The primary objective of this study was to assess the attitude of grade 12 learners towards entrepreneurship. This primary objective was achieved through the discussion and evaluation of the secondary objectives. The secondary objectives included the literature review relative to entrepreneurship, the empirical study and making practical recommendations. The study was conducted in a selected area in the North-West province, with a specific focus on the region as clustered by the Department of Education of the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality. A comprehensive literature review was conducted. In the literature review entrepreneurship was defined based on an entrepreneur’s point of view and also as a process. The literature review also discussed the current state of entrepreneurship in South Africa, education and training models including measures to fast track entrepreneurship adoption among learners, and various models of entrepreneurial development. The assessment of attitude, entrepreneurial intentions of learners and opportunity recognition were other subjects covered in the literature review chapter. After the literature review, the empirical study was conducted by means of a self- completion questionnaire administered to grade 12 learners. The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 299 learners, and the feedback accumulated to 274 respondents, which represent a good response rate of 92%. Chapter 3 focused on the empirical research by discussing the results obtained from the questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured in such a way that it firstly deals with the respondents’ demographic information, after which it assesses attitude towards entrepreneurship, followed by ways of seizing entrepreneurial opportunities, and establishing the entrepreneurial environment in secondary schools including in South Africa. Furthermore, relations were determined between demographic variables and the constructs used to measure attitude towards entrepreneurship. Following the detailed analysis of chapter 3, conclusions and recommendations were summoned to chapter 4. Overall, the results indicated a view that learners are not entirely pruned to entrepreneurship due influential factors such as their parents’ or guardian’s lack of involvement in business. Furthermore, it also indicated that if learners are afforded constructive mentorship, they can be more inclined to entrepreneurship. Similarly, if they are financially assisted or motivation is provided by the government and private sectors, they can be able to venture into business. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Pharmacy in South Africa changed dramatically the past decade. Legislative changes include the amendment of The Pharmacy Act in 2003 allowing for nonpharmacists to own pharmacies. This opened the door for national chain stores to change their business model by including a dispensary in their retail service offerings. The regulation of medicine prices impacted the profitability of the pharmacy industry. This caused a double edge sword to retail pharmacy – not only do they need to compete with national supermarkets on front shop products, their products, namely scheduled medication also are regulated in dispensaries. In an environment of rapid change and shortened product and business model lifecycles, the future profit streams from existing operations are uncertain. Businesses need to consistently seek out new opportunities and therefore firms may benefit from adopting an entrepreneurial orientation. Entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent pharmacies’ might play a role in survival of pharmacy business as a professional services provider for which a fee may be charged. The entrepreneurial orientation of retail pharmacists in independent and corporate pharmacies is explored. A literature study on the field of Entrepreneurship is conducted. The term entrepreneurial orientation, consisting of five constructs, namely autonomy, innovation, pro-activeness, risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness is defined. Perceived success of the industry is defined in terms of growth and development. An entrepreneurial orientation questionnaire was distributed among retail pharmacists operating in corporate and independent environments. Both ratings of the constructs and their evaluation of the perceived success of the industry has been measured, analysed and reported. The results obtained from the questionnaire and the in-depth interviews in conjunction with the literature review are used to draw conclusions and make recommendations. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The primary objective of this study was to assess the attitude of grade 12 learners towards entrepreneurship. This primary objective was achieved through the discussion and evaluation of the secondary objectives. The secondary objectives included the literature review relative to entrepreneurship, the empirical study and making practical recommendations. The study was conducted in a selected area in the North-West province, with a specific focus on the region as clustered by the Department of Education of the Kgetlengrivier Local Municipality. A comprehensive literature review was conducted. In the literature review entrepreneurship was defined based on an entrepreneur’s point of view and also as a process. The literature review also discussed the current state of entrepreneurship in South Africa, education and training models including measures to fast track entrepreneurship adoption among learners, and various models of entrepreneurial development. The assessment of attitude, entrepreneurial intentions of learners and opportunity recognition were other subjects covered in the literature review chapter. After the literature review, the empirical study was conducted by means of a self- completion questionnaire administered to grade 12 learners. The questionnaire was distributed to a total of 299 learners, and the feedback accumulated to 274 respondents, which represent a good response rate of 92%. Chapter 3 focused on the empirical research by discussing the results obtained from the questionnaire. The questionnaire was structured in such a way that it firstly deals with the respondents’ demographic information, after which it assesses attitude towards entrepreneurship, followed by ways of seizing entrepreneurial opportunities, and establishing the entrepreneurial environment in secondary schools including in South Africa. Furthermore, relations were determined between demographic variables and the constructs used to measure attitude towards entrepreneurship. Following the detailed analysis of chapter 3, conclusions and recommendations were summoned to chapter 4. Overall, the results indicated a view that learners are not entirely pruned to entrepreneurship due influential factors such as their parents’ or guardian’s lack of involvement in business. Furthermore, it also indicated that if learners are afforded constructive mentorship, they can be more inclined to entrepreneurship. Similarly, if they are financially assisted or motivation is provided by the government and private sectors, they can be able to venture into business. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study aims to examine corporate entrepreneurship within the risk and insurance industry, with specific reference to Marsh South Africa. An overview of Marsh South Africa is given with specific focus on the history, company structure and operating environment of the organisation. The factors that emphasises the need for corporate entrepreneurship within the risk and insurance industry is the growing demand for solutions that break the cycle of annual insurance renewals, the emergence of new exposures, and the approach taken by firms to analyse risk on a more comprehensive basis. In general the changing operating environment and the fact that Marsh operates in a regulated environment highlights the importance and need for corporate entrepreneurial strategies. The literature review defines entrepreneurship and specifically corporate entrepreneurship with particular focus on the various dimensions and determinants of corporate entrepreneurship and the crucial role that innovation plays. The core of the literature review and study in general focuses on the thirteen entrepreneurial constructs that constitutes the entrepreneurial climate and assesses an additional construct which is the perceived success of the organisation. The success of a company's entrepreneurial activity is reliant on the entrepreneurial climate that is present within the company. In this study, respondents indicates that a strong customer orientation, entrepreneurial leadership and a flat organisational structure are the most important constructs that constitute an entrepreneurial climate, which gives an indication that the company understands its clients and their needs. Resource availability and accessibility, innovation and creativity and tolerance for risks, mistakes and failure is ranked the lowest of all the constructs, indicating that certain aspects of the company's entrepreneurial climate need attention. Constructs measuring the perceived success of the organisation indicates that customer/market measures as well as process and financial measures plays a significant role. The future long-term success of the organisation and people development however requires more consideration. The study further assess any statistical significant differences between the gender, race and level of employment of the employees in relation to the entrepreneurial climate and perceived success of the organisation constructs and finds that no specific significant statistical differences exist. Several recommendations are made in order to improve the entrepreneurial climate at the organisation as it will contribute to the creation of increased organisational commitment and the future economic performance of the organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Employing a representative sample of small- and medium-sized enterprises, this study examines the performance of immigrant-owned business ventures (IBVs) and firms owned by non-immigrants. The study also presents a comprehensive profile of Canadian IBVs. Anecdotal evidence has suggested that many successful growth-oriented firms have been started and managed by immigrant entrepreneurs. Immigrant business owners are also thought to bring to business start-up unique managerial acumen and social capital derived from diverse experiences and international networks. To date, however, there remains a lack of substantive evidence regarding the performance of immigrant-owned ventures. The study also considers the performance of comparable groups of new firms owned by non-immigrant entrepreneurs, with a particular focus on the relationship between firm internationalization and enterprise performance. The results lend support to arguments that owner-level factors influence the process of internationalization among SMEs and that, compared to non-immigrant business owners, immigrant business owners retain entrepreneurial acumen that is conducive to the internationalization of young ventures. The implications of the findings for research and policy are considered.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

This study aims to examine corporate entrepreneurship within the risk and insurance industry, with specific reference to Marsh South Africa. An overview of Marsh South Africa is given with specific focus on the history, company structure and operating environment of the organisation. The factors that emphasises the need for corporate entrepreneurship within the risk and insurance industry is the growing demand for solutions that break the cycle of annual insurance renewals, the emergence of new exposures, and the approach taken by firms to analyse risk on a more comprehensive basis. In general the changing operating environment and the fact that Marsh operates in a regulated environment highlights the importance and need for corporate entrepreneurial strategies. The literature review defines entrepreneurship and specifically corporate entrepreneurship with particular focus on the various dimensions and determinants of corporate entrepreneurship and the crucial role that innovation plays. The core of the literature review and study in general focuses on the thirteen entrepreneurial constructs that constitutes the entrepreneurial climate and assesses an additional construct which is the perceived success of the organisation. The success of a company's entrepreneurial activity is reliant on the entrepreneurial climate that is present within the company. In this study, respondents indicates that a strong customer orientation, entrepreneurial leadership and a flat organisational structure are the most important constructs that constitute an entrepreneurial climate, which gives an indication that the company understands its clients and their needs. Resource availability and accessibility, innovation