The aim of this research is to provide analysis of the rural non-farm sector in Nigeria by investigating inter-linkages between farm and non-farm activities. By critical analysis using quantitative and qualitative research methods to investigate farm and non-farm sectors, the research attempts to reveal the complex linkages between these activities undertaken by rural households. The analysis employs household surveys aimed at collecting primary data undertaken to investigate various aspects of rural livelihoods including sources of income, employment, diversification and determinants of household income. The research provides analysis of Rural Micro and Small Enterprises (RMSEs) in the non-farm sector. It investigates the sources of rural livelihoods, which are primarily based on farming activities. However, farming in this area is still carried out by about 80 percent of households in a traditional subsistence system with crude implements and in scattered plots of about 2.0 hectares or less. This subsistence farming system has resulted in increasing changes in decision making, along with dynamic processes of socio-economic and cultural changes including assets and resources which households depend on for their survival. Diversification of income activities has become an important aspect of rural livelihoods due to continued low agricultural income and output. Non-farm income activities have the potential to reduce rising rural unemployment, providing more income opportunities for young people, women and other vulnerable groups. It can provide capital for investment in child education, home improvement, asset formation and on-farm innovation or expansion. This research argues for an integrated approach towards rural development and poverty reduction through the promotion of both agriculture and non-agricultural sectors. Analysis of household income structure and determinants indicate that non-farm income accounts for about 44% of total household income and non-farm income has become an important source of capital for on-farm and off-farm investment. Ownership of non-farm enterprise, household labour force, level of education, age, farm size (land), financial capital (level of savings) and access to basic infrastructure are the main determinants of household income. Using disaggregated and distributional data the study found variations in effect of the various factors on household income on different groups of households.

African countries have recently experienced an extraordinary and largely unanticipated boom in the uptake of mobile phones, and increasing rates of access to the internet. This thesis investigates how and why these information and communication technologies (ICT) are being adopted for use in Tanzanian micro and small enterprises (MSEs), and explores the changes they are bringing about to the existing business culture of marginalised economies. The study covers three sub-sectors of the Tanzanian economy: perishable foodstuffs trading, the informal construction industry and the export of African blackwood carvings. The analysis is based on fieldwork undertaken over a total of 15 months in 2002 and 2003, during which time business networks were revealed by physically following entrepreneurs and their contacts operating in different locations throughout the country. Entrepreneurs were asked to draw their own comparisons between the traditional pre-ICT situation and the improved ICT access of today. The discussion is informed by the findings of semi-structured interviews with these individuals, excerpts of which are presented in the text to give voice to the entrepreneurs. Various ingenious and at times unconventional methods of access to, and appropriation of, ICT is uncovered. Together these suggest that official indicators underestimate the thirst for digital consumption, especially for mobile phones, and help explain the flourishing informal economy of handset acquisition. Internet penetration and uptake for use in business, on the other hand, is revealed to be far slower. Nevertheless, the research does reveal that a sizeable amount of poorer entrepreneurs are using a triumvirate of hired or shared ICT – mobile phones, the Internet and the ‘old’ ICT of fax – to create what can appear to be a more formal enterprise than it may actually be. The ‘mobile office’ effectively allows poorer entrepreneurs to operate without premises, thereby saving costs on rent and allowing the enterprise to remain informal. This heralds a considerable change in the working practices of a significant branch of informal sector operators who have gone unnoticed, and calls for a reconstruction and redefinition of this crucial source of entrepreneurship in developing economies. Despite the huge uptake of mobile phones in particular, the work also cautions that some traditional pre-ICT aspects of the African business culture look set to remain for some time. It becomes clear that where entrepreneurs do decide to use ICT, reputation and recommendation are still very significant. This information is usually passed on when an entrepreneur meets in person with contacts from his very fluid informal networks of knowledge. Trust, and the need for direct, personal interaction through face-to-face contact – one of the most pervasive features of African MSE economies – emerge as a common theme across the case study industries and are likely to remain a crucial aspect of the way most MSE business is conducted. Mobile phones are seen to play a crucial role in improving the exchange of supply-anddemand information domestically, while a combination of applications (particularly e-mail) appear to act as tools with which to refresh relationships with sources of market information outside the country. It is suggested that ICT may be able to help entrepreneurs in moving from the personal to the impersonal exchange – a challenge that many other African businesses will also have to come to terms with as the Internet becomes an ever more important global trading tool.

