The major aims of this research are to explore and analyse the different factors affecting the adoption of Electronic Marketing (E-Marketing) by industrial and trading small business enterprises (SBEs); to explore the different forms, implementation levels and tools of E-Marketing used by these SBE and to investigate the relationship between E-Marketing adoption and industrial and trading SBEs marketing performance. It aims to develop a theoretical model that can help to understand and interpret these relationships and seeks to evaluate the potential of E-Marketing for SBEs in developed countries (UK) and developing countries (Egypt). This work builds on previous research in the fields of E-marketing and SBEs and adds to the relatively limited empirical research that has been conducted on E-Marketing in a small business context. This research develops and validates a conceptual model based on systematic and in-depth analysis of the literature in the field as well as the results of two exploratory studies conducted in Egypt and UK. It utilises a post-positivist research philosophy with a triangulation approach, in which quantitative and qualitative data is collected based on survey strategy through questionnaires, focus group and semi-structured interviews to address different levels of the study. Even though triangulation requires a commitment to greater amounts of effort, time and funds, it has the advantage of removing the bias that is often associated with the use of a single technique. This research finds that E-Marketing adoption by SBEs is significantly affected by their perception of E-Marketing relative advantage (usefulness), ease of use, compatibility as well as the SBE internal factors such as owner skills and support, available resources, organisational culture, type of products, international orientation and SBE size. On the other hand, the SBE internal factors have a positive direct impact on Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Innovation Diffusion Theory (IDT) related factors such as perceived ease of use, perceived relative advantage and perceived compatibility. These findings indicate that Internet Marketing and E-Mail Marketing are the most commonly used E-Marketing tools and that E-Marketing adoption has a strong positive impact on current and future marketing performance of SBEs. In terms of contribution to knowledge, this study provides an insight for entrepreneurs, policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and educators by providing a clearer view and deep understanding of the issues related to E-Marketing adoption and practices by small business enterprises as opposed to large companies. It addresses some research gaps in the field, particularly in terms of the impact of E-Marketing on marketing performance. The research model has been tested by a major survey of UK SBEs with a response rate of 32%, and has been robustly tested for reliability and validity. Moreover, the exploratory survey in Egypt indicated that there is another rich seam for investigation in terms of E-Marketing in developing countries. Overall the theory in the field of E-Marketing is still in its infancy stage and is not yet well established. This study can be considered as a step towards theory building in the field of E-marketing and has brought to light a number of concepts for the practice of E-Marketing by SBEs.

Dissertation submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) In the faculty of Business At Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2012 / As markets and businesses become more dynamic, administrative and technical skills of entrepreneurs are no longer sufficient to deal with the complexities of modern business management. Businesses wishing to compete at a world-class level must improve the way they interact and deal with the demands of the different stakeholders. One way to do this, is to develop and sustain relationships amongst the network of stakeholders that have the potential to assist in their development, survival and growth. Studies suggest that even if a business does not want to use relationships as a strategy for competing it still has to consider the complexity and connectedness of the marketplace in which it operates. The variety of networks any business finds itself in, requires a strategic perspective, at least to deter it from failing. This study attempted to outline the role played by business relationships in the success of businesses in the communities of Imizamo Yethu, Harbour and the Central Business District in Hout Bay. This research was designed to outline the importance of creating and maintaining a relationship with all stakeholders. The overall approach of this research is guided by the principle that the success of businesses in these communities is driven by the interrelationship between the business owner (as the decision-maker), the employees and the surrounding households (the immediate customers). The research provides guidelines for the business owners on the attributes they should possess in order to maintain these relationships. A relationship survey was designed for the three groups of participants. The information gained from this survey enabled the researcher to report on the nature of these relationships and the role these relationships play in the success of businesses in Hout Bay. The findings of the research were positive: meaning good relationships do exist in the majority of businesses in the community. The comments provided by the owners, staff and surrounding community, together with literature references, provided the researcher the opportunity to discuss the role these relationships have played in achieving success.

Thesis (MTech (Business Information Systems))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2005 / The Internet was functioning on Internet protocol (IP) and transmission control protocol (TCP) in the 1970s and soon afterwards electronic mail (email) was invented allowing messages to be sent from one person to another using packet switch services (PSS). However email did not form an information space for information to permanently exist. The World Wide Web (Web) arrived in the late 1980s, riding on top of the Internet providing a global and persistent information space available to everyone. This information space has assisted in small business facing dramatic change, often referred to as the 'e-commerce evolution'. Compared to the industrial revolution with the advent of the railways and electricity the magnitude of ecommerce is no less. Advances in the information technology (or e-comrnerce elements) and the use of Information systems (or applications) are the main drivers behind this e-commerce evolution. Some authors believe all businesses will be equal in the utilisation of e-commerce eroding any competitive advantage the one may have over the other. The 'digital economy' is now available with the explosive popularity of the Internet and the Web as seminal applications of e-commerce. In South Africa the maturity level of e-commerce adoption has increased from skepticism to positivism since the world wide availability of the Internet. Although e-commerce has generated a profusion of articles in South Africa, there has been a lack of research into the effects and benefits of e-commerce utilisation by small business. Various elements of e-commerce are explored highlighting the suitability of use towards a small business. This stUdy will explain the fundamentals that small business owners will need to understand to enable them to knowledgably participate in the global phenomenon of e-commerce. Authors nationally and internationally have explored the applications of e-commerce for example email and electronic data interchange (EDI).

