Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Masters in Management Science (Business Administration), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This study investigates the influence of the selected financial management fundamentals towards the financial stability of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Durban. The SMEs play an important role in the South African economy, by developing new skills. The study was descriptive and quantitative in nature. The tool used in collecting data was a questionnaire, which was self-administered and distributed at the business location of the respondents, with a minimal number of respondents receiving the questionnaire after it was scanned and emailed to them. The respondents consist of following different sectors of SMEs in Durban; trading, manufacturing, industry and Accounting firms. The results obtained were based on the supporting objectives of the study. The findings achieved show that financial reporting contributes indirectly towards the financial stability of the business. The study found that the lack of understanding of financial reporting and insufficient financial experience would have an influence on the financial stability of SMEs. Factors that were found to affect the credibility of financial reporting include poor administrative control of resources, as well as a lack of accurate information and financial data, which results in incorrect financial reports. Other factors found, in establishing the contribution and relationship between financial reporting and financial stability, include: lack of knowledge, lack of financial control processes, and weak cooperation among staff, with training, education, and financial reports management, as well as upgrading and modification of the accounting system The majority of the respondents have experience in the finance sector, and while most have access to training, there are little or no follow-up programmes by internal or external users of financial reports, such as shareholders, banks or the government. As a result, recommendations are made to develop short accounting programmes that will allow owners and accounting staff to gain practical experience in the financial reporting background, which will enable an increase in the level of understanding of financial reporting processes and usability of allocating financial information correctly.

M.Comm. / The study examines the impact of regulations on small businesses in the Republic of South Africa. It analyses the Small Business Development Policy of 1996 which categorised small businesses into micro, small, very small, and medium enterprises (SMMEs). This policy outlines the functions of the large number of small business support institutions such as Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, Khula Finance, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) institutions and the Gauteng Provincial SMME desks. Ntsika was formed in 1996 to implement the small business strategy. The institution provides non-financial support to small businesses through a number of programmes. These programmes include Tender Advise Centres and Manufacturing Centres. Khula Enterprise Promotion Agency was established in 1996 to provide loans and guarantees to small businesses in order to increase their access to finance through commercial banks. Khula manages a large number of programmes, namely, business loan schemes, guarantee schemes, Khula star funds and equity funds. The DTI provides a number of incentive schemes for registered small businesses. The DTI incentive schemes provide the necessary infrastructure and contribute towards increasing the performance in the small businesses sector. Small businesses face a large number of challenges such as the lack of competent human capital, low profit margins, inadequate financing, stiff competition from large monopolistic and well established businesses, inadequate marketing strategies, unfavourable policy and legal environment, lack of information about government support initiatives, and cyclical sensitivity of their products. The study concludes that there is a need for mentorship programmes in the small business sector in order to increase the success rate. More research is needed in the small business sector to create awareness about potential benefits accruing to the financial sector and the economy as a whole. More players are required in the commercial banking sector in order to enhance competition. The state should reduce barriers to entry into the banking and the SMME sector. Furthermore, the state should level the playing field to facilitate access of women to financial resources. These institutions must publish all their results regularly so that the success of their financing can be evaluated. Transparency is needed and non-performing loans must be reported to judge the small business support institutions.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Technology: Entrepreneurship, Durban Institute of Technology, 2011. / This study focused on a feasibility analysis of establishing entrepreneurs in the Bangladesh area of Chatsworth. Ute purpose of the research was to investigate strategies that would enable the development and promotion of entrepreneurship in the area, The researcher has noted from experience, living in an area contiguous to Bangladesh, that there is a serious shortcoming with regard to-entrepreneurial skills among people in depressed communities. The researcher needed to consider strategies of empowering them to earn a decent living. This research project looked at the Bangladesh area, which is indeed a very poor region in Chatsworth. Moreover, -the statement of purpose was to examine theoretical constructs related to entrepreneurship which would enable and empower depressed communities to become economically self-sufficient. In addition, the key objective of the study was to undertake an empirical investigation in the area of Bangladesh to determine the needs of the community with respect to development of entrepreneurship and to make recommendations for the economic upliftment of the community. The findings suggest that the people in the Bangladesh area want to embrace entrepreneurship. However, their main concerns are accessto finance, education and training. The existing small businesses in the area need financial assistance to grow and the people who want to start businesses need to have access to affordable finance. The present Government policy is to encourage the development of entrepreneurship both at community level and in educational provision. / M

