms do. The dissertation makes important theoretical and empirical contributions to alliance, network, cluster, and innovation literatures. The research findings also have important managerial implications. / Ph. D.

Innovation can be defined as "The use of non-trivial change and improvement in a process, product or the system that is novel to the institution developing the change" (Slaughter1998). And once an innovation is constantly used by an organization on a regular basis, it leads to routinization. Rogers (2003) defines routinization as "when an innovation has become incorporated into the regular activities of the organization and has lost its separate identity." We also know from the prior research that the innovation could be segregated as per its technical attributes (process or product Innovation), types of innovation (incremental or radical innovation) or economic attributes (direct or indirect economic innovation).Through this study we are trying to observe whether public sector organizations routinize sustainable innovations that are used in the initial projects, and can a relationship be established between the selected attributes of those innovations including process-product, direct-indirect, radical-incremental innovation that may explain their routinization. The LEED Checklist was used as the baseline for studying routinization in public sector organizations. A group of four public sector organizations namely: Arizona State University, University of Florida, City of Austin and City of Seattle were selected on the basis of the constraints that were identified in the early stages of the study. Upon selecting these organizations the LEED Checklists were analyzed and the routinized credits were segregated. The LEED Checklist we segregated on the basis of the attributes of the innovation. To confirm the accuracy of the sorting process an Inter-Rater Reliability was established with the help of an expert panel. The results determined from the segregation process were made to overlap on the routinized credits from the LEED Checklist and the data retrieved was used for the final analysis. During the process of establishing the final results for this research, we segregated the general credits from the prerequisites to avoid any skewing of the results considering that both types of credits were based on different concepts. The results show that public sector organizations do routinize sustainable innovations that were used in the initial projects, and incremental innovation diffuses faster than the radical innovation; product innovation diffuses faster than process innovation; and direct economic innovation diffuses faster than the indirect economic innovation. / Master of Science