A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Management specialising in Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, 2016 / Despite the significant role that SMMEs play in the growth of developed and developing economies, they are often plagued by various constraints. Access to finance is considered as one of the major constraints that exist within businesses and is also a consequence of other issues which create an impediment towards the success of SMMEs which compromises the growth of any given economy. The pervasive issue on the lack of access to finance tends to be greater for informal businesses as opposed to formal businesses due to various aspects, such as the entrepreneurial attributes that informal business owner-managers have, which are indeed found to be lacking, consequently leading to circumstances where banks reject loan applications made by these businesses, suppliers reject any request of trade credits made by the owner-managers operating these businesses and potential investors find these businesses to be less attractive when investing for future returns. This study has examined certain determinant factors that are embedded within the theory of entrepreneurship which are perceived to be some of the factors which in essence are considered as success drivers for the growth of all forms of businesses. More importantly, these factors have been closely analysed in the context of informal businesses with regard to whether they prove to be important factors to soliciting finance which is considered a crucial resource for the growth of informal SMMEs. In examining the perceived importance of each of these factors in relation with access to finance, as well as the perceived importance of finance in leading to growth of informal SMMEs, a self-administered questionnaire was distributed across 385 informal business owner-managers in the Gauteng province. Given that the nature of the study was quantitative, descriptive and inferential statistics were performed on the data. Various statistical methods, such as correlation analyses and multiple regressions, were employed to test the proposed hypotheses associated with the relationship of social capital, and human capital to the access to finance, and access to finance on growth. The findings reflected that social capital and human capital are important factors to accessing finance. Furthermore, access to finance is an important factor in the growth of SMMEs in the informal sector. The study contributes towards addressing the existing gap in the knowledge base regarding the determinants of financial access for SMMEs. It also contributes towards providing direction to policy makers involved in enterprise development to reach out to informal business ownermanagers by providing training to these entrepreneurs so as to improve their social and human capital and grow their businesses to graduate into the formal sector as their contribution is needed to grow the South African economy / GR2018

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.B.A)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietemaritzburg, 2005.

The brain-drain phenomenon was first reported in the 1960s in India, where skilled professionals were voluntarily leaving India to settle abroad in western countries. Thereafter, most developing countries have reported witnessing brain-drain in some form or the other. In South Mrica, with the advent of the post-apartheid government, the country saw a drastic change in its social fabric. The brain-drain phenomenon has gathered momentum since, and with every passing year, more and more people continue to emigrate from the country. With skill distribution already highly skewed to the emigrating white minority, the problem of emigration attains more serious proportions as more and more white South Mricans contemplate leaving their motherland. Owing to grey emigration it is very difficult to report the exact number of skilled South Mricans that have emigrated to Australia, UK, Western Europe, and the US, however, the best estimates indicate the number to be around 233 000. While many brand these emigrants as being 'unpatriotic', the phenomenon of emigration may be occurring because of valid reasons. While many whites may claim that with a non-white government in power, their and their country's future well-being could be in jeopardy and hence the desire to emigrate, such claims may not be baseless after all. Recent studies have shown that the rate of crime and violence are increasing, and that many of the emigrants have sighted concerns of safety as their primary reason for leaving. And it should be borne in mind that the phenomenon, which is perceived to be a 'white-only' phenomenon, has lost ground as many Asians and Africans have shown an equal desire to leave, predominantly due to concerns of personal safety. Studies, newspaper reports, and magazine articles, have shown that the country is losing valuable skills in the Information Technology sector, Finance and Banking sector and in the Medical Field. These three sectors play a vital role in the development of any developing economy and loss of valuable skills in these sectors evoke serious concerns. This skill loss, while a worrisome factor, stands to be compounded if more and more highly qualified professionals actually emigrate. The study on the emigration of Masters of Business Administration (MBA) students is scant and, knowing