The study examines the relationships between the financial sector and small businesses, and the small business policy framework in South Africa. The study also measures the perception of the Business Chambers and Commercial Banks on the effectiveness of financial sector support to small businesses in the Gauteng area through a questionnaire. The Small Business Development Policy of 1996 outlines the functions of various small business support institutions such as Ntsika Enterprise Promotion Agency, Khula Finance Ltd, the DTI institutions and the Provincial SMME Desks. Ntsika was established in 1996 to implement the national small business strategy. It provides non-financial support to small businesses through a number of programmes including Local Business Service Centres (LBSC), Tender Advice Centres (TAC), and Manufacturing Advice Centres (MAC). These non-financial support services are essential for creating access and utilisation of financial resources. Khula was also established in 1996 to provide loan guarantees to small businesses in order to increase their access to finance through commercial banks. Khula manages a number of programmes namely business loan schemes, guarantee schemes, Khula start funds and equity funds. Khula guarantees 80 percent while commercial banks bear 20 percent of the risk. This has enabled small business without collateral to have access to financial resources. The DTI provides a number of incentive schemes for registered small businesses, namely, Standard Leased Factory Building Scheme (SLFBS), Small and Medium Manufacturing Development Programme (SMEDP), Economic Empowerment Scheme (EES), Venture Capital Scheme (VCS), Normal Finance Scheme (NFS), Import Finance Scheme (IFS), Short-term Export Finance Guarantee Facility (STEFGF), and Export Marketing and Investment Assistance Scheme (EMIA). The Provincial SMME desks are established to represent the interests of small businesses and to contribute to the implementation of the national small business strategy. The DTI incentive schemes provide the necessary infrastructure and contribute towards increasing the performance in the small businesses sector. The small business support programmes are evaluated using a number of criteria, namely, the small entrepreneurs’ awareness of the programmes, if small businesses ever approached these schemes, if small businesses received assistance, what quality of assistance was offered, the cost of assistance, employment creation, poverty alleviation and economic empowerment. Small businesses face a number of challenges such as the lack of competent human resources, 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, cyclical sensitivity of their products, and high inflation rates. The selection criteria of commercial banks is based on factors such as whether or not the borrower is organised and knowledgeable, his competence in terms of understanding accounting, management, and financial and marketing aspects of the business, the borrower’s character, his capability, capital contribution, credit rating, insurance coverage, and collateral pledged, the purpose of the loan, local economic conditions, and the length of lending relationship. However, in South Africa lending criteria is more inclined towards the ability to pledge collateral instead of the viability of the project being financed. Commercial banks face a number of risks when lending to small businesses. The most common risk is the credit risk which results from the inability of the small businesses to honour their financial obligations. High failure rate in the small business sector also contribute towards high credit risk to commercial banks. The study concludes that there is a need for mentorship programmes in the small business sector in order to increase the success rate. The government should also assist commercial banks to reduce their stringent requirements in order to accommodate small businesses. Viability based lending is recommended. The government should facilitate provision of non-financial services in order to address internal incapacities of small businesses. More research is required 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 government should reduce barriers to entry into the banking sector. The government should educate the population on the importance of personal savings in order to reduce over-dependence on financing from commercial banking sector. Women are still marginalised in terms of accessing funds from commercial banks. However, they have low rate of default and pose lower credit risk to commercial banks. The government should level the playing field to facilitate access of women to financial resources. / Prof. R.R. Mears Mrs. J.M.M. Viljoen.

D. Comm. / Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) form the majority of enterprises in the South African economy. The South African government has identified the SMME sector as one of the potential enablers to achieve its objectives of improving job creation opportunities, reducing poverty and creating a more equitable distribution of wealth.