and creativity and tolerance for risks, mistakes and failure is ranked the lowest of all the constructs, indicating that certain aspects of the company's entrepreneurial climate need attention. Constructs measuring the perceived success of the organisation indicates that customer/market measures as well as process and financial measures plays a significant role. The future long-term success of the organisation and people development however requires more consideration. The study further assess any statistical significant differences between the gender, race and level of employment of the employees in relation to the entrepreneurial climate and perceived success of the organisation constructs and finds that no specific significant statistical differences exist. Several recommendations are made in order to improve the entrepreneurial climate at the organisation as it will contribute to the creation of increased organisational commitment and the future economic performance of the organisation. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

Corporate entrepreneurship has gained renewed interested in research since global markets are evolving and industries become more and more competitive. Information is transferred across the globe rapidly so that products and processes can be copied quickly. In order to be competitive, companies need to enhance creativity, their technological knowledge and market know-how. This high competitiveness leads to a dilemma where innovation is a key to survive whilst the size and administration may signify barriers to replicate entrepreneurial behavior through the entire business.   Considering the relevance of corporate entrepreneurship in the rapidly changing market of the 21st century, our purpose was to develop a deeper understanding of how corporate entrepreneurship can be used by companies. We then looked deeper into the subject of organizational transformation and decided to do a case study. The aim of the research was to make a theoretical contribution by examining the subject in the context of a medium-sized enterprise in a specific environment where corporate entrepreneurship is vital. Therefore, we chose a medium-sized German company that operates in the increasingly complex and competitive process automation industry. The Gefeba Elektro GmbH was found to be an interesting case for a case study for several reasons. The company was situated in a highly competitive market, in the heart of the industrial ‘Rurhgebiet’, with numerous competitors. However, and despite the lack of resources faced by this SME, Gefeba is an important actor in the automation industry.   Although researchers have examined various factors that promote corporate entrepreneurship, the literature has focused on defining factors in isolation without linking them to architectural factors, especially when it comes to SMEs. These factors are defined in our study as leadership, culture, structure and strategy. Acting within the extremes of small businesses and large corporations, we focus our study on a single medium-sized company that enables us to reach different levels of the organization and grasp a holistic understanding of this specific organization in relation to its use of CE. In accordance to this, the main research question is: How does Gefeba Elektro GmbH use corporate entrepreneurship in the automation sector industry?   The study was conducted using a qualitative research method. One of the major findings is that the Gefeba Elektro GmbH is using a balance between the organizational antecedents of common values and flexibility to build a mechanism that aligns the organizational architecture towards the development of corporate entrepreneurship. Another aspect is the fact that every architectural factor is used for the development of CE, even if some architectural factors such as leadership and culture seem to have more importance in this development. Thereby, the findings about organizational antecedents and architectural factors are relevant for the managerial implications in others SMEs facing the same context as Gefeba Elektro GmbH, which are willing to implement corporate entrepreneurship without knowing exactly how to do it. Indeed, the lack of resources of an SME could however allow developing organizational transformation through a sensitive equilibrium between the common values and beliefs for the control and the flexibility for the innovation. Moreover, another point highlighted in our findings is the crucial role of the individual in the implementation and development of corporate entrepreneurship.

This research utilizes the Model for Marketing in Small Professional Service Firms, based on Carson's Model for the Development of Small Firm Marketing, to examine the marketing of Physician Services in Puerto Rico. To achieve its objectives, a combination of quantitative(survey) and qualitative (cases) research is used. From the literature a series of statements is generated to form hypotheses that are tested utilizing the results of a questionnaire survey of 105 physicians in Puerto Rico. The results suggest a possible change of attitude of service providers towards marketing and its use. They reveal that physicians in Puerto Rico are in agreement with the marketing concept but most do not adopt "traditional" techniques of marketing- preferring to focus on the physician/patient relationship. Analysis of eight cases demonstrates the importance of this relationship and suggests that though is seen as important in attracting and retaining patients, most physicians do not see this as marketing, which is perceived to be mostly "advertising" and "selling." Many are cautious not to "commercialise" their practice and any differences in their behaviour can be explained by the way they believe the physician/patient relationship is best enhanced. The research proposes a Model for Marketing Solo Professional Service Firms that depicts the_ relation between the changes, over time, in the personal life cycle of the service provider/owner manager and the stages in the life cycle of the business practice. The model suggests that throughout there is a need to focus on one aspect of marketing for the practice, which may change over time, and that the elements determining the marketing activities at a particular time, how they are undertaken and why they are utilised, are constantly evolving. Thus the marketing practices of small professional firms appear to be contingent on both the external and internal environment of the practice.