Thesis (M.Tech.: Business Administration)-Durban University of Technology, 2006 vi, 70 leaves / One of the major problems facing SMME’s in the South African clothing industry is the surge of clothing imported particularly from China, which negatively impacts on the ability of local firms to survive in business. Despite this challenge within the volatile business environment some SMME’s within the clothing industry have been resilient and have remained in business. This survey focused on the existing business strategies of SMME’s within the clothing manufacturing sector of Kwa-Zulu Natal. The main aim of the research was to establish the underlying factors of competitive advantage of SMME’s and to determine the strategic action taken by businesses in order to combat the impact of the sale of imported clothing in South Africa. In addition, an evaluation of the success of these strategic choices was carried out so that future business strategies for SMME’s can be developed to ensure sustainable competitive advantage.

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Business Studies Unit, University of Technology in the Faculty of Commerce, 2007 / Entrepreneurship, business knowledge and skills within micro and small businesses play an important part in the economies of countries across the globe by being the drivers of economic growth, as well as, creating employment. The role of micro and small businesses is matching that of big business and in some countries contributes up to ninety per cent of revenue. The difficulties from supply and demand perspectives are receiving increasing attention from government and academic institutions and researchers, and the purpose of this study is to establish to what degree the presence of entrepreneurship is present in the region concerned, as well as, investigating the extent of knowledge and skills within the sample of micro and small business owners. The study uses descriptive statistics drawn from a questionnaire survey, to achieve its purpose. One hundred and seventy micro and small businesses were drawn using a stratified random sampling method. Businesses surveyed were grouped into the following categories: services, manufacturing, hardware, clothing and food. Entrepreneurial traits were found present in the micro and small business owners, however certain behavioural aspects argued against this presence. In terms of knowledge and skills, the extent was found to be limited in terms of both academic qualifications, and business acumen. Growth rates of the businesses in the survey seem to be low and the presence of real entrepreneurship would need further investigation.

This thesis studies the impact of market orientation on the business performance of the Sri Lankan apparel manufacturing organizations in the post MFA environment. An attempt is made to enhance the existing market orientation theory by addressing a research gap and highlighting the importance of the relationship perspective in business to business marketing. A four dimensional market orientation construct is developed to overcome the limitations identified in the extant market orientation theories. The study also identifies resource availability as an antecedent of market orientation along with six other antecedents which are commonly discussed in literature. It further investigates whether the market orientation-business performance relationship is moderated by the prevailing business environment. The proposed modifications to the theory are empirically tested within the context of the apparel industry.

This exploratory study investigates the combined effects on firm performance of Chinese SMEs in Sarawak due to the managerial characteristics of owners / managers and business strategy as moderated by business environment. A review of the existing literature reveals that each of these constructs has been examined either alone or in some combinations and has contributed to the firm performance. Prior studies have raised concern on underspecified models or methodological problems that may have prevented a fuller understanding of potential multivariate relationships among these constructs as relate to one another and to performance.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Technology: Business Information System In the Faculty of Business At the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2013 / The South African manufacturing industry landscape has changed due to the pressures of globalisation and liberalisation of trade policy regimes. The structural shift of this industry has led to a global market in which many small businesses in the manufacturing sector find it difficult to compete with competitors for example, in Asian countries. Companies are required to improve their competitiveness by using various strategies such as e-commerce. However, these strategies are changing economics, markets, industry structure, products and services, the flow of products and services, consumer segmentation, consumer values, consumer behaviour and labour markets. An e-commerce strategy could assist small businesses in emerging markets to streamline their business processes in their respective sectors and industries, thus enabling them to enhance their business activities. Yet, literature reveals that most SMMEs do not take full advantage of e-commerce applications in their business activities. A qualitative approach using a case study methodology is used for this research. The researcher adopted models such as the Technology-Organisational-Environmental model, a value proposition model and a key assets model to collect and analyse evidence to propose guidelines for e-commerce initiatives in the selected environment. The findings indicate that SMMEs could improve their performance by establishing formal strategies and structures to increase their worth. This is done by creating e-commerce strategies to fit their organisational goals and objectives. Furthermore, manufacturing SMMEs need appropriate online platforms to transact and build strong relationships with suppliers, customers and partners. In addition, it is essential for SMMEs to establish and monitor quality standards in their e-commerce activities. It was found that the key assets needed by SMMEs in the manufacturing sector could impact their ability to sustain their business activities. Finally, manufacturing SMMEs need to deliver targeted and contextual marketing messages to help influence potential decision makers. This research contributes to the field of e-commerce by providing guidelines which manufacturing SMMEs could use as a starting point, to understand and improve their current e-commerce strategies and sustain their business growth.

Dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Technology: Business Administration in Entrepreneurship in the Faculty of Business at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / Tourism is a fast growing industry and has the potential for poverty alleviation for rural persons. Butha-Buthe, being in a rural area of Lesotho, has magnificent scenery of mountains, attractions to be visited, and adventure activities to be done. However, tourism in Butha-Buthe is under-developed, and it is very important to identify tourism’s potential in this area and explore how SMMEs could contribute in the development of tourism. Therefore the objective of this study is to examine the economic role of small, medium and micro enterprises in the development of tourism in Butha-Buthe. Challenges faced by the SMMEs include lack of resources such as poor infrastructure poor roads, transportation, and a lack of network-communication. Other challenges would be poor business skills in regards to employment and management which leads to business failure. To accomplish the study objective, questionnaires were distributed to local entrepreneurs in Butha-Buthe, local communities, local government and other stake-holders in the district. In addition, a mixed method of research was carefully and logically planned and then implemented. A survey questionnaire was used to obtain the views of the different stakeholders. The questionnaires were collected and data analysed which allowed the researcher to draw conclusions and propose a range of recommendations based on the findings, to assist in the development of tourism in Butha-Buthe. The findings revealed that there is huge potential of tourism development in Butha-Buthe through the SMME sector, but that there are still challenges faced by SMMEs in this district, despite the economic contribution they make. However, through the support of the government and private sectors these challenges should be dealt with.

Introduction: During the past decade, companies have examined their core business, and anything that was not related to this, or did not add value to their product, was outsourced. One of the functions which fell into this category was the distribution operation, or more commonly known as transportation (in and out bound). In many instances, the distribution function was given up for tender, and specialised transport businesses, called third party logistic providers, whose core business was transport, were given the opportunity of taking over the distribution function. Some progressive companies went a little beyond the traditional approach and created opportunities for their own employees to be involved in the newly created, outsourced distribution network. This was largely an empowerment opportunity, with the aim of creating SME’s (Small-Medium-Enterprises), and providing people from a previously disadvantaged background (black people and other ethnic minorities) the opportunity to go into a business enterprise for themselves. The latter, although, politically the correct thing to do, simultaneously created opportunities and problems. Many of the companies that empowered their own employees, through Owner-Driver schemes, used the driving competency levels as the main criteria for the transition process. The other required skills were often overlooked or ignored. This empowerment process was driven to promote “Black Economic Empowerment”, an important national imperative. Although this process was an honorable gesture on the part of many companies, the process often took place without much foresight The viability and long-term continuity of the business were not taken into account. It is the researchers personal view, based on interviews with O-D’s and companies operating O-D schemes that the O-D’s which were empowered to operate their own business ventures, had limited or insufficient business skills and the very businesses that were given to them to improve their lifestyle were at risk of becoming unviable enterprises. This is clearly evident in some of the schemes being operated by companies such as Autonet and South African Breweries (hereinafter referred to as SAB). Other Eastern Cape companies that operate Owner-Driver schemes include Italtile, Shatterprufe and Ready Mix Materials (hereinafter referred to as RMM), and according to Management consultants spoken to, have obtained mixed levels of success with their schemes. The above schemes were confirmed with the various companies mentioned.

This is a qualitative study which seeks to understand how Somali shop owners run successful businesses in the township of Soweto in South Africa. This research report has three sections, namely (1) the academic paper which comprises a shortened literature review, the research method, findings, and the discussion; (2) an extended literature review and (3) the research methodology. It is important to mention that these three sections are related and not necessarily stand-alone sections. Despite the hostilities faced by the Somali shop owners from the host communities in South Africa, it is notable that they are successful, small-sized entrepreneurs in most townships of South Africa (SA). Previous research on Somalis has predominantly focused on their assimilation into the societies in their host countries, and on how they are led into self-employment because of the unfavourable labour markets in the host country. In this vein, there is a need to understand how they run successful businesses in the townships of SA. This study seeks to answer the following research question: How Do Somali Shop Owners Succeed in Running Businesses in Soweto, South Africa (SA)? In pursuit of answers to the above research question, this study was confined to three locations in Soweto, namely Orlando West, Chiawelo and Rockville which have a relatively high number of Somali entrepreneurs who have been in operation for longer than three years. This qualitative study explored the multiple perspectives of reality of Somali shop owners. Purposively, 14 Somali shop owners were identified initially using purposive sampling. Subsequently, theoretical sampling was used to identify Somali shop owners who were interviewed regarding how they successfully run their businesses in the locations of Orlando West, Chiawelo and Rockville in the township of Soweto. A total of eighteen semi-structured, in-depth and face-to-face interviews were conducted with these shop owners as a means of gathering data to the point of saturating their perspectives. Data collection ceased when new perspectives were no longer evident as interviewees were being repetitive. Open-coding and constant comparison was used to analyse the data. The findings of the study show that ethnicity plays a predominant role in the success of the Somali shop owners. The intra-ethnic networks and trust-based support systems are pivotal to how Somali shop owners run successful businesses in Soweto. The key findings manifested showed that various forms of support came from Somali communities, family and fellow countrymen which were also central to their success. Another key finding showed that Somali shop owners run their businesses by complementing, rather than predominantly competing with the other local businesses, which ultimately differentiates them in this way. The study also revealed that responsiveness to local customer needs by enhancing the value of their business to the locality is also characteristic of how Somali shop owners build customer loyalty. This study contributes to our understanding of how Somali entrepreneurs conduct successful businesses in a hostile host country. The findings have implications for business development training and programmes which support immigrant entrepreneurs. The findings may also be extended to inform how business development programmes would be designed to equally support local entrepreneurs.

The perceptions of both students and teachers are vital to improve performance and to ensure a positive teaching and learning climate at a college. This study examines the perceptions of staff at three recently merged campuses and students regarding student performance. The research focuses specifically on the performance of students registered for the Small Business Management N3 and NSC (National Senior Certificate) curriculum. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods was employed to investigate the desired result. Staff teaching the subject (Small Business Management) were given semi-structured interviews, while students who are currently studying the subject were given questionnaires to complete. Data was collected and analysed. This study reveals amongst other findings that management in FET institutions needs to take cognisance of the perceptions of staff and students regarding the improvement of student performance. Opinions, attitudes, insights and recommendations expressed concerning student performance can help institutions improve their culture of teaching and learning.

PhD (Business Management) / Department of Business Management / The questions of what constitutes entrepreneurship and, in turn, who an entrepreneur is, have dominated entrepreneurship discourse in recent times. Over the years, a multiplicity of definitions of entrepreneurship has been proffered. However, most of these definitions to be either Eurocentric or Western-oriented and largely devoid of (South) African socio-economic imperatives. Naturally, the manner in which entrepreneurship in South Africa is conceptualised derives from the former definitions. Furthermore, the classification of entrepreneurship ventures in the country is also problematic. A Eurocentric classification regime is, on the one hand, too simplistic; and, on the other hand, it fails to fully capture the true essence of entrepreneurial activity within the South African economy. It is, therefore, not surprising that entrepreneurship development policies and interventions are not successful in stimulating entrepreneurship. This problem, this study argues, is a result of the lack of localised research aimed at understanding entrepreneurship classification dynamics in South Africa. This constitutes a research gap, which this study seeks to address. It is against this background that the aim of this study is to develop a taxonomy of entrepreneurial ventures in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. To achieve this purpose, which is pre-paradigmatic, the proposed study was designed along the dictates of a qualitatively grounded theory research. This facilitated the application of multiple methods of data collection. The study sampled 5 entrepreneurs in the Limpopo Province who were interviewed using an in-depth format. The value of this work is among the first in seeking to propose a framework (i.e. taxonomy) for classifying entrepreneurship ventures within the South African context. The implication of the study is that it potentially provides policymakers with valuable tools to understand South African entrepreneurship and the channels of intervention for small business ventures. / NRF