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 thesis involves an examination of the internationalisation process of the smaller craft firm in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Sectoral analysis was carried out in order to determine historical precedents as well as the identification of industry and firm level factors impinging upon domestic and export market behaviour. Key findings at this stage included the fact that the majority of craft firms could be classified as small and that they impact economically at both domestic and international level. The majority of existing craft sector research is practitioner specific, with little evidence of theoretical rigour. Following this, a range of internationalisation theories were discussed, from their historical provenance in economic trade theory to the more recent developments concerning the impact of technology and networking. It was concluded that the majority of these frameworks fail to readily explain smaller firm internationalisation behaviour. The research methodology followed was pluralistic in nature, given that the majority of existing internationalisation studies follow the quantitative method and are generally replicative. It was believed that by adopting both quantitative and qualitative methods, a richer amount of data would be obtained in order to generate an improved understanding of smaller firm internationalisation. Research propositions centred on the belief that investigation of the sector would uncover a number of internal and external impinging factors which were specific to the craft firm. Future modelling of the internationalisation process would need to account for situation specific factors, instead of attempting to offer a generic interpretation of the process. Quantitative results identified the majority of firms as microenterprises with trade fairs and networking shown to be the most effective forms of export marketing research and methods of entry into international markets. The main export markets were identified as other European Union countries and North America. The only significant differences among export groups from the five countries surveyed related to the Far East as an export market destination. Qualitative results generally supported the quantitative findings and, in addition, enabled profiling of craft firm types to be carried out. Four orientations were uncovered: the entrepreneur, the idealist, the lifestyler and the latecomer. Exporting behaviour was also found to be affected by the cultural background of the owner/manager. Comparison of the results with existing literature facilitated the construction of frameworks relating to smaller craft firm internationalisation behaviour, performance and success. Interpretation of these factors was found to vary depending on owner/manager orientation. A number of theoretical implications were presented, including the promotion of the belief that the emerging marketing and entrepreneurship paradigm provides additional understanding to smaller craft firm internationalisation. A composite framework of the various factors uncovered in the analysis was constructed. Practical implications include the belief that, instead of support organisations offering generic exporting advice, sector specific information and support is more beneficial to encouraging future exporting success. It was recognised that future comparative research examining internationalisation behaviour of craft firms of various sizes, as well as assessing consumption issues relating to the craft product, would prove valuable in additional knowledge contribution.

Submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Management, Durban University of Technology, 2009. / The purpose of this study is to identify the influence of customer-supplier relationships through facilitation of credit on the development of Micro enterprises in the Sobonakhona Makhanya Tribal Area of KZN. This study originates from the fact that there are many SMME‟s in South Africa, absorbing about 15 million people (DTI, 1995:7). Even though this sector is providing most of the employment in the country, they still find it difficult to arrange funds to start or expand their businesses. Lending institutions do not want to provide finance for them, and if they do, they do it with reluctance and reservations. As a result, SMME‟s are not able to grow and develop into big businesses. This is a quantitative and exploratory research study which was used to explore, for the first time in Sobonakhona Makhanya Tribal area, the relationship between customer-supplier relationships and accessibility of credit facilities. The study made use of questionnaires to obtain the respondents‟ perceptions on the research questions developed. A questionnaire that consisted of 35 questions was distributed to 50 SMME owners in Adams Mission, Madundube and Umbumbulu (AMU) villages. Cronbach‟s reliability analysis was not applied as it was not appropriate for use with this questionnaire. The research showed that a relationship between customers and suppliers assists SMME‟s to obtain access to credit facilities. Added to this, SMME owners, who had access to credit facilities, experienced positive changes in their businesses. This serves to prove that access to credit is essential for the development of SMME‟s. As a result, recommendations to train and educate SMME owners on how to manage their businesses, how to apply for credit and the requirements needed for applications have been set out.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Khayelitsha was developed as a dormitory town on the outskirts of Cape Town in the late 1980’s with little intention by the government of the time to actively stimulate local economic development within the area. Since 1994 one of the biggest South African challenges is to ensure that dormitory townships, like Khayelitsha, are developed appropriately to create jobs and to allow for the evolution of quality living environments. Many types of government investment initiatives came to life in the past 20 years, complemented by initiatives to draw in private sector investment in these areas. Nevertheless, the economic development discrepancy between Khayelitsha and other areas in Cape Town remains stark. This study shows that to date development initiatives did not focus enough on the stimulation and development of local entrepreneurial enterprises. Clustering of these enterprises occurs around key areas, like shopping centres, which act as a catalytic factor for other support initiatives aimed at SMME development. The study identifies key areas of local small and micro-businesses clustering in Khayelitsha and evaluates the underlying growth factors. It then presents key suggestions regarding policy interventions to support local entrepreneurial development. These suggestions were two pronged. Spatial interventions focused on recommendations regarding development nodes, activity routes and alternative zoning practices. General business support initiatives relates to access to finance, education and training, mentoring, business incubators and business networks. In general the study highlights the importance of public-private partnerships in small business support.

