M.Com. (Business Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Mémoire (M.P.M.O.)-- Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 1991. / Bibliogr.: f. 164-170. Document électronique également accessible en format PDF. CaQCU

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2016. / SMMEs have been touted as the major driver of any economy – they create jobs, reduce poverty level and generally improve the livelihood of a society. Even with these lofty advantages, SMMEs encounter numerous challenges. These range from lack of access to funding, poor education and understanding of small business management practices. Embedded in small business management practice, is the need to undertake proper marketing. Marketing has recently featured as one of the main challenges of small businesses. Lately several marketing channels have emerged in response to this challenge. These channels have been reported to have positive impact on the bottom line of businesses. This study sought to discover whether social media platforms are deployed within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape Province, South Africa, to enhance the growth of restaurants. The study was motivated by the lack of alternative marketing channels using social media platforms, especially in the hospitality industry in the Cape Metropole. Essentially, to achieve this aim, a survey was conducted of SMMEs with employment capacity of not more than 50 employees, specifically within the hospitality sector in the Cape Metropole. A quantitative methodology was applied, using a self-administered questionnaire, distributed to 100 SMMEs in the Cape Metropole. The method of data analysis was purposive. The findings of this research indicate that most of the sampled small businesses used social media platforms. The findings also suggest that SMMEs perceived social media to have moderately effective marketing tools, with WhatsApp as the most effective, followed by Facebook and Twitter. The findings suggest that most respondents used the platform to inform their clients about a business promotion; for new product marketing; for customer loyalty, and for socialising with clients. It was found that if the highest percentage, used for socialising, was then channelled towards strategic marketing, it would significantly boost small business marketing capabilities. This could fill the gap of sustainable marketing strategies.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are very important to employment creation, poverty alleviation and the sustainable economic development of a nation. Encouraging SMEs, especially start-ups is crucial for sustainable economic growth. However, the failure rate of start-up SMEs in South Africa is one of the highest in the world. In reviewing the literature of the causes of the failure of start-up SMEs, access to finance emerged as a prime challenge. Start-up SMEs find it very difficult to obtain external finance from commercial banks and venture capitalists. The national and provincial governments in South Africa have realised that access to finance is a major constraint to the growth and survival of start-up SMEs and have put in place certain measures to improve access to finance by start-up SMEs. One of the primary measures put in place by government to improve access to finance by start-up SMEs is the provision of Business Development Service by some government agencies. This research investigates the role of Business Development Services Providers (BDSs) in improving access to finance for start-up SMEs. Questions arise as to why the failure rate of start-up SMEs is high in South Africa despite all these government measures aimed at assisting start-ups to access finance. Empirical research was conducted to investigate the role of BDS in improving access to finance by start-up SMEs. The instrument used for data collection was the self-administered questionnaire. The statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, T-test, ANOVA, correlation and regression analysis. The Cronbach‟s alpha was used as a measure of reliability. The results of the study revealed that: Access to finance is still a major problem hindering the survival of start-up SMEs. There is a lack of awareness of BDS providers and their services by the majority of start-up SMEs. There is a significant positive relationship between the use of BDS by start-up SMEs and success in accessing finance. Start-up SMEs that are aware of BDS do make use of the services. The results suggest that BDS are important to improving access to finance by start-up SMEs. However, there is a need to build awareness and encourage the use of BDS by start-up SMEs to improve their access to finance and ultimately increase their chances of survival.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Marketing, Durban University of Technology, 2010. / Many researchers undertook research about small, medium and micro enterprise in South Africa. Although there are numerous articles and a lot of previous research surveys about SMMEs in South Africa, USA, UK, Taiwan, China, Australia and many other countries, no research has been done in South Africa with regard to the use of marketing strategies by SMMEs in rural areas with specific reference to KwaZulu-Natal rural areas. Therefore, the assumptions and the confusion that surrounds rural owners‘/managers‘ awareness, perceptions and the use of marketing strategies in their areas highlight the need and create interest for marketers to conduct more research on this particular area. There were number of other important reasons such as the failure rate of SMMEs, high rate of unemployment and the large numbers of people moving from South African rural to urban areas due to unemployment and poverty. The study was conducted within the rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal province, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The sample for the study consisted of 374 respondents of owners/managers of SMMEs. The respondents were selected using quota sampling. Respondents were required to complete a 10 page questionnaire with an interviewer present to assist. The overall aim of the study was to investigate and describe the use of marketing by SMMEs, in order to identify factors influencing the possible insufficient use of marketing, so as to improve rural SMME marketing, and thus reduce SMME failure. The results of the research revealed that there was a lack of marketing knowledge and expertise and limited use of marketing strategies by the owners/managers of the rural SMMEs. There were also some external and internal factors contributing to the use of marketing strategies by the rural SMMEs. This means that marketers in South Africa cannot simply apply the marketing strategies and marketing theories in this situation. It is also important for marketers to conduct more specific research studies to determine the suitable marketing strategies for the rural businesses, as the rural situation is different from the urban situation. / Durban University of Technology.

