Unlike other studies incorporating the traditional Hughes and Morgan (2007) entrepreneurial orientation (EO) scale, the current study accepted the challenge issued by Lyon, Lumpkin and Dess (2000) evaluating EO in a new approach. As incorporated by Short, Broberg, Cogliser and Brigham (2009), this study too made use of content analysis to evaluate the dimensions of EO in order to comprehend whether the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) are more associated with top performing firms in comparison to less performing firms in the context of South Africa. The study reviewed 21 highgrowth firms that initially listed on the Alternative Exchange (AltX) and subsequently promoted to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) mainboard. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

Social Enterprises are becoming a key economic sector globally, which has led to increased interest from scholars, policymakers, investors, regulators and practitioners alike. There has however not been any consensus and consistency on how to measure their performance. This study aims to address these challenges by proposing a framework that could be used to measure the performance and sustainability of Social Enterprises. The study was conducted by initially reviewing the literature, selecting the most relevant performance criteria from the literature to form the performance measurement framework and finally testing the framework through a qualitative descriptive study of a sample of eight Social Enterprises listed on the Social Stock Exchange in the United Kingdom for the period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2012. The research further proved that it is possible to measure the performance of Social Enterprises and to standardise those measurements for the sector. In this light the financial performance and sustainability criteria were found to provide meaningful results whereas the social performance criteria were prejudiced to an extent by the absence of standardised social reporting in the sector. Further to this the research study found that: (1) the Social Enterprise sector yielded more stable but lower financial returns relative to the stock market, (2) there were no correlations between the sector, GDP and stock market, (3) the social aims have not been achieved in full and (4) the sector was becoming progressively unhealthier with time. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

The general purpose of this thesis was to explore the different roles enacted by entrepreneurs when developing their firm in the market. In their daily attempts to develop their firm, entrepreneurs “wear many different hats” because they are involved in multiple situations which require their interaction with different networks of social relationships (i.e. customers, employees, suppliers, investors). Through this research, we attempt to make three related and distinct contributions: (1) identification and definition of different roles enacted by entrepreneurs within their firm; (2) development of a measurement scale for the different roles entrepreneurs enact within their firm; and (3) proposal of a model explaining the relationship between entrepreneurs’ roles, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and firm performance. The thesis is presented in the form of three related papers. Paper 1 focuses on the qualitative study of the self-reported perceptions, behaviors, and attitudes that entrepreneurs relate to their efforts of developing their firm in the market. Through in-depth interviews and following thematic analysis methodology, we identified and analyzed patterns within the qualitative data. Conceptualizing the entrepreneurial firm as a proximate social structure that represents a context in which the entrepreneur establishes close relationships and thus enacts role identities, we identify and define seven different sets of behaviors or roles. In addition, we propose a conceptual framework to explain the entrepreneurs’ agency within their firm. Based on the previously identified and defined roles, in Paper 2 we develop the measurement scale for the entrepreneurs’ roles. The items generated from the literature review and the in-depth interviews were evaluated for content validity by a group of serial entrepreneurs. A pilot test was then conducted with a network of international entrepreneurs (N=55), followed by a pre-test using an online panel of U.S. entrepreneurs (N=157) who were owners and managers of a running business that had paid salaries to the owner(s) for more than two years. Finally, the main study (N=202) was conducted utilizing the same sampling frame as the pre-test. After Confirmatory Factor Analysis and measure validation, we propose a seven-construct measurement model for the roles that entrepreneurs enact within their developing firm. In Paper 3, following the development of the measurement scale, we explore the links between the roles enacted by entrepreneurs, Entrepreneurial Orientation, and firm performance. Understanding Entrepreneurial Orientation as a way in which entrepreneurs behave when creating and developing their firm, we propose a model in which Entrepreneurial Orientation mediates the relationship between entrepreneurs’ enacted roles and the performance of their firm. Our findings suggest that Entrepreneurial Orientation mediates the relationship between at least five roles enacted by entrepreneurs and firm performance. The influence of several of the enacted roles of entrepreneurs on Entrepreneurial Orientation suggests that the entrepreneur’s agency, facilitated through the use of roles, needs to be taken into account as an antecedent in a model of entrepreneurial strategic orientation and firm performance.

M.Comm. / A point of departure is that most of the universities in South Africa and Africa at large have realised that it is important to introduce entrepreneurship as either a minor or major course in their curricula. The reality is that the countries in Africa are characterized by poverty, high levels of unemployment, and slow economic growth. South Africa is no exception. It is assumed that the teaching of entrepreneurship education to the youth at institutions of higher learning can help address these problems as more people would be encouraged to develop a more positive attitude towards the creation of businesses. This can be achieved if students are taught not just about entrepreneurship, but also how to act entrepreneurially. Furthermore, good and ef-fective entrepreneurship education programmes must be developed, designed, and implemented. The exposure of students to entrepreneurial role models would also yield positive results in terms of stimulating entrepreneurial intentions to start businesses.