their demand in the market and the contributions that they make to the country's economy, their loss could well seal the fate of this country. MBA students contribute to a country's economy in several ways. Firstly, they are seen as the future business leaders of the country. Through knowledge gained in their business schools (Bschools), MBAs not only manage departments but are also known to lead organisations into a better future. They contribute to their respective organisations by streamlining work flow, ensuring that productivity per person is always on the up, surveying the market to introduce products that will improve the prospects of the company and thereby, bring about growth. In the process, they create jobs that aid in the betterment of the economy. Secondly, they are involved in exports of their products to countries that demand their goods, thereby bringing in the much-needed foreign exchange. Furthermore, when foreign countries decide to set up operations locally, they rely on the skills and talents of the MBAs to spearhead operations. Needless to mention, as these foreign companies grow they again create much-needed jobs that benefit the economy. MBAs also train fresh graduates to obtain the required exposure and experience as one day these very graduates will be spearheading their own projects. Many corporate heads are also assisting the government in developing the economic and commercial policies of the country. Many MBAs, entrepreneurial in nature, venture into business themselves. This entrepreneurial flair has added to the development of many small and medium enterprises. Today's fast-paced business environment and breakthrough technological developments have necessitated greater reliance on the MBA to make critical decisions that impact upon the future of the organisation and the lives of many employees. The MBAs of today are needed to be visionaries and to lead by example. They are entrusted with the onerous task of being agents of change, to be able to see the changing business horizons and make proper investments in skills, technology and other requirements for the benefit and survival of the organisation. Indeed it may seem a daunting task, but then the salaries they receive commensurate the requirements of the job. The contribution they make is invaluable and definitely their loss can have serious ramifications for the country. The purpose of this dissertation is to study the emigration phenomenon vis-a-vis the MBA students. Looking at a sample of MBAs that is representative of the Kwa-Zulu Natal MBA programmes, this research looks into ascertaining the emigration potential of MBA students. Furthering to that, the research probes into the management orientation and leadership orientation of these emigrants. The underlying assumption is that if the potential MBA emigrant has management orientation, then the loss for the country is not all that much, as compared to the potential emigrant having a leadership orientation. This is argued by the fact that it is much easier to take a mind and train it to run a department, as most managers do, than tryiIlcg to create a mind to lead. While it is still disputed whether leadership can totally be taught, one indisputable fact is that there are aspects that can be taught and those that cannot be taught. While one can be taught interpersonal skills, communications skills and other skills, there are certain traits intrinsic to leadership that just cannot be taught, e.g. risk taking, judgement and challenging the status quo. Some have even gone to state that leadership is a life-long learning process, and most leaders have had a difficult childhood that has led to their need to prove something to the world. It is for this reason that many authors have written that leaders are 'twice born.' Anyhow, the point is that, it is easier to teach someone to manage a department than it is to teach someone to run an organisation. The third part of the research looks at the view-point of the MBA students towards their institution's orientation, i.e. are their business schools preparing them to be managers or are they being prepared to be leaders. After all, if the business community needs leaders to take over the helm of companies, and if the need of the hour is students who can work under intense pressure trying to tie decision-making with the fast-paced technological developments, the ever increasing pace of competition and the intensity with which globalisation is affecting domestic markets, then the business schools need to produce that calibre ofMBA graduates. If the students feel that their business schools have only equipped them with managerial know-how, then these very business schools are being negligent in producing leaders and need to gear their faculties and curricula towards a greater leadershiporientation. This research will indicate whether the country needs to worry about the future of their corporations being in good hands, and whether emigration is really going to sap the remaining skills that the country's business sector needs desperately. It will also reveal if there is a leadership gap in the market that business schools need to address, i.e. a demand for MBAs with leadership orientation and an under-supply of such students coming out of the current business schools. This research could be an eye-opener for business schools to realise that they are falling short in providing quality products to