Global Alliance of Marketing and Management Associations (GAMMA). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of employees’ extra-role behaviors on desired organizational outcomes in sport. An assessment of innovative work behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors of Minor League Baseball team front office employees was conducted as organizations planned for an upcoming season. An empirical model controlling for extraneous factors was developed and tested. Results revealed organizational citizenship behaviors of front office employees positively affected attendance during the season for Triple-A and Double-A level franchises. No significant effects between employees’ organizational citizenship and team attendance was seen in lower level teams. Employees’ innovative work behaviors were not significantly related to team attendance. The current study indicates that these sport organizations may not be benefitting from the behaviors it celebrates in its employees, namely the extra role behaviors. This study has demonstrated that context specific factors can substantially alter expected employee and organizational behaviors.

Thesis (MDF)--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) play an important role in the economic growth and development of any economy. They contribute to the goals of growth, equity, job creation and poverty reduction in different ways. Given the importance of the SMME sector, governments throughout the world including the South African government, have focused their attention on the development of this sector to promote economic growth, income distribution and employment opportunities. Most SMMEs in South Africa fail due to a variety of reasons, including a lack of access to markets, which is one of the critical factors for the survival and growth of SMMEs. The government of South Africa has introduced the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (Act 5 of 2000) to address the challenge of market access for SMMEs. The Act is aimed at utilising the purchasing power of government as an instrument of SMME development. SMMEs, especially those owned by historically disadvantaged individuals, are afforded an opportunity to access markets they would otherwise find difficult to penetrate. Given the importance of access to markets to SMMES, the study seeks to analyse the role of preferential procurement in Local Government with specific reference to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), as an instrument of promoting the development of historically disadvantaged SMMEs in South Africa.

THESIS Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree MAGISTER TECHNOLOGIAE in BUSINESS INFORMATION SYSTEMS in the FACULTY OF BUSINESS INFORMATICS at the CAPE PENINSULA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY 2006 / E-commerce improves value chain integration, enables customisation and also provides smaller companies opportunity to reach customers worldwide. However e-commerce poses challenges to companies, including how to approach e-commerce to gain competitive advantage. Although a number of studies report on e-commerce adoption, these do not provide clear guidelines to determine how SMMEs should progress or move into e-commerce adoption. The aim of this research study is to examine the various available approaches and propose a model to assist SMMEs to determine how to start e-commerce adoption. Findings from this research study indicate that a small percentage of SMMEs are selling online in the Western Cape and realizing benefits derived from ecommerce adoption. The SMMEs interviewed followed an “adoption ladder” approach to e-commerce adoption, however, some had the perception that with maturity of e-commerce, a “managed strategic” approach would be possible. In conclusion the research study proposes a model to assist SMMEs to progress into e-commerce adoption, illustrating two available approaches.

Small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) play an important part in all economies but particularly in developing economies. Growth 'SMMEs seek to grow either in size, revenue and/or asset value by reinvesting available resources; these enterprises tend to spend their available resources on operational when it comes to information and communication technology (ICT). But these systems, whilst necessary are not sufficient. They are geared toward capturing data but not producing information. Business intelligence (BI) can provide decision-makers, who in SMMEs are predominantly owner-managers, with access to information that enables them to make informed decisions on where to apply limited resources. Because BI requires operational systems to be in place to gather the data it is the logical next step. Despite increasing discussion in the press and amongst BI practitioners, academic research with regard to BI in SMMEs remains sparse. Since the potential contribution of BI to SMMEs can only be assessed by first understanding current information practices and needs in such enterprises, the purpose of this study is to explore the use of use of BI to support strategic, tactical and operational decision-making. This research uses an interpretive approach to collect data using semi-structured interviews from the owner-managers of six knowledge-based growth SMMEs in South Africa selected through purposive sampling. The research results suggest that BI can play an important role in knowledge-based growth SMMEs but that support and guidance is needed to ensure that BI is used appropriately to fully exploit available data for decision-making in addition to expanding available data sources. Future research can adopt a more rigorous positivist approach to confirm the findings of this study, expand the population to other sectors in South Africa and/or SMMEs in other countries. An action research methodology can also be used to apply BI interventions in SMMEs to investigate specific BI solutions in-depth. The research may be of value to participating and other SMME owner-managers, policy makers, government agencies, business advisers, and academic researchers. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Information Science / unrestricted