No description available.

The role played by Micro and Small Enterprises in many economies globally is huge and important. It is even more significant for economies in Africa such as South Africa where there are high levels of poverty and unemployment. In South Africa, Micro and Small Enterprises can contribute towards addressing the challenge of poverty and unemployment, given their proven history of job creation. However, their contribution is constrained by the lack of access to credit for growth, which is a result of a deficit of credit information among other contributing factors. This inhibits their growth. In South Africa, developmental credit was introduced through the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 to improve access to credit for low-income earners, including Micro and Small Enterprises. This type of credit is different from other types of credit because it bypasses the challenge of credit information, allowing the credit application of Micro and Small Enterprises to be assessed without the use of credit information (credit history). However, since the introduction of the Act, there has been little uptake and granting of developmental credit. This dissertation aimed to determine the reasons for this. This dissertation uses a qualitative research approach. Interviews were conducted with Micro and Small Enterprises and questionnaires administered with developmental Credit Providers, and the National Credit Regulator. Therefore, qualitative information from the above credit market stakeholders was analysed to get to the findings. The findings of this research are three-fold. In respect of credit providers, findings show that, despite the legislative provisions, there is still the use of credit information by large financial institutions, which adversely affects access to developmental credit. Findings for Micro and Small Enterprises reveal that there is a lack of knowledge of this type of credit. This is affected by the fact that Micro and Small Enterprises perceive credit as being difficult to access because of the use of credit information, which they lack, and therefore do not explore various types of credit available and suitable for their businesses. Furthermore, there are only a few credit providers, which provide developmental credit in the country; this affects their footprint in the country and different provinces. Lastly, the findings on legislation are that the requirements to register as a developmental credit provider limit the number of credit providers, which can register to provide developmental credit.

O presente trabalho tem como propósito levantar as principais barreiras enfrentadas pelas micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs) na Cidade da Matola. Para tanto, fez-se uma fundamentação teórica sobre as barreiras enfrentadas pelas MPEs e sobre políticas e instrumentos governamentais de apoio às empresas deste porte. A fundamentação teórica apoiou o desenvolvimento de uma triangulação da pesquisa empírica baseada em duas fases. A primeira fase consistiu na coleta de dados junto a 21 empresas de micro e pequeno porte, por meio de entrevistas onde posteriormente fez-se a identificação das principais barreiras enfrentadas pelos entrevistados e daí conduziu a segunda fase do trabalho de campo que foi as entrevistas junto as entidades governamentais de modo a saber o que estes tem feito para minimizar ou mitigar as barreiras identificadas pelos empresários. Os resultados mostram que as barreiras de financiamento e de concorrência são as principais barreiras enfrentadas pelas MPEs na Matola e que estas variam de acordo com o ramo de atuação das empresas. A dissertação vai servir para enriquecer o estado da arte sobre a temática das micro e pequenas empresas e sobretudo vai ajudar a suprir o déficit de pesquisas acadêmicas em Moçambique. / This paper aims to identify the main barriers faced by micro and small enterprises (MSEs) in the city of Matola. As such, there is a theoretical framework about the barriers faced by MSEs and on government policies and instruments to support enterprises of this size. The theoretical foundation supported the development of a triangulation of empirical research based on two phases. The first phase consisted of collecting data from 21 micro and small businesses, through interviews where later became the identification of the main barriers faced by the interviewees and then led the second phase of fieldwork was that the interviews with government entities in order to know what they have done to minimize or mitigate the barriers identified by entrepreneurs. The results show that the barriers to financing and competition are the main barriers faced by MSEs in Matola and that barriers vary according to branch of activity of enterprises. The paper will serve to enrich the state of the art on the theme of micro and small enterprises and especially will help meet the shortage of academic research in Mozambique.