the market. Gone are the days of yore when the market was forced to buy what organisations produced. In today's world, the choice empowered consumer (the business community at large) will seek the desired product of their choice (MBAs that are qualified with the required skills and competencies) and if they are unable to obtain it from the current suppliers (the recognised business schools they currently depend on), they will have no option but to look elsewhere. This could well be taken as a warning sign for business schools that if the very organisations that allow select business schools to have top rankings in the country, were to take away their support and start recognising and recruiting from other, at the moment, lesser recognised B-schools, the fate of the current Bschools could well be sealed. After all history is fraught with examples, and it is a well known fact that has received much attention from consultants, business school professors and management gurus, that if external change outpaces internal change, then only one future awaits such organisations, 'doom'! / Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Abstract not available. / Thesis (M.B.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

There is a generally accepted view that organisations that perform well in any industry are able to do so because of their ability to attract, recruit and retain a workforce of high calibre. This research report has been necessitated by the impact of factors affecting talent management at higher education institutions. In this study, two variables are under scrutiny, i.e. organisational image and talent management. A quantitative research methodology was utilised to test the effect of organisational image on talent management using responses from 252 respondents to a self-administered electronic survey questionnaire. The research instrument was composed of four major sub-scales, i.e. Personal View, Job satisfaction and Career Path, General Image and Opportunities and Rewards. Statistical data analysis reveals that respondents differ on what they perceive to be important factors on talent management and their response is affected by matters relating to organisational image. Data was stratified and compared amongst different groups, i.e. gender, race, staff category, academic title, Peromnes grade, years of lecturing experience in this institution and total years of lecturing, Faculty and College/Division. These variables in personal/biographical data were examined in relation to how respondents responded in each of the four sub-scales. Whilst personal view and opportunities and rewards aspect of talent management matter, they do not take precedence on matters relating to general image and job satisfaction and career path. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2012.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for Doctor of Technology Degree in Human Resources Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, 2017. / The proposed contribution of this empirical study was the formulation of an exploratory human capital development model aligned to performance management for administrative employees at the Durban University of Technology (DUT). The human capital development model comprised of elements that encapsulated the link between performance improvement aided with human capital development strategies and the positive outcomes that stems from improved performance. In the context of the study, there is no standardised human capital development model for administrative employee at DUT. Hence, the study seeks to develop a human capital development model for administrative employees. The objective of the study was to develop a model that integrates the procedures of managing institutional performance with the development of its employees. The research design adopted a quantitative paradigm, using a self- administered questionnaire that was mailed to a sample 254 administrative employees. A significant response rate of 68.1% was obtained as 173 respondents returned the questionnaire. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 24 for Windows. There were some significant findings that emerged from this study. It was indicated that 99.4% of respondents were not subjected to a performance evaluation, while 74% of the respondents showed that human capital development improved performance. A further 87.7% of the respondents reported that human capital development influence promotional opportunities, while 74.5% of the respondents responded to human capital development being linked to succession planning. A further 61.85% of the respondents also indicated that management commitment was imperative for the effective implementation of performance management systems. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin and the Barlett’s Test of Sphercity indicated the factorability of the measuring instrument. Correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relation between the variables that formulated the human capital development model. Eight of the ten analysis showed that there was a relationship between the variables. The Pearsons Chi-Square test showed a significant correlation for the hypothesis that tested the variables of the study. One of the recommendations suggested is for top management to buy-in to performance management so that their leadership can encourage supervisors to commit to the process. Effective feedback, training, development, mentoring and coaching are recommended to improve the performance of administrative employee. Recommendations suggested the development of a succession planning and career advancement policy for the institution. The study concluded with suggestions for future research. / D