To date attention appears to have been mainly concentrated on the development and support of the learning, skill and competence requirements that entrepreneurs and small business owners need to succeed. However, very little attention is placed on the ability of support practitioners to provide the required support. Generally accepted standards with regard to the knowledge, skills and competence requirements for support practitioners seem to be lacking. Support practitioners are also drawn from various education and work experience backgrounds. The lack of industry standards as well as the fact that support practitioners are drawn from various education and work experience backgrounds may be the reason why no clear guidelines exist with regard to the knowledge requirements for support practitioners. In view of the above, the problems that this study is concerned with are the following: <ul> a) To investigate the nature of entrepreneur and small business support; b) To determine what the knowledge criteria for entrepreneur and small business support practitioners should be; and c) To investigate whether support practitioners possess the required knowledge to provide relevant and meaningful support to entrepreneurs and small businesses as suggested by the literature on entrepreneurship.</ul> To obtain a better understanding of the need for this study, a logical framework was developed using the Transcendental Model development methodology. The conceptual model (see Figure 4.2) and theory building process have provided two main benefits:<ul> <li>Firstly, a holistic view of the broader problem environment within which support practitioners function has been provided. </li> <li>Secondly, the focus for the research study and where it fits into the broader problem environment has been established. </li> </ul> The transcendental research methodology was also used to develop a stratified research model (see Figure 4.3) which highlights three phases that the research should move through:<ol> <li>The first phase starts with investigating existing theories and standards relevant to entrepreneur and small business practitioners at the real level. This was done through the exploratory discussions and the literature review. The literature review assisted to determine the knowledge areas that are required by support practitioners.</li> <li>The second phase investigates what knowledge with regard to entrepreneurship, business management and the practice disciplines support practitioners possess at the actual level. This was done through the field research which measured the knowledge that support practitioners actually possess.</li> <li>The third phase investigates whether the required results with regard to the industry objectives of reducing the high failure rates of start-ups and the development of sustainable ventures were obtained at the empirical level. </ol> The study uses the abovementioned approach to obtain the following goals:<ul> <li>firstly, to investigate the knowledge, skills and competence criteria that support practitioners should possess in order to assist entrepreneurs and small businesses to create and develop sustainable ventures that would in turn lead to the decline in start-up failure rates; and</li> <li>secondly, to establish what knowledge, skills and competencies practitioners do possess.</li></ul> The study identified the key measures required to evaluate support practitioner outputs and it also identified that support practitioners lack specific knowledge constructs in all three knowledge areas. It further provides suggestions of how these knowledge gaps can be addressed. As there is a dearth of South African and international research with regard to the knowledge criteria for support practitioners, this study makes a unique contribution to the field in this regard and specifically in the South African small business landscape. / Thesis (PhD (Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

Creativity and innovation are significant for the creation of a knowledge and productive base economy with its associated growth, sustainability and job creation. However it is noticed that students will need to employ the techniques on creativity and innovation in order to prepare themselves sufficiently to become business owners and entrepreneurs in this current global world where government jobs are difficult to come by. Therefore, the primary objective of this study is to determine creative and innovative techniques that will prepare final-year students to become entrepreneurs. A hard copy Word document questionnaire was considered an appropriate measurement method for this study. The targeted population of the study included entrepreneurial experts, business owners, teachers and lecturers of business management/studies in the Sisonke District of Kwazulu Natal Province. Thus, some 100 entrepreneur experts, owners of businesses, teachers and lecturers were identified as part of the sampling frame. A total number of 67 questionnaires were administered out of the 100 targeted– giving a response rate of 67%. The quantitative data were processed using Excel, leading to appropriate descriptive statistical analyses, including frequencies, means, medians and standard deviations. In order to obtain a better understanding of a model that will prepare final year students to become entrepreneurs, problem statements and sub-problems were stated and a t-test was used to establish demographic variables, whilst correlation analysis among skills was conducted regarding the model of creative and innovative techniques. Factor analysis was conducted using the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient which confirms that training in the model will prepare students to become entrepreneurs. The results from the empirical study revealed that a model of creative and innovative techniques will prepare students to become entrepreneurs, with a total of 70% of respondents attesting to it. Based on the relevant literature study and the empirical results, recommendations were made in order to support the training needs of students on creativity and innovation techniques. However, the unavailability of an exhaustive entrepreneurial experts database and small number of further education and training colleges in the Sisonke District, did not allow the research to draw on a larger representative sample. Thus, this limitation has impeded in-depth statistical analysis that would have allowed the research to obtain more accurate findings. Further studies could be investigated from lecturers, business owners and experts whether an introduction of a special curriculum on creativity and innovation in further education and training schools may prepare students to become entrepreneurs.

