Thesis (MTech (Business Administration))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019 / The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of insufficient business planning and good management of SMEs in Gabon have on SMEs’ to survive and grow. Thus, the study examined the relationship between business strategies and SMEs’ organisational sustainability in Libreville (Gabon).The study was a descriptive one which made use of positivist philosophy and adopted quantitative approach. As such a questionnaire which was designed from themes extracted from literature survey was used to gather data from a sample of 30 SMEs. The findings indicated that the lack of business strategy encountered in SMEs in Libreville lead partly to the failure or setbacks of the operation of the organisations. Most common reasons of the failure of SMEs were related to the absence of business plan, the lack of leadership, and lack of appropriate management system. The recommendations are to improve the SMEs in terms of good leadership, importance of business plan, management control system; strategic business management, organisation and employees performance. It further revealed that for the purpose of organisational sustainability, business strategies are regarded as critical aspects to consider for avoiding non-conformances while running businesses. The significance of the study is the framework to identify and optimise business strategies in order to promote successfully SMEs. The study shows the interest of owners of SMEs to set up appropriate business strategies.

In this thesis, wave propagation through acoustic materials with subwavelength slits structures is studied. Guided by the findings, acoustic wave focusing is achieved with a specific material design. By using a parameter retrieving method, an effective medium theory for a slab with periodic subwavelength cut-through slits is successfully derived. The theory is based on eigenfunction solutions to the acoustic wave equation. Numerical simulations are implemented by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method for the two-dimensional acoustic wave equation. The theory provides the effective impedance and refractive index functions for the equivalent medium, which can reproduce the transmission and reflection spectral responses of the original structure. I analytically and numerically investigate both the validity and limitations of the theory, and the influences of material and geometry on the effective spectral responses are studied. Results show that large contrasts in impedance and density are conditions that validate the effective medium theory, and this approximation displays a better accuracy for a thick slab with narrow slits in it. Based on the effective medium theory developed, a design of a at slab with a snake shaped" subwavelength structure is proposed as a means of achieving acoustic focusing. The property of focusing is demonstrated by FDTD simulations. Good agreement is observed between the proposed structure and the equivalent lens pre- dicted by the theory, which leads to robust broadband focusing by a thin at slab.

MCom (Business Management) / Department of Business Management / The spaza-shop sector is an integral part of the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) in the South African economy. The industry is made up of more than 100 000 enterprises with a collective annual turnover of R7 billion. Spaza shops also contribute about 4% (about 100 000 jobs) of employment in the informal sector. Spaza shops usually have a short lifespan and rarely grow; the failure rate of spaza shops, including those owned by immigrants is very high in South Africa. It is estimated that the failure rate of small businesses (including spaza shops) in South Africa is between 70% and 80%. It is also noted that about 50% of small businesses fail within the first five years of commencement of business, irrespective of the country. Despite severe competitive pressures faced by SMMEs, immigrants (especially Somalis and Ethiopians) have established a strong foothold in the spaza-shop sector. The main objective of the study was to investigate the success factors of immigrant-owned spaza shops in Thulamela Local Municipality. To address the research question, which focuses on the lived experiences and perceptions of participants, the interpretivist paradigm was used. A qualitative approach was adopted with a sample of 25 participants; purposive sampling was used to select participants with the required characteristics. Structured interview questions administered through face-to-face interviews were used to collect data and content analysis was used to analyse data. The data collected revealed that there are a plethora of success factors that are enhancing the continuance and sustenance of immigrant spaza shops in Thulamela Local Municipality. Of these, the most frequently given ones include - human capital, networks, culture, superior customer service, long operating hours and business location. The researcher recommended that immigrant spaza-shop entrepreneurs should establish a mentorship program that will assist in training other local spaza-owners to successfully manage their enterprises, in a bid to create harmony within the sector and to promote job creation. / NRF

