No abstract available / Business Management and Entr / M. Tech. (Business Administration)

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is a growing need for a framework that explains the important steps in creating and managing a small business in a very simplistic, flexible and holistic way. The aim of this research report is to design a framework which will guide the entrepreneur and small business owner in the set-up and management of a small business. The research report explores the logic of constructing the framework. It starts with the core business transactions which justify the existence of the business. For a better understanding of the interactions in the transactions, a system approach is followed. Dynamic complexities focus on causality and feedback to describe how entities influence each other. A growth loop is established with a balancing loop. On the basis of these interactions the framework is constructed with the product and the market on opposite sides. From the product there are growing actions in the form of marketing. From the market a condition is created which is measured in financial terms. These interactions are the core of the framework. A second level is added with strategic intent and external analysis to indicate direction and to measure the market's response. The research report continues to describe the development of a small business in terms of the three layers of the framework: transaction, basic business level and extended business level. The transaction indicates the core and the reason for the business's existence. It is a description of the value exchange process. The basic business level is the platform in which the business is operating. The extended business level is how the platform is used. For each of the entities indicated on the framework an existing business model is used to explain the area. The framework is, therefore, not presenting a new model, but only a new way of how existing business models are related to each other. The framework can be used in various ways. First it can be used to establish a startup business by building it step by step from the inner layer to the outer layer. Secondly it can be used to evaluate an existing business. Each part of the business can be evaluated and determine whether the necessary structures are in place. Thirdly it can be used for a turn-around on a struggling business. To do it means first . to evaluate the business and then use the framework to build the business structure. To assist in this process of evaluation and building a business structure, a set of worksheets are presented in the study to help an entrepreneur to think through every important step of the business. To test the above assumption that the framework can support the construction of a business structure, a small business was selected and evaluated. The evaluation was done in the format of an interview with the owners and the structure of the framework was followed. The study is concluded with recommendations on areas that need further research. The worksheet I guideline recommendation is that the worksheets and guidelines be developed with a specific aim in mind, for example design a new business or evaluate an existing business. The application recommendation is to explore the use of a rating system to do a quick evaluation of the business based on the entrepreneur's "gut feeling". The structural recommendations are first to explore strategic mapping to summarise the results of the design or evaluation into an existing model. The second recommendation is to investigate the development of the different entities in the framework in line with the business life cycle and thereby adding a depth dimension to the framework. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar is 'n groeiende behoefte na 'n raamwerk wat die belangrike stappe om 'n klein besigheid te skep en te bestuur, in 'n baie simplistiese, buigsame en holistiese manier verduidelik. Die doel van die navorsingsverslag is om 'n raamwerk te ontwerp wat die entrepreneur sal lei in die opstel en bestuur van sy besigheid. Die navorsingsverslag gee aandag aan die logika hoe die raamwerk saamgestel word. Die raamwerk bestaan uit die kern besigheidstransaksie wat die bestaan van die besigheid regverdig. Om die interaksies in die transaksie beter te verstaan, word 'n stelselbenadering gebruik. Dinamiese kompleksiteite fokus op oorsake en die terugvoer hoe verskillende entiteite mekaar beinvloed. 'n Groeiende sirkelaksie en 'n uitbalanserende sirkelaksie word gevolg. Op grond van hierdie interaksies is die raamwerk geskep met die produk en die mark aan teenoorgestelde kante. Van die produk is daar 'n groeiende aksie na die mark in terme van bemarking. Van die mark is daar 'n terugvoeraksie na die produk in terme van finansiele maatstawwe. Hierdie inleraksies vorm die kern van die raamwerk. 