Organisations are spending a large sum of capital by investing on physical assets in order to improve productivity and gain competitive advantage. It has become imperative that business leadership turn their attention to the development, implementation and sustenance of physical assets management strategies in order to eliminate operational and reliability risk.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / This research examines the effect of human capital investment on the firm’s performance in South African companies. This research is important given that the human asset has been proven to be one of the most important assets in the organisation and therefore this research set out to examine whether human assets actually contribute to the performance of the firm in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange Social Responsible index (SRI). Therefore the objective of this research was to examine the relationship between human capital investment and firm performance in terms of sales turnover, share price and net profit. Secondary data on human capital investment and companies’ performance (sales turnover, net profit and share price) were collected from integrated report archives of the 28 best performing companies in the JSE SRI Index for the six years from 2010 to 2015. The theoretical foundation was on the human capital theory and related previous literature. The research adopted a quantitative paradigm and applied the regression statistics, which were analysed with the aid of the excel software. Findings from the regression analysis indicate p value of 0.04 for HCI and sales turnover, p value of 0.69 for HCI and the share price and p value of 0.16 for HCI and net profit. This therefore, means that, within the sample of companies, there is a significant relationship between human capital investment and sales turnover of firms and no significant relationship between human capital investment and share price, and net profit of companies. This finding indicates that the result may change from negative to positive with a longer period of data. Over the long term companies that invest in HC would experience profitability (within a range of 10 to 13 years) (Blundell et al, 1999).This means that future research should use a longer period of data and include more companies outside of the JSE SRI Index companies. The research recommends that there is a need for companies to invest in human capital to improve companies’ performance and to win customers’ confidence.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Technology: Public Management, Durban University of Technology. Durban, South Africa, 2016. / Globally, commercialization of university innovation has increased and gained in interest by universities, industry and politicians. The idea of marketing innovation produced by universities is the practice embraced in most advanced economies. However, government’s investment in R&D have not generated the anticipated return. A gap has been identified between innovation developed from publicly financed research and the failure to convert these findings into tangible outcomes. This thesis reports on an investigation of the reasons for the current low rate of commercialization of innovations at South African universities, with a view to increasing this rate. From a survey of intellectual property and technology transfer (IP&TTO) managers and interviews with individual innovators, the main contributory factors were found to be a lack of support from university management, insufficient incentives for innovators, limited access to funding opportunities, institutional bureaucratic regulations and an inefficient system of decision making with regards to intellectual property. Accordingly, the critical measures which can be modified in order to build university IP&TTO success are senior executive support for innovation and commercialization activity, a greater share of financial rewards to individual innovators and a streamlined decision making procedures concerning intellectual property assets. University, government and industry executives need to demonstrate genuine support for research and innovation development activity over the long term, allocate the necessary resources required for its success, and implement a long term strategy for intellectual property.