South Africa is listed among the world's top ten countries with the highest unemployment levels (World Bank, 2018). The National Development Plan (2013) envisioned that by 2030, 90% of new jobs in the country will be created by small and growing enterprises. Worryingly however, South Africa lags in meeting its target for job creation as set out in the National Development Plan despite some effort made by the government to promote and grow small businesses. Globally small and medium enterprises have been acknowledged for their key role in driving economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation. Despite this important role, South Africa still has one of the highest small and medium enterprise (SME) failure rates in the world (Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 2014). To circumvent this challenge, the South African government established development strategies including the notable Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) to drive the growth and expansion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs). BBBEE is intended to drive enterprise and supplier development (ESD) and improve the development and long-term growth of SMEs. Notably, large private corporations in South Africa have made significant investments in ESD; however many SMEs fail to survive past three years. This study therefore investigates the extent to which integration into a large corporate value chain promotes the sustainability of a SME. The study also examines the impediments that inhibit the growth of SMEs that are integrated in large corporate value chains. The research was conducted using an explanatory qualitative methodology. Five SME owners and six large corporate managers were interviewed to assess their perspectives and opinions on the SME-Corporate relationship. The research results concluded that corporate initiatives on ESD are of a significant benefit to SME growth, however challenges such as negative corporate perception and access to external funding remain a hindrance to SME growth. The study proposed recommendations to improve the successful integration of SMEs into corporate value chains.

The interaction between the solar wind and the partially ionized gas of the local interstellar medium (ISM) creates a bubble known as the heliosphere. Classically, the shape of the heliosphere has been regarded as comet-like, with a long tail pointed in the direction opposite the Sun’s motion through the ISM. In this view, the solar magnetic field was assumed to have a negligible effect on the global structure of the heliosphere. Recent advances in numerical modeling have revealed the importance of the solar magnetic field in its ability to confine and collimate the solar wind plasma, and the shape of the heliosphere has been called into question. Energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) are created throughout the heliosphere via charge exchange. The separate contributions of the solar magnetic field topology and the solar wind structure to ENA observations is largely unexplored. The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) has been providing a global perspective of the heliosphere through ENA maps with energies ranging from 0.2 to 6 keV. In this dissertation, three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the heliosphere are used as input to an ENA model designed to produce synthetic ENA maps. I compare modeled ENA maps with IBEX observations to investigate how different heliospheric conditions and properties affect ENAs created in the heliosphere, and therefore how ENA observations can be used to understand the heliosphere. First, I investigate the effect of the solar wind collimation by the solar magnetic field on ENA maps in the case of a solar wind without latitudinal variation. I find that even in the absence of variations of the solar wind, two lobes of strong ENA flux form at high latitudes, similar to what is observed by IBEX at high energies. Second, I test the effect of a latitudinally-varying solar wind on ENAs both with and without the inclusion of the solar magnetic field. I show that the latitudinal variations of the solar wind during solar minimum creates a structured ENA profile with latitude, corresponding to the profile observed at 1 AU, but that the solar magnetic field significantly enhances ENA flux in the region where the solar wind is confined. Lastly, I investigate the effect of the solar cycle on ENAs and how changing solar wind conditions (e.g. density, temperature, velocity) affect the heliosphere over time. I demonstrate that, given changes in the solar cycle, there is a significant evolution in the modeled ENA flux due to the changes in the solar wind profile and the solar magnetic field, which is also seen by ENA observations.

South Africa‘s education system is in dire straits with few people having access to tertiary education. This has resulted in a skills shortage across all industries. Private companies as well as public companies are experiencing problems due to this skills shortage. This paper investigated whether private companies feel they have a duty to assist in resolving this problem, considering Milton Friedman‘s assertion that the sole purpose of a company is to make money for the shareholders compared with the notion of conscious capitalism. A literature review was followed by a qualitative study where CEOs of private companies were interviewed. These companies included unlisted companies, partnerships and sole proprietors. During the interview process, they were asked whether in their opinion they have a duty to be involved in solving the problem of lack of access to tertiary education, whether they are currently involved and the reasons why they are involved or not. The question was asked whether in their opinion the theory of Friedman or conscious capitalism is more applicable to their environment through investment in education. It was found that the small business owner does experience a sense of duty and responsibility towards solving problems in tertiary education. In some cases, this was due to legislation promulgated by government. This sense of duty is limited to their immediate environment. It was shown how legislation has interfered with the theory of conscious capitalism in terms of the four constructs on which it is built and how various other factors need to be taken into account when considering whether conscious capitalism is relevant in the business environment. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / lmgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