Micro and small enterprise (MSE) owners in Kenya are faced with a myriad of constraints that affect their survival for longer than the first 5 years. Owners of MSEs who are unable to identify and implement strategies may not succeed in sustaining their businesses. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies owners of MSEs in Nairobi, Kenya, used to sustain their businesses for longer than 5 years. The conceptual framework for the study was the theory of constraints. Data were collected from 4 purposefully selected MSE owners in Nairobi, Kenya, through face-to-face, semistructured interviews, and review of field notes and company documents. Using thematic data analysis, the major themes that emerged were customer service, access to capital, and nearness to market. The implications of this study for positive social change include strategies for MSE owners to generate stable income for employees, new employment opportunities for job seekers, improved standards of healthcare and education for the community, and a positive lifestyle for the residents of Kenya.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2013-10-18T16:35:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Adilson da Hora Sampaio. Um estudo sobre a...2012.pdf: 825673 bytes, checksum: 419863726eeb0108967a2d1df87387d0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-18T16:35:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adilson da Hora Sampaio. Um estudo sobre a...2012.pdf: 825673 bytes, checksum: 419863726eeb0108967a2d1df87387d0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Universidade Federal da Bahia. Escola de Administração. Salvador, BA, Brasil / Ao realizar um estudo sobre a participação das Micro e Pequenas Empresas nos Pregões eetrônicos realizados na FIOCRUZ/BA, no período entre 2006 e 2011, buscou-se evantar dados e analisá-los no sentido de responder quais variáveis influenciam o esempenho das Micro e Pequenas Empresas nos Pregões Eletrônicos realizados na IOCRUZ/BA e, assim, verificar se as ME/EPP vencem os Pregões Eletrônicos quando têm istórico de terem vencido antes, se os Pregões Eletrônicos vencidos pelas ME/EPP são os baixo de R$ 80.000,00, e ainda se as ME/EPP vencem os pregões quando há três ou mais articipantes. O estudo está delimitado à modalidade de licitação Pregão na forma eletrônica. Apresentam-se na revisão da literatura um balanço da legislação e uma breve explanação acerca da Teoria da Economia dos Custos de Transação-ECT e da Teoria dos Leilões. Em relação à pesquisa empírica, os dados foram coletados através da análise das atas dos pregões eletrônicos, que estão disponíveis no sítio do Comprasnet e, de forma subsidiária ou complementar, dos relatórios do setor de compras. O tratamento dos dados e análises quantitativas foram realizados através de um modelo de regressão probit. As análises revelam que as variáveis que influenciam o desempenho das Micro e Pequenas Empresas nos Pregões Eletrônicos realizados na FIOCRUZ/BA estão relacionadas às características do material ou serviço, do processo licitatório e do fornecedor. Explicando melhor, as ME/EPP vencem quando têm histórico de terem vencido pregões anteriormente, quando os valores estão abaixo de R$80.000,00 ou quando há maior concorrência entre os participantes do pregão. / When conducting a study on the participation of Micro and Small Enterprises in Electronic Trading Sessions held in FIOCRUZ / BA, between 2006 and 2011, sought to collect data and analyze them in order to answer what variables influence the performance of Micro and Small Enterprises in trading sessions held in FIOCRUZ / BA and thus verify that the ME / EPP beat the Electronic Trading Sessions when they have a history of having won before, if the Electronic Trading Sessions defeated by ME / EPP are less than R$ 80.000,00, and even if ME / EPP wins the sessions when there are 03 or more participants. The study is delimited to the bidding Trading in electronic form. Are presented in the literature review an assessment of legislation and a brief explanation about the theory of Transaction Cost Economics-ECT and the Theory of Auctions. With regard to empirical research, data were collected by analyzing the content of the minutes of electronic auctions, which are available on the Comprasnet and, subsidiary or complementary, reports from the purchasing department. The data processing and quantitative analysis was performed using a probit regression model. The analyzes show that the variables that influence the performance of Micro and Small Enterprises in Electronic Trading Sessions held in FIOCRUZ / BA are related to characteristics of the material or service, the bidding process and the supplier. Explaining more, the ME / EPP win when they have a history of having won earlier sessions, when the values are less than R$ 80.000,00 or when 03 or more participants on the floor.