Dagens digitala teknologi och sociala medier har alltmer satt sin prägel inom handeln och detta beror främst på att majoriteten människor idag har en smartphone där man ständigt är uppkopplad och aktiv inom sociala medier. Sociala medier används idag även av de flesta handelsföretag inom detaljhandeln och fungerar som en plattform där man kan nå ut till en större och bredare publik. Trenden växer och yttrar sig i att fler plattformar bildas och därav sätter press på småföretag för att kunna sticka ut bland mängden. I detta skede blir det därför allt viktigare för småföretag att vara aktiva på sociala medier för att väcka ett behov hos kunderna och fånga upp deras intresse vilket kan göras genom att publicera en variation av aktiviteter. Aktiviteterna kan inkludera marknadsföring med senaste nyheter och trender, tävlingar och även personliga inlägg. Detta engagemang ska fungera som en vägledning för att sedan locka och leda sina följare in till den fysiska butiken eftersom det är där köpet genomförs. Studien har utformats via en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med en abduktiv ansats som utgångspunkt. Studien innefattade totalt sex intervjuer varav fem av de var fysiskt på plats medan den sjätte var via telefon. Intervjuerna bidrog med det empiriska materialet i syfte att kunna få fram en analys där vi jämförde den teoretiska referensramen med det empiriska materialet. Ur analysen kunde vi se ett samband och resonerade fram vilka aspekter som sociala medier bidrog med för småföretag när de ska kommunicera sina aktiviteter och locka kunderna in till den fysiska butiken. Resultatet av studien yttrade sig i att sociala medier är ett viktigt hjälpmedel för småföretag då det inkluderar en gratis marknadsföring och att man kan nå ut till fler kunder och även utanför det geografiska området butiken befinner sig i. Kommunikation, interaktion och respons är viktiga faktorer för småföretag när de ska eller etablerar sig via sociala medieplattformar. Studiens resultat redogör även för småföretag vikten av att ständigt vara aktiv på sociala medier, publicera varierande aktiviteter, engagera sig i kunder genom att interagera och få feedback. När dessa aspekter interagerar ökar chansen för företagen att bygga långsiktiga kundrelationer. / Today's digital technology and social media have increasingly left their mark on commerce and this is mainly due to the fact that the majority of people today have a smartphone where they are constantly connected and active in social media. Today, social media is also used by most retail companies in the retail trade and acts as a platform where you can reach a larger and wider audience. The trend is growing and is reflected in the fact that more platforms are being formed and as a result put pressure on small companies to be able to stand out among the crowd. At this stage, it therefore becomes increasingly important for small companies to be active on social media in order to arouse a need in customers and capture their interest, which can be done by publishing a variety of activities. Activities can include marketing with the latest news and trends, contests and even personal posts. This commitment should serve as a guide to then attract and lead their followers into the physical store because that is where the purchase is made. The study has been designed via a qualitative research method with an abductive approach as a starting point. The study included a total of six interviews, five of which were physically in place while the sixth was by telephone. The interviews contributed with the empirical material in order to be able to obtain an analysis in which we compared the theoretical frame of reference with the empirical material. From the analysis, we could see a connection and reasoned out which aspects social media contributed to small companies when they have to communicate their activities and attract customers to the physical store. The result of the study was that social media is an important tool for small businesses as it includes free marketing and that you can reach more customers and also outside the geographical area the store is in. Communication, interaction and response are important factors for small businesses when they are going or establishing themselves via socialmedia platforms. The results of the study also explain to small companies the importance of being constantly active on social media, publishing various activities, engaging with customers by interacting and receiving feedback. When these aspects interact, companies' chances of building long-term customer relationships increase.

