This research focuses on the degree of implementation of modularity and module supply by the automobile manufacturers in South Africa and the benefits they experience. Special attention was paid to the effect the modularity has on the local supplier base and the ability of small South African companies to support this supply concept. Lastly the factors influencing the car manufacturers’ outsourcing decision process was uncovered. The semi-structured face to face interviews with representatives of all light vehicle manufacturing companies operating in South Africa provided rich data for setting the background for further quantitative researches. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The use of mobile technologies has permeated the business arena rapidly over the last decade. Research has been conducted to understand the nature of these mobile technologies and their adoption into business. With the ever growing importance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in countries such as South Africa, there is need to better understand the impact of mobile technologies on SMEs. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of mobile technologies on the business models of SMEs. A theoretical definition of a business model is used to understand the impact of mobile technologies on the customer value proposition, the profit formula, key resources and the value chain of SMEs. The study takes into account some of the challenges that SMEs face, namely limited resources, low levels of productivity and small management teams. SMEs registered with the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business (PCB) are used as a sample to assess the impact of mobile technologies. The results show that mobile technologies have a significant impact on the profit formula and certain aspects of key resources. Specifically, mobile technologies are used to firstly cut costs and then to enhance the utilisation of assets, improve knowledge management while ensuring adequate governance structures. The outcome of this study can be used by SMEs to plan for the adoption of mobile technologies and measure their impact on the business. Mobile technology companies can consider the development of mobile technologies tailored for the SME environment. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019 / The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of insufficient business planning and good management of SMEs in Gabon have on SMEs’ to survive and grow. Thus, the study examined the relationship between business strategies and SMEs’ organisational sustainability in Libreville (Gabon).The study was a descriptive one which made use of positivist philosophy and adopted quantitative approach. As such a questionnaire which was designed from themes extracted from literature survey was used to gather data from a sample of 30 SMEs. The findings indicated that the lack of business strategy encountered in SMEs in Libreville lead partly to the failure or setbacks of the operation of the organisations. Most common reasons of the failure of SMEs were related to the absence of business plan, the lack of leadership, and lack of appropriate management system. The recommendations are to improve the SMEs in terms of good leadership, importance of business plan, management control system; strategic business management, organisation and employees performance. It further revealed that for the purpose of organisational sustainability, business strategies are regarded as critical aspects to consider for avoiding non-conformances while running businesses. The significance of the study is the framework to identify and optimise business strategies in order to promote successfully SMEs. The study shows the interest of owners of SMEs to set up appropriate business strategies.

This work seeks to explore the critical success factors that influence the success of Indian small business owners in the Tshwane area. To achieve this, the objective of the study is to confirm whether there are significant differences between a successful and less successful group of business owners in terms of general management skills, personal characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation and financing of the business. Through an analysis of theoretical information and empirical results it is possible to facilitate a better understanding of how Indian entrepreneurs operating in small and medium enterprises sustain success, thus enabling learnings that contribute to the body of knowledge relating to entrepreneurship development in South Africa. From the literature it became clear that cultural dimensions have an impact on the entrepreneurial process. The arrival of Indians to South Africa has also contributed to the Indian culture. The characteristics that describe ethnic entrepreneurs and success factors attributed to their success is described. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for the development of any country as they offer benefits of economic growth and employment generation. The success factors to sustain SMEs are also described. Data was collected from respondents by means of a convenience sample using a structured questionnaire consisting of 28 questions. A total of 106 useable questionnaires were returned, which were then classified into a successful and less successful group, based on the criteria of annual turnover and employment growth. The classification process resulted in the successful group containing 38 respondents while the less successful group contained 49 respondents. The findings of the study indicate that there are no significant differences between the comparable groups in relation to management skills and finance factors. There are, however, significant differences relating to personal factors, such as the level of education, family support and experience. Finally, an important learning is that the Indian entrepreneurs in this study are similar to ethnic entrepreneurs reviewed in literature. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

No / In most countries, statistics show that 99% of businesses are classified as ?small businesses?. In the UK alone, 99.8% of businesses employ less than 250 staff and these companies contribute more than a half of the UK's turnover. This new textbook goes where other strategic management texts have not and focuses on these small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), rather than focussing on large corporations and the actions of their CEOs. The authors consider how managers of small firms perceive the processes associated with strategic management, what decisions and actions they adopt to ensure competitive advantage, how business strategies are formulated and implemented in SMEs, and what the strategic role of entrepreneurship within small businesses is. They also discuss how SMEs should act for maximum competitive advantage, and consider the ?gap? between ideal theory and practice. This unique textbook will be essential for students on Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise modules at undergraduate and Masters level, and will also be useful on core modules in Strategy, Business Policy and Strategic Management at all levels.