Thesis (M.Com.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, School of Economic and Business Sciences, 2016. / Annually R3.9 billion is lost due to illness and absenteeism in South Africa. Fewer than half of the top 100 companies in South Africa offer employee wellness programmes. The objective of this study was to research and test two theories namely Porter’s shared value and Friedman’s profits maximisation argument. These two opposing academic theories postulate that small business managers should and should not respectively spend profits on employee well-being programmes. The research problem addressed by this research study was the lack of knowledge of the impact of well-being programmes on well-being cost to company in SMME in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality area. The aim of the study was to shed light on small businesses and employee well-being in terms of well-being cost to company and if it is considered a priority in today’s competitive economy. This study made use of a mixed-methods approach, and the population consisted of small businesses in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality area. The sampling technique made use of a non-random sampling method called quota sampling to obtain 30 interviews for the qualitative portion of Part One and 507 completed questionnaires for Part Two. The research instruments therefore included interviews for Part One and questionnaires for Part Two. This study’s findings supported literature that argues that most small business do not implement, or offer employee well-being programmes. The findings showed that a mere 13% of small business in the Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipalities offered any form of employee well-being program at work. Although formal employee well-being programmes were not a priority, management style and intervention was shown to decrease wellness cost to company. Factors such as assisting female staff with their multi-role commitments, increasing educational opportunities for unskilled staff and reducing the amount of overtime for employees was found to significantly reduce the hidden expense of well-being cost to company. This study finds in favour of literature that argues that the negative impact to the business that does not address concerns such as absenteeism, high staff turnover, lowered productivity and lowered staff satisfaction is very high. SMME are vital to South Africa because of their economic contributions which range from their ability to create jobs and contribute to GDP. Increasing awareness of hidden costs to the small business, such as wellness cost to company will go a long way to assist SMME in surviving tough economic conditions in the global economy. / MT2017

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2006 / The purpose of this study was to explore the challenges facing Mpumalanga Economic Empowerment Corporation (MEEC) in its quest to funding the emerging small enterprises in Mpumalanga. The study was conducted in 2004-2005, in the Nkangala District Municipality in Mpumalanga. Interviews were conducted amongst the existing clients of MEEC and its predecessors. Senior Managers and Operational staff were also interviewed in order to solicit the effectiveness of the tools used to granting loans and guarantees. The findings have since shown that there are operational challenges facing MEEC, which are in nature similar to those faced by a number of Development Finance Corporations in this country and around the globe as the benchmarks showed in the study. It was therefore important to undertake this study considering the need to improve the role played by MEEC and the approaches to be adopted in improving the course in which parastatals do business.

M. Tech. Entrepreneurship / Investigates the small and micro enterprises (SME) sector in Greater Giyani municipality, which is perceived as having no entrepreneurship support and limited economic activities. Furthermore, the study reported entrepreneurial support and the Small and Micro-enterprise (SME) developmental system which needs to be developed to address problems that hamper performance and development of the SME sector. These include: distance to market, a shortage of skills, poor infrastructure, and mostly a lack financial resource for small businesses.