This research seeks to advance knowledge of the current state of entrepreneurship and small businesses in South Africa, and reports on a review of 32 articles and 244 research abstracts in the field. The studies as a whole indicate that entrepreneurs in South Africa require more knowledge in the fields of: Networking in business, Internationalisation of business, Entrepreneurship training. Since the 1990s, research in entrepreneurship has grown in terms of the number of articles published and conference papers presented. In many countries entrepreneurship has also become part of the political agenda as it is perceived as a possible solution to high unemployment rates. In addition, interest in entrepreneurship has heightened during the 2000s, especially in business schools. Much of this interest is driven by student demand for courses in entrepreneurship, either because of genuine interest in the subject, or because students see entrepreneurship education as a useful hedge given uncertain corporate careers. Most of the entrepreneurship research abstracts reviewed for this study focused on race, gender and ethical issues in South Africa. These three research topics focused on: Attitudes and experiences of black women: differ from other racial groups in business with the results indicating that black women were competent and highly-motivated, but lacked communication skills and Western business orientation. Many black women also desired equality although their male counterparts opposed this. Black women also lacked role models and career guidance. Different population groups participate in the economy: reflect regional, income, expenditure, skill, occupational and labour differences, including labour supply and demand. Ethics concerns: include whether it should be taught in the human resources management curricula taught in universities. From the findings it appeared that entrepreneurship research in South Africa is fairly similar to international research contexts. As entrepreneurship and small businesses are diverse and multi-disciplinary, the studies reviewed indicated a wide range of different models, theories, frameworks, and combinations of these. However, the theoretical richness of the studies reviewed was, in many cases, relatively low, and only a few of the studies could be regarded as highly-theoretical. In addition, the presentation of the various theories and models applied was very often inadequately reported. It is also important to note that altogether between 7 and 11 percent of the studies were without any well-argued theoretical framework. Thus, researchers in the field should discuss the theoretical frameworks applied in their empirical analyses, to ensure this will improve the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon. Although this study made use of the mixed-method approach to conduct the research, it is also important to note that, in 12 percent of cases, methodological issues were poorly described. Most of the studies often did not describe the data collection response rate provide sample demographic and firm size details as well as identify the target industry. These details were often missing or loosely defined. The reasons for the selection of a certain research approach were also poorly explained, making many of the research studies deficient or limited methodologically. These omissions present a challenge, not only to authors in the field, but also to reviewers and editors in academic journals, as this impacts on the scientific rigor of published papers. On the basis of published papers reviewed, it seems that, personally-administered data collection works best in South Africa. From the research studies undertaken in South Africa, it is evident that much has been researched in the areas of gender (specifically the role of women in business), entrepreneurship training and ethics in business. It is evident that during the 1980s, no research was conducted in South Africa in the areas of family businesses and entrepreneurship training, while international research focuses on these topics. During the 1990s, no research focused on networking in small businesses, and. during the 2000s, there was a lack of research on internationalisation of businesses as only six articles were published from 2000 until 2011 on these topics. This highlights a need for internationalisation research especially as it is well-documented that the South African economy cannot survive if it does not take cognisance of its international competitors. On the basis of the articles and abstracts reviewed, the current state of knowledge concerning entrepreneurship and small businesses in South Africa was assessed, especially the need for the internationalisation of South African small businesses. Moreover, research studies could also focus on the obstacles encountered in the internationalisation process of South African small businesses.