This paper investigates the international entrepreneurial behaviour of Mittelstand firms (German small and medium sized enterprises). Analysis of a survey of the international marketing strategies of Mittelstand firms revealed three clusters of firms, two that had below and one above average international activities. None of the clusters displayed born global type of internationalisation processes. However, this does not mean that they adopt passive approaches to internationalisation. The results suggest that Mittelstand firms engage in entrepreneurial behaviour that is proactive and innovative but which is cautious, sequential, and risk adverse. The implications of this analysis for future research in the area of international entrepreneurship are considered.

Yes / Entrepreneurship in small- and medium-sized enterprises are significant contributors to economic development. The purpose of this research is to examine the extent and motives for the use of informal training in Chinese SMEs. Using case studies, we found that informal training is widely used and generally accepted in Chinese SMEs. We also uncovered three separate categories on the motives for SMEs in adopting informal training based on the financial and time constraints they face, the perceived outcomes of training activities in terms of organisational performance, employee turnover, and the development of guanxi and positive team cohesion, as well as the attitudinal aspects of both managers and employees that influence their intentions in adopting a specific training approach. Our study contributes to the literature of HRM in Asia, and has important implications for the government and institutions in emerging countries to support entrepreneurship and SMEs.

This Master Thesis is focused on the topic of internationalization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The main goal of this thesis was to find out if the czech SMEs are able to participate in international trade, how can they achieve that and if the provided support of SMEs is sufficient. The theoretical part describes the term small and medium-sized enterprises, its specifics, significance and the evolution of the SME sector in Czech Republic. The theoretical part further deals with particular aspects of internationalization and with the quality of the provided support of SMEs in Czech Republic. The practical part was realized in the form of semistructured interview with a owner of Simplejohn, inc and the main goal of it was to verify the conclusions reached in the theoretical part.

The restaurant industry plays an essential role in the U.S. economy. Approximately 26% of small- and medium-sized enterprise restaurants fail during their first year of business operation and 60% cannot sustain beyond 3 years. The objective of this multiple case study was to explore the strategies that small- and medium-sized restaurant owners used to financially sustain business beyond 5 years. The purposive sample consisted of 4 successful restaurant owners who have been in operation for at least 5 years in the southern region of the United States. The general systems theory was the conceptual framework of this study. The data were collected from semistructured interviews, cash flow statement, and profit and loss statements. Member checking and transcript review were used to strengthen the credibility and trustworthiness. The 3 themes that emerged from methodological triangulation after completing the Yin's 5 steps of data analysis were market research, great customer service, and having passion. The findings of this study might serve as a guide for current and future SME restaurant owners to financially sustain business beyond 5 years. The findings of the study may contribute to social change as successful small- and medium-sized enterprise restaurant owners would help address unemployment issues by generating additional jobs and building wealth for themselves, their employees, communities, and the local economy.

Strategy involvement of boards in small and medium-sized businesses has not been given adequate focus in contemporary research. The main concern has been on exploring the phenomenon in large corporations, which means that the field remains fairly unexplored. The purpose of this study is two folded. Firstly we want to understand what obstacles boards of small and medium-sized businesses face for strategy involvement. Secondly we want to generate new insights and knowledge about how these obstacles can be tackled. In order to accomplish these goals we assume the following two research questions: Research Question 1: Are there any obstacles in the way for strategy involvement of boards in small and medium-sized businesses? Research Question 2: What solutions are there to overcome these obstacles for strategy involvement of boards in small and medium-sized businesses? The first question aims to explore and map potential obstacles for strategy involvement, whereas the second question addresses potential solutions. By utilizing a qualitative approach and interviews we want to better understand the context. Our goal of using this method was to reveal motives and opinions to get a better understanding of how small and medium-sized businesses deal with strategy issues. The participants held various positions within small and medium-sized businesses in Sweden. CEOs, directors and busy directors participated in semi-structured interviews. This study is based upon two frameworks. Firstly we constructed an obstacle framework consisting of five obstacles derived from existing literature. Secondly we made a solution framework, which includes potential solutions connected to the obstacles, also derived from contemporary research. These two frameworks were then used to see what opinions our participants held about them. The data were analyzed by performing a thematic analysis. The idea of using this technique was to identify themes participants held in common. We found some patterns among the respondents which led us to revise both of the frameworks. The main finding of this study is that the presence of a board role conflict seems to be very limited in the context of small and medium-sized businesses. We furthermore found that there are differences in how to solve obstacles in regards to firm size. Two of the suggested solution in existing literature was found to be irrelevant for small and medium-sized businesses. Namely that it is not necessary to get CEOs to embrace strategy involvement, and stopping CEOs from handing over deceiving information is not solved by changing incentives. We also found patterns of two new solutions which were added in the revised solution framework. The first solution involves having regular strategy sessions and meetings. The second solution suggests that it can be advantageous to replace directors uncommitted to strategizing.