There are inequalities in terms of gender and ethnicity within the labor market in Sweden. In the past years there have been great developments to equalize and diversify workplaces with qualified employees. The case study organization Equalisters is a purely Web-based non- profit organization working to break norms associated with gender and ethnicity within the Swedish media and various business sectors. However, there is still work to be done to regain Sweden’s place as the number 1 equal country in Europe. Therefore, it is crucial to get a thorough understanding and deeper knowledge regarding a non-profit organizations possibilities to grow. Hence, the purpose of this research is to answer the following research question: How can a purely Web-based Non-profit organization in the start-up phase continue its growth? The authors of this thesis have conducted a qualitative research in collaboration with the chosen case study organization, Equalisters, and their clientele. As a conclusion the authors argue that a purely Web based non-profit organization can grow both financially and operationally through differentiating procedures. The organizational growth will continue with the aid of immediate connections to the fact that the employees, accommodators, clients and volunteers do make a difference in society, which results in intrinsic rewards. In addition a financial profit is accomplishable without harming the core of the business by developing side services or side products such as quality checks for the lists, consultancy work with the aim of observing inequalities within the companies or firms, financially supporting the organization by “adopting lists” and create an identification of the organization as an investment to corporate social responsibility work for companies and firms. Moreover, utilizing social venture capitalist is another approach to increasing finances. However, the authors have observed a risk with involving more people to the organization since the core mission might have to change as a result of the financial support. Therefore, the aforementioned side services and products are more in line with keeping the organizations core objective uninfluenced.

Submitted in compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Business Administration, Department of Entrepreneurial Studies and Management, Durban University of Technology, 2009. / The purpose of this study is to identify the influence of customer-supplier relationships through facilitation of credit on the development of Micro enterprises in the Sobonakhona Makhanya Tribal Area of KZN. This study originates from the fact that there are many SMME‟s in South Africa, absorbing about 15 million people (DTI, 1995:7). Even though this sector is providing most of the employment in the country, they still find it difficult to arrange funds to start or expand their businesses. Lending institutions do not want to provide finance for them, and if they do, they do it with reluctance and reservations. As a result, SMME‟s are not able to grow and develop into big businesses. This is a quantitative and exploratory research study which was used to explore, for the first time in Sobonakhona Makhanya Tribal area, the relationship between customer-supplier relationships and accessibility of credit facilities. The study made use of questionnaires to obtain the respondents‟ perceptions on the research questions developed. A questionnaire that consisted of 35 questions was distributed to 50 SMME owners in Adams Mission, Madundube and Umbumbulu (AMU) villages. Cronbach‟s reliability analysis was not applied as it was not appropriate for use with this questionnaire. The research showed that a relationship between customers and suppliers assists SMME‟s to obtain access to credit facilities. Added to this, SMME owners, who had access to credit facilities, experienced positive changes in their businesses. This serves to prove that access to credit is essential for the development of SMME‟s. As a result, recommendations to train and educate SMME owners on how to manage their businesses, how to apply for credit and the requirements needed for applications have been set out.

The Intshona Group of Companies operates in South Africa as a hybrid agribusiness combining entrepreneurial principles with a philosophy of social upliftment in Africa. This research views Intshona through the lens of social entrepreneurship theory, a hybrid research field with a dominant theme being the need for growth and scaling of impact, but which is seen as fragmented, containing ambiguities and lagging practice. In this research, a case study of Intshona is developed based on questionnaires and interviews with the organisation’s management, a concerned NGO, social beneficiaries as well as employees. The result is a two-way flow of knowledge integrating elements of existing social enterprise theory with Intshona’s business practices, building on a generic model of entrepreneurship and culminating in a business model for growth in a social enterprise. The research delivers strategic directives for Intshona for its future growth, presents a case study for addition to the body of knowledge on social entrepreneurship and concludes with suggestions for further research to continue developing theory.

Small businesses make up about 90% of all business entities and employ about 60% of the total workforce, yet 50% of small businesses fail within their first 5 years. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to explore how SBOs use the appropriate product diversification strategies to remain sustainable. The sample population were 3 small retail business owners in a large-sized county in the Washington, D. C. metropolitan area who employed fewer than 19 people and have successfully used product diversification strategies to remain sustainable beyond 5 years. Data were collected through interviews, observations, and company document reviews. Data analysis entailed using an alphabetic coding process to identify the frequency and importance of themes. Grounded in the conceptual framework of the model of market orientation, this study revealed 4 themes that could help small business owners use the appropriate product diversification strategies to remain sustainable: customer-centric decision-making, market-trend orientation, resource orientation, and complementary products and services. The implications for positive social change include the potential to give small business owners a decision-making framework to achieve sustainability and growth, which would contribute to healthy economic conditions through consumerism, higher employment rates, and a reduction in poverty. The findings of this study could benefit local, small businesses and communities.