Small entrepreneurial businesses are widely regarded as important contributors to the economic well-being of countries all over the world as they create value for both the entrepreneur and the economy in which they operate. The value creation process in these businesses often differs from what commonly happens in larger established businesses. Resources available to the entrepreneur are normally much more restricted and decisions are often based on limited information. This thesis focuses on the value that is created by technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, the leveraging of limited resources and the decision-making orientation they adopt during this process. Given the importance of technology-based entrepreneurial businesses in contributing to economic growth and job creation in most global economies, as well as the limited previous research conducted amongst these businesses, the purpose of this study was to identify the human and social capital factors influencing value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. With this purpose in mind, the primary objective was to identify, investigate and empirically test the relationships between the various identified factors and Perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, taking into account their decision-making orientation, as well as the uncertain environment under which they operate. This study uses the Resource-Based View of the business as the basis of its theoretical orientation. The literature review revealed five main categories of constructs, namely Knowledge and skills, Experience, Networks, Decision-making orientation and Perceived environmental uncertainty influencing the dependent variable Perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. Knowledge and skills, Experience and Networks were identified as independent variables while Decision-making orientation was identified as the mediating variable and Perceived environmental uncertainty as the moderating variable. Six demographic variables (type of industry, age of business, number of employees, age of entrepreneur, academic qualifications of entrepreneur and the number of previous businesses started by the entrepreneur) were also identified as potential influencing factors. Various hypotheses were formulated to be tested during the empirical investigation. Each construct was clearly defined and then operationalised. Operationalisation was done by using reliable and valid items sourced from tested measuring instruments used in previous studies, as well as a number of self-generated items based on secondary sources. A structured questionnaire was made available to respondents identified by means of the convenience snowball sampling technique, and the data collected from 313 usable questionnaires was subjected to various statistical analyses. An Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) was conducted which confirmed the different variables, and Cronbach-alpha coefficients were calculated to confirm the reliability of the measuring instrument. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was the main statistical procedure used to test the significance of the relationships hypothesised between the various independent, mediating, moderating and dependent variables. A number of different models were tested, and the results discussed and explained. The main finding of the study was that technology-based entrepreneurial business can create financial and non-financial value by adopting a decision-making orientation in the business of co-creating the future with other stakeholders. The most important human and social capital factors that influence the decision-making orientation of these businesses are Knowledge and skills, Unstructured networks and Structured networks. The main limitations of the study were firstly the convenience snowball sampling technique used to collect responses, secondly the dependence of reporting on organisation issues by individuals, and thirdly the limited number of influencing factors included in the models. Future research should address these limitations, and could include qualitative analyses. This study has added to the empirical body of knowledge on entrepreneurship research by investigating a particularly important segment of the literature, namely technology-based entrepreneurial businesses. By identifying and developing various models that outline the most significant factors that influence perceived value creation in technology-based entrepreneurial businesses, this study offers recommendations and suggestions for managing these businesses in such a way as to improve the creation of financial and non-financial value in them. It further provides recommendations for business teaching programmes to enhance curriculums by focusing on alternatives to the format of formal business planning.

Tourism has been acknowledged for the past decade as one of the leading driving forces for economic development in post-apartheid South Africa (Nel & Binns, 2002:189). The objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of corporate entrepreneurship for firms in adventure tourism sector in the Eastern Cape Province; South Africa. The population for the study were firms registered with the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism Portal (NMBT) and the Dirty Boot Adventure South Africa. Convenience sampling method was used. Data was collected through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. For the purpose of data collection, one hundred and fourteen questions were identified through a thorough review of the literature. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the one hundred and fourteen questions to twelve factors namely: flat organisational structure, management support for intrapreneurship, vision and strategic intent, rewards / reinforcement and sponsorship, innovativeness and creativity, multi-disciplined teamwork and diversity, entrepreneurial leadership, resources and time, strong customer orientation, continuous cross-functional learning, tolerance of risk, mistakes and failure and work discretion and discretionary time. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, T-test and ANOVA. Cohen`s (d-value) was used to measure the effect size of differences for t-statistics. The Cronbach’s alpha was used to test the reliability of the scales. The results showed significant positive relationships between the twelve factors and corporate entrepreneurship. Recommendations included an integrated framework that could assist adventure tour operator to establish and sustain corporate entrepreneurship within this sector.

To respect climate change goals, reinforced by COP21 in Paris, an overhaul of the energy system in EU countries will be necessary and this will involve a major deployment of low-carbon technology (Stern 2006). Although the relative roles of green new ventures and incumbent firms in the dissemination of environmental innovation remain unclear (Hall, Daneke et al. 2010), entrepreneurship shows promise as a response to environmental prob-lems (Anderson 1998, Schaltegger 2002, Hart, Milstein 1999). Since green new ventures are free from the innovatory constraints faced by incumbent firms (York, Venkataraman 2010, Hockerts, Wüstenhagen 2010), they are in a position to disrupt existing unsustaina-ble markets. Designing and implementing an energy policy with an “entrepreneurial fla-vour” (Wüstenhagen, Wuebker 2011) could be advantageous in achieving a successful sus-tainable transformation of the energy system. This thesis examines how entrepreneurs per-ceive energy policy in three advanced EU countries using a case study approach, with each country constituting a case. Data sources comprised policy documents, interviews with entrepreneurs and key staff in new ventures, and field notes from practitioner conferences. At this critical point at which direct support for renewables is being withdrawn, it is argued that efforts must be made to retain this entrepreneurial force in the energy market. This thesis reflects on the degree to which the market-creating support mechanisms are being withdrawn. If entrepreneurship is to thrive in a post-support context, there must be consid-eration as to how to better integrate decentralised renewables into the energy market, espe-cially in relation to how they can compete effectively with conventional technologies, namely nuclear and gas. In addition to alternative strategies to incentivise adoption of re-newable energy technologies beyond early adopter consumer categories (Rogers 1995), building greater public consent to sustainability policies is crucial to the continued success of energy entrepreneurship. Geopolitical factors surrounding energy security may rein-force the case for continuing to support entrepreneurship in the renewable power sector.