Thesis (MPA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2003. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The post-apartheid era in South Africa has been marked by a whole range of important changes. At local government, these changes have been manifested by, among other things, the change in strategy from regulatory to developmental local government. Interms of the open systems approach to organisational change, changes in one part of an organisation need to be complemented by matching changes in other parts of the organisation. This is the premise that forms the basis of this study. It is argued particularly that the success of developmental local government hinges, to a large extent, on complementary changes being made in other departments of a municipality. The study focuses on one of these departments, namely the human resources (HR.) department of a municipality. It investigates Endumeni Municipality, and researches whether it has the necessary HR capacity to cope with the new strategy of developmental local government. This is subsequently followed by recommendations derived from the findings. HR capacity is defined as the combination of the following key variables: strategic partnership between the HR function and other functions of a municipality; integration of HR policies, systems and competencies with the developmental mission of a municipality; coherence among the different components of the HR strategy; flexibility of the HR strategy; and Alignment of the culture of a municipality with its developmental mission. The study is descriptive in character. It makes use of a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of investigation. The qualitative method comprises interviews with key informants and an analysis of official documents. The quantitative method, on the other hand, consists of a questionnaire that is administered to the Councillors of the municipality. The study came to a conclusion that Endumeni Municipality lacks the HR capacity to carry out its developmental functions. To remedy this situation, the following recommendations have been suggested: (i) The current role of the HR section has to be reviewed with the view to elevate it to the level of a strategic partner. (ii) The HR competencies, policies and practices of the municipality are still embedded in the outdated system of regulatory local government. These must also come up for review so that they can be re-aligned with developmental local government. (iii) There is generally lack of co-ordination among the various components of HR strategy. These must be re-aligned so that they can complement each other. (iv) The municipality is currently finding it difficult to discard the old HR strategies, a point which suggests rigidity on the part of these strategies. Inorder to cope with the changing environmental conditions, the municipality needs to have some flexibility in its HR strategies. (v) Finally, the prevailing culture still shows elements, which support the old system. This has to be addressed in order to create a new culture that is consistent with developmental local government. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die post-apartheid era in Suid-Afrika word gekenmerk deur 'n reeks baie belangrike veranderinge. Op plaaslike regeringsvlak word hierdie veranderinge, onder andere gekenmerk deur die verandering in strategie van regulerende na ontwikkelende plaaslike regering. Volgens die oopstelselbehadering tot organisatoriese verandering moet veranderinge in een afdeling van 'n organisasie aangevul te word deur soortgelyke veranderinge in ander afdelings van die organisasie. Hierdie stelling vorm die basis van hierdie studie. Daar word geargumenteer dat die sukses van ontwikkelende plaaslike regering in "n groot mate rus op aanvullende veranderinge wat gemaak word in ander afdelings van die munisipaliteit. Hierdie studie fokus op een van hierdie afdelings, naamlik Menslike Hulpbronne (MH). "n Studie word gedoen om te bepaal of Endumeni Munisipaliteit oor die nodige MR beskik om die nuwe strategie van ontwikkelende plaaslike regering te ondersteun. Dit word gevolg deur aanbevelings wat spruit uit die bevindings. MH - kapasiteit word gedefinieer as "n kombinasie van die volgende sleutelveranderlikes: n strategiese venootskap tussen die MR-funksie en ander funksies van "n munisipaliteit; inskakeling van MH-beleide, stelsel en - vaardighede met die ontwikkelingsmissie van' n munisipaliteit; samehorigheid tussen die verskillende komponente van die MR - strategie; aanpasbaarheid van die MR - strategie; en gerigtheid van die kultuur van' n munisipaliteit op sy ontwikkelingsmissie. Die studie is beskrywend van aard. Dit maak gebruik: van "n kombinasie van kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes van ondersoek. Die kwalitatiewe metode behels onderhoude met belangrike informante en ontleding van amptelike dokumente. Die kwantitatiewe metode, aan die ander kant, behels "n vraelys wat versprei word onder ampsdraers van die munisipaliteit. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat Endumeni Munisipaliteit nie oordie MHkapasiteit beskik om sy ontwikkelingsfunksie uit te voer nie. Die volgende aanbevelings word gedoen, om hierdie probleem op te los: (i) Die huidige rol van die MH - seksie moet hersien word om dit uit te lig na die vlak van "n strategiese vennoot. (ii) Die MR - vaardighede, beleide en praktyke van die munisipaliteit verteenwoordig steeds "n uitgediende stelsel van regulerende plaaslike bestuur. Dit moet hiersien word en in lyn gebring word met die ontwikkelende plaaslike regering. (iii) In die algemeen is daar min samewerking tussen die verskeie komponente van die MR - strategie. Hulle moet in lyn gebring word sodat hulle mekaar kan komplimenteer. (iv) Die munisipaliteit vind dit moeilik om ontslae te raak van die ou MH - strategie, "n punt wat die onbuigsaamheid van hierdie strategieë bewys. Om by te bly met die veranderende omgewingstoestande, moet die munisipaliteit buigsaamheid in sy MR - strategie hê. (v)- Ten slote, die huidige kultuur toon steeds elemente wat die ou stelsel steun. Dit moet aangespreek word om "n nuwe kultuur te ontwikkel wat in ooreenstemming . is met ontwikkelende plaaslike regering.