Thesis (D. Tech. (Business Administration )) - Central University of Technology, Free State / The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which certain selected factors serve as drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses (SABs) in two developing economies in Southern Africa namely South Africa and Zimbabwe with the ultimate aim of assisting policy makers and support agencies in formulating innovation oriented strategies for the sector. Two samples were randomly selected from SABs in Zimbabwe and South Africa- two neighbouring Southern African countries. Parametric tests which include t-tests and one-way ANOVAs as well as Bonferonni tests as post-hoc measures were used to test whether SAB propensity to engage in different dimensions of innovation differs by gender; firm size, owner-managers’ years of experience and level of education respectively. Pearson Product Moment Correlations were employed to assess the relationships between market orientation, learning orientation and innovation while Chi-square tests were performed to establish the inter-relationships between independent demographic variables, namely age, gender, education and work experience. In order to investigate whether there are any significant interaction effects between the age of the respondents and their experience in the accommodation sector on each of the five innovation measures, a series of two-way ANOVA tests were performed. Lastly, regression analysis was used to determine the relative efficacy of market orientation (MO), learning orientation (LO) and country in predicting innovation in a business. The results demonstrate that unlike firm size, gender and level of education, which have no association with innovation, there is a strong association between market orientation, learning orientation, owner/managers age and experience and innovation in the two countries. This positive association implies that SABs that are committed to, listen attentively to and learn proactively about their customers’ needs and expectations are better inclined to engage in all the different dimensions of innovation (product/service, process, marketing and organisational) than their counterparts who do not engage in these activities. Among other drivers of innovation, market orientation emerged as the main predictor implying that SABs that invest more in marketing tend to be better innovators than those that invest in learning irrespective of their country of operation. The study also revealed that younger owner/managers of SABs tend to be more innovative than their older, experienced counterparts. The study makes an important contribution to literature on the drivers of innovation in small accommodation businesses in developing economies by dispelling firm size, gender and level of education which were regarded as drivers of innovation across industries previously. Practice and policy wise, the study led to the development of a conceptual framework for investigating how best to drive innovation in local SABs in order to make them more competitive, survive and grow in the face of competition from large accommodation businesses that often happen to be multinational.