'n Tweede vlak word bygevoeg in die vorm van strategies voorneme en eksterne analise om rigting aan te toon en die mark terugvoer te meet. Die navorsingsverslag gaan voort om die ontwikkeling van 'n klein besigheid te beskryf in terme van die drie vlakke: transaksie, kern besigheidvlak en uitgebreide besigheidvlak. Die transaksie toon die kern en die rede vir die besigheid se bestaan aan. Dit is die beskrywing van die waarde uitruilingsproses. Die kern besigheidsvlak is die platform waarop die besigheid funksioneer. Die uilgebreide besigheidsvlak is die manier hoe die besigheid die platform gebruik. Vir elk van die entileite wat in die raamwerk aangetoon word, word 'n bestaande besigheidsmodel gebruik om die detail te verduidelik. Die raamwerk moet daarom nie gesien word as 'n nuwe model nie, maar net as 'n manier hoe bestaande besigheidsmodelle in verhouding tot mekaar staan. Die raamwerk kan in verskeie maniere gebruik word. Eerstens kan dit gebruik word om 'n aanvangsbesigheid stap-vir-stap volgens die verskillende vlakke in die raamwerk te bou. Tweedens kan dit gebruik word om 'n beslaande besigheid te evalueer. Elke deel van die besigheid kan beoordeel word en so bepaal of die nodige strukture in plek is. Derdens kan dit gebruik word om 'n omkeer op 'n sukkelende besigheid te doen. Om dit te doen sal beteken om eerstens 'n evaluasie te doen op grond van die raamwerk en dan die nodige strukture te bou of herbou. Om die proses van bou en herbou te ondersteun stel die studie werksblaaie voor wat gebruik kan word. Die doel hiervan is om die entrepreneur se denke deur die belangrlkste stappe te lei. Om die bogenoemde aanvaarding te toets dat die raamwerk gebruik kan word om die bou van 'n besigheidstruktuur te ondersteun, was 'n klein besigheid geselekteer en ge-evalueer. Die evaluasie was gedoen in die vorm van 'n onderhoud met die eienaars en die struktuur van die raamwerk was gebruik. Die navorsingsverslag word afgesluit met aanbevelings oor areas wat verdere ondersoek nodig het. Die werksblaaie en riglyne aanbeveling is dat die werksblaaie en riglyne vir 'n spesifieke doel ontwerp word, byvoorbeeld die ontwerp van 'n nuwe winkel of die evaluasie van 'n bestaande winkel. Die aanwendingsaanbeveling is om 'n evalueeringstelsel te ontwikkel waar 'n evaluasie gegrond op 'n entrepreneur se aanvoeling kan plaasvind. Die struktuuraanbevelings is om eerstens strategiese kaartering te ondersoek om die resultate van die ontwerp of evaluasie in 'n bestaande model op te som. Die tweede aanbeveling is om die ontwikkeling van die verskikkelende entiteite van die raamwerk in Iyn met die besigheidslewensiklus te ondersoek en sodoende 'n diepte dimensie by die raamwerk te voeg.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2001 / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Small businesses are the traditional source of local and national economic growth. Small businesses in South Africa absorb almost half the people formally employed in the private sector and contribute nearly thirty seven percent to the country's gross domestic product. Unfortunately small businesses also have the reputation of a high failure rate some literature quote figures as high as sixty six percent of all small businesses within the first six years of their existence. An Australian survey indicated that nearly sixty five percent of all business failures were caused by controllable factors, which implicates that the use of consultants, or simply better management of the small business, could have prevented the failure. This study explains why small business owners are so reluctant to make use of outside consultants and looks into the most common causes of small organisation failure. This research project is designed as an incremental development study, where an existing model is adjusted to focus on a smaller nische market. A consulting model, developed to use in large organisations, was evaluated by identifying the problem areas that most often cause small organisations to fail and then comparing them to the areas addressed in the existing model. The conclusion reached was that although this model will definitely help small business owners to improve their businesses, it doesn't address the mest common causes of small business failure and adjustments is needed to customise this product for the small organisation. Based on the available data on the most common causes of small organisational failure, a new model is developed, which addresses the specific causes of small organisation failure. The new model gives examples of what would be in place in an organisation where the relevant critical success factor is successfully implemented as well as examples of what the situation will be if the relvant factor is absent. The small business owners evaluate themselves on a scale of one to ten. The model has a dual purpose, firstly to create an awareness with the owner of the full spectrum of factors that need to receive attention in a small organisation, and secondly to give a benchmark against which progress on each of the critical success factors can be measured. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klein besighede vorm die ruggraat van die Suid Afrikaanse ekonomie, met byna sewe-en-dertig persent van die Bruto Nasionale Produk (BNP), wat aan klein besighede toegeskryf kan word en as werkverskaffer aan bykans die helfte van alle werknemers wat formeel in diens is van die private sektor. Ongelukkig het klein besighede ook die reputasie van 'n groot mislukkingskoers met mislukkings so hoog as ses-en-sestig persent van alle klein besighede in die eerste ses jaar van die ondernemings se bestaan. 'n Australiese studie het getoon dat ongeveer vyf-en-sestig persent van die oorsake van klein besigheid mislukkings aan beheerbare faktore toegeskryf kan word. Met ander woorde hulp van konsultante, of bloot beter bestuur van die klein besigheid, kon die mislukking verhoed het. Hierdie werkstuk kyk na redes hoekom konsultante so min deur klein besighede gebruik word en na die mees algemene oorsake van klein besigheid mislukkings. Die werkstuk neem die vorm aan van 'n inkrementele ontwikkeling studie waar 'n reeds bestaande evaluasie model, aangepas word om te fokus op 'n kleiner nismark. 'n Konsultasie model, wat ontwikkel is vir gebruik in die diagnostiese fase van die konsultasieproses vir groot besighede, is ondersoek en daar is gekyk watter van die mees algemene faktore vir klein besigheid mislukking in hierdie model aangespreek is. Die gevolgtrekking was dat alhoewel die model definitief klein besigheids eienaars sal help om hul organisasies te verbeter, dit meeste van die oorsake vir mislukking in klein besighede nie direk aanspreek nie, en dat aanpassings van die model nodig is. Gebasseer op reeds bestaande navorsing oor die oorsake van klein besigheid mislukkings, is 'n nuwe model ontwikkel, wat spesifiek gerig is daarop om die mees algemene oorsake van mislukking aan te spreek. Die hersiene model gee voorbeelde van wat in plek sal wees in 'n organisasie waar die kritieke suksesfaktor suksesvol geimplementeer is asook voorbeelde van hoe die situasie daar sal uitsien indien die relevante faktor afwesig is. Klein besigheidseienaars evalueer hulself op 'n skaal van een tot tien. Die doel van die model is tweeledig, eerstens om die eienaar attent te maak op die volle omvang van faktore waaraan aandag gegee moet word, en tweedens om 'n riglyn te bied waarteen vordering op elkeen van die kritieke sukses faktore gemeet kan word.

Much of the previous research on organizational performance deals with the larger businesses. As such, the owner/managers of small firms and researchers interested in small businesses have had to work with planning models which were not formulated with small businesses in mind. Therefore, the general purpose of this study is to help correct this deficiency and add to the body of knowledge concerning the contributions specific factors make toward increasing the performance of small firms. Specifically, selected managerial personality traits, managerial perceived environmental uncertainty, managerial scanning habits, and managerial goal setting activities are utilized to develop three models. The three models are used to determine the relationship the factors have to each other and the contribution the variables make toward the performance of the firm. The firms included in this study are located in a South Central metropolitan area. The firms have between 2 and 100 employees, sales of less than 3 million dollars, and have been in operation 2 years or longer. This study utilizes regression analysis and path analysis to determine the effects the factors have on each other and their contribution to the firm's performance. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSSx) is utilized to run the regression analysis. An Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood (LISREL) is utilized for the path analysis. Using path analysis, the third model demonstrates a total coefficient of determination for structural equations of 0.09. However, only two of the four factors have a t value of 2.0 or greater. The study also indicates the personality trait of dogmatism is inversely related to managerial scanning -.349 p <.01. Perceived environmental uncertainty is negatively correlated to performance at -.215 p <.05. None of the remaining factors demonstrated significant relationship to the firm's performance.