M.Tech. Business Administration. Business School. / Literature suggests that there are three main theories that explore the rate of entrepreneurialism amongst immigrants: the middleman minority, the ethnic market niche and the ethnic enclave economy. Immigrant entrepreneurs tend to target markets that are abandoned or neglected by local entrepreneurs and large chain stores. As a result, immigrant entrepreneurs often occupy business premises that would otherwise have been left vacant, thus providing the owners of the premises with a return on their asset and other benefits to the local community in which these businesses operate. However, there are few studies that have considered the extent to which immigrants contribute to the local economy of Brits in particular and South Africa in general. The study drew parallels between what is deemed as Foreign Direct Investment by multinational enterprises, and the actions of immigrant entrepreneurs in establishing their businesses in a host country. However, there are other characteristics that are associated with immigrant entrepreneurship that are not synonymous with multinational cooperatives, such as contribution to the informal economy and unregulated business practices. The study evaluated the impact of this form of Foreign Direct Investment on the economy of Madibeng Municipality, specifically the town of Brits. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of small businesses owned by immigrant entrepreneurs on the local community of Brits. This impact was analysed by assessing the impact of these businesses on employment creation, revenue to the municipality and investment in real estate, and called micro Foreign Direct Investment by small owned by immigrant entrepreneurs.

M. Tech. Business Administration. / This study was conducted in order to identify and quantify factors that are responsible for the high rate of failure in SMMEs in the Vaal Triangle region. The study was based on a stratified random sample of size n=133. Stratified random sampling was used for collecting data by using a structured, pre-tested and validated questionnaire of study. Five strata were used (central, east, west, north and west) for conducting the study in the Vaal Triangle. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analyses were used in the study. The variables used for quantitative analysis were socioeconomic variables that were associated with the viability of SMMEs operating in the Vaal Triangle region of Gauteng Province.

The case of small medium and micro enterprises has been a major concern for the new government of South Africa. The subject is given attention from the president down wards. There are different programmes such as the Black Economic Empowerment and the Small Business Programme which the previously disadvantaged people benefit from. The government has made tremendous changes in the legal frame work of SMMEs. There are different agencies which provide comprehensive business support services to South African small businesses. Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency which was established by the Department of Trade and Industry{DTI) to provide an efficient and effective promotional and support services to SMME sector, the National Manufacturing Advisory Sector,(Namac)Trust which was established to implement the small enterprise support programme which include: the Manufacturing Advisory Center (MAC), the Business Referral and Information Network(BRAIN),the Franchise and Information Network(FRAIN) and the Community Public Private Partnership(CPPP) with the aim of supporting the integration of marginalized communities into the main stream economy. On Saturday 11 2004,when the President of South Africa signed the National Small Business Amendment Act, Act No.29 of2004 which brought the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) into being. There are also a number of loan schemes like Khula Enterprise Finance to increase access to finance to SMMEs. All these show how this sector is the buss word in the country. In spite of all the efforts done from the government, non- Governmental organisations and the private sector, there is still a problem on the sustainability of SMMEs. The purpose of this study is therefore to determine if the background characteristics of individuals contribute to the failure of SMMEs. Respondents had to provide information about their family background, educational level, experience, training, locus of control and motivation. The study revealed that the background characteristics of individuals affect the sustainability of SMMEs. Seventy five percent of respondents agreed to using external sources of funding to start their business while 25% do not agree on using external source of funding. This shows that 75% of the respondents are grant based SMMEs. Thirteen Percent of the respondents have been running their business for less than 6 months, 18% for more than 6 months but less than I year, 22% for more than one year but less than 2 years, 15% for more than 2 years but less than 3 years, and 31 % for more than 3 years. This is an indication that more than 53% of the SMMEs in the population tested have existed for a period of less than two years. This indicates that the majority of grant- based SMMEs are not sustainable in the Mafikeng geographical area. The study recommended that success/failure is not only a matter of money, rather it is mainly dependent on the personality /characteristic of those individuals which include education (subject matter and management skills), work experience, age, commitment, motivation, and locus of control. A combined effort from government, non- government organisations and the private sector in preparing the person through training, coaching and mentoring can enhance the sustainability of SMMEs. / (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2006

Thesis (Ph. D. (Political Studies))--Rhodes University, 1999.