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T16:15:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MarceloAlves.pdf: 946090 bytes, checksum: a450a7f9f8e663439156bdb32f658053 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-08-21 / The National System of Higher Education Assessment (SINAES) includes as one of its indicators, the Institutional Self-Assessment of responsibility for their own higher education institutions (HEIs) and promoted in its scope, the Standing Committees of rating (CPA). These evaluations should generate internal actions in HEIs in order to qualify their services, facilities and professionals. The evaluation fulfills functions that involve power relations and strategies developed by their users to achieve their goals. It is important, therefore, to identify those mechanisms that directly influence the completion of assessment tools and impacting the income earned and the actions resulting from this process. This study aims to examine what are the mechanisms, strategies and power relations involved in making the institutional assessment from the representations of the respondents including teachers and students. The objective is to analyze, through a qualitative research, self-assessment in higher education and institutional mechanisms present in its realization, seeking to identify the power relations and strategies developed from interviews of a sample of students and teachers participating process. / O Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Superior (SINAES) inclui, como um de seus indicadores, a Autoavaliação Institucional, de responsabilidade das próprias Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES) e promovida, em seu âmbito, pelas Comissões Permanentes de Avalição (CPA). Essas avaliações devem gerar ações internas nas IES com o intuito de qualificar seus serviços, instalações e profissionais. A avaliação cumpre funções que envolvem relações de poder e estratégias desenvolvidas por seus usuários para atingir seus objetivos. É relevante, portanto, identificar esses mecanismos que influenciam diretamente o preenchimento das ferramentas de avaliação e que impactam os resultados auferidos e as ações decorrentes desse processo. Com este trabalho, pretendemos verificar quais são os mecanismos, as estratégias e as relações de poder envolvidos na realização da avaliação institucional a partir das representações dos respondentes, incluindo professores e alunos. O objetivo é analisar, por meio de uma pesquisa qualitativa, a autoavaliação institucional no ensino superior e os mecanismos presentes em sua realização, buscando identificar as relações de poder e as estratégias desenvolvidas decorrentes de depoimentos de uma amostra composta por alunos e professores participantes do processo.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O crescente aumento da atividade empreendedora no país, e por consequência o aumento do número de organizações de micro e pequeno porte, fonte geradora de grande parte dos postos de trabalho no país motivaram este estudo que tem como principal objetivo contribuir para o entendimento do papel do profissional de contabilidade no processo decisório das organizações, assim como investigar o entendimento dos empreendedores em relação à contribuição do profissional de contabilidade no processo decisório das organizações de micro e pequeno porte. Buscou-se também identificar as ferramentas de controle gerencial utilizadas no processo decisório. Para isso foram realizadas entrevistas com dez empreendedores. Através de um questionário de pesquisa aplicado, verificou-se que para 9 dos 10 empreendedores entrevistados, os profissionais de contabilidade não os auxiliam no processo decisório. Para eles a contribuição dos profissionais de contabilidade se restringe ao cálculo e geração de guias de impostos, assim como prestar assessoria fiscal e trabalhista. A contabilidade como fonte provedora de informações confiáveis e seguras não é valorizada pelos empreendedores. Apenas um deles citou a utilização de demonstrativos contábeis como prática na organização para fins de tomada de decisão. / The increasing entrepreneurial activity in the country, and therefore the increase in the number of micro and small organizations, source of most of the jobs in the country motivated this study aims to contribute to the understanding of the role of accounting in decision-making organizations, as well as investigate the understanding of entrepreneurs in relation to the accounting professional contribution in the decision making process of micro and small organizations. We sought to identify the management control tools used in decision making. For that interviews were conducted with 10 entrepreneurs of such organizations. Through a research questionnaire, it was found that for 9 of the 10 entrepreneurs interviewed, accounting professionals not assist in decision making. For them the contribution of accounting professionals is limited to the calculation and generation of tax guides, as well as providing tax advisory and labor. Understanding of accounting as providing a source of reliable and secure information is not valued by entrepreneurs. Only one of them mentioned the use of financial statements as a practice in the organization for decision-making purposes.