D. Tech. (Logistics, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are the mainstay of economies and societies of many countries around the world. These enterprises are critical to the economy because of the way in which they contribute to the Gross Domestic Product, export revenue generation, innovation, the provision of goods and services thatlarge enterprises depend upon, and the creation of employment opportunities, social stability and improvement of economic welfare. SMEs operate within the economic environment characterised by volatility, dynamism and competitive markets that may seriously threaten their survival. In South Africa, the operating environment for SMEs is constantly changing in the face of a volatile economic environment and a highly competitive market. For SMEs to weather the storm of such volatility and competitive climate, they need to engage in strategic planning processes. While strategic planning research in large organisations has been studied extensively, little attention has been paid to strategic planning of small and medium sized enterprises. Strategic planning has not significantly filtered down to the SME sector. SMEs which practice strategic planning have plans, which are unstructured, less comprehensive and sporadic. There is little evidence of empirical research that has sought to evaluate strategic planning within the sphere of small business research. Therefore, despite the widespread recognition of the importance and significant contributions of SMEs, research on these small businesses remains scarce. There is need for more systematic research aimed at revealing the true nature of strategic planning in SMEs. Despite the contributions of a number of researchers in the field, there is still no universal agreement as to the impact of particular types of planning on SME performance. The study analyses the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs. It is unique in that rather than using the traditional objective performance measures, subjective measures are used to measure the performance of SMEs. The objective of this study was to establish the relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It also sought to ascertain the relationship between strategic planning and the plans of the business, as well as determining the relationship between business performance and its plans. Another objective was to examine the extent to which SMEs in South Africa have adopted the strategic planning practices. Finally, this study sought to determine if there are differences in strategic planning practices with regard to demographic variables, namely gender, age, and position occupied in the business. A quantitative method was used. Surveys were conducted with 415250 SMEs, which were identified by convenience sampling method. Data from owners/managers of these SMEs was collected using self-administered structured questionnaires. Factor, correlation and regression analyses were conducted and the findings were discussed. The main components of strategic planning include environmental scanning, business mission and vision, formality of strategic planning, employee participation in the strategic planning process, source of information about the environment, strategy implementation incentives, monitoring, evaluation and control, and time horizon of strategic planning. The finding of this study shows that there is a positive causal relationship between strategic planning and the performance of SMEs measured by perceptual measures of business performance. It was also found that there is a mixed relationship between strategic planning and future plans of the SMEs. An additional finding is that business performance has a positive relationship with the plans of the business. The results also indicate that the majority of SMEs practice strategic planning. Finally, the results reveal that the gender, age and occupation of the respondent do not influence the strategic planning practices in SMEs. The only strategic component that depends on the occupation of the respondent is the use of mission and vision statements. Given that today’s business environments for SMEs are characterised by high levels of competition, uncertainty and turbulence, it is recommended that SMEs should adopt more strategic planning practices so that they can make informed decisions. In order to ensure their success and sustainability, SMEs should scan the environment more frequently and seriously than they currently do.

In my thesis I am focusing on the possibility of using elements of management accounting in small and medium-sized businesses, on a particular production company. The target is to show, how using elements of management accounting help to develop quality information system in the company. Generally is considered that management accounting is a tool for managing complex and large enterprises. This leads, that this information is used in a few small businesses. Owners of small businesses are afraid that the information system for managing their business is expensive, and often do not have knowledge of economic management and information support. I feel that it applies to the company of my parent as well. My goal is to evaluate the current state of managing company of my parents, with an emphasis on tools and information of management accounting, which will provide better information support, and system of information that will ensure the necessary information to the development of the company.

Thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of M.Sc. (Building) in Property Development to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, School of Architecture and Planning at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / The lack of entrepreneurship is an obstacle to economic development. In South Africa (SA), disciplines are taught in a context that is enterprise-based, with no emphasis on the need to impart business start-up skills within specific disciplines. A culture of entrepreneurship is lacking, resulting in low records of entrepreneurship incidents in SA. The challenges and/or benefits of integrating entrepreneurship education within the South African real estate (RE) course and its effects on graduates’ entrepreneurial intent, is not well understood. The purpose of the research is to investigate whether the introduction of entrepreneurship education within the RE discipline would encourage graduates to become entrepreneurial in the practice of real estates. A mixed methodology approach has been used in this research. Primary and secondary research data has been made available in the form of questionnaire surveys of graduates and course directors/lecturers from the University of the Witwatersrand and other international universities that have entrepreneurship education embedded within their real estate programmes, as will be selected by the researcher. The research has found that both pedagogical strategies of course work and applying experiential learning teaching methods would be required to effectively integrate entrepreneurship education within a real estate programme in a manner that would stimulate graduates to be entrepreneurial in the practice of real estate, although it was not known whether the graduates would actually start businesses and when they intended to do so. It was also found that those students whose studies took place in real estate programmes that had entrepreneurship education embedded in them were more commercially aware. The integration of entrepreneurship education also resulted in an improvement of graduate self-esteem and confidence. Graduates were endowed with adequate professional, interpersonal, technical and business skills. The research, however, found the majority of real estate courses lacked in teaching graduates to be more versatile. The courses largely lacked in the provision of industry exposure and were inadequate in teaching graduates how to market themselves and their real estate businesses. According to the findings on the individual entrepreneurship test, graduates that studied entrepreneurship-based real estate courses had a higher probability of starting a business. / MT2018

O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi identificar, descrever, classificar, analisar e apresentar os fatores contribuintes para a mortalidade precoce de micro e pequenas empresas de São Paulo. A metodologia de pesquisa utilizada buscou analisar os dados disponibilizados pela junta comercial do Estado de São Paulo - JUCESP sobre extinção de empresas, e com base neste levantamento descobrir quais são os fatores contribuintes para a mortalidade destas empresas. Foram adotadas, como ponto de partida, algumas hipóteses definidas a priori às quais foram submetidas aos testes para verificar se alguns fatores contribuem ou não para a mortalidade precoce das empresas nos primeiros anos de atividade. As hipóteses foram testadas e como resultado da pesquisa foi gerado um conjunto de conclusões e recomendações gerenciais destinadas a reduzir taxas de mortalidade precoce de novas empresas no Brasil, aumentando assim as possibilidades de sucesso de novos empreendimentos. / The main objective of this research is to identify, describe, classify, analyse and present the factors that contributed to the early failure of the São Paulo small companies. The methodology was focused on the analysis of São Paulo commercial office data about business failure, and researching deep in this survey discover the factors relationed to the early failure of this companies. As a kick-off was adopted some hipothesis that could be related to the factors relationed to the early failure in the first three years of activities. The hypothesis was tested and the results of this thesis produced a list of conclusions and management advices that probably can reduce the early failure taxes in Brasil, lifting the success possibilities to the start ups.

Thesis (Master of Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / This study evaluates both the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) mentorship programme and the emerging contractors’ personal limitations in achieving a successful programme implementation. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the mentorship programme differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (ii) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of contractors with regard to the perception on mentorship programme limitations; (iii) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the contractors’ personal limitations differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (iv) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of emerging contractors with regard to the perception on personal limitations. The study adopted a quantitative research method which was preceded by an exploratory study. The study targeted emerging contractors in the Western Cape. The exploratory study was undertaken at the initial stage of the study to gain more insight in terms of the impact of limited contracting opportunities for emerging contractors on the Western Cape CDP mentorship programme. The data was collected by means of conducting semi-structured interviews to purposely selected emerging contractors, and was subsequently transcribed and analysed using content analysis. With regard to the main study, the questionnaire survey with closed-ended questions was distributed to the population of 16 emerging contractors with CIDB grade 3 and 5. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the main study. The study has uncovered a number of gaps in terms of the implementation processes of CDP mentorship programme. In regard to the mentorship programme limitations: The findings have revealed the use of ineffective recruitment and selection methods, the lack of training projects for contractors to tender, the lack of MOUs between the banks and the Western Cape CDP to ease access to credit, the lack of continuity in terms of mentoring services, the failure to evaluate contractors when they enter the mentorship programme, failure to monitor contractors’ development during mentorship, the failure to evaluate contractors when they exit the mentorship programme. In regard to the emerging contractors’ personal limitations: The findings have discovered the lack of tendering skills among contractors, lack of skills in interpreting construction drawings, the lack of planning for construction projects, the lack of estimation, and the lack of negotiation skills with material and plant suppliers. The research concludes by recommending that the Department of Transport and Public Works should review the entire mentorship programme. This will be achieved by appointing a business development practitioner to re-design and re-structure the entire mentorship programme so that it can be able to attract and select suitable contractors while meeting the governments’ objective of developing and promoting of emerging contractors in the construction industry.

A presente pesquisa descreve a elaboração do modelo conceitual de um simulador para jogos de empresas que visa oferecer formação prática a empreendedores, estimulando-os a criar negócios na perseguição de oportunidades. O Empreendedorismo é visto como o motor da Economia, segundo a clássica visão de Schumpeter, publicada em 1911. Compõe-se de um meta-modelo, que consolida conceitos recorrentes na literatura, e de um diagrama de influência, que representa as inter-relações entre incertezas, decisões e suas conseqüências presentes no processo de criação de um negócio sustentável. As principais decisões foram identificadas na literatura internacional e, em seguida, organizadas em quatro grupos: 1) posicionamento no mercado, 2) finanças, 3) equipe de trabalho e rede de contatos, e 4) aspectos formais e legais do negócio. Para apoiar a pesquisa bibliográfica, foram realizadas entrevistas internacionais e nacionais com professores e pesquisadores no tema, tendo como meta a adequação do modelo à realidade brasileira. A versão final do modelo é composta por 19 decisões, 13 incertezas e três conseqüências, sendo oito destas decisões não cobertas pelos dois simuladores identificados na literatura internacional (TEG e DEAL). Foram então discutidas as diferenças do empreendedorismo nos contextos brasileiro e norte-americano, além das distinções entre os modelos do século XX e século XXI. Esta pesquisa traz uma importante contribuição: a construção de um modelo com uma declarada preocupação metodológica para publicação no meio acadêmico. A modelagem terá continuidade, tanto pelo exame de outros estágios do ciclo de vida da empresa (crescimento e maturidade) quanto pela elaboração dos modelos matemático e computacional para aplicação e teste. / This research describes the creation of a conceptual model of a business game simulator for entrepreneurial education in order to stimulate entrepreneurs to pursue business opportunities. From Schumpeter's point of view, published in 1911, Entrepreneurship is the engine of an Economy. The model consists of a meta-model, organizing the most cited historical concepts of entrepreneurship, and of an influence diagram, describing the relationships among uncertainties, decisions, and its consequences present on the start-up stage of an organization life cycle. The main decisions identified in important books and research papers were organized in four groups: 1) market positioning, 2) financing, 3) internal people and networking and 4) formal and legal issues. International and national interviews with professors and researchers were performed in order to support the literature review and to include the Brazilian context in the model. The final version of the model is composed of 19 decisions, 13 uncertainties and three consequences. Eight new decisions are not covered by the two business game simulators published in the international literature (TEG and DEAL). The final discussion focuses on differences between entrepreneurship in Brazil and US and between 20th and 21st Century' models. The main contribution of this study for the literature is the creation of a model based on research methods and publication for academic purposes. The modeling process will be continued in two directions: 1) the new stages of the life cycle model (growth and maturity), and 2) the mathematical and computerized models for implementation and test.