This study is located in the rather young area of international entrepreneurship research. Despite the vast literature in Western countries exploring the nexuses on entrepreneurship-national culture and entrepreneurship-decision making, we know very little about how bounded rationality and national culture affect the entrepreneur’s capital budgeting decision making in emerging economies. Past research on small business and capital budgeting shows a predominance of quantitative approaches to identify which capital budgeting techniques were used and why they are used. Through qualitative interviews with 20 Mexican and 20 Canadian participants, this study looks at how Mexican and Canadian entrepreneurs approach capital budgeting decisions in small businesses in the food sector industry. This study confirms that capital budgeting decisions are taken under conditions of bounded rationality, but also suggests that context affects how bounded rationality is used. For instance, Mexican entrepreneurs rely more on “gut feeling”, while Canadian entrepreneurs tend to combine intuition with business plans. The differences observed for both national samples are further discussed through a Hofstedian and a GLOBE lens. I argue that national culture affects how capital budgeting decisions are made throughout the decision making process (planning, identifying, evaluating, selecting and authorizing) and also that national culture plays a role for who influences the entrepreneurs’ decisions. By contextualizing capital budgeting decisions and using a constructivist logic of discovery, this study provides insights into entrepreneurs’ capital budgeting decision making in small businesses and suggests that national cultural differences play a valuable part in understanding this important aspect of entrepreneurial activity. This thesis also adds to our understanding of entrepreneurs in emerging economies.

by Lau Tak Yun, Ma Kai Sun. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves 79-80. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLES OF CONTENTS --- p.iii / LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS --- p.v / LISTS OF TABLES AND GRAPHS --- p.vii / Chapter I. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Focus of study --- p.4 / Chapter II. --- LITERATURE REVIEW --- p.7 / Jung's Theory of Psychological Types --- p.7 / Heller's Model of Leadership Style --- p.12 / Chapter III. --- THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK --- p.17 / Size of the Firm and the Decision´ؤmaking Style --- p.17 / Individual Endogenous Factors of the Entrepreneur --- p.20 / Jung's Psychological Types --- p.20 / Motivations --- p.21 / Time Horizon --- p.22 / Risk Attitude --- p.24 / Demograghic Variables --- p.25 / The Overall Theoretical Framework --- p.27 / Chapter IV. --- RESEARCH DESIGN --- p.29 / Objective --- p.29 / Sampling --- p.29 / Mailing Questionaire --- p.30 / Screening Criteria --- p.31 / Variables and their measurement --- p.32 / Analysis --- p.35 / Endogenous Factors --- p.35 / Decision-making Style --- p.39 / "Correlation between the Demographic and Individual Endogenous factors, and Decision-making Style" --- p.39 / Correlation between Decision-making Style and Company size (growth) --- p.41 / Chapter V. --- FINDINGS --- p.42 / Size of the Company --- p.42 / Demograghic Profile --- p.42 / Sex --- p.42 / Education --- p.44 / Age --- p.47 / Endogenous Factor --- p.47 / Jung's Psychological Types --- p.47 / Time Horizon --- p.50 / Motivation --- p.52 / Decision-making Style in the Seven Decision-making Areas --- p.55 / Decision-making Style and the Size of the Staff --- p.57 / "Correlation between Endogenous and Demograhic Factors, and Decision- making Style" --- p.60 / Chapter VI. --- SUMMARY Of THE STUDY --- p.69 / Chapter VII. --- DISCUSSION --- p.71 / Chapter APPENDIX I. --- SPSSPC PROGRAMS --- p.73 / Chapter APPENDIX II. --- DATA FILE --- p.77 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.79

While the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is widely used, it is not seen as the most appropriate to describe responsible business activities in Small, Medium and Micro-sized Enterprises (SMMEs). The concept of Responsible Business Practices (RBP) is better suited to SMMEs, although the theory is still based in the broader literature of CSR. Choices and decisions made by the owners/managers of SMMEs regarding the expenditures for RBP may reflect various influences. These influences may be conscious and purposely orientated toward a personal set of beliefs, but may also be indirectly, subconsciously influenced. This research will explore the influences behind expenditure decisions. Structured questionnaires will be used to reveal conscious influences that play a role in decision-making in SMMEs. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the aspects that consciously influence the decision-makers at SMMEs in Tshwane, South Africa, to expend resources on RBP. The study also aims to determine the awareness of, perceptions about and attitudes towards RBP among SMME decision-makers, as well as to determine the RBP activities SMMEs are involved in. Relationships between the extent of RBP engagement and the level of RBP awareness, the activities involved in, and the respondents’ highest level of education will be discussed. Key differences between the respondents’ age, highest level of education and gender with regards to the influencing aspects are also covered. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on individual-level studies in the RBP field and makes a contribution to the South African SMME literature that focuses on the doing of responsible business. It also addresses the gap in RBP knowledge by investigating the influences on RBP decisions in SMMEs, as the small business decision-making processes might prioritise influencing aspects differently than that in larger organisations. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)