Surviving past the first year of operation is a growing concern for independent, full-service restaurants. Some restaurant leaders lack the marketing strategies necessary to develop a loyal customer base and survive beyond the first year of operation. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the marketing strategies that independent, family-oriented, full-service restaurant leaders located in the Pittsburgh, PA, metro area in business for at least 5 years have used to develop their customer base during the first year of operation. This study was guided by the 7Ps of marketing theory, which emphasizes how people, including customers and employees, influence the marketing process. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews with 3 restaurant leaders and secondary documentation that included marketing and business strategies, customer base data, and profitability records during the first year of operation. Data were analyzed using a comparison analysis method to establish 3 emergent themes: immediate influence of word of mouth, power of consumer-driven marketing and social media, and the need for an integrated marketing mix. Findings indicate that these family-oriented, full-service restaurants were able to develop a customer base during their first year of business by integrating marketing strategies including word of mouth, social media, and limited print advertising. This study could assist these restaurant leaders in creating best practices for developing a customer base and surviving past the first year of operation. The implications for positive social change include the potential to empower restaurant leaders to engage in cause-related marketing, increase viability in local communities, and promote development of independent restaurants and small businesses.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Masters in Management Sciences (Marketing), Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are known to be important for the development of economies in developing countries. This is so because SMEs create jobs therefore reducing unemployment and alleviating poverty. The South African government has done a lot to help SMEs grow and become established businesses. They offer, among other things, financial assistance and expert advice in the field of marketing, technology and venturing into foreign markets (SEDA, 2014). However, it seems that it is difficult for SMEs to establish themselves in the different sectors such as the Manufacturing, Retail, Service, Financial and Agricultural sectors. They complain among other things, of financial constraints and the global economic crisis (NCR report 2011). Olawale and Garwe (2010) go on to say that, SMEs in South Africa have a high failure rate compared to other countries and only about 7% of new SMEs become fully established firms. The reason for this might be the inability of those firms to utilise marketing and in particular branding to market their firms. Branding is the process of stamping a product, which the marketer offers with some identifying name, mark or a combination of both (Sawant 2012). Thus branding creates individuality in the product or service offered facilitating it to be distinguished and recognised in the market from competitors. For this reason different aspects of branding especially brand dimensions will be explored to identify shortcoming of SMEs branding practices to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study involved SMEs in KwaZulu Natal in the manufacturing, retail, agriculture and financial services sectors. To address the research problem a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches were used. Participants, more specifically those from the very small SME category, were selected and questionnaires were distributed to them. Those participants who responded to the questionnaire, in depth interviews were held with them. In both approaches a convenient samplings technique were used to select participants. The data will be analysed by using normal descriptive statistics and content analysis. The problem under investigation in this study is that SMEs in KZN may lack the ability to harness branding in support of their business survival. SMEs are limited financially when it comes to creating a brand. Randall (2000) says that companies face a number of challenges when it comes to creating a brand such as mature markets, brand proliferation, consumer revolt, management failure, fragmentation of media and retailer power. The contribution of the study is to help SMEs in KZN to understand branding and especially brand dimensions to assist them survive the dynamic business environment. The study found that SME owners have an understanding of brand creation and management. However, they agreed that more needs to be done when it comes to creating strong brands. SMEs express the brand dimension of sincerity and competence when branding their products. They face financial constraints, lack of creativity and competition as some of the challenges when it comes to creating brands. / M

The study aimed to determine the marketing communication methods used by Namibian clothing and textile SMEs operating from Katutura and Khomasdal Incubation Centres. A quantitative methodological approach was followed in this study. The sample comprised 45 SMEs with business operations at Katutura and Khomasdal Incubation Centres. A simple random sampling method was selected as the researcher made use of an SME name list provided by the City of Windhoek. A structured questionnaire was used to collect research data. Cross tabulations, correlations and descriptive analyses were used to analyse the research results. The research indicated that the top five most regularly used marketing communication methods are direct sales, „word-of-mouth‟, point-of-sale materials, networking, and newspaper advertisement. The least regularly used marketing communication methods are YouTube, television, direct mail, press releases and coupons/vouchers. Networking was the second most important and effective marketing communication method. Trade shows was the third most-preferred marketing communication method and the reasons advanced were „it gives me the opportunity to talk to and interact with my customers‟. It is recommended that the City of Windhoek should create incentives for current SMEs operating from Katutura and Khomasdal Incubation Centre to leave the incubation centre for new upcoming SMEs. Further research is necessary to establish the reasons why SMEs do not grow as expected and graduate from the incubation centres. Further research is also necessary to determine challenges faced by Namibian SMEs when considering which marketing communication methods to use. The conducted research recommends that different media houses be approached to design and determine special marketing packages for SMEs. Special SME development or advert sections can be negotiated with newspaper outlets. The major limitation of this study was that it was confined to clothing and textile manufacturing businesses. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)