Submitted by TAINAH SCHUINDT FERRARI VERAS null (tainah.veras@gmail.com) on 2016-09-26T21:55:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_Tainah_Veras.pdf: 2210103 bytes, checksum: bc552294d9a519cfa8e11d83dd1c0579 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-09-27T20:22:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 veras_tsf_me_bauru.pdf: 2210103 bytes, checksum: bc552294d9a519cfa8e11d83dd1c0579 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-27T20:22:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 veras_tsf_me_bauru.pdf: 2210103 bytes, checksum: bc552294d9a519cfa8e11d83dd1c0579 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-08-26 / A visão contemporânea de inovação majoritariamente disseminada a associa principalmente a soluções tecnológicas, disruptivas e comercializáveis, que demandam grandes investimentos das organizações. Entende-se que a exaltação dessa perspectiva contribui para relegar aspectos sócio históricos, subjetivos, relacionais e situacionais ligados à inovação, que são essenciais para que se estabeleçam práticas inovativas contínuas. No caso das micro e pequenas empresas (MPEs), maioria das organizações do país, soma-se a isso o fato de que os estudos sobre as MPEs, além de escassos, costumam abordar apenas entraves comuns à implantação de mudanças, como o baixo acesso a recursos e a centralização das decisões. Portanto, muitas vezes não são levadas em consideração questões estruturais das organizações de pequeno porte, como a proximidade entre os membros, questões estas que podem estimular a capacidade dos indivíduos cooperarem entre si, aprenderem e inovarem. Diante disso, vislumbrou-se a necessidade de estudar a inovação enquanto uma construção cultural que depende de processos cotidianamente, coletivamente e deliberadamente realizados a partir do nexo entre aprendizagem e comunicação, com o objetivo de demonstrar como esse nexo pode contribuir para a construção de culturas de inovação em micro e pequenas empresas. Identificou-se que ainda existem poucas pesquisas nesse âmbito, e por isso optou-se por ampliar o repertório de reflexões e de subsídios para estudos futuros a partir de uma pesquisa qualitativa com fins exploratórios e descritivos, composta por uma fase de pesquisa bibliográfica e por outra de análise de conteúdo das principais citações utilizadas na primeira fase da pesquisa. Os resultados encontrados apontam para a necessidade de promover uma alfabetização para culturas de inovação nas micro e pequenas empresas, que, constituída e induzida pela comunicação, estimule os indivíduos das MPEs a dotarem-se de uma consciência inovativa, pautada em reflexões críticas sobre um contexto sociocultural em constante movimento e que é único a cada uma dessas organizações. A partir disso, acredita-se que as micro e pequenas empresas poderão ressignificar o entendimento que possuem de inovação e utilizar a proximidade entre os indivíduos como uma potencialidade estratégica para construir culturas de inovação a partir da aprendizagem e da comunicação. / The contemporary view of mostly disseminated innovation mainly associated with technological, disruptive and marketable solutions, which require large investments of organizations. It is understood that the exaltation of this perspective contributes to relegate socio-historical, subjective, relational and situational aspects linked to innovation, which are essential in order to establish continuous innovative practices. In the case of micro and small enterprises (MSEs), most organizations in the country, it is added to this the fact that studies on MSEs, as well as scarce, usually only address common barriers to implementing changes, such as low access to the resources and centralization of decisions. Therefore, they are often not taken into account structural issues of small organizations such as the proximity of members, which can stimulate the ability of individuals cooperate, learn and innovate. Whereupon, it was realized the need to study innovation as a cultural construction that depends on daily processes, collectively and deliberately carried out from the connection between learning and communication. Thus, this study aims to demonstrate how this connection between learning and communication can contribute to building cultures of innovation in micro and small businesses. It was identified that there is little research in this area, so it was decided to expand the repertoire of reflections and insights for future studies from a qualitative research with exploratory and descriptive purposes, comprising a phase of bibliographic research and another for content analysis of the main quotes used in the first phase of the research. The results point to the need to promote literacy for innovation cultures in micro and small enterprises, constituted and induced by communication, which encourages individuals of MSEs to equip themselves with an innovative awareness, based on critical reflections on the socio-cultural context that is in constant motion and it is unique to each of these organizations. From this, it is believed that micro and small businesses can reframe the understanding that they have to use innovation and closeness between individuals as a strategic capability to build innovation cultures from learning and communication.