In today’s fast changing business environment, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) need to seize the technological opportunities that this environment provides, by developing dynamic capabilities to build and attain high performance. This dissertation looks at the effect that technological opportunism has on the performance of SMEs in Namibia. In addition, the dissertation looks at the mediating role of dynamic capabilities on the relationship between technological opportunism and SMEs. The study draws from the dynamic capabilities view for theoretical context. The literature reviewed enabled the development of a conceptual model, which further contributes to theory. Data is drawn from a random sample of 209 SMEs located in Namibia. Results from the regression analysis suggest that the effect of technological opportunism on the performance of SMEs is partially mediated by dynamic capabilities. For the three capabilities assessed, the learning and integrative capabilities have a partial mediating effect on the link between technological opportunism and performance, while the transformative capability does not mediate this relationship. The study offers important academic and business implications, and also points out future research directions. The findings serve as a guide to best improve the work done in this sector, with an emphasis on how to best develop SMEs’ capabilities with regard to new technology initiatives, aimed at improving SMEs. SME owners are encouraged to build capacity, embrace partnerships and develop capabilities that results in better performance.

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El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / In the new context of globalization, large manufacturing companies are forced to improve their production processes, so they need to design and apply methodologies that align with this trend. However, these practices are not applied in SMEs with similar problems, which mainly influence the timely delivery of their products and especially in the metal mechanic sector. Therefore, this article proposes the design of an integration model of Lean Tools and Knowledge Management, whose methodology is composed of 4 phases; in phase 0, the awareness and analysis of the current situation is carried out, in the first phase knowledge management is applied (design, development, implementation and sustainability), in phase 2, the Lean tools are implemented, initiating the application of the 5's, followed by standardized work and then by Total Productive Maintenance; finally in phase 3, the analysis and control of the results obtained. The model was validated in a metal-mechanic SME in Peru where an increase in production of 20% was obtained, an improvement of 30% in the training and training of the person and a 14% improvement in the overall efficiency of the team. / Revisión por pares

This work seeks to explore the critical success factors that influence the success of Indian small business owners in the Tshwane area. To achieve this, the objective of the study is to confirm whether there are significant differences between a successful and less successful group of business owners in terms of general management skills, personal characteristics and entrepreneurial orientation and financing of the business. Through an analysis of theoretical information and empirical results it is possible to facilitate a better understanding of how Indian entrepreneurs operating in small and medium enterprises sustain success, thus enabling learnings that contribute to the body of knowledge relating to entrepreneurship development in South Africa. From the literature it became clear that cultural dimensions have an impact on the entrepreneurial process. The arrival of Indians to South Africa has also contributed to the Indian culture. The characteristics that describe ethnic entrepreneurs and success factors attributed to their success is described. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are crucial for the development of any country as they offer benefits of economic growth and employment generation. The success factors to sustain SMEs are also described. Data was collected from respondents by means of a convenience sample using a structured questionnaire consisting of 28 questions. A total of 106 useable questionnaires were returned, which were then classified into a successful and less successful group, based on the criteria of annual turnover and employment growth. The classification process resulted in the successful group containing 38 respondents while the less successful group contained 49 respondents. The findings of the study indicate that there are no significant differences between the comparable groups in relation to management skills and finance factors. There are, however, significant differences relating to personal factors, such as the level of education, family support and experience. Finally, an important learning is that the Indian entrepreneurs in this study are similar to ethnic entrepreneurs reviewed in literature. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted