Many countries that have achieved economic development have a dynamic co-operative sector which contributes substantially to the development of these economies. From a global perspective, co-operatives have been proven to be flexible in meeting a wide variety of social and economic human needs such as job creation, alleviation of poverty and building of communities. With the drive to decrease poverty in South Africa, there has been an increased interest to support co-operatives with the intention to provide employment, social development and building communities/ community care. It seems, however, that South Africa has not yet reached the same momentum in the co-operatives movement as elsewhere in the world and the economy is still characterized by a high unemployment rate and a low growth rate (Van der Walt, 2002). This study is an attempt to determine the factors for business success in co-operatives by assessing the strengths and weaknesses of co-operative businesses within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality in the Eastern Cape. The study includes an extensive literature review on the nature and prevalence of co-operatives in South Africa where challenges faced by South African co-operatives and particularly those in the Eastern Cape Province, are indicated. It also highlights international best practice and reveals that for co-operative success, apart for functioning by the International Seven Cooperative Principles, knowledge and expertise in business management are absolutely necessary so that co-operatives can be profitable and sustainable. With this knowledge, an adapted form of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) Small Business Assessment Tool was used to formulate the questionnaire and to review business management literature. A survey conducted involved fifty-one co-operative members on the database of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Business Unit. The opinions of the respondents were compared with the guidelines provided by the literature in the study in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of these co-operatives, which then determine the critical success factors for business success in co-operatives. The empirical results show that the co-operative members understand co-operative principles and function through them. They have a fairly general knowledge of business management. The results also show significantly positive correlations between Marketing Management, Financial Management, Operations Management, Human Resources Management and General Management, on the one hand, and the business success of co-operatives, on the other hand. This indicates that these respondents recognize the importance of these business functions in the success of their businesses. However, failures and weaknesses experienced in these areas lead to the recommendations that they need to be mentored as they cannot put this knowledge into application, and secondly, they need financial assistance and support to sustain the co-operative businesses.

South Africa and more specifically Port Elizabeth is faced with many challenges with regard to economic growth and unemployment. It is generally acknowledged that the “Small to Medium Enterprises” (SME) are the largest employers in any economy, additionally SME’s are large contributors to the gross domestic product. Successful SME’s are the catalysts of the economy and over time they can develop into large enterprises. It is clear that in order for a country to have a strong and sustainable economy it needs to have a strong and successful SME sector. Unfortunately the South African SME sector performs relatively poorly in comparison with the SME sectors around the world (Herrington, Kew & Kew, 2009). With the knowledge of the importance of the SME sector to the economy and the knowledge that the South African SME’s are generally underperforming, this study will identify how to improve the relative success rate of the SME sector in Port Elizabeth South Africa. In order to achieve this, this study needs to identify why the SME sector is not performing on a par with other SME sectors from around the globe and what initiatives need to be implemented in Port Elizabeth that will enable its SME sector to perform at the same level or better than other SME sectors from around the globe. This study identifies that the South African SME’s are provided with a number of support initiatives. Some of these support initiatives have been very effective, while other support initiatives have been unsuccessful or have failed. This study concludes by identifying a number of areas that need improvement; of these areas two are identified as being critical to SME’s success and sustainability, these two areas are: · The need to make SME’s more aware of the government / business initiatives that are available; and · Establish more effective mentoring and coaching. In order to address these critical areas, the study suggests the use of an internet portal that can be used to coordinate all the activities between the mentors and the SME’s. This internet portal will be expanded to become the core information hub and collaboration centre for the flow of information between the SME’s and any of their stakeholders. Once all this information is centralised it will be a relatively simple process to measure the success rate of the SME’s and the effectiveness of the different mentors.

An increase in the global competitiveness has forced manufacturing organisations to re-look their facility from a labour productivity standpoint. Leveraging a manufacturing operation into a competitive avantage must at all times support the organisation’s objective. It is therefore critical that the operation reviews its strategy so that it fulfils the ever changing needs in the market. Purpose – The main objective of this research is to identify the critical success factors to improve direct labour efficiency within Johnson Controls Automotive South Africa (Pty) Ltd (JCI). Design/methodology/approach – A combination of a comprehensive literature review and visits to the Uitenhage plant and head office were employed in the study. JCI practices were observed to highlight the level of direct labour productivity. This was followed by interviewing relevant and key personel who had an involvement in achieving direct labour productivity in the plant. A questionnaire-based research approach was adopted for this purpose and a total of 83 valid survey responses were received from staff in the Uitenhage plant, together with head office staff who directly supported the plant. The questionnaire was designed to identify and test perceptions of employees, regarding the factors of production, identified as sub variables. The research aim was to determine the most practical and effective strategies to improve direct labour productivity. Results were analysed and interpreted after which recommendations were formulated. Findings – Several critical success factors identified as sub variables were tested to understand their impact on direct labour productivity. Empirical results showed that organisational culture, leadership culture, employee engagement, communication and skills, development and training, had a significant effect on direct labour productivity. Respective ratings of these elements were discussed with the focus of improving this going forward. Research limitations/implications – Continued scepticim within JCI about the benefits of direct labour productivity to their business is one of the fundamental limitations this research faces. Originality/value – The novelty of the research project stems from the realization of key factors contributing to the improvement of direct labour productivity within the JCI enviroment. The results would provide JCI with indicators and guidelines for a successful implementation of direct labour productivity initiatives in the Uitenhage plant.

The study was premised on the truism that men have historically served in higher echelons of organizational management structures and women are under-represented. The principal objective was to explore the constraints faced by women in accessing higher leadership and senior management positions in public, private and non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe. This study adopted the triangulation method, that is, qualitative and quantitative approaches. These mixed research methods, were upgraded by the feminist research methodologies, thereby making a contribution in the field of research. The study found out that the constraints that mostly hinder women from accessing leadership and senior management positions in public, private and NGOs were cultural practices, which represent levels of power and control that in turn hinder reforms; and women's socialisation into feminised roles. The study also found out that in most organisations, most females work under male leadership, and this traditional organisational culture, needs to be deconstructed and reversed in order to achieve gender equality. The study recommended for a human centric and integrated organizational management strategy for public, private and NGOs in Zimbabwe. The adoption of a human centric and integrated management approach should aim at gender equity and reduce women's under-representation. A human centred organizational culture has to be practiced, that would create organisational ethos that guide organizational management. An integrated organizational management approach should integrate all systems and processes into one complete framework, enabling people to work as a single unit, unified by organizational goals, shared vision and common values. The system should depend on a balanced mix of the masculine and feminine attributes. The approach should put its weight towards adoption of measures to attract, advance and empower women so as to benefit from their qualifications, experience and talent in a highly competitive environment.

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / The current research investigated the inter-relationship between Steve Jobs and Apple Company. The study looked at Steve if he launched Apple with business orientation. The researcher used Yin’s (1994) single case, holistic design research method and looked at the data gathered from thirty-seven authors. Steve Jobs’ business orientation was measured using Snaddon (2008) business measures. Symbols were used to indicate whether the evidence found from different sources is direct, indirect, negative or if there was no evidence at all. A score that ranged from -1 for negative evidence to +2 for direct evidence was assigned to evidence from each author; then the total score that represented evidence from all thirty- seven authors on each business measure was presented in the results column (see table 4). Based on the total score of each measure, the strength of the relationship was established. The results showed that there was an inter-relationship between Steve Jobs’ business strategy and the Snaddon (2008) business measures. The evidence gathered did not support the hypothesis that Steve Jobs had little business orientation and the conclusion drawn was that Steve was business oriented when he (and his partners) launched Apple Company.

This study examined the relationship between success of small businesses and the educational backgrounds of their owners. A survey composed of questions concerning demographics, educational backgrounds, and business success was mailed to 1100 businesses in Dallas, Denton, and Tarrant counties in Texas. There were 228 usable responses which were analyzed by using the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS12). Data were sorted so that educational level, sales volume, number of employees, and longevity, were identified on a 5-point ordinal scale. Educational major was identified on a 5-point nominal scale. Pearson's correlation was used to determine whether relationships existed between founders' educational background and small business success. Spearman's correlation was used to determine the direction and strength of the relationships. Then educational level and major were combined with age, gender, ethnicity, and industry, to determine the relationships between founders' educational background, and business success. For this purpose a canonical correlation was used. Five opinion questions concerned influence of college education on business success among college graduates and non-college graduates were identified on a 5-point Likert scale and tested using one-way ANOVA, and independent sample t-test. When educational level and major were the only predictors of business success, a statistically significant relationship was found between years of formal education, and sales volume. When educational level and major were combined with age, gender, ethnicity, and industry, a statistically significant relationship was found between founders' educational level and age, and business success. A statistically significant and negative relationship was found between founders' educational major and industry, and business success. All opinion questions revealed statistically significant relationships between owner's college education and business success. These relationships indicate the ability for the owner to learn, adapt and maintain a successful business. The influence of a college education on small business success was noticeable and reflects the continuing need for higher education to cope with technological advances, business competition, and the changing global economy.

Summaries after each chapter / Flourishing organisations realise that employees make a critical difference when it comes to competitiveness, performance and innovativeness. Employees are required to be dedicated, energetic and absorbed in their work (Bakker & Schaufeli, 2008). In short, organisations require employees who are engaged. The general aim of this research was to use a controlled experimental research design to establish whether the participation of employees in an emotional intelligence intervention would increase their levels of emotional intelligence and thus improve their levels of work engagement. The researcher concluded that the intervention did not result in a significant increase in the employees’ levels of emotional intelligence and work engagement. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

We investigate the roles of (1) social capital and (2) firm type (formal versus informal) in shaping the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and firm performance. To further investigate entrepreneurial behavior and its effect on firm performance, we develop two research themes based on two types of entrepreneurial behaviors - assertive behavior and nonassertive behavior. The first research theme focuses on the relationship between entrepreneurs' assertive behavior and firm performance. Taking entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior as an assertive behavior into account, we identify the conditions under with entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior results in better firm performance. In Model 1 (detailed in Chapter 2), we investigate whether and how firm type and social capital influence entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior and its effect on firm performance. Through a field study covering 300 entrepreneurs and the same number of employees, we found that firm type and social capital moderate the relationship between entrepreneurs'risk-taking behavior and firm performance. We further found that entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior is only beneficial for the firm if entrepreneurs have more social capital in their formal firms. The second research theme focuses on the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility as a nonassertive behavior and firm performance. In Model 2 (detailed in Chapter 3), we conceptualize and investigate the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility and firm performance via social capital in different firm types. Through the same field study, we found that social capital mediates the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility and firm performance. We further found that the indirect effect of entrepreneurs'humility on firm performance via social capital is stronger in informal firms. The theoretical and practical implications of the two studies are then discussed.

Thesis (M.Com. (Bussiness Managemet)) -- University of Limpopo, 2020 / SMEs play an important role in the economy as they contribute to job creation, poverty alleviation, innovation, economic growth and development. However, they tend to fail due to business challenges such as poor performance. One of the solutions to business failure is entrepreneurs’ level of self-efficacy towards normal and challenging business activities, which consequently leads to sustainable performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and sustainable performance. A quantitative method was used and self-administered questionnaires were distributed for the purpose of data collection. The questionnaire covered three sections which are made of demographic information, entrepreneurial self-efficacy measures and sustainable performance. This study used non probability sampling where convenience sampling and snowball sampling methods were used to select the sample. Convenience and snowball sampling were used because a sample frame of SMEs in the study area does not exist. 320 questionnaires were issued to SME owners in Polokwane Municipality, Limpopo Province. A total of 180 questionnaires were returned. Descriptive statistics was undertaken to evaluate respondents against ESE and sustainable performance. The Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyse collected information for confirmation of accuracy and reliability of results. ANOVA and T-test samples were used to determine the significant difference between ESE and sustainable performance according to owners’ demographic characteristics. Correlation and regression were used to determine the relationship between ESE and sustainable performance. The Cronbach’s alpha was applied to measure reliability. Findings of the study revealed that ESE positively impacts the sustainable performance of SMEs. Recommendations were made for improvement on ESE and sustainable performance of SMEs.

We investigate the roles of (1) social capital and (2) firm type (formal versus informal) in shaping the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and firm performance. To further investigate entrepreneurial behavior and its effect on firm performance, we develop two research themes based on two types of entrepreneurial behaviors - assertive behavior and nonassertive behavior. The first research theme focuses on the relationship between entrepreneurs' assertive behavior and firm performance. Taking entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior as an assertive behavior into account, we identify the conditions under with entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior results in better firm performance. In Model 1 (detailed in Chapter 2), we investigate whether and how firm type and social capital influence entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior and its effect on firm performance. Through a field study covering 300 entrepreneurs and the same number of employees, we found that firm type and social capital moderate the relationship between entrepreneurs'risk-taking behavior and firm performance. We further found that entrepreneurs' risk-taking behavior is only beneficial for the firm if entrepreneurs have more social capital in their formal firms. The second research theme focuses on the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility as a nonassertive behavior and firm performance. In Model 2 (detailed in Chapter 3), we conceptualize and investigate the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility and firm performance via social capital in different firm types. Through the same field study, we found that social capital mediates the relationship between entrepreneurs' humility and firm performance. We further found that the indirect effect of entrepreneurs'humility on firm performance via social capital is stronger in informal firms. The theoretical and practical